GET HOOKED ON SEAFOOD
English Bay dining
The chef at Hook Sea Bar has worked the trenches for some time. I’ve encountered Kayla Dhaliwal at House Guest, Beyond, Tapenade (Steveston), Feast (West Vancouver) and, in 2013, I interviewed her in fighting spirit as a contender for Top Chef Canada.
Recently she was cooking at popular neighbourhood watering hole Blind Sparrow in the West End when owner Michael Gayman leaped at a most desirous of locations — the original Milestones across from English Bay — when it closed.
It reopened as Hook Sea Bar last July with the buffer of just over a week to brace themselves for the Celebration of Lights onslaught.
The patio offers a primo spot to eat, drink and watch the fireworks as well as the Pride Parade that soon followed. When I visited in December, the Lumiere light art festival was on, ablaze with twinkling lights. And, says Gayman, you can’t beat the sunsets over English Bay. There is, however, the unending Denman Street traffic between you and the beach and the sunset.
If you read my column, you’ll know I’m a loudmouth about noisy restaurants. At Hook, I thought my hair would be blowing in the sound waves from the speakers — it seemed like a loud and fun spot. I was wrong: It had busy buzz, but we could converse without yelling, perhaps because we were in the lounge area, sitting in close quarters at a high-top table.
A server thoughtfully suggested the lounge because a large party was expected in the dining room. (Am I that obvious as a cranky noise neurotic?) The servers were friendly and cheerful, but once both rooms began filling up they became extinct. When I went to check out the dining room and take a photo, I was asked (thoughtfully) if I was wanting to change my table. Lights here are dim, not camera-ready.
Hook, as you’d guess, is about seafood and finds its groove in familiar, accessible food. It ranges from easy comfort dishes like fish and chips, fish tacos, surf and turf burgers, and fried chicken to a little higher reach with dishes like duck confit carbonara; burrata and beet salad; and lobster guacamole.
“They’re dishes that locals like. There’s a gap in the market for casual seafood, for high quality in a casual setting,” says Gayman.
The kitchen does show reverence for seafood. A starter West Coast chowder had fresh, brightly flavoured seafood and a nicely balanced broth. I wondered about the sushi since they had three offerings: a sushi stack, sushi rolls or pressed sushi. I ordered the latter with salmon, avocado and jalapeno ($14) and thought “uh oh” when soy sauce arrived in an eye-drop bottle. The ingredients were fresh, but it didn’t have the sparkle and technique of really good sushi.
Seared scallops with braised veal cheek ($30) was in total control: beautiful scallops and veal, with chanterelles, squash, veal jus and a sunchoke puree. Fish stew ($29) looked a-jumble upon arrival (bok choy, baby corn, radishes, green beans, peppers, potatoes tussling with mussels, clams, and fin fish), but the light coconut curry lobster broth was delicious and the seafood was very good.
Gayman says one of the hit dishes is the lobster guacamole ($16), spiked with lobster, smoked tomato, and a spicy crema. Another is the crab BLT ($18), with crispy soft-shell crab, poached prawn, bacon, avocado and greens in an in-house lobster roll brioche.
For dessert, we shared the chocolate raspberry cake made like fine French pastry; the cross section showed raspberry mousse, chocolate mousse, chocolate sable base and chocolate ganache. Meringue kisses and out-of-season berries embellished. Perhaps it wasn’t as adept as a Thomas Haas, but still made with love and labour.
If you’re a West Ender looking for an escape from apartment life, there are happy hours from 3 to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to closing. The wine list is adequate for the menu and the beer list has great craft beers. There’s even mocktails should you be on the wagon, or a kid.