C Restaurant was Terrible!

Posted by VegasCanuck from Las Vegas on 11/29/06

We chose C Restaurant after it was listed in the National Posts list of top Canadian restaurants&BIG MISTAKE! Sadly, C Restaurant was a huge disappointment. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted with a scowl from the hostess. Overall, the décor seemed almost as if they were in a temporary location. The one and only waiter had a condescending attitude. It would have been nice if he could have asked for our drink order before asking for the meal order! The menu was unique. Never in my life have I seen a restaurant charge for an amuse bouche. What a slap in the face! The wine list was blatantly overpriced. It was an extensive wine list but the prices of our favorites were almost criminal! The food prices were very high&no problem when the quality and service matches¬ the case at this restaurant. The food was amazingly bland. Everything we ordered lacked flavor. The ingredients seemed fresh and top quality&there was just no flavor! My lobster bisque could have passed for a bland tomato or squash bisque...was it really lobster? It was served table-side in a tureen (nice touch), but it was not very hot...kind of defeats the purpose of the tureen! My partners halibut salad was not far off from grocery store quality tuna salad. My scallop main course was very bland except for the bitter, tough, greasy, overcooked risotto cake. What a nasty aftertaste! Just imagine a two day-old, re-fried McDonalds hash brown and you will have an idea about the risotto cake. Again, the partners beef main course was tough and its sauce was also bland. His steamed greens were SO salty! We skipped desert. Upon leaving, we passed the hostess (manager?) but she did not even acknowledge us on the way out. Vancouver has some superb restaurants with great food and service. Obviously, no one is watching over the details at C Restaurant.

Go to West instead...

Posted by Debbie from Brighton, England on 10/10/06

C-Restaurant is just very pretentious - I've never heard of any resturant charging for an amuse-bouche, let alone C$14 for a single scallop! C-Resturant is serving the kind of bland insubstantial 'nouvelle cuisine' that resturants in the UK just can't get away with anymore. C-Restaurant's saving graces are that the ingredients used are obviously of high quality, that the service was good and that the atmosphere was reasonable - but it's not enough. We were expecting a really great experience at C-Restaurant due to the Fodors' review, and I'm afraid it really disappointed.

Creative, exquisite, BC nouvelle cuisine

Posted by Harry from Austria on 8/7/06

If you appreciate nouvelle cuisine and love seafood, this is the place to go in Vancouver. There is not more that needs to be said, except for: make sure your wallet is full before heading there. It's expensive.

Embarrased Locals

Posted by Colin from Vancouver, BC on 5/13/06

I am a professor at the University of British Columbia. I have entertained several visiting academics at C--but never again. A houseguest from Washington DC offered to treat us to dinner and insisted that we select a restaurant at the high end. The attendant at the reception desk disputed with us whether we had a reservation at all. Only the intervention of the maitre d sorted out the matter. As fortune, or lack thereof, would have it, the same attendant took our orders. She alleged that the wine we had selected was only available in half bottles, again in error. The food was very good, as usual. But, the novelty of a single scallop for a $13 starter wears off after the umpteenth visit to C. At the end of the evening, I went to the mens room. The love and care that went into the preparation of a single scallop clearly did not read across to the lavatory. I found a scene that would incite the wrath of any McDonalds manager.