Dine Out Vancouver: Water St. Cafe

Our second dine-out location was at Water St. Cafe. The service was friendly and I really liked the decor - classy, with lots of windows that shows off historic Gastown - but when it came to the food, I was a bit disappointed.

For appetizers, B and I both chose the Baked Portobello Mushrooms. B also got a Alize/Vodka Martini, the Veal Scaloppine and the Cheesecake for dessert. I picked the West Coast Crab Cakes and Tiramisu. After ordering we were given our bread. I wasn't sure what kind of bread it was, but it was cold and really dense with a bit of herbs in it. We both had a piece each and didn't like it. Our appetizer wasn't that memorable. It was really wet, probably because it was sitting on a plate of olive oil, pesto and tomato sauce. The pesto/basil taste was strong and with all the vegetables on top, it overpowered the earthy taste of the portobello. I felt that the mushroom was there, but couldn't taste it. Our entree's were a bit better; good, but nothing amazing. My crab cakes were served with some wild rice, green beans and a few more vegetables, and topped with corn salsa. The crab cakes were good and definitely made with real crab. It had a crunchy golden brown crust and was warm and soft and full of flavour when bitten into. B's veal came with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables as well. The veal was tender and had a nice tang to it when combined with the butter sauce. What I did really like was the fact that they served the food on warm, almost hot, plates. We were able to enjoy our meal and have a conversation without our food getting too cold too fast.

Finally, we had our desserts. Their desserts is probably what will keep me coming to Water St. Cafe. I don't remember what flavour cheesecake it was, but it was a New York style cake on a graham cracker crumb crust. The cheesecake was smooth and creamy, without being too moist or sweet like Cheesecake Etc. cakes. It had a hint of citrus and some other kind of fruit that I can't figure out, but it blended really nicely with the taste of the cream cheese. My Tiramisu was really good as well, I would say better than Joe Fortes. There was a good ratio of Mascarpone cream and lady fingers, as well as espresso taste. The lady fingers were also perfectly soaked with espresso - not too soggy and not too crispy.     

Overall, Water St. Cafe wasn't amazing but wasn't bad either. I did really like the dessert and probably will go to Water St. Cafe for a slice of cheesecake if I was in the neighbourhood.