Dining in Vancouver – Lunch at the Sylvia

What a view!
Whether it is a beautiful sunny Vancouver day or the middle of a downpour the view from the Sylvia’s Restaurant and Lounge on Beach is amazing. We think that may be the best restaurant view on Beach. Even though you are inside, the windows are huge and clean and the view of English Bay is uninterrupted. The day we went for lunch was another of the extremely windy days we have been experiencing this spring. But that was fine because as we ate lunch we got to watch three kite surfers in the bay. The surfers, the sun and the police on horseback that sauntered by the window during our lunch made us think again, there is no better place to live and the Sylvia is a great place to take it all in.

Good menu; Great photos
The lunch menu is not overly large but offers just enough choices in the areas of share plates, salads, sandwiches and mains. There is also a decent election of wines by the glass (6 white and 6 red). The room is divided into the restaurant area that has tables set with linen and a more casual lounge but the menu is the same in both. The rooms are long and narrow providing a good number of tables with great views. Throughout the room are great pictures of the hotel (inside and out) and the restaurant throughout the years since its establishment in 1912.

Breakfast and Lunch
Tara chose the Grilled Veggie Ciabatta which had zucchini, tomato, caramelized onions, cream cheese and pesto mayo. The sandwich was great but the accompanying Caesar salad was the only downside of the lunch; the dressing was runny and not very flavorful and the salad had no Parmesan. She had a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio which went well with the sandwich. Jeff had the Late Riser Breakfast which is served all day. While it was a typical standard eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns it was cooked well. Our server was busy with many other tables and became a bit distracted at times so we would rate the service as OK.