Dining in Vancouver - Pourhouse (again)!

Three visits and counting
This was our third visit to Pourhouse in Gastown and it is now on our favorites list. The first trip was a quick stop for a taste from their already well-know cocktail list before heading to dinner elsewhere. The second visit was lunch with relatives over a bottle of wine and some great food. This third visit was to meet some friends that we have not seen for a long while for dinner. And as in both previous visits we were very impressed.

Fabulous food
The food at Pourhouse is terrific. Period. Jeff ordered the Smoked Sablefish with potato puree and chorizo & broccoli gratin. The sablefish was cooked perfectly, the puree was creamy and delicious and the spicy chorizo was an unexpected but perfect additional flavor. I had the Yukon Arctic Char with hazelnut gnocchi in cucumber, leek and horseradish veloute. Again the fish was cooked perfectly and I thought about ordering a side of gnocchi to take home, they were that good and the sauce was delicious. Our friends went the share plates route with the fried Humboldt Squid, The Cure (a selection of fine meats from Robert Belcham’s The Cure) and the Cheese Board. We wanted to try everything.

Service and Cocktails
The service is just about as good as the food. Our waiter was present whenever we needed but not ‘hovering’. And then there is the cocktail list. With so many interesting choices it is hard to pick. After dinner and a bottle of Matchbook Syrah we ‘saddled up to the bar’ and watched true bartenders work their magic. Among our favorites were again the New World and a perfect gin martini. And the very cool Absinthe Fountain attached to the bar is now used to fill up patrons water glasses.