- 26 - North Shore News - Wednesday, August 16, 2000 photo by tohn arch 4784 Marine Drive, West Van 922-2411 www.chesawestvan.com’ Fasting Meret SOUP OF THE DAY on PAN FRIED PACIFIC OYSTERS J With citantre mayonnaise SEARED JUMBO SEA SCALLOPS Presented with mange salsa, ONE Fiver OH OVEN ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN “Served with tarragon cous cous, carametized raspberry demi sauce MERINGUE SWAN OH BLUEBERRY SURPRISE Only $4 8.95 (with canpont Valld August 16-22 SUNDAY EVENING ROAST LAMB $9.95 . ‘Saturday Nights p from: 9: 30pm frase. for Holiday Functions: Lunch 11:30-2:30 Mon-Fri Dinner 5; Sunpay. Bruicn wit A SrecTacy an VIEW, 00 Everyday Grilled Salmon halians . at i ny Salmon with a Coconut Cream Curry Sauce we with rice 3 vegetables Available only « Offer cannot be combined wit! on easter y & Thursday nigh ts in Augus! any ether conan oF promation We are now open for breakfast "Sam macnn 9am m Saale Tuesday Night | ‘Steak & & Prawns. Sg ~ Park Royal South Side- (next to "he Golf Range) Dien delivers excel From previous page ma anywhere. Aside from the interior, however, the restaurant's kitchen needed wholesale overhaul. Enter executive chef Domingue Dien. Originally from Lyons, France, Dien counts among his pre- vious postings such eyebrow-raisers 33s Grenoble’s three-star Michelin-rated Rostang, Maxim’s in Paris and Roger Verge’s Moutin de Mougins in Cannes. A keen judge of talent, the Shah of Iran employed Dien as his personal chef in the late 1970s. : So no lightweight chop-house cook for the Peak of Vancouver. No indeed. _ We have then far more than view to look forward to at the Observatory. Of course, the experience comes at'a premium. Observatory entrees match the altitude; they range from $26 up to $40. Reservations require a credit card number to secure seats. And diners who don’t show up for those reserva- _ tions and don’t call ahead to cancel can expect to pay $25- a head for their lapse in ‘common courtesy. vo The Observatory i is, after all, a destination eating expe- rience. Walk-in traffic is. vir- > tually | non-existent. With Dien, however; you get what you pay for. His latest dinner menu features much rich European culinary complexity and artistic finesse. In the appetizer section wes “Featuring this week ~: Lip-smacking Maui Ribs . Fish & Chips with Crunchy Slaw : Shrimp Louis ~ Rosemary Roast Leg of Lamb . Great Patio Dining - Monday through Saturday a Roast Prime Rib Thurs, Fri. & Sat. Evenings DINING NEWS photo Mike Wasetied GRILLED Johnson Strait Salmon Filet as: prepared by the Observatory restaurant kitchen atop Grouse _ Mountain. (S9 to $20), Observatory patrons will find such selec- tions as Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Queen Charlotte Dungeness Crab Tartlet. Entrees range from a sim- ple Grilled Johnson Strait Salmon Filet and Chargrilled Swordfish to Pacific Northwest Bouillabaisse and Lamb Sirloin marinated in _Peachland lavender. ° Dien aims to have his food challenge the magnifi-. cence of the Observatory’ s view. - : ‘Tough on brilliant sum-- ; mer. nights, but. Dien i is more _ than game. = 2” Our meal on a recent ° Friday night opened with a bouquet of home-made ; breads, some French-style, some with black olives with- : in, some flat, crisp.and cov- ered i in sesame seeds,’ ar A single crostini topped with an intense black olive and cilantro puree ringed with pesto coulis followed. A savoury confec- tion, flawlessly exe- cuted, allowing a brief respite in which to take in the panorama. Or peruse the wine list. Yuu choose. Considering the evening’s temporary cloud cover, the lat- ter won out. The Observatory offers over a dozen wines by the glass ($7.50 to $10.50). Chile, New Zealand, Australia, California and B.C. are all well repre- sented. The main list ($30 to $100) is likewise well stocked with ~ west coast North American selections. — Add in some French bur- gundies and Bordeaux for good measure. On the main plate, mean- while, Chef Dien works visu- al art into a rich European culinary repertoire. |. The sampled evening’s special Pan Seared Pheasant, for example, was served atop a creamy polenta spiked with | - -. becue dining specials® _.. bands Thursday through ., Saturday nights and vi - industrial North ‘Vs rosemary and a pair of bright ™: blue cheese and ringed with © a savoury red wine mush- room sauce. Plate decor included a spear of fresh yellow baby squash. | _ Also sampled from the fresh sheet: grilled Halibut. - Cheeks. » Pinch if you like; but best savoured with Dien’s excel- “Hen dil!'and cracked: caper beurre blanc: *.° “Accompanying on the a plite: rutabaga puree deco: “rated with asparagus spears . and more baby. squash. 445 13th Seen j “West Vancouver, 926-8922 ‘: $11.95: $11.95 $11.95. $11.95 Lunch or Dinner ALL YOU CAN EAT Fish* & Chips (includes bottomless pop Dine in only) ‘Tuesday 15:300m-7:¢Opm Everyday 11:300m-3:30pm Sunday 3:30pm-7:00pm *Pacilic Cod Iwo 1 Piece COD DINNERS , with a roll, fries & colesiaw Came in Tuesday to Sunday defore Gpin : Please present coupon with ordering 4 .| Expires Aug. 31/00, Dine-in only ‘with purchase of 2 beverages C-Lovers North Vancouver only 1 Piece Cod cx. ".. duck prove “|, the West Coast palate ' sam os ling i it. The sampled Muskovy .: It was finished in‘a more!’ mushroom reduction and | “accompanied with smal rounds of duck liver terrine : ‘topped with gizzard ‘sauce.’ ‘The table was also treated to:a dish of Gratin * Dauphinois — a traditional:. French casserole of finel | sliced potatoes baked with uesday-Saturday (Dine-in only) 11:30am-3:30pm {Two 1 Piece HALIBUT | DINNERS | with a roll, fries & coleslaw Come in Tuesday to ‘Sunday before 6pm Please present coupon with ordering Expires Aug. 31/00. Dine-in’ only *vehth purchase of 2 emage a touch rich for.” lence cream and milk. And do not depart for that tram, diners, without sampling an Observatory dessert. I suggest the Dessert for Two, It combines a trio of Dark Chocolate Velvet, Creme Brulee and Frozen Strawberry souffle all served aboard a long elliptical dessert dish. It provides great colour and eye-appeal. It also provides a good. - cross-section of what the - sweet side of Dien’s kitchen has to offer. The Velvet is a souffle- like confection baked crisp on the outside with liquid: chocolate interior. _ Its accompanying duo. are. likewise first rate. re It’s a destination dining : experience, but the . Observatory offers far more than destination. : It delivers excellence on os the plate, eveia though its * captive audience would”. : doubtless accept much les A taste of North Shore style. O00” Missed in Table Hopping’ Aug. 2 North: : Vancouver patio dining round Maplewood : Pui Spicer, North: Va 924-1834.” : Lively second-storey ‘enclosed patio features. bar- “ope Mon-Sat 11:30- 2 Sur 11:30-10)