Cork & Fin

My mom and I decided to check out the Cork & Fin for their $28 Dine Out Vancouver menu. The Cork & Fin usually has a $30 three course prix fixe menu (+$15 for wine pairings), so while it was only slightly cheaper than usual, it’s still a good deal either way. My mom recently had knee surgery so I had asked (through Open Table) to be seated on the main floor. They led us upstairs and my mom decided she could handle the stairs, so we didn’t kick up a fuss. A few minutes after seating us our server rushed over and apologized because he had just seen our original seating request. Since we were already upstairs and loving the view and warmth, we opted to stay put.

We both started with the pomegranate and goat cheese salad and my mom added prawns to hers. The salad was flavourful and we both really enjoyed the unusual touch of pomegranate seeds. The second course of tuna negitoro was just as delicious as it was on my previous visit. Last on the docket was lingcod with tomato ragu for me, and steak for my mom. She enjoyed the flavour of the steak but remarked that it was a bit tough for her liking. My lingcod was wonderfully crisp on the outside, delicately flaked on the inside, and the ragu was a perfect complement to the flavour.

The portions are on the small side (as always with fine dining), but with one basket of crispy bread, we definitely left satisfied (and a bit intoxicated on my part, since I added the VQA wine flight for an extra $14!).

More adventurous seafood lovers than me will also find much to enjoy with the scads of fresh crab, lobster, and oysters on offer. If you’re looking for exquisite West Coast fare at a reasonable price point in a warm atmosphere, this is the place. It would also be a great choice for a romantic dinner for two, though I haven’t had that experience here…yet!