I had the pleasure of being invited to a tasting at Cache Bistro & Lounge, a little neighbourhood French bistro in Yaletown. Having recently bought a new DSLR (can you see the difference in my photo quality?!), I was equipped and excited to give this new restaurant a try.
Cache is the debut restaurant for Hong Kong born Chef Alex Mok. He emphasizes on French techniques with a slight Asian twist.
I adore the cute boy-girl image on their restaurant signs. Clearly, its meant to be a restaurant for romantic and intimate evenings.
Our menu for the day included a variety of dishes and wine pairings.
Our first wine pairing is the
Lambrusco di Sorbara which was a very light and clean red. It had a fruity finish which paired perfectly with our selection of cured meat and breads.
The
Chef's Charcuterie included a selection of cured meats from the local Oyama Sausage Co., mixed olives, onion jam, crostini, and house pickled vegetables.
Their baguettes are baked in house and fresh daily. The three circular slabs were
satay peanut butter, truffle butter, and
raspberry butter.
There was also a small portion of exquisitely aromatic
lobster oil for dipping. The lobster oil was so concentrated and delectable that I wanted to jar the leftovers and bring it back home. A little gross but I don't care.
The second wine pairing was the
Lang Bravo White Pinot Gris which was brought out by our wonderfully witty server of the night, Adam. This Chardonnay complements delicate seafood so it was a great wine for our next appetizer.
The glass of wine lookin' all romantic.
The
Pan Seared Scallops were up next and it sat on top of a warm quinoa salad with orange vinaigrette. It was unanimous across the table that this was a winner. Meta Knight even mentioned that if I could make quinoa like this, he would eat it all the time.
Since we were going to have red meat, we switched back to the reds. This time, we had the
Clos du Mont- Olivet La Sabonite. A little more robust and acidic than the previous reds, this one was not my favourite of the bunch.
What a beauty this one. This dish consisted of a
bacon wrapped Fraser Valley quail, stuffed with marinated cranberries, Kennebec potato and yam pave, and bacon & maple syrup brussel sprouts.
I rarely have the opportunity to eat quail, let alone deboned quail, so for me, this was an absolute treat. Not only was the meat supple and immersed with flavour, it retained its juiciness by the genius technique of having it wrapped in bacon. See? Bacon
is truly the answer to all of life's problems!
Though the star of the dish was undoubtedly the quail, the little side kick surprisingly held its own. Don't let the green fool you though, this is not a healthy side. In fact, it is probably the most decadent 'veggies' I've ever had. Salty bacon paired with sweet maple syrup is the elixir of all food combinations so you really can't go wrong here.
To finish up the meal, we were given a
Chocolate Mousse Tree. The whimsical presentation included mango puree, chocolate mousse, and chocolate shavings as the 'dirt', mint leaves as the 'leaves', puff pastry as the 'tree trunk' and cotton candy as the 'tree'. This was as fun to look at as it was to eat. Very delicious. Highly recommended.
All in all, I thought Chef Alex Mok did a great job at creating French inspired dishes that wowed me in both taste and presentation. However, to give an accurate rating, I need to come back and try their dinner menu again on a normal night to see how it compares. The location, decor, and ambiance is intimate so it is perfect for date night.
Happy Eating!
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