St Lawrence Restaurant

My wife and I came up from Bellingham with a reservation. This restaurant is superb. Every dish has a special twist, all are well-executed, and easily half are beyond all expectation. My rabbit in morel in rabbit consommé with peas and a leaf of some sort was like drinking in the PNW forest. The early course squid with eggplant and lemon had depth and refinement to the nth.

Desserts were subtle, surprising, and perfect complements for the seasonal food.

I could go on and on.

What a place. World class. Unpretentious. Just the right amount of comfort and decor to keep the focus on the food.

French dining at St Lawrence - its fine dining but at a very shady location so it kept us from trying them out for many years. We finally decided to just go for it. We found paid street parking right in front of the restaurant to avoid walking in that neighborhood much.

Their menu changes monthly but you can check out their set menu online before making reservations. They will charge your CC for the full set menu cost plus tip and gratuity when you make the reservation. That was new to us since you're charged before actually going and it could be a month+ in advance depending when you make the reso.

When we got there, the ambience inside was cozy and elegant. We sat at the bar and the bartender attended to us while making drinks for other patrons. It could get a bit loud at times making it difficult to hear when the servers came to describe our dishes.

True to French cooking, a lot of the dishes were buttery/fatty and pastries were part of many dishes. I wouldn't say I liked all the food (e.g. the raw salmon we had came with a green earthy sauce that made the entire dish too fishy), but the majority of the dishes were unique and tasty enough, especially the honey covered pate and the duck entree. The many courses were filling and the cocktails were delicious; the gift at the end with a copy of the menu also added to the experience. I would recommend others to check them out.

We came here on a trip and made reservations here because it was highly recommended. When we parked and walked over to the restaurant we noticed the neighborhood wasn't the best, as tourists we were more wary of our surroundings and where we parked. The interior of the restaurant was nice and cozy. We were welcomed with the menu and drink menus. We had 4 different courses to chose from and there was different little treats between which added to our experience. One of the highlights was the escargot the snail in a cupped pastry and sauce soaked up by the pastry was the tastiest bite I've ever had. Another highlight was the halibut which came in a fish stew and the savory stew made the dish a mix of flavors which I really enjoyed. The restaurant also had a cookbook from the head chef which was an add on and where you can get it signed. Some of the dishes we had were included in there which made it an awesome addition. Overall we had an awesome time, the food was really tasty and I would recommend if you're in Vancouver area.

Definitely pricey but one of the best meals I've had in a while!! It's a fixed course menu which you purchase when you make a reservation but there are still some decisions you need to make in terms of choosing out of three options per course. There are also some add ons like an extra salad or oysters. I would say you'll likely be full without add ons and we were stuffed with like 2 extra add ons and some drinks. The food is elevated, as one would hope for the price, a bit of farm to table - so think like big leafy herbs and like really fresh big meat flavors like lamb, as well as Michelin vibes so like flan but make it savory and duck confit custard

The worst thing about this place, other than the price tag lol, is it's location. Not a great neighborhood to walk around in

St. Lawrence.

You can tell St. Lawrence, as least location-wise, was opened by a non-Vancouverite. 269 Powell Street near Gastown, old train tracks, and classic Chinatown sounds like a romantic location for a restaurant. (I am not going to hold it against St. Lawrence. It is common for realtors to omit the looming homeless issue spilling over from Main and Hastings......just don't go there on welfare day.)

Through heavy gilled/barred door, I entered a cozy quaint home like interior decorated with Quebecois motifs of historica. French but Quebec. A bit of old building stuffiness is there. Could be the lack of ventilation or just the building.

Our dear hostess asked where we want to sit as we were one of the first to arrive. The restaurant facing Powell Street and at times have colourful surprising elements, I blurted, "which ever has the least view of the homeless." She kindly accommodated.

My previous visits to Montreal and France were encountered with certain Frenchness. French Quebecois tend to be xenophobic. Was surprised to learn this was not the case here.

Chris, our server, warmed to us and turned out to be specular. Three staffs; our server, another server and the hostess constantly fussed over us, changing plates, pouring water, cleaning our tables ensuring it was clean course after course. Top notch service really.

About the food, we had the prepaid tasting menu; a selection of appetizers, mains and desserts supplemented by 4 other courses created by the chef to delight us. We also added at duck pate in an eclair form.

What can I say, everything was extraordinarily delicious. Balanced and light to the touch.

Overall, the classic French cooking is infused with a sense of Canadiana, a fusion of our best multi-culturalism. The meal was like a grand concert performed by the masters. Not a single note was misplayed.

Definitely worth a visit.

Super chill vibes. Unpretentious. Bustling with patrons and food pouring out of the kitchen with great ease and service. Courses were good. They were super friendly, helpful choosing a wine from a list of French wines we were unfamiliar with. They made a great suggestion on wine and we were very pleased. The pork rinds, which were all the rage in reviews, were just meh. Sticky and sweet and not crispy crunchy like I'm used to. Give me some crunchy, salty, even spicy chicharones any day, but these fell flat. Almost as if they were stale. Escargot were butter soft. Scallops melted in your mouth. Every thing else we were served was beautifully presented. But I would be lying if I said it was fantastic. Sadly, everything was quite good, but flavors were somewhat TOO delicate, almost subdued. I wanted a bit more umpf. I enjoyed it, but would not remember any one particular thing I was served. Food was decent.

Came here from a recommendation by Ian at Somms in Paso and knew the guy knows his food so had to come check it out.

We made a bar reservation for a late dinner and the bar seat is awesome because you literally get to watch your food get made. I definitely feel that these days, the mark of a good restaurant is also the smooth running of that restaurant (perhaps too much Hell's Kitchen for me?) and St Lawrence is as good as they come.

The dining experience was fantastic and the wines in the pairing were delicious.

I have to say, only reason for 1 less star is because I loved Annalena so much better and in a back to back, I'd probably head there!

The best restaurant in Vancouver this year. A small restaurant with amazing food. I am not surprised they got a Michelin star.

We had a wholesome meal for our anniversary. When you reserve a table here, you pay up front the price plus tax and tip for the tasting menu, and we had choices of adding other dishes along the meal. We were most impressed with the scallop crudo, duck breast, and layered root vegetables. It was fun. Expect to spend 2 hours here.

Ambiance: quaint and cozy - love the lighting and decorations. Great for a romantic date night or a classy girl's night out. Severs were super friendly. Then restaurant itself is pretty small so definitely try not to get there too early or it will be quite cramped (there's no waiting area so it may be uncomfortable for you)

Food:
Overall, really enjoyed the food. Highlights included:

Amuse Bouche [5/5]: omg wow!! The chicken broth shot was sooo good - smelled divine, heart warming, full of flavor, clean - just a very good hearty broth. The pate (i believe it was guinea fowl pâté with brown sugar and butter) was also incredible. Savory with a kick of sweetness at the end, super creamy and rich.

Pork Pate with Bread [5/5]: i have to say, STL makes incredible pâtés!! First time having a pork pate and it was delish. Good umami flavor, hint of sweetness, fragrant, paired nicely with the mustard and the fluffy, buttery bread.

Lemon sorbet [5/5]: the palette cleanser before dessert. Light, fresh, not too sour - just really good after a rich meal. I think I may have enjoyed it more than the desserts tbh.

Honorable mention: the Lamb. A huge compliment coming from me since I don't like lamb (cannot stand that gamey taste) but I tried a little bit from my bf and honestly could not taste the lambiness at all. Tender and juicy without the signature taste that makes me vomit. Bonus points for that!!!