The Mackenzie Room

Great restaurant with really nice combinations of flavours that challenged your palate. We tried all the dishes as share plates and we tried options we might not have chosen straight up. The sea urchin pate with black brioche was unreal. The duck was pretty amazing too. Cool atmosphere. Loved the table tops. Nice wine list ( Canadian wines featured)
One of the best dinners I have had in the last 5 years!

3rd time at this restaurant. Very cool experience and innovative chefs. Delicious taste sensations.
Service was excellent and interesting wines. It's got a great vibe and energy though the music could be turned down a couple of notches

Good food, but not memorably good

We had the tasting menu to share. Dishes were overall good, although some were not as well balanced or well executed as one might have expected for the price point.

Ambiance was intimate and romantic. Service was fine.

Would be open to returning to give it another shot given all the positive reviews, although I'm not in a huge hurry to do so.

We came with reservations for 6pm. We were promptly seated in a very full restaurant. I ordered the pearl martini. It was a little too strong for me and had a bit too much onion flavour.

We got the I want it all! For 89$ per person. The showstopper salad with legumes, cheese and salsa Verde. It was really fresh tasting. very big portion.

The chicken of the sea was complex and delicious. But I was really disappointed with the black squid brioche. It lacked the fluffiness that you usually get with the brioche. The texture just wasn't right. But the sea urchin with the hazelnut was a really good combination. I liked the addition of the fruit as well to help cut through the sea urchin. I would recommend this dish if it wasn't for the brioche.

The garden state was probably one of the best dishes of the night. I loved the puree on the bottom. It was really good and addictive. It needed a tad more chicken skin for a bit of extra crunch but other than that. I also loved the asparagus. This was perfect.

The faux tartare was disappointing. The beef had no beef flavour. I liked the crackers. Very crunchy. But other than that it was disappointing.

The pierre Elliot credo with the hamachi was okay. Nothing show stopping but the flavours were there. Needed a bit more sourness for it to taste fresh

The straight outta comte was not bad. I loved the fingerling potatoes and the endive.

The arctic Charley was okay. Not my favorite. I loved the crispness of the skin. I didn't think the sauce Vin rouge went with it.

The de la sole with leeks truffle and pate brisee was okay. It needed way more truffle flavour. The Cauliflower cakes were creative but didn't tie well with the sole inside the pastry. The sole itself was very flaky and light. A bit too seafoody for us.

The down the rabbit hole was quite interesting. The mortadella inside the rabbit was very interesting. The chicken skin wrapped on the outside of this dish was pretty good. I loved the contrast of textures. The mortadella was a bit tofu feeling but interesting.

The full English with the morel mushrooms was okay. The lamb didn't have much lamb flavour but this dish tasted pretty standard, nothing special.

The desserts pear necessities and pink chiffon desserts were okay. The pear necessities was kind of one dimensional and tasted mostly like chocolate. The chocolate part on the bottom had a kind of weird texture. I didn't have enough room for the pink chiffon . The creme diplomat was delicious though.

Overall the service here was really good. The food started great and ended on kind of a disappointing note. If I visit again I would not get the I want it all because it's just too much food. Off their current menu I would recommend the garden state, chicken of the sea, straight outta comte and down the rabbit hole.

The Mackenzie Room was full of surprises, and all great ones. We tried things we loved that we initially didn't expect to like, we had supremely accommodating and friendly service, we ran into people we knew in a city we had never been to before, and we entertained a menu concept that was right up our alley. When we finished our last few bites here, I remarked that the food here was subtly unique but I couldn't put my finger on how. Maybe it's because I don't have much exposure to Canadian cuisine, which is very similar to American cuisine but not necessarily the same.

We had been in Whistler for a wedding for a long weekend and wanted to spend a night in Vancouver, a city neither of us had been to before. I looked up a zillion restaurants for dinner, of course. A good number of them were closed because it was Sunday, and I ultimately chose The Mackenzie Room because it a) was open, b) had a great pre fixe concept, c) had an amazing-looking menu, and d) seemed relatively central. As soon as we walk in, who do we see but another couple who had been at the wedding that weekend, two of the few people we actually knew there. Great minds (they also loved their meal). The ambiance here is warm and inviting, and very down to earth considering how refined the food is.

Though not posted online, the cocktail menu here is a formidable one. Clearly everyone dining here thought so, because the bartender was working nonstop while we were there. It took a while to get our first round of drinks so our server brought us a little glass of champagne. After that, I had the Werewolf in Vancouver (odd society mongrel, chili, maple, black walnut bitters) which was a rich and spiced old fashioned variation with unaged rye (essentially moonshine). A delicious winter cocktail. I then got the featured cocktail which I did not take a picture of but I know it was made with pork fat-washed bourbon, a complex whiskey sour. My partner loved his drinks too (he got a gin sour-type drink and a tiki-style drink with calvados).

So food-wise, Mackenzie Room offers a pre fixe set menu of five courses for two people. I saw each dish listed up on the chalkboard with accompanying prices, making me think that a la carte was an option, but they said it was not. You can ask to maybe swap one thing out but otherwise you've got what you've got. We ended up swapping out pork for quail but otherwise kept the menu as is. I was sad to miss out on a few things (we also weren't intending to get dessert) but most of what we got was seriously great. Eats, below:

Amuse bouche - something delicious on top of a gourmet tater tot. Can't remember much else other than it being a sign of great things to come.

Chicken of the Sea (sea urchin, hazelnut, squid ink brioche): A+
This is their signature dish, the only one you are absolutely forbidden from swapping out. My partner is not a fan of sea urchin so he was nervous, but ultimately he may have loved this dish more than I did. It was rich, savory, umami, altogether decadent. I have a gluten sensitivity so I ate it by the spoonful which was just fine by me.

Root 66 (parsley root, almond, salsa verde, radish): A
I believe they said this was the only vegan dish on the menu. Such a beautiful and creative winter salad, with perfectly roasted yellow carrots, thinly sliced parsley root and a nutty salsa that brought it all together.

Arctic Charley (salsify, split pea sauce vin rouge): A
Stunning cook on the fish (said in a Gordon Ramsey voice), with a flavorful shallt puree, raw cabbage, delicious roasted mushrooms and a light but flavorful sauce.

You've Got Quail (root vegetable pave, mushroom, currants): A+
Another spectacular dish, with chicken sweetbread-stuffed quail that melts in your mouth. The root vegetable pave nearly won out as my favorite component of the dish.

The Pear Necessities (chocolate, salted caramel, peppercorns): A-
The only A- of the night because the chocolate cake itself was a bit dry. The other components were excellent. When our server asked how the meal was we gave a rave review but my partner mentioned the cake -- our server said he had heard this a few times already so perhaps it was an off night for the cake.

Speaking of our server - this guy was so kind, friendly, and generous. This sort of thing really does make a difference. He seemed genuinely interested in knowing about our travels. He gave us a little bit of Montenegro as a digestive to close out our meal, a perfect way to end our short Vancouver adventure.

I'm not usually one to take the time to write a review, but this place is seriously amazing! If I had had to pick my final meal, best believe this would be it. My fiancé and I had the tasting menu and I would highly recommend it. They brought out multiple courses that simply blew us away with the balance of salty, sweet, savory flavors. The sea urchin pate was unlike anything I've ever had and I can't stop thinking about it to be honest. If you have one night in Vancouver, don't miss the Makenzie Room!

Came here on the first night of a bachelorette. We had to make 2 reservations for 4 at 8pm and 8:15pm since they did not allow more than that online but would not pick up their phone or answer any emails. Immediately we were greeted extremely poorly and accused of bypassing the appropriate reservation system. That they would need to stagger our orders and would not even listen when we tried to explain that we wanted to make reservation for large group.

Ok well we're hungry and tired from flying in so we just take it. Then we're told that we have to order the tasting menu which our group initially didn't consider cuz of certain food preferences and allergies and we would have been forced to try all the dishes on the menu. They were very unaccommodating and frankly pretty rude about it that we didn't want to make a fuss and just do the tasting menu.

Dish highlights: Chicken of the sea dish was absolutely scrumptious and I never heard of squid ink brioche buns but they were delicious! Sashimi Not was also quite good as well as the pigs in a blanket. Never thought I'd enjoy deep fried sweetbreads but here we are.

The other dishes were decent but nothing I'd necessarily go out of my way for. The halibut was overcooked and the bend and snap salad had way too much harissa. Desserts were also pretty meh. I'm not a huge fan of rhubarb so I was particularly disappointed.

The service really deterred me from ever wanting to come back here despite a few very good dishes. I think it's very trendy and they lean on unique ingredients and preparations for the experience which is ok but not something I'm willing to dish out so much money for if the core taste is not there ($85CAD/pp). Ambiance was also way too dark and loud for me to enjoy.

The food and services here are top notch. Neighborhood is ok lol if you know what I mean .. but it is still worth it imo. The highlight is def the chicken of the sea.. I agree with ppl that need to return here just for this dish.

The mackenzie room is on the michelin selection list that it is recommended to try. For $89, you can get it all which is actually for the size of 5 people for each dish if you want to choose alacarte. Most of the selections are really good and some others need improvement and that is why i am not able to give 5 star yet. But mostly it is good already so keep it up. Cheers! Recommended to come and try!!

Chicken of the Sea. I'll get back to this.

Exposed brick, unfinished concrete juxtaposed against richly stained and varnished reclaimed wood. The space exudes old world charm with modern sensibility.

The menu, balanced and seasonal, vibrant and fresh. Creative names for dishes an great touch.

"Chicken of the sea", a mousse made from chicken liver and uni topped with hazelnuts to be spread on torn squid ink brioche. Rich, with offal mineral notes and incredible umami from the uni. The only thing that would make this better; a few splashes of Sauterne or in this case, ice wine (when in Rome) in the mousse. It is so good and paired so well with some BC wine that it needed to be ordered twice.

The "Showstopper salad", is just that, a showstopper. Loaded with greens, different kinds of legumes, pickles, and herbs. Loads of texture and flavors with each bite.

Unable to progress to any mains after two sea chickens and instead opting to finish off with additional pours of locally produced wines.

Service is attentive with a casual feel.

Solid mixology program. Very well chosen wine list with lots of locally produced wine. Unfortunately, not having been to a wine store in the city, I cannot comment on the markup.

A comfortable foodie paradise for those wanting to get at taste of the city.

Recommended.

I can't say enough good things about the Mackenzie room. Everything from the service, to the ambiance, to the food was 5 .

The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a server and our coats were taken to their coat room. It's a smaller restaurant and has a more intimate feel -- perfect for a date night!

One of the servers explained that they have a tasting menu of 5 courses (2 smaller plates, 2 bigger mains, & 1 dessert) which were to be shared between me and my husband. We had the option to add on any of the other dishes for an additional cost. We got the squid games since it was highly recommended by our server and I'm so happy we did! Squid games was a carbonara dish where they subbed out the pasta with squid. We couldn't believe how perfectly cooked it was! It was so tender and soft.

Every bite of food was thoughtfully prepared and so simple, yet SOOO GOOD. The pictures speak for themselves but you have to try this food for yourself to see what I'm talking about. This was definitely on my list of top 5 favorite meals I've ever had. My only problem is that we're not from Canada so I can't go anytime soon to try their other dishes. But we will definitely be back again when we visit next.