2551 Broadway West
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
604.739.8185
www.lumiere.ca
I first ate at Lumiere a few years ago, and found it good though not great. Well, much can change in a few years. Now remodeled and under the direction of celebrated chef Daniel Boulud and executive chef Dale MacKay, the restaurant shines like a brilliant gem.
Although situated on busy Broadway, Lumiere has a contemporary yet romantic dining room warmly decorated in shades of brown with music from Buddha Bar CDs playing in the background. The restaurant offers a six-course vegetarian menu for $135 or an early (before 7 p.m.) three-course menu for $55.
While I often find a tasting menu to have one or two dishes that seem a bit experimental and to not quite work, every morsel I had at Lumiere proved to be excellent, from the sweet pea soup with mint foam offered as an amuse bouche to the post-dessert madeleines.
My standout course was a sweet pea ravioli with champagne foam. Each little bite produced a sweet and wonderful explosion of flavor.
For dessert, the hot and cold Black Forest sundae was presented with a thin disc of chocolate covering a bowl. When hot, dark chocolate sauce was poured over the disc, it melted through, exposing vanilla ice cream and cherries underneath. The taste combination was sublime.
It's no surprise Lumiere has received a lengthy list of awards and is often referred to in reviews as the best restaurant in Vancouver. It definitely offers an unparalleled feast for vegetarians.
