H2 Rotisserie & Bar at The Westin Bayshore offers upscale comfort food in a luxurious setting. Their signature rotisserie chickens are provided by Maple Hill Farms, and their menu is centered around fresh and local ingredients. The restaurant features floor to ceiling windows allowing in lots of natural light an stunning views of the Seawall, Coal Harbour Marina and the North Shore mountains.
I had an opportunity to stop by earlier this week to sample their winter menu.
To start the meal we had several featured cocktails:
- Hello Summer, My Old Friend (2 oz) – malibu rum, oakheart rum, lemon hart, peach schnapps, pomegranate syrup, pineapple juice, orange juice ($12.00)
- Catchin’ A Buzz, Smoked Plank Old Fashioned (2 oz) – plank smoked amaro montenegro, wild turkey bourbon, chocolate bitters, honey vanilla syrup, topped with cherry garnish ($16.00)
- H2 Fizz (2 oz) – wild turkey bourbon, lemon juice, rosemary citrus, orange tree bitters, with a splash of ginger beer ($13.00)
The cocktails were well balanced, with my personal favourite being the H2 Fizz. It was light with some great herbaceous notes from the addition of rosemary.
These biscuits were soft and fluffy with a lovely crust. Miso butter is a revelation and it should be included with all table bread in every restaurant. The bacon compote was savoury with a light smokey taste. Both spreads complemented the biscuits perfectly.
The roasted garlic and hemp seed dressing was creamy with a strong garlic bunch. It went well with the crisp romaine, and the arugula added a nice peppery touch.
This was a very hefty salad packed full of ingredients – it would definitely make for a solid lunch entree. I really enjoyed the charred corn and the pickled red cabbage added a nice acidic punch to the salad.
I’m personally not a fan of beets but my dining companions seemed to really like this dish. I tried some of the puffed wild rice and it was delicious. It was crispy and toasty – it was reminiscent of Chinese scorched rice or Korean nurungji.
This salad was my favourite of all the salads. The soba noodle salad was dressed generously in a sesame oil forward vinaigrette. The peanut butter miso was fantastic, and I will definitely be adding that to my salads in the future. The tuna was seared perfectly and wasn’t overwhelmed with the peanut miso.
The chicken was moist and the skin was crisp and glistening with the house made honey glaze. The fries served with this, are some of the best fries in Vancouver. They are ultra crispy on the inside with a soft and fluffy interior.
The bbq sauce on these ribs packed a punch! The sauce had a healthy serving of chili that really dominates the dish. The ribs were fall of the bone tender and quite addictive!
This dish is almost vegan – hence it’s name. The sauce is made with cashew cheese and it was so creamy and flavourful. There was a generous serving of mushrooms in this dish and the crispy crumbs were a nice textural contrast to the overall softness of the dish. This was one of my favourite dishes today, and I’ll definitely be coming back for this!
The cake was soft and moist from being soaked in milk but was surprisingly not too sweet! The coconut was a nice chewy component to an otherwise soft dish.
This dessert is a play on a cheese platter for dessert with the fruit crumble being topped with a cheddar tuile. The gelato was smooth and went well with the sweet fruit and streusel.
The moment that this dish landed on the table I had already decided that it was my favourite dessert dish of the day. I adore marshmallows and this dessert didn’t disappoint. The cast iron skillet has a chocolate base topped with large and fluffy marshmallows that are torched to perfection.The graham crackers are made in house and the perfect vehicle for scooping copious amounts of marshmallow into my mouth.
This cheesecake was unique because the top was a denser cheesecake while the bottom was a lighter cranberry mousse. The pickled cranberries added a nice touch to the dish and I kept going back for more.
Overall I was really impressed with all the dishes presented. I never have high expectations for hotel restaurants, but H2 Rotisserie & Bar delivered on all fronts. The service was on point and I enjoyed all the dishes presented. I cannot wait to be back to try some new dishes as well as revisit some of my favourites from this meal.
