It isn’t often that I am blown away by a meal, but Gastronomy Gastown has done it. I am quite literally writing the blog post as I’m in my Uber on the way home. It was just that good. Gastronomy Gastown on 62 East Cordova street has been a work in progress since August 2022, opening in the iconic location of the once bustling and well known Nicli Antica. Gastronomy Gastown fuses a modern-day Vancouver with Italian influence, which gives the opportunity to create an entirely new culinary experience. The restaurant serves elevated contemporary twists on classic dishes. Check out my full review of Gastronomy Gastown below.
Gastronomy Gastown – Crudo/Raw Bar, Appetizers and Salads
To start off our meal we got:
- Crazy Oysters
- Hamachi
- Broccoli Caesar
The Crazy Oysters ($20.00) features tomato water aqua pazza, pickled chili, and garlic aioli. This is a fiery twist on your classic oysters on a half shell. It was so refreshing and the tomato water adds such a lovely touch to the dish.
The Hamachi ($22.00) is a work of art and it was created with stained glass as the inspiration. It features citrus carpaccio, calabrian chili vinaigrette, basil purée and crispy onion. Generally I shy away from pairing my seafood with oranges and the like, especially raw seafood, but this dish has me converted! It was so refreshing and the hamachi went really with the juicy segments of fruit.
The Broccoli Caesar ($16.00) will change your outlook on vegetables forever. The salad features roasted and pickled broccoli, arugula, anchovy dressing, garlic butter croutons, and lots of parmesan. Is it healthy? Absolutely not. Is it beyond delicious? Absolutely. There was so much flavour packed into each bite. I did not want to share this dish at all with the table!
Gastronomy Gastown – Mains and Pizza
For our mains we went with:
- Squash Lasagna
- Conchiglione
- Primo Marge Pizza
- 24 Carrot Gold Pizza
- Wen Lambo? Pizza
The Squash Lasagna ($23.00) features mozzarella, squash purée, roasted squash, preserved lemon cream, and toasted pistachios. This was a solid lasagna, I didn’t even miss the meat! The squash added a lovely sweetness to the dish, but the salty cheese balances it all out. A solid vegetarian option. The Conchiglione ($26.00) features giant pasta shells stuffed with fennel sausage, spicy tomato sauce, covered in cheese,
and house baked bread. The pasta shells literally all have a giant hunk of sausage and them and it’s so flavourful! A personal favourite dish of the night. The bread was perfect for scooping up all the remaining spicy tomato sauce.
The pizzas were definitely the highlight of a stunning meal. The key here is that the crust is absolutely perfect. It is the canvas for all the creativity of the chefs. I can honestly say, aside from the Primo Marge Pizza I have never had pizza like the other two flavours. Starting off strong, the Primo Marge ($28.00) is your classic Margherita pizza made just a little more special with a big dollop of Pugliese burrata.
On the fancier end we have the 24 Carrot Gold ($24.00) and Wen Lambo? ($69.00). The 24 Carrot Gold features gold leaf, carrot purée, pickled carrot, fior di latte and basil pesto. I would never in a million years think to put carrots on a pizza, but wow. It was so flavourful with just a touch of sweetness. The pickled carrots balance everything out. Also, it’s just such a pretty pizza!
To end the night with a bang we had to get the showstopping Wen Lambo? pizza that features lobster carpaccio, caviar, preserved lemon cream, crème fraîche, fried capers and herb salad. Talk about decadence. The lobster was sweet and fresh and the preserved lemon cream add the perfect sour note. A delicious pizza that is worth the occasional splurge.
Worth a Try?
ABSOLUTELY YES. I almost don’t want to write about this spot because I love it so much and want to keep it to myself! But, good things must share. At only 39 seats, Gastronomy Gastown is an intimate but invigorating destination. With a full bar and custom cocktail program included. Their cocktails were such a hit at dinner and I totally see myself just having a casual after work drink at the bar. They’re going to be popping soon, so make your reservations today.
Gastronomy Gastown
Address: 62 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 4G8
Website: https://www.gastronomygastown.com/
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