There is no shortage of accolades for the recently opened Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler, BC. Wild Blue is #66 on Canada’s 100 Best List 2023 as well as being recognized as one of the nations Top 10 Best New Restaurants. Wild Blue offers a sustainable and local take on Pacific Northwest cuisine with a specific focus on seafood. There is, of course, plenty of meat options including Alberta elk and Japanese wagyu.
Wild Blue has a beautiful dining room that seats 150 guests indoors, a private dining room ideal for events, a raw bar, an open kitchen, expansive lounge and cocktail bar, plus two heated outdoor patios. This is definitely a restaurant to impress and has been on my ‘to-try’ list since their opening. I had a free Saturday last month, so we made the drive up specifically to try Wild Blue and then headed straight back home to Vancouver. And let me tell you, it was 100% worth it. Check out my full review of Wild Blue below.
Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar – Sustainable Seafood Forward Menu
As we had a long drive home, we had to forgo the wine list and cocktails, but next time we will definitely make it an overnight trip so we can have the full experience.
To start our meal we had:
- Smoked Steelhead Tartare ($23.50)
- Signature House Sourdough for 2 ($6.50)
The Smoked Steelhead Tartare features lemon aioli, pickled garlic scape, sourdough crostini. First off, visually the dish is absolutely stunning. Each steelhead cube was perfectly made and absolutely glistening. Each bite of the tartare was a symphony of flavour and textures and the extra crisp crostini adds a lovely crunchy textural contrast to the softness and velvetiness of the tartare.
The Signature House Sourdough for 2 features warm sourdough slices with cultured butter, EVOO and olives. I am absolutely not an olive girl, but this dish of olives can convince me to be one.
These olives have their pits removed and are so fruity and lush. The bread has the perfect texture and goes so well with the butter and the olive oil. It’s almost better than the bread basket at L’Abattoir.
As seafood is their primary focus, we both went with fish entrees:
- Halibut ($58.00)
- Sablefish ($57.00)
The Halibut features a T-bone halibut steak, pork dashi, wild onion, turnip, asparagus, snap peas, porcini. I have never seen halibut in this way and it is a show stopper when it arrives tableside. The fish was firm and flakes right off the bone.
The Sablefish features turnip, radish, maitake mushroom, sesame and roasted fish bone sauce. The sauce is poured at the table and it is such a rich flavour that melds so nicely with the fattiness of the sablefish. The sablefish was so thick and juicy and every bite just melts in your mouth.
Worth a Try?
Absolutely. Although I tried only a small portion of the menu, every dish was absolutely perfect. The attention to detail of every dish is so clear and the flavours really sing in every dish. The service was lovely from the moment we entered to the restaurant to the moment we left. I absolutely cannot recommend Wild Blue enough. If you’re in Whistler, you definitely need to make it a priority to visit this gorgeous restaurant. Do note, that they have free parking, but you need to call the number listed in your reservation to access the parking lot. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made here.
On September 10th, Wild Blue will be hosting their inaugural Alpine Long Table Dinner in the heart of Whistler Village. This is a very special al fresco feast that will allow guests to savour the beautiful sights and sounds of Whistler Village while enjoying an exclusive four course seasonal menu with wine pairings featuring the best of the harvest season. Tickets are available here.
Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar
Address: 4005 Whistler Way, Whistler, BC V8B 1J1 (Across from the Aava Hotel)
Website: http://www.wildbluerestaurant.com/
