Hello friends! Today’s post is extra special because our visit to Notch8 at the Fairmont hotel was quite the treat. I think the last time Grayson and I went to dinner at a hotel was at the Hyatt a few years ago so we were both excited to try dinner at Notch8. The most interesting part about Notch8 in my opinion is their menu. Everything on it was truly Canadian right down to the names of each item as you will soon find out.
The two of us started the evening off at Notch8 with a cocktail each. Grayson went with the Fairmont old fashioned and I went with the bubbles and berries.
Fairmont old fashioned
Grayson said that the Fairmont old fashioned was stronger in rum than he initially thought it would be so he wasn’t a huge fan of it so next time he’ll go with the hickory version instead.
Bubbles and berries
I on the other hand, loved the bubbles and berries. It was tart and fruity with a hint of bitterness from the Finlandia. It wasn’t overly bubbly but just enough to add a little extra fun to the drink.
Black gold
Now I’m not a fan of oysters but it was Grayson’s day and he wanted me to try one so I did. This oyster was topped with norther divine caviar, smoked salmon and a whisky mignonette.
The oyster was light and refreshing and the smoked salmon added another element to it. I might not be a fan of oysters but I could definitely have a few of these with no complaints.
Great bear scallop
These scallops were steamed and topped with snow crab, mushrooms, smoked char caviar, kelp broth and sake fermented pickles. Our favorite part about the entire scallop was the delicious broth that pooled at the bottom of the shell. The scallops were steamed to perfection and were only lightly translucent on the inside. Grayson’s scallop was perfect but mine had a little bit of sand so that was disappointing. But that aside, these were amazing.
As with the oysters, these were served on a bed of rocks which reminded me of a creek. I like that they add natural elements to their plating because it reminds you of where your food came from.
Forest mushroom tart
I’ve heard raving reviews about this tart so we decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go because Grayson isn’t a fan of mushrooms even though he is a fun-gi. Lucky for the two of us, the tart was absolutely divine.
Digging through this tart made us feel as though we were foraging for mushrooms in the forest. The tart’s crust was thin so that it didn’t hinder the flavour of it’s contents. The variety of BC mushrooms rested on top of a bed of savoury cheese sauce and pine nut butter. The elderberries added tartness to cut through the richness of everything and the rye crumb on the bottom which resembled soil brought the whole plate to life. I actually think that the rye crumb was Grayson’s favourite part about the whole thing.
Camping in the woods
This was one of the features of the evening. It was made up of smoked trout on top of a bed of salad greens and topped with a poached egg and ikura roe. The smokiness of the trout added another element to the entire dish and the two of us enjoyed eating different versions of it. This was the richest of all the appetizers we had because of the combination of the sauce aioli on the bottom and the egg yolk but as with the previous appetizer, the elderberries helped add tartness to balance the dish.
Tidal pool
I had been looking forward to trying this dish for the longest time. The star of the dish is the piece of cedar smoked wild BC fish in the middle. I was looking forward to tasting the smokiness in the fish but unfortunately I couldn’t find what I was looking for. The white fish was a little dry in my opinion but Grayson thought it was okay.
As for the rest of the seafood in the dish, there was crab, mussels, clams, geoduck and scallops. I was really looking forward to trying all the shellfish this dish had to offer but at least half of them had sand in them. That aside, I liked how the caviar and kelp brought a light saltiness to the dish. I also enjoyed the different kelp varieties on the plate because each one added a different texture to the plate.
Autumn wild boar
This was Grayson’s choice of entree for the night. This fire grilled wild boar chop was surrounded by smoked pork hock, bean cassoulet, winter squash, mushrooms and wild currants. Do you notice that wild currants are a repeating theme here?
He had never tried wild boar before so he was very excited to try it out. He had it prepared medium rare and he said it was amazing. It was still juicy on the inside and the chew was a little firmer than steak. The cassoulet on the bottom added another element to the dish and acted as a sauce to flavor the meat. The pork hock was practically melt-in-your-mouth tender and the currants were just fun to eat.
The two of us didn’t end up getting dessert afterwards because we were too full from all the delicious food we had so perhaps another time.
To sum up the night at Notch8, the service could have been better and I wouldn’t order the shellfish again but we had an amazing night overall and that’s the part that matters. We will be back Notch8!