Fab 40: Coast Restaurant, Vancouver

Canada

Built on the bones of a 7000 square foot former Duty Free Shop, the new (Box Interiors-designed) Coast marks Alberni Street’s formal transition from retail to restaurant row.

With the Glowbal group’s sister restaurant Italian Kitchen across the street, the Kobe steakhouse next door, and the Shangri-la’s Market a few minutes away, the area now offers a feast of options for downtown Vancouver’s growing residential community.

Fittingly, Coast is as much eatery as urban food emporium, with two floors and at least half a dozen distinctive mini-hubs within its vast expanse. From the outdoor patio with its dramatic fire pits, through to the 20-foot circular oyster and chowder bar where fresh seafood is prepared as performance art, to a private upstairs dining room, the deep turquoise hued space is as yummy and flexible as the menu.

Chef Josh Wolfe offers delectable locavore faves – including his own bespoke oysters supplied exclusively by a Vancouver Island fisherman – as well as a truly sumptuous yet simply prepared Dover sole. A wine list as big as the restaurant leans heavy on seafood complementing California and BC whites, while the open til midnight O lounge offers backlit abalone light box tables, tangerine sofas and a more intimate dining experience.

www.coastrestaurant.ca/

20 October 2009 | Travel