Sequoia Grill at The Teahouse: A Fresh Perspective

Vancouver has its share of glorious seaside restaurants but none capture the spectacular views and stunning cuisine as splendidly as the Sequoia Grill at The Teahouse in Stanley Park.

For close to 30 years this landmark eatery, formerly known as The Teahouse at Ferguson Point, has been host to numerous celebrations and a must-see destination for tourists.

On my last visit to the Teahouse a few years ago, the interior was reminiscent of Diners enjoy the breathtaking view from Sequoia Grill’s
outdoor patio. (Courtesy of Sequoia Grill)a Victorian mansion with dark floral chintz and lace doilies in abundance. Standards like Baked Mushrooms stuffed with crab and cheese, the ubiquitous Caesar Salad and surf and turfs lead up to a grand finale of Choux Paste swans swimming in chocolate sauce. Unlike other Vancouver restaurants with similar menus, content to cash in on their locales and views, the Teahouse allowed for changing times and clientele and underwent a major overhaul in 2004.

The transformation is impressive. The dazzling view is still a feature and the interior, with its clean lines and simplicity, matches the vibrant new menu. Five fireplaces, including a hearth on the patio, create a warm, more casual atmosphere. To reflect the changes the restaurant adopted a savvy new name and now attracts a fresh generation of urban diners.

The Baked Mushrooms have been reinvented as portobellos stuffed with crab, shrimp and creamy mascarpone cheese, and garnished with a simple pea shoot salad—delicious without the gluey mess of their predecessor. Velvety Ginger and Carrot Soup is another tasty holdover, but the most appealing selections are the new shareable menu items. With the current trend of tapas, sharing plates is au courant. A stunning seafood platter came adorned with the usual smoked salmon and oysters on the half shell, but brightened with sizeable shrimp, a home-style cocktail sauce kissed with the perfect amount of heat, crisp Panko-crusted halibut with a citrus-licked tartar sauce—and the final sampling, a superb scallop seviche.

My companion and I bypassed the shareable Surf & Turf 14oz NY Steak and headed right to mains of Venison and Bouillabaisse. The Venison is pan-seared to a perfect rosé, still tender and moist, accompanied with a lightly spiced apricot chutney and a silky celeriac purée, reminiscent of autumn comfort flavours. The Bouillabaisse brims with local seafood and fragile new potatoes bathed in a delicate tomato and fennel broth. It was nice to see the addition of sablefish amongst the standards of salmon, halibut, prawns, clams and mussels, but a piece of local Dungeness crab would have brought it closer to home.

For dessert, long gone are the swimming Choux swans. Instead, we are tempted by a selection of modern-day favourites such as a Double Belgian Chocolate Truffle Cake and Crème Brûlée. And to our delight the perennial Sunburned Lemon Tart is still on the menu.

While some people despise tampering with tradition, Sequoia Grill at The Teahouse has effected change with thoughtful finesse. As I looked around the crowded restaurant on a busy evening, I still saw the lovers, celebrants and tourists—a testament to the restaurant’s renewed appeal. Sequoia Grill has regained my admiration and will become an enduring favourite.

Nathan Fong is a trained chef, food journalist and consultant, television and radio culinary host, and one of Canada’s premiere food and props stylists for culinary print and film advertising. He is a regular contributor to Global BCTV’s Saturday Morning Chef, contributing editor for EAT magazine and food specialist for the Roundup on CBC Radio One.