My third Dine Out Vancouver dinner was with good friends at Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. Provence offers a $45 food menu plus $25 wine pairing, and it is totally worth it. The food from Provence is top quality and a large portion. I was very full and very happy at the end of my meal.
We were treated with a glass of sparkling Chenin Blanc from Road 13 Vineyards. Top-quality bubble. Very light creamy bubble. Chenin Blanc still is not widely known in North America, but it should be. It can be made bone dry to sweet, from still to sparkling. It has great acidity and body and can age well over time. This excellent sparkling wine had a light toast and citrus nose which followed to the palate. It was paired with an amuse-bouche. You can only get this wine by going to the winery, being part of the winery’s wine club, or going to a restaurant like Provence Marinaside that carries it.
My appetizer was the HERBES DE PROVENCE CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE beurre blanc, balsamic reduction, mixed greens, which was paired with Montague Cellars Rose 2018. The Rose wine was quite floral and had a lychee touch along with red fruits. I really liked the acidity and mesh of flavours between the wine, the creamy crusted goat cheese, and the acidity of the salad. Recommended.
Next was the main course: WILD MUSHROOM RAVIOLI WITH PRAWNS with white wine butter sauce, garlic, fresh tomato, and herbs paired with Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2016. The Pinot was bright and light-bodied, higher acidity, with floral and red fruit flavours. The white wine butter sauce was very rich and garlic flavoured. I enjoyed how the Pinot Noir cut through the richness of the butter sauce. The prawns were nicely grilled and came peeled. They were not overcooked and were nicely tender. The ravioli were hand made and cooked perfectly. You could not tell that the ravioli was filled with cooked mushrooms. They had an excellent texture and you could mistake it for meat if you were looking for it. A delicious main dish.
One of my dining partners had the bouillabaisse, a wonderfully rich seafood stew; and I was lucky to try a spoonful.
With the little room I had left in my belly, I ordered the CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE, Kahlua chocolate cake layered with dark chocolate mousse paired with Black Sage Vineyards “The Pipe” 2010. The Pipe is a port-like fortified wine, which I tasted before and would be happy to enjoy it in place of Port. Lots of ripe black fruit and spice from the Pipe, which blended complementarily with the chocolate mousse and chocolate cake. Rich wine and rich cake. Delicious!
All the wines paired with these dishes are BC VQA. Thank you to Provence for hosting this media meal, and thank you to Nancy Wong PR for arranging this fantastic dinner.