First-time Frenching: Provence Marinaside

Please excuse the tardiness of this post...I know Dine Out 2012 is long gone but that's okay because I believe all of the dine out items are on their regular menu! 

A friend of mine went through the scrutinizing act of looking through the dine out menus and picked out Provence Marinaside. I've heard great things about the brunch here so I was excited to try it. I am by no means a french cuisine expert, as this was actually my first time having french food!

Complimentary Crostini & Spread 

A little plate of crostini was already on our table once we were seated. It's nice to have something to munch on immediately after sitting down. They were served with a sort of olive spread which I didn't really like because I'm not a big fan of olives. I ended up eating these plain because the olive taste was so empowering.

Complimentary Bread Basket

The bread basket was brought to us soon after. Unfortunately both the bread and the butter was cold so it was pretty hard to spread. Other than that the bread was pretty standard.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

One of their appetizer choices was the Warm Goat Cheese Salad, which to my surprise was actually very good. I'm also not a big fan of cheese, but this goat cheese went very well with the salad. I felt that the balsamic salad dressing was what really pulled it together.

Prawns Provencal

For the entree I had the Prawns Provencal. The prawns were fantastic - so fresh and succulent. The bed of rice underneath the prawns was oddly chewy, not to mention bland. A friend and I both felt that the rice was under cooked. Some of the flavor was contributed by the sauce but mostly it was the prawns that stood out. Overall, I quite enjoyed this dish. Amazingly, it filled me up when I thought I would be left hungry.









I had the chance to get a little taste of the Bouillabaisse. The broth was very hearty and I was very impressed with the assortment of seafood in the dish.

Bouillabaisse

Creme Brulee 

For dessert I decided to play it safe and go with the Creme Brulee. This was actually one of the best creme brulees I've ever had! The caramel on top was so thick and hard it was like an ice rink. I had lots of fun breaking the caramel layer to reveal the smooth, creamy custard inside. Usually with creamy desserts I tend get sick of it halfway, but I enjoyed every last bit of this creme brulee. There were also a couple of berries embedded within the custard, adding a little twist to an old classic.

Berry & White Chocolate Clafoutis 

The Clafoutis was a nice cake/flan-style dessert. I only had a bite of this but it was pretty good in terms of taste as well as texture.

Provence Marinaside provided all in all an enjoyable dinner but nothing really stood out to me. The service was impeccable...I don't think any of our water glasses ever reached even half empty throughout the entire night. Our server that night was very polite and patient with us. The food did take a little time coming out but I'm sure that was probably due to the high weekend volume during the dine out period as well as our large party size. I will most likely be returning again to try out their brunch selections! 

Taste: ★★★★☆

Environment: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

Price: $$$$

Provence Marinaside Restaurant
1177 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver, BC