Tonight we decided to take a walk on the seawall and along the way we decided to try out the Teahouse in Stanley Park near Third Beach. We tried to go a few weeks ago but the wait was too long. Tonight we called at 6:30pm and had no trouble getting a table for 7:15pm that night.
They weren’t able to guarantee a table on the patio with a reservation but when we showed up they gave us the best seat on the patio facing the ocean at the front table. The view was absolutely stunning and the table was super private. The sun was a bit bright in our eyes at times but we still loved it.
For drinks, I decided to try the sparkling greyhound with vodka, prosecco and grapefruit juice. At the first sip it tasted more orange than grapefruit and was very strong. I didn’t love the flavour and don’t think I would order it again. I struggled to finish it. GL went for the virgin mojito. It was very refreshing and light with a lot of flavour. They didn’t advertise any mocktails on the menu but had a few options when we asked. We don’t know for sure but we wouldn’t be surprised if the mint was fresh from their own garden as we noticed a chef cutting herbs from the garden during our meal.
For starters we shared the squash blossoms and the teahouse salad. The server explained that the chef is from Korea but raised in Ecuador which inspired the unique squash dish. It was essentially a puréed ball of squash that was deep fried with a watermelon salsa and an earthy purée. It had lively flavour with a lot of depth and earthiness. Highly unusual and not like anything we’ve tried before.
The salad was simple but fresh. Sunflower seeds, radish and orange ordained the salad with a light citrus vinaigrette. We were craving greens and it was just what we needed
For mains I went with the bone in New York steak. I didn’t notice when I ordered but it was 16 oz which was huge. The steak was perfectly cooked and so juicy and flavourful. I like my steaks more well done and went with medium well but it was still juicy. It melted in my mouth, but was definitely more than I bargained for. I couldn’t finish but GL happily helped. On the side were some tomatoes, spinach and squash purée which were a nice compliment. The one thing I thought was missing was some potatoes for carbohydrates since they didn’t have any gluten free bread. After I noticed another table had frites with their steak, they brought some out to me. It turns out they forgot to bring those with my meal. Their frites were thick cut and tasty but nothing special in my mind.
The lamb was heavenly. The server said that the chef recommended having it medium rare, so GL went with that. It was extremely tender and very ‘melt in your mouth’. I can’t remember having lamb this tender before. Of course, parts of it were on the fattier side, so GL found himself cutting off some of the fat, but that is to be expected with cuts of lamb like this. It came with a delicious au jus, spinach, grape tomatoes and scalloped potatoes. It was very delicious but certainly a heavier, fattier meal, so it would be great to pair it with a salad as an appetizer.
To finish I had an almond milk decaf latte which was a nice finish to the meal. I find oat milk is more creamy and it’s my preference with tea or coffee so it would be great if they offered it in the future. Almond milk always has a weird taste to it when paired with coffee I find.
Overall a great meal and even better view. We will be back to the Teahouse in Stanley Park and are already thinking of bringing our parents.
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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read about our other culinary adventures sharing our gluten-free and dairy-free experiences such as Craft Beer Market English Bay, Hook Seabar in English Bay, and Healthy AF Bowls Takeout.
