Cacao

Wow! From the time you enter this place to the moment you say goodbye, you know you're in a world class restaurant. The dining experience is one I've only experienced once in Vancouver. And that is what this place offers. An impeccable dining experience. The incredible amount of passion for the food is displayed on the plate as well as on your palette. Chefs Alvaro and Marcela have brought the high end European dining experience with traditional Latin American flavours to our beautiful city! The Civiche is probably the best I've ever had. Better than in the Latin American countries I've visited and incomparable to anything you'd find in this city. The Elk Tartare with the Tomatillo flavours bring a beautiful rich smokey profile to your tongue. The octopus as well is perfectly done with a slight smoke flavour as if the meal was made over a traditional fire. Duck breast with a Mango Jus that highlights the delicious fatiness of the meat with the delicate acidity of the mango. The pickled beet brings balance to the whole plate. Lamb shank with the baked and pan fried Yucca is phenomenal! The melding of colours and flavours in both deserts was just magnificent! Their menu is changed weekly so I'm excited to go back more often! Such beauty and heart food is created here, Marcela and Alvaro put their hearts on display. It was an honour to dine here. Thank you.

Went for the Dine Out Vancouver menu. The portions were a pretty fair size! The flavors were amazing. They have a downstairs and an upstairs and we were seated upstairs which had more of a modern. decor. There were a couple of weird decor choices like a light hung from a chain over the fish tank and an old room divider to hid the coat rack but other than that it was a lovely space. I think I'll try the downstairs section next time which seemed a bit more of an fun space. The servers were lovely and fast but may have been new. Fantastic food though so I can't wait to go back and try different dishes. I had the tuna Ceviche and steak for dinner.

Had the opportunity to try their Taste Test Tuesdays--a 10 course meal where you basically try foods that may be a part of their menu. There were some that I liked, and some that I didn't like. Overall atmosphere was cozy and intimate. You also have the opportunity to see your food being made. Staff were friendly and accomodating. Would definitely come back to try their regular menu. Parking within the vicinity can get pretty difficult.

Unfortunately this place was a huge miss for us. The chicken was partially raw and the chorizo was dry. While the server explained that they make their chorizo in house and that’s how they are traditionally (less fatty) we weren’t a fan. It basically crumbled. The steak was good though. The service was the saving grace and they kindly agreed to take back the uncooked chicken and sausage and gave us more steak. I think it was ~$70 for all this food which is a bit pricey for what you get.