From the day it first opened in June 2017, St. Lawrence has been helping West Coasters fall in love with the food and culture of Quebec, and from further afield, the classic cuisine of France. It’s been an eventful half-decade, netting an abundance of awards — from first cracking the top five in enRoute Magazine’s compilation of Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2018, to its number two ranking on Canada’s 100 Best list — and has deftly shifted its business model throughout the global pandemic.
There’s much to celebrate. That’s why the St. Lawrence team is opening the vault and bringing back some of their favourite dishes, alongside classic recipes and a few celebratory twists. Available June 7 to July 3, the special table d’hôte St. Lawrence Fifth Anniversary menu, $85 per person plus tax and gratuity, includes starters such as bison tartar and Vol-au-vent with mushrooms and Mornay sauce; and mains like duck ballotine, trout with side striped shrimp and mussels, and Lapin à la Moutarde. And of course, the restaurant’s famous Sugar Pie has made it onto the fifth anniversary dessert list. (Full menu included below.)
For Chef/Owner, and 2019 Vancouver Magazine Chef of the Year award winner, Jean-Christophe (J-C) Poirier, the past five years represent the realization of his passion project: a marriage of classic French cuisine and the gastronomic identity and culture of Les Québécois. He brings razor-sharp focus and dedication to craft and time-honoured traditions to his elevated-yet-approachable enclave where food, drink and ambiance combine for a transportive dining adventure unlike any other. Guests snap up Chef’s Counter seating (front row seats for all the action in the kitchen); happily slide into the convivial bar seating; and of course, also adore the traditional dining room service.
Chef Poirier’s vision has been well recognized. As well as the aforementioned awards, St. Lawrence has been singled out as Best New Restaurant at the 2018 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards; was named No. 2 on the prestigious annual ranking of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants 2020; and won back-to-back accolades as Vancouver Magazine’s 2018 and 2019 Restaurant of the Year.
In 2021, St. Lawrence bid “au revoir” to à la carte and take-home services in favour of unique multi-course monthly menu concepts available with advanced pre-paid reservations, themed to various regions in France with inspired Québécois flare. Shining a spotlight on local farmers, artisans and producers, the seasonally informed menus bring the very best of British Columbia to the forefront, and give Chef Poirier and his culinary team creative freedom by offering an exciting blank canvas to work with every month.
Reservations for the St. Lawrence Fifth Anniversary Menu will be released online at stlawrencerestaurant.com, Friday, May 13 at at 4 p.m. PST.
