Chamber Restaurant (3rd Visit/Mother's Day Brunch)

Happy Mother's Day! Who else took their mamas to brunch today?! I set up a movie date with Mama and Sister Lu at Cineplex Odeon which is only a 2 minute walk from Chambar! Thought I wouldn't get a spot since I made the reservation at 10pm the night before, but luckily I got one at 2:15pm and everything worked out fine! This is my third time at Chambar, the vibe just keeps dragging me back!

Click here to read my previous visits:

First Visit (Dine out Vancouver)

Second Visit (Brunch #1)

My first brunch experience at chambar wasn't exactly great. I was so amazed by their dinner dishes thus I had extreme high hopes for their brunch menu as well. But I never give up on a restaurant till I've had at least 2-3 visits! therefore I chose to bring my mom and sister here for a nice mother's day brunch. 

Waffles ($3.15/ea 4/5) & Toppings ($1/ea 5/5)

Overall 4.5/5

Of course we had to order some waffles to start! This time I selected the Mixed Berry Compote and Salted Caramel toppings. They compliment very well with the waffles and were much better than the Milk Chocolate Lavender and Rose Water Pistachio I had last time. The waffles were still soft, but a lot chewyer this time. I heard from lots of food bloggers that Cafe Medina has better waffles! I will definitely visit soon to make a comparison. For now, I think Chambar's waffles are not bad. 

Canard Confit ($16 4/5)

Duck confit, quinoa, red cabbage, apple, arugula, feta, 

candied pecans, pomegranate vinaigrette.

Didn't expect this dish to be in a salad form but it was pretty great, and the portion was huge compared to Mama and Sister Lu's dishes. The candied pecans were a nice addition to the mix, I especially enjoyed those nutty bites. But here comes the sad part... although the apple and arugula were a nice refreshment, the duck confit dressing still overruled most of the flavours so the dish was overall heavy and I couldn't finish it without some water. I also had a similar dish like this at The Hasting's Warehouse. Their quinoa salad tasted almost identical to Chambar's but they only cost half the price and they had more ingredients like avocado slices, sweet corn and cucumber. This confit was still a great dish, and I do love quinoa salad with any source of meat. However, now that I have had cheaper and better quiona salads, the value of Chambar's just dropped (would've gave it a 3/5 if compared to The Warehouse's salad, but I try not to compare the prices, only the quality of each dishes and how they taste.  Chambar's cheapest brunch dish is $9 so $16 is a typical price, it's called casual fine dining for a reason! We also pay for its nice service and vibes.)

Brochette de Porc ($17 3.5/5)

Barbequed bacon, mortadella, andouille, saucisson de Paris, fried eggs, tomatillo & pineapple salsa, spiced potatoes

I know I just said that I don't include the value of the prices to my ratings, but I do compare the portion with the prices. The presentation of this dish looked great, but I highly doubt that it can fill up my stomach. Since I was sick, I only had a piece of each components. Those spiced potato first surprised me with their nicely crisped skin, but after a few more bites I realized that only very little parts of the skin were crisp. The fried eggs were once again alright, but the yolk was still great though, it's hard to make a sunny side ups without breaking the yolk so props to the yolk! and the chef! Now on to the important part of this dish... The skewer! Decent meats, I liked how they put together different types of pork in one brochette. But I'd like to see more veggies! and I didn't sample the salsa but my sister said it was a nice side. 

Gaufre au Samon ($19 4/5)

Hot smoked Haida Gwaii Chinook salmon, savory waffle, 

yuzu dill hollandaise, poached eggs, pea tips. 

Since I didnt sample my mom's dish, I only asked for her rating. According to her, the salmon was tender, but the pea tips were an awkward add on?!(Since in Chinese restaurants stir fried garlic pea tips is a famous dish and we usually don't eat raw pea tips) Anyways... who doesn't like poached eggs aka eggs benny? I'd love to have them with beef or pork but sadly Chambar doesn't offer poached eggs with other types of meat, or else I would 100% order. (Time to hit up Catch 122 soon!)

Overall Experience:

Definitely in between my last two experiences. Better than my first brunch visit, but still not comparable to that dine out night. So far I have seen 5 of Chambar's brunch dishes and sampled 4 of them. Nothing special for me to spend an average of $18 a dish but I would still come back to try their famous paella and maybe their omelette before I say no to their brunch items! Chambar is still one of my famous restaurants, but maybe they are only good at mastering their dinner dishes! Oh, and maybe lunch too! Many more revisits to come!

Chambar Restaurant (2nd Visit/Brunch)

Remember that I went to Chambar during DOVF and got a $10 coupon to spend on their Breakfast, Lunch or Brunch? Well on the first weekend of spring break, I decided to destress with my bff L by going to a Sunday brunch! What's better than brunch dates with your girlfriends? Well a discounted one! But was their brunch as good as their dinner?

DOVF Visit 

If you have read my first article, you would know that I really like Chambr's interior designs and vintage decors, as well as its relaxing/lively fine dining vibe. The restaurant was just as gorgeous in the day as it was the night I went for dovf.
Tip 1*: ALWAYS make a reservation if you decide to dine at Chambar, it's legit busy 24/7, and you won't be able to get a seat right away.
Tip 2*:They serve the exact same brunch menu as Cafe Medina since CM used to be right next door, I have never been to CM so I don't know its dining vibe, however I do know that the lineup's insane. Check their website to see if reservation is available, if not, Chambar is the same substitute.

Liege Waffles ($3.15/ea+$1 for toppings 4/5)

with Pistachio Rose Water and Milk Chocolate Lavendar sauce 

The waffles were warm and chewy, however I have had better ones. (It would probably taste better if I had them earlier, I waited a bit for all my food to come so I could take a "group" photo.)
I only ordered their waffles so I could try their toppings! They have some of the most creative toppings/sauce I've had.

I had a bite of my friend's Pistachio Rose Water waffle. I could definitely taste the pistachio and the rose, but the white sauce tasted just like condense milk.

My choice of topping was the milk chocolate lavender, I really like the smell and the flavour of lavender, and it was nicely infused with milk chocolate. (Since Chambar features Belgian cuisine, I assume that the milk chocolate is also Belgian?) I still think that lavender would be a better pair with white sauce (for ex white chocolate and earl grey cream) than dark/chocolate sauces though.

Fricasse ($17 3.5/5)

Braised short ribs, balsamic cipollini onions, potatoes, watercress, fried eggs, applewood smoked cheddar. 

The braised ribs were tender and juicy when I took my first bite to it, but after a few more bites, I was sick by how salty the ribs and the sauce were. The ribs would have been perfect if they weren't over marinated in the sauce. The eggs were fried alright, but the yolk wasn't gooey enough and the eggs were flavourless while the ribs were overly salty. To balance the flavours, you could eat it with the bread or the egg, but for a $17 dish, every detail should have been on point by itself. It was still a some what tasty dish (that's why I wasn't so harsh on the rating + the ribs were actually very tender and enjoyable to chew), but judging from the restaurant status and its price, it lacked preciseness and the "wow" factor. 

Granola, fruits & Yogurt ($9 3.5/5)

I only sampled this dish because it wasn't mine, I thought it was mixed all right. An easy breakfast/snack you could make at home. Nothing special.  However, L thought it was terrible, and the ratio of the granola and fruits were unreasonable. She didn't even finish it. I don't understand why she disliked it so much, maybe she expected more from Chambar, but by being the cheapest meal off the menu, the portion and the flavour met my requirements. 

Overall Experience:

This brunch experience was definitely not as mind blowing as the dovf one. We would probably feel ripped off if we didn't have the $10 coupon. Nonetheless, I'm still attracted by the amazing vibe and space it has as well as the beautiful platings of the dishes. I would still come by someday to try one more brunch dish before I put it on my "black list" for brunch. 

Chambar Restaurant (DOVF Stop #3)

Looks like my life only consists of school and food these days, I'm either at school, out eating, or studying at cafes.... Since Dine out is over, I'm sort of on a mini diet, so I won't be visiting a lot of restaurants, only occasionally with my parents or healthy ones. Meanwhile, I can start writing all those reviews that I haven't had time to work on.

On the second last day (Saturday too .__.) of this year's dine out fest, my friend and I called at least 10 restaurants but we failed to make any reservations... damn, It's true that every story starts with a reservation! or else you would have a hard time getting a table during dine out season... I've learned my lesson.. Fortunately, We eventually got a spot at Chambar, but tables are only available after 9:00pm. Oh well, better than nothing! We studied untill 8:40pm and headed straight to Chambar.

When we arrived, my friend and I immediately regretted not going home and change to a some what formal attire. I think people were giving us the awkward look since we were carrying heavy backpacks with textbooks...We both felt out of place.. Haha, this should give you an idea of the restaurant vibe. The atmosphere was lively and busy. Not the elegant type of fine dining, but more of a pub-like environment.

Since it was past 9pm when we seated. we decided to share one menu. ($38)

This Year's Dine Out Menu

I started off with a Lavendar Fizz (Mocktail $5.00 4.5/5)
Very refreshing from the sweet and sour taste with a hint of lavender flavour. Although the serving was kind of small, it was still a nice drink to start off with.

For appetizer, we got the COQUILLES ST. JACQUES A LA ‘BOB’ (5/5)
-Pan seared scallops, mint pea puree, tandoori papadum, pickled grapes.

Completely shocked by how tender the scallops were (not rubbery at all), perfectly cooked and paired nicely with the side ingredients, I could alone eat at least 10 of them.

For entree, we went for the CURRY D’OMBLE DE L’ARCTIQUE (4.5/5)
-Roasted arctic char, parsnip & miso curry, kale, sorrel, fresh pomegranate, pine nuts.

If you follow my blogposts or Instagram, you would know that I'm not a big fan of seafood, I was originally going to order the trio de porc, but my friend really wanted to try this dish, so I agreed.
The surface was crispy. and the Arctic char was once again, prepared and cooked perfectly. The miso curry was light but unique, combined well with the char. The nuts and pomegranates added an interesting taste to it, however I didn't like the veggies.

Lastly, dessert!

We were actually sick of cheesecake, and the other selection was cheese and crackers, so LA BARRE DE CHOCOLATE (3.5/5) was our only choice.

-Hazelnut praline chocolate mousse bar, sherry vinegar, burnt cinnamon milk foam. 

The chocolate was not overly sweet, but it didn't taste special to me. It was just a normal chocolate bar stuffed with some sourly fruity mousse and sided with whip cream. Good, but not good enough for a $38 menu dessert. 

Overall Experience:

My favourite type of fine dining, I don't need to be overly cautious with what I do. Very Satisfied, although the portions were minimal, but their appetizers and entrees blew my mind. Even if they are famous for mussels, their other dishes are still phenomenal. Everyone that visited also got a $10 coupon to use before 3pm everyday. I'm definitely going back to get some eggs benny and waffles. Sunday Brunch anyone?