I believe that Anna Lena is one of the best restaurants not just in Vancouver, but if the Michelin guide were to come to the city, I am sure they would get a star. The atmosphere is modern and relaxed. Not stuffy. They pay attention to details and do interesting things. Take for example the following cocktail – Charged Up. Its a bubble tea themed cocktail. This is high creativity, and fun. Its not something I have seen on any other menu.
This was Anna Lena’s reopening tasting menu which will be available for the next two weeks.
The meal started with an amuse of oyster with an apple and cilantro mignonette, and some guanciale on the side.
The guanciale had tons of umami and the sauce was perfect on the oyster. Perfect balance of sweetness and acidity to complement the oyster. Next was their take on a Caesar salad. This was my least favorite dish of the night, but the sauce was still really good. It felt a little gimmicky.
The next dish was the halibut cheeks. There was good acidity in the sauce but the fish was a bit dry. Overall though, it was an enjoyable dish.
The next dish was one of my favorite. The sauce was incredible as was the pasta and the cream sauce on top. This was the kind of dish I wanted to lick the plate.
The meat dish was a Charcoal grilled beef rib with a Bearnaise sauce. The server mentioned that they use Thai coals as it imparts a certain flavor on the beef. The beef was tender and flavorful though I wish the Bearnaise had more acidity to it.
The cheese course was a triple cream brie on brioche with black truffle on top. It was absolutely delicious. This and the pasta would be tied for my favorite.
For dessert a pavlova which was also good but extremely chewy to the point where it was almost impossible to cut.
The meal finished with the restaurants signature fried chicken skin dipped in chocolate.
This was an extremely enjoyable and delicious meal. Service was excellent and they have reinforced why they are one of the best in Vancouver, even after months off due to lock downs. 9/10