Mary in Vancity

I love Twitter.

If it wasn’t for Twitter I would’ve never met Jeremy, who introduced me to The Arms Reach Bistro – Vancouver’s best kept secret.

Located in Downtown Deep Cove, Arms Reach Bistro has been open since 2004. It’s a cozy restaurant with gorgeous views of the water. Owner and Head Chef Erick Kauko is a member of the Ocean Wise program, they specialize in West Coast cuisine with an Italian twist. Their menu is a mosaic of flavours: everything from seafood to pasta to steak – its guaranteed to satisfy whatever you’re craving. They use only the freshesh produce and meats.

Their wine list is extensive: It includes a variety of BC wines as well as wines from all over the globe.

We had the Beef Carpaccio to start – It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, with rosemary-garlic aioli, capers, shaved Parmesan and crostinis. The sauce had a hint of Dijon and it was fantastic!

We followed that appetizer with the Fresh Saltspring Island Mussels. The mussels were a beautiful, rich pink colour. Steamed in coconut milk, green curry, lime juice and cilantro,  They came with hand cut fries. The portion was very generous.

For our second course we had the linguine with the braised pork belly. The noodles were cooked to perfection, and the pork was tender and delicious. The reputation for their pastas is well deserved.

As a main dish we had the most amazing beef tenderloin with a rich red wine demi-glace. It came with seared scallops, herb risotto and grilled seasonal vegetables. The beef was perfectly braised and it was tender and juicy. The scallops had an amazing texture and they were a perfect pairing for the risotto.

Finally, we finished our dinner with the Raspberry Creme Brulee. It was so good! rich, creamy custard covered in a hard caramel shell.

We had a wonderful time at The Arms Reach Bistro. The food was amazing, the staff was attentive and knowledgeable and the prices are very reasonable. The restaurant was packed the whole time we were there, so reservations are recommended. Follow them on Twitter @armsreachbistro