Dine Out Vancouver 2018: Notch8 Restaurant

I’ve actually never heard of Notch8 Restaurant before and the first time was when I was picking out a Dine Out Vancouver menu this year. The way they named their dishes was very endearing to me, plus they had grilled octopus on the menu! So Notch8 became my second Dine Out Vancouver restaurant and C-Dizzle was my date that night.

Notch8 Restaurant - Gin Harmonic cocktail — Gin Harmonic ($16) – Gin, Crème de Cassis, Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon, Honey Syrup, Tonic, Bitters

Notch8 is inside the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. After settling into our seats we decided it was time for a drink. Their cocktails menu is very helpful as they have a graph telling you which side of the spectrum the taste of the drink lies ie. fruity & sweet vs. bold & booze forward. Check that out if you get the chance!

I ordered the Gin Harmonic ($16) which is to the fruity, citrusy side. It was quite a large drink and was tart and sweet.

Notch8 Restaurant - Foraging in the Woods — Foraging in the Woods – Venison and Lingonberry Tartare, Quail Yolk, Sunchokes, Pine Nuts, Forest Mushrooms, Spruce Tip Vinegar

C-Dizzle’s appetizer was Foraging in the Woods. Don’t the name just sound whimsical?! They’re all like that! We were very charmed.

I had a small bite of the venison tartare and it was soft and slightly tart.

Notch8 Restaurant - Garden under the Sea — Garden under the Sea – Marinated Char Grilled Octopus and BC Shellfish, Sea Asparagus, Kelp, Smoked Oyster Horseradish Cream, Sake Fermented Radish, Nori Chips

I got the Garden under the Sea…because of the grilled octopus!! When it arrived though I was a little disappointed that there were only about 4 small slices. They were also room temperature and a little chewy…just wasn’t living up to my memories of the grilled octopus I had at L’Abattoir.

However the mussels with the smoked oyster horseradish cream was delicious, and I absolutely loved the array of nori chips! There was so many different kinds of seaweeds I was in loooove!

Notch8 Restaurant - Forest and Pastures — Forest and Pastures – Porcini and Scallion Crusted Angus Beef Striploin, BC Mushrooms, Braised Plums, Shishitos, Purple Potatoes, Pemmican ‘soil’, Chestnut, Black Garlic Truffle Jus

For our entrees we both chose the Forest and Pastures and it was REALLY good. The truffle jus (it looks like blood but it’s just my white balance) was really good and tasted really meaty. The striploin was medium rare and very tender. The whole dish was amazing.

Notch8 Restaurant - Maple Chocolate Cake — Maple Chocolate Cake Warm Caramel Vancouver Island Sea Salt Center, Crystallized Maple Snap, Whiskey Raisin Ice cream

The Maple Chocolate Cake was the only choice for dessert. The cake had a soft semi-oozy chocolate center and was delicious, and I am not usually a fan of chocolate desserts. I like the raisins in the ice cream but could not detect any alcohol notes. The maple snap was a bit hard…would’ve been nice if it was a little crispier. It was very buttery but not so much maply.

All in all we had fabulous dinner at Notch8 and we would both highly recommend them!