Bauhaus
1 West Cordova
604-974-1147
Bauhaus-Restaurant.com
Open for lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner nightly from 5:00pm.
The buzz (and grumbling) about this restaurant started well before it opened. When Uwe Boll, a movie director known for his B (okay, C) horror flicks, announced he would be opening a German fine dining restaurant in Gastown, he managed to piss off just about every chef (and quite a few FOH managers) within 50 square kilometres with his claims that he would show Vancouver what “real” fine dining was all about.
Boll did manage to lure Stefan Hartmann, Michelin-starred chef/owner of Hartmann’s in Berlin, to take over the kitchen. The food was certainly excellent, but the opening months were (unsurprisingly) more than a little rocky. Service, for such a high-end establishment, was inconsistent at best. UK import Tim Adams (whose resumé included a lengthy stint at Kensington Palace) couldn’t charm locals with his royal pedigree and left at the end of the summer.
It takes time for a restaurant to find its rhythm, and several months in, Bauhaus is now firmly – and smoothly – in swing. Boll still makes the rounds, usually in jeans, chatting and smiling with everyone. Michel Durocher (who locals might remember from his time at Parkside, Pied-à-Terre, and other Durbach properties) is leading a service team that makes for a room full of very happy faces.
The room was a winner from the start, thanks to the heavy reno that saw the fractured, multi-level space being flattened into a single, open floor with sleek lighting and “ghetto” art – and the removal of some large Teutonic chairs that had you sliding out of them like a recalcitrant child refusing to sit straight. And, in the kitchen, Hartmann is delivering food that makes me sit back and close my eyes in silent appreciation and thanks.
Is it pricey? Hell, yeah. Starters range from $13 to $26 on the dinner menu, and several mains top $40. The tasting menu tops out at $110 for six courses (four- and five-course options are also available), but, lunch is more reasonable, with $13 starters and $18-$24 mains (plus a reasonable prix fixe for under $40). It’s not more expensive than Cioppino’s or Blue Water Café, and, like those restaurants, it’s giving amazing value.
A beautiful piece of cured herring sits over a bed of micro-greens, sided with a lightly-pickled cucumber, julienned apple and a gribiche that sings with parsley, tarragon and more of the pickled cuke. It’s so easy and light, with snappy zings on the palate, that I want to order another. At lunch, instead of just some plain bread, we get a little crostini (from Nelson the Seagull) topped with seasoned quark cheese and fresh radish. The quark makes a comeback in ravioli, along with ricotta, and sits beside the perfect tiny croquette of potato and chorizo. The famed veal schnitzel is almost $40 on the dinner menu, but try it at lunch, when it’s only $22. It’s not swoon-worthy, but the meat is succulent and the breading is light, crunchy, and paper-thin.
Lobster with ham hock is a fun take on a classic German favourite, here served with a capered mayo. Poached char off the tasting menu is exquisite, as are a side of chickpeas done two ways, lightly peppered, both crispy and soft.
Bauhaus is an expensive and decadent restaurant, but the atmosphere isn’t stuffy, the service is now what it should be, and the food is divine. Prösterchen, my friends.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★1/2
• Hear Anya Levykh every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast. Find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
Rating guide:
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
