Ah, fondue. Bubbling, gooey cheese and a platter of bread, veggies, and meat make for a beautiful pairing, and Vancouver now has a spot where you can dive into the comforting dish, along with other Swiss fare.
Röosh, located in the heart of Gastown, opened its doors earlier this month, after an impressively brief turnover of the space that had been Peckinpah for many years, then Country Roads BBQ for a short stint this year.
The owners had been looking to open up a restaurant focused on European-style comfort food and landed on the concept of Swiss rösti, a shredded potato pancake served in a skilled and loaded with toppings. With a French-trained chef on board, the Röosh team created a tight menu featuring several options of rösti, cheese fondue, pretzels, and light add-ons and sides like a simple salad or a sous vide (gently poached) egg to amp up any dish.
A look at what's on the menu at Röosh
The rosti at Röosh are all served in a skillet, and come topped with things like smoked salmon and dill creme fraiche (the Salmon and Dillfunkel) or with huge cranberry-sage turkey meatballs and herbed gravy and crispy Brussels sprouts (called Don't Go Cold...Turkey) that really captures favourite fall and winter flavours like a holiday feast. A more lux option is the potato pancake skillet that comes with a poached lobster tail, while a vegetarian option is all about those King Oyster mushrooms. Fret not - you can absolutely get a plain rösti, too, no adornments.
For a truly epic splurge, the "All-In" rösti - which is actually a couple of the potato pancakes - is piled with everything but the kitchen sink: spicy chorizo, mushrooms, lobster tails, and turkey meatballs.
Röosh recently expanded its hours to feature weekend brunch service, albeit with the same core menu. That makes the addition of the poached egg and Hollandaise the perfect weekend midday meal ideal.
Fondue is available in two sizes, with your choice of veggies or chorizo plus bread and pickles for dipping. Other bites on the menu include soft garlic butter pretzles, and salted waffle fries with dill creme fraiche for dipping.
The restaurant is working with Vancouver's esteemed Swiss Bakery for its desserts, which means items like a sticky, nutty apple strudel served with house-made creme anglaise.
When it comes to beverages, Röosh is proud to work with local and B.C. suppliers for its cocktail and wine lists.
Röosh is located at 2 Water St in Vancouver.
