Review: Archer in Vancouver

Archer's interior is sleek, minimalist and inviting

A friend visiting from Hong Kong wanted to try Archer, a restaurant that opened a year ago in downtown Vancouver, so we tried it out last week.

I didn't know much about this place except that its menu features ingredients from the Pacific Northwest.

We arrived on time and entered the long narrow space with high ceilings that immediately felt open, welcoming and airy. There are long wooden planks that curve around the ceiling, while mossy green banquette seating finished with polished wood are inviting. 

Lovely plump scallops that were flavourful

While the white walls were a bit bare, we still enjoyed soaking in the interior, and could just see the heating lamps in the kitchen upstairs that probably had a chef's table next to it.

So far, so good.

We each ordered a non alcoholic drink -- lychee iced tea for her, and strawberry lemonade tea spritzer for me (CAD$10 each). Mine was very refreshing, hers had a strong hint of jasmine tea.

For starters we tried the roasted scallops ($29), a creative concoction where they were just fully cooked and complemented with verjus bacon vinaigrette and puffed wild rice for some crunchy texture.

The uni and lardo ($38) is expensive, and looks impressive. Giant pieces of the sea urchin are placed on top of a brioche mini square loaf with thinly sliced ribbons of lardo. Unfortunately the lardo hadn't had time to get to room temperature so it was an ordeal to bite into, let alone slice in half to share. Also disappointing was the uni -- it had none of the sweetness, only bland, barely enhancing the flavour of the brioche. 

Most enjoyed the pea risotto with sunflower seeds

Wet towels should be served with this dish for diners to clean their hands after. Or were we supposed to eat it with a fork and knife?

After an intermission came the mains. We really enjoyed the pea risotto ($36), which had a wonderful crunchy texture from the sunflower seed gremolata, asparagus and the parmesan tuile. 

But what was with the "cheeky Berkshire" ($48)? As my friend put it -- the dish's plating looked like it has been done by a culinary student, not an experienced chef. Grapes ringed the dish, along with unevenly cut turnips, and a fillet of pork jowl sliced up as if for a child. It tasted like a really expensive and pounded piece of char siu. 

Presentation of pork jowl looked very amateur

Nevertheless we hoped for a good sweet finish with dessert and ordered both options on the menu ($15 each). We knew the mille feuille was not promising as soon as we sliced it, and it didn't succumb to the knife by spurting flakes everywhere. Sadly it tasted like stale crackers and we couldn't finish it. Even the scoop of black sesame ice cream looked like it had been sitting there for a while.

The lychee rose was no better. Inside the big white blob shaped like a rose was one lychee. One. The rest was cream that had a faint taste of lychee juice from the can. It was not mousse as promised, but cream decorated with not Okanagan cherries, but one and a half raspberries.

When one of the waiters took this plate away, he did it so mindlessly that the sprinkles of crumbs from the mousse dessert fell not only on the table, but also the chair -- his colleague immediately saw the disaster and quickly wiped it off the table and chair, apologising for the mess.

The lychee mousse had one lychee in it

In the end we paid over $250 (the mille feuille taken off our bill), including tips. While the scallops and pea risotto were the shining stars, they weren't enough to save the rest of the meal. Even after a year a restaurant can't get it right... It's tough to be successful in the restaurant business, but at least the interior is a winner?

Archer

1152 Alberni Street

Vancouver, BC

778 737 6218