Restaurant Review: Nightingale Sings a Powerful Note about Delicious Cuisine
Nightingale restaurant. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
My husband and I are always on the lookout for a truly standout dining experience every weekend. We are both foodies and we both like to explore the diverse culinary world that our beautiful city, Vancouver has to offer. We like to unwind from our usual hectic busy work week by going out on date nights on the weekends. Our date nights revolve around dining and indulging in delicious cuisines and fine wines.
Nightingale restaurant. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
On a beautiful Saturday night, we paid a visit to one of, if not, Vancouver’s most fashionable restaurants — Nightingale. We’ve been to this beautiful restaurant several times in the past and each time, Nightingale never disappoints! It is consistently recommended as one of Downtown Vancouver’s best restaurants and it is one of the few restaurants that was included in the coveted list of restaurants that come highly recommended by Michelin. Nightingale is the more relaxed version of its older sister, the fine dining restaurant, Hawksworth, which is owned by one of Canada’s most acclaimed and talented chefs, Chef David Hawksworth — a native Vancouverite who spent a decade honing his talents in Europe, working in Michelin-starred kitchens such as L’Escargot, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, and The Square. Since returning to Vancouver, Chef David Hawksworth has emerged as one of Canada’s leading culinary talents. I’m such a fan of Chef David that I intend to devote a separate article about him and his flagship, Hawksworth fine dining restaurant!
The main floor dining area. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
The main floor dining area. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Nightingale’s ambiance. As soon as you enter the main door, you are transported to an eclectic world of unique aesthetics. It is located in a white heritage building that boasts lofty double height space with white butcher tiles toned down by light wood panelling. The main floor’s focal point is its impressive marble bar lit by industrial lighting; wrought iron chandeliers hang above mahogany leather seats, marble and wooden tables. The main floor is the area where you can dine and watch the beautiful crowd who comes and goes through its imposing doors. Meanwhile, the mezzanine’s walls are decorated with wooden nightingales and birdcages and has woven silver and copper inlay lattice screen railing which makes it also the perfect spot to watch people.
The mezzanine dining area. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
The mezzanine dining area. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
With its beautiful ambiance, expect all of Vancouver’s “in” and “foule à la mode” (fashionable crowd) to dine here either for lunch, brunch, or dinner. While Le Crocodile, Hawksworth and Giardino cater for the older elite crowd, Nightingale is the place for the younger hip crowd — the wheeler-dealers of the Vancouver’s financial district brokering their next deal over lunch; Vancouver’s famous influencers capturing Instagram or TikTok worthy videos and photos; beautiful models sashay in and around the tables during brunch or dinner; and young up and coming artists from all forms of media meeting with their agents over cocktails or dinner. Nightingale is the best place to see and be seen by those that matter in the hip Vancouver scene.
The marble bar. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
The marble bar. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Diverse cuisine. Nightingale offers an extensive menu selection which are best shared in a family-style dining. Its menu features dishes that are deliciously packed with differing flavours and are also ingredient-led. There’s a good reason why it was included in Michelin’s list of recommended restaurants in Vancouver: Chef David and his culinary team are passionate about sourcing their ingredients locally, and they work closely with local growers, farmers, fishermen, and foragers thus Nightingale is consistently voted as Canada’s Best Farm to Table Restaurant. The menu consists of crisp organic salads and seasonal veggies, Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked from their wood-stone pizza oven, appetizers, main courses, and desserts for sharing.
Since it opened and throughout the years, I’ve also noticed that their menu has evolved into a more diverse cuisine. It’s no longer just a West Coast Canadian cuisine. Instead, it has become a melting pot of different and diversified culinary influences. For example, in their latest menu, I was amazed that Chef David has incorporated two Filipino dishes: the longanisa (Philippine pork sausage) and the famous pork chop cooked in Filipino style. It turned out, Chef David’s culinary team consists of talented Sous Chefs from the Philippines, Japan and China. We’re so impressed that Chef David’s culinary team is so inclusive. I’m so excited to share the different delicious dishes that my husband and I enjoyed on our dinner date that night at Nightingale. But first, we must start with their awesome cocktails!
Cocktails. We started our dinner date with their electrifying cocktails! My husband went for his Nightingale Martini — a delicious concoction of tanqueray gin, green tea vermouth, islay, and elderflower spritz. I chose Puebla Paloma — a more exotic concoction of espolon blanco tequila, aperol, grapefruit, and lime. These cocktails certainly started the evening on a fun note!
Nightingale Martini. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Puebla Paloma cocktail. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Appetizers. My husband chose the Cauliflower hummus, with pickles, sunflower za’atar, and sourdough bread. It was so delightfully light and with cucumber slices on the side, made the hummus utterly refreshing! My husband gave it a perfect score of 10! I opted for the Longanisa sausage, calamansi, green papaya, and garlic yoghurt. I was told that their longanisa (pork sausage) are made in-house by their own butcher. It was so spot on taste-wise. I was reminded of a typical Filipino breakfast that I nearly ordered garlic fried rice and sunny side up eggs! It was also huge, which I didn’t mind at all because it was so tasty! We also paired our appetizers with a pleasant bubbly — a 2017 Pinot Blanc Crémant by Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards from the Okanagan Valley. It certainly has lovely bubbles, invigorating green apple notes and pairs well with any starters and a great comfy conversation with the one you love!
Cauliflower hummus, with pickles, sunflower za’atar, and sourdough bread. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Longanisa sausage, calamansi, green papaya, and garlic yoghurt. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
2017 Pinot Blanc Crémant from Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards from the Okanagan Valley. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Main Course. For the main event, my husband and I decided not to share! We ordered our own main courses but we did taste each other’s orders — it would be a pity not to! My husband chose the Halibut, braised leeks, verjus, with clam vinaigrette. My husband’s halibut was cooked to perfection: it was mildly seasoned highlighting the natural sweet tasting white flesh of the fish; it was lean, firm but at the same time, it had a tender texture. The clam vinaigrette gave it a tangy delectable flavour. Yours truly feasted on Grilled lamb belly, mint salsa verde, watercress, and red onion. It was rich and gamy — just the way my tummy likes it! Lamb belly is also called lamb breast, and resembles veal breast in many ways. Nightingale’s version is both exceptional and top-notch. It was grilled perfectly and the mint salsa verde elevated the lamb belly’s natural and flavourful taste. I wanted to ask for more!
Halibut, braised leeks, verjus, with clam vinaigrette. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Grilled lamb belly, mint salsa verde, watercress, and red onion. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
My husband and I did share a plateful of Spaghetti, with Manila clams, jalapeno, scallion, and white wine sauce. It was cooked Al dente, the ideal consistency for pasta. The Manila clams were meaty, fresh, and marvellously soaked in fine white wine sauce. The scallion gave the spaghetti sauce a sharp, somewhat-spicy, peppery flavour. Overall, it was light and exquisite!
Spaghetti, with manila clams, jalapeno, scallion, and white wine sauce. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
We paired our main courses with a delicious and enticing bottle of Pinot Gris — 2021 Averill Creek Vineyards. It was clear-cut and uplifting, yet rounded and enduring. The wine had a bright, citrus aroma enveloping tactile acidity and a mouthwatering tension. It was a perfect pair for such delicious food! Incidentally, Nightingale offers an award-winning wine list which has been carefully curated by their highly skilled Sommelier Team.
Pinot Gris — 2021 Averill Creek Vineyards. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Desserts. We ended our dinner date on a sweet note. We shared two different appealing desserts: Salted caramel pot de crème, vanilla breton, butterscotch and Spiced chocolate ganache, banana caramel, pecans, rum passion fruit sorbet. These desserts tasted like heaven on earth! They weren’t sickly sweet, it was just the right dose of sweetness. We were blown away by their smooth consistency and creamy, fruity flavours. The kind of desserts I would definitely binge on!
Spiced chocolate ganache, banana caramel, pecans, rum passion fruit sorbet. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Salted caramel pot de crème, vanilla breton, butterscotch. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Service par excellence. From the moment I booked and arranged our dinner date, to the moment we dined and wined and to the moment we bid adieu to Nightingale, the whole culinary experience was totally exceptional. Our reservation was taken care of by none other than Nightingale’s General Manager, Taylor Mikasko. He was so accommodating and made sure that we got a table on a busy Saturday night. He also made sure that his service team took care of us from the moment we entered Nightingale.
The friendly receptionist Jose. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
The receptionists Claudia and Jose were prompt and efficient. They were both personable and seemed aware of the flow of service in the dining room at all times. They certainly welcomed us with warm smiles. They were an impressive first point of contact for the establishment. The Manager on Duty that night was Amber. She was simply amazing and definitely exudes a positive attitude and led her team with such professionalism. Our server for the night was Calla who served from her heart. You can tell that she is passionate about her work because she definitely gave exemplary service. Calla also shared wonderful recommendations on what to order for food and drinks. We noticed that when she explained her recommendations, she knelt down by the table so she was talking to us at an eye level instead of looking down at us — that was a nice touch only an absolute professional does!
Nightingale culinary team: Sous Chef Nick Sui, JR Sous Chef Vince Fajardo, Luke Kohima, and Madeline Ferguson. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
The author with the culinary team. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
We were also fortunate to meet the heart of the house team: the Culinary team for that night — Sous Chef Nick Sui, JR Sous Chef Vince Fajardo, Luke Kohima, and Madeline Ferguson certainly cooked a cuisine worthy of a Michelin star that evening! Obviously, they were trained by none other than Canada’s pride, Chef David Hawksworth.
Cool Nightingale service team offering personalised service lots of human touch. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
Do you want to know what makes a great restaurant experience? Apart from the food and ambiance, it’s the service and culinary staff that either makes or break a great dining experience. As restaurant guests, we want to feel human. We need to have that sincere, accommodating human touch. We don’t want to feel like a number that servers rush out the door to maximise profits. We want sincerity, positivity and excellence. We want to dine in a place where we are surrounded by a team who are passionate, friendly, and deliver personalised service. At Nightingale, the whole service and culinary team will provide you with such flawless customer service. At Nightingale, you’ll experience a guaranteed enjoyable and fine dining that is both relaxing and unpretentious. Again, Chef David Hawksworth and Taylor Mikasko definitely trained their culinary and service team well!
I will leave you with this fun trivia about Nightingale: its name is hugely inspired by Aesop’s Fable of the Hawk & the Nightingale, which tells the story of a hungry hawk who chooses to keep his tiny nightingale instead of waiting for a bigger bird to come along: it gives us the proverb ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’. Definitely a food for thought! What can one say? Nightingale restaurant sings a powerful note about delicious, diverse cuisine and fine service!
