Food
Oceans 999: Vancouver’s Best All You Can Eat Haute Cuisine
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
Oceans 999 at the third floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel is what a dream restaurant and lounge absolutely looks like! This classy and elegant haute cuisine spot overlooks the best harbour and mountain views in all of Downtown Vancouver. Not only that, the food they serve — if my mouth wasn’t so small, I could fit all the food in — to borrow Anthony T. Hincks’ quote. Yes, the food! Oceans 999 happens to serve the best all you can eat buffet in the whole of Vancouver, if not, the whole of Canada (and as a certified foodie, I’ve been to lots of all you can eat places)!
As a past hotelier and restaurateur for over twenty years and now as a lifestyle columnist, I’ve written previous articles that highlight the special offerings of a few of my favourite go-to restaurants. Just to make it transparent and clear, I don’t get any special arrangements or perks from featuring any of these restaurants in my column — my husband and I pay for our dinner dates and parties because we want to have an authentic dining experience and because my husband and I like to choose restaurants that are absolutely worth writing about. I want to genuinely share my wonderful dining experiences. For me, food is and always will be my preferred language of love. Delicious food and excellent bubbly are the soundtrack of my life!
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
I would rate Oceans 999 high up on the list with such Vancouver culinary giants (which I’ve also written about in the past) — Le Crocodile, Giardino, Hy’s, Gotham, Blue Water Cafe, Five Sails, and St. Lawrence. All these fine dining restaurants share these key traits of a truly successful restaurant: quality and consistency of food and service, location and ambiance.
Allow me to share with you the many wonderful and amazing dining experiences my family, friends and I had in Oceans 999 — a magical cuisine spot where talented chefs are bringing the flavour game to a whole new level!
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
Ambiance. The first thing that pops up when you enter Oceans 999 from the hotel’s escalator, is the sweeping view of the majestic and picturesque mountains plus the serenity and calmness of the whole Burrard inlet. To top things off, you are serenaded by the cool and soothing voice of its’ jazz female artist with her soulful rendition of swing and blues songs showcasing her warm and yet edgy voice. This charming combination of magnificent views with soulful jazz music playing in the background makes it a romantic, delightful, fun and soothing ambiance! It is not really surprising that this dining spot has become one of our top favourite dining destinations to go to on our husband and wife weekend dates and also our weekend brunches with my son.
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
What they offer. Oceans 999 is one of the top Italian restaurants in Vancouver but their cuisine is not restricted to Italian fare because they also offer Pacific Northwestern cuisines. They serve a sumptuous breakfast buffet and breakfast a la carte daily from 7am to 11am. They offer a la carte dinner on Friday evenings from 5pm to 10pm. On Saturday Jazz nights, feel free to indulge in a delicious spread of dinner buffet while being serenaded by a live jazz trio. Oceans 999 also offers a huge Sunday brunch buffet from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Its adjacent bar is open seven days a week from 11am to midnight for drinks, live music and dinner as well.
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
My husband and I are devout regulars at their Saturday Jazz buffet nights and also at their Sunday brunch buffet. We find that the price you pay for is actually quite reasonable considering the vast amount of truly delicious food you get plus the excellent service their team provides. We enjoy the unique experience so much we wish they’d have more buffet dinners during other nights too! Which now brings me as to why we keep coming back to this restaurant — the delectable food and there’s endless of it! But, the top notch quality of food is only the icing on the cake (excuse the pun); the real reason we keep coming back is because of the exceptional service we always get from the Oceans 999 team each time we dine there.
Photo courtesy of Pan Pacific Hotel.
Impeccable service. I want to start with Ms. Demi Kammer, Assistant Outlets and Rooms Manager and General Manager of Oceans 999. Demi possesses excellent customer service savviness! She always has that positive and upbeat attitude. From the moment I got in touch with her and inquired about a group dinner booking, I was blown away by her immediate and professional responses to all my queries. In fact, one of the reasons why we chose to have our dinner party at Oceans 999 was because of the delightful manner Demi always demonstrated each time she communicated with me throughout our email exchanges. Demi’s always polite and courteous. Not to mention, her attention to detail is astounding!
The best Manager in town! Ms. Demi Kammer, Assistant Outlets and Rooms Manager of Pan Pacific Hotel, General Manager of Oceans 999. Photo courtesy of the author.
Demi is so organised and was completely in charge of overseeing and coordinating our dinner party. Moreover, I was amazed by how she successfully handled our dinner party without any issues — which totally impressed us and our friends. Demi went over and beyond in assisting me with choosing our wines and listened carefully to my food requests and feedback. Our dinner party was a success due to Demi’s execution and also, our heartfelt compliments to the rest of the Oceans 999 F&B team! A special shout out is a must to Alex Shand, Assistant General Manager for always being so accommodating and helpful each time we dine at Oceans 999. Our server for our dinner party for that evening was the lovely Mona who gave a bespoke service! She was so efficient and attentive. Demi, Alex, and Mona are also consistent when it comes to providing exemplary service. They always go the extra mile!
The best Manager in Town! Ms. Demi Kammer, Assistant Outlets and Rooms Manager of Pan Pacific Hotel and General Manager of Oceans 999. Photo courtesy of the author.
The A-Team! Ms. Demi Kammer, Assistant Outlets and Rooms Manager of Pan Pacific Hotel and General Manager of Oceans 999 and Ms. Alex Shand, Assistant General Manager for Oceans 999. Photo courtesy of the author.
The lovely Mona, she took great care of our party that evening. Photo courtesy of the author.
Hats off to the Executive Chef Sean Murray and his culinary team for providing us with a delicious gastronomical feast one bite at a time! We found the whole buffet presentation overflowing with such dynamic creativity. Under the leadership and professional guidance of the Executive Chef, the entire culinary team comes up with food choices that are appetising, scrumptious, tasty, healthy, mouthwatering and all the best and positive superlatives a writer like me could ever come up with! Oceans 999’s all you can eat buffet is totally fit for royalty and gods. It is rare to combine aesthetic creativity with truly delectable and flavourful dishes. To be able to combine both key elements means you have a team of passionate, gifted and driven chefs who put their heart and soul to the dishes they create. At Oceans 999, their food definitely speaks louder than words! For our dinner party that evening, Chef de Partie Kulwinder and Commis Monica were in charge of the delectable buffet spread. Commis Chef Elysse also cooked us delicious pasta from the pasta station.
Chef de Partie Kulwinder and Commis Monica, both chefs were in charge of Oceans 999 buffet on the night that we dined. Photo courtesy of the author.
Commis Chef Elysse, chef in charge of the pasta station at Oceans 999 on the night that we dined. Photo courtesy of the author.
Quality of food. Their Saturday Jazz Buffet nights truly deliver when it comes to the variety and the quality of their food. There are five large separate stations that are located near the reception area and are accessible to all diners. The first station is the salad station and it has ten different large platters that serve fresh and organic greens, seafood, and cold vegetables. Take note that salads may vary every Saturday night based on Chef’s creations for the day.
On the night that my husband, yours truly and our guests (our carefully chosen inner circle) dined there, the salad station had: Chef’s Caesar Salad with fried capers and roasted garlic;, Baby Kale with avocado dressing; Marinated Beet Salad with local brie, grapefruit, with white balsamic dressing; Smoked Salmon with fresh dill, capers and diced red onions; Oceanwise Seafood Salad, sundried tomatoes with basil dressing; the freshest and most succulent BC spot prawns on a bed of ice; Ancient Grains, arugula, dried blueberries, roasted feta cheese and candied pecans; bowls of fresh pineapple fruits, honey dew melons, and cantaloupes. And there’s the Heirloom tomatoes, fiore di latte, pickled strawberries, with first pressed olive oil.
My husband and I absolutely love their fresh and succulent BC spot prawns and we dip it in their Marie Rose sauce which is made of mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, with horseradish. The prawns were naturally sweet and had that firm texture but delicate — the taste was almost buttery which provided a melt-in-your-mouth sensation, definitely fresh and briny. We also went for seconds (or even third) servings of their wild smoked salmon! One of my favourite salads is their version of the classic Chef’s Caesar salad which is a perfect marriage of crunchy texture and zingy umami-rich flavour! Their lettuce is perfectly crisp, with toasty croutons, topped with shaved Parmesan and yes, the flavourful dressing.
The second buffet station is their local cheese and charcuterie section where different kinds of cheese, crackers, cold cuts, and grapes are artfully arranged on a 6ft. live edge pine board. They have an assortment of local Brie, Camembert, Blue cheese, cheddar, Golden Ears fromagerie, Two Rivers meats, fruit and nut crisps, preserves, olives, and artisan breads. My husband and I love their local cheeses, specifically, the blue cheese, and their freshly baked mini sourdough bread and wild fig preserves.
The third buffet station is their pasta station which is manned by two chefs who attend to your pasta requests. They will quickly whip up your favourite pasta recipe for you right in front of your eyes! You can choose from their three yummylicious homemade sauces: oven-roasted tomatoes sauce, Alfredo sauce (made of melting butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese), or Amatriciana sauce (traditional Italian sauce made of guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino romano cheese, tomato and in some variations, onion). You can ask the chefs to add proteins such as shrimps, scallops, or chorizo, chicken breasts, and top it off with garnishes such as sweet peppers and much more! For pasta, you can choose either spaghetti, fettuccine, rigatoni, and/or penne. Personally, I always go for my usual choice which is a simple and no fuss penne pasta flavoured with Amatriciana sauce and topped with sweet peppers, chilli flakes and lots of Parmesan cheese. Mmm, deliziosa!
The fourth station is their Hot Entrées station which is Chef’s selection of seasonal meat and fresh fish, pasta, potatoes, pizza, cheese sandwiches, grains, fresh roasted vegetables and garnishes. On that particular night, they had pan-seared duck breast for the meat selection and wild Atlantic salmon for the fresh fish selection. I must say, I did three servings of the tastiest and the most tender pan-seared duck breasts I’ve ever had in a long time! The duck breasts were cooked to perfection in medium rare with the traditional orange pan sauce. My husband highly recommended the wild Atlantic salmon which was baked with honey garlic butter sauce and Cajun seasoning. I could tell from the way his plate was cleaned up without any traces of food that my husband must’ve truly enjoyed his entrée!
The fifth station is every sweet toothed diner’s delight — the dessert buffet station. For that evening, Pastry Chef Hans Pirhofer prepared the following sweet treats for us: salted caramel cheesecake, Nanaimo bar jars, crème brûlée, vegan Black Forest cake, coconut Panna Cotta, blueberry crumble, Jell-O shots, apple and pear tartlets. Personally, I absolutely fell madly in love with the salted caramel cheesecake which melted in my mouth while my husband went crazy over the apple and pear tartlets! My husband and I were like a couple of kids let loose on a dessert factory — our piece of heaven on earth! Oceans 999’s weekly Saturday Jazz Buffet nights are truly a must have dining experience; it’s a culinary feast that even the late Marie Antoinette would be proud of!
For our Sunday family get together, my two boys (my husband and my único hijo, only son) would usually go to Oceans 999 to enjoy bonding over their Sunday weekend brunch buffet. As a family, we usually spend at least three hours in total when having brunch together. Oceans 999’s Sunday weekend brunch buffet never disappoints! For their buffet, there’s nine buffet stations! Whew. They have the fresh juice station, seasonal fruits and cheese station, the fresh bakery station, salad station, chilled station, the carvery station, Dimsum station, hot chafers station, and the dessert buffet station.
We first head towards their fresh juice station which offers chilled freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh grapefruit juice and apple juice. It’s a great pick me up together with their freshly brewed coffee. Next, we head towards their seasonal fruits and cheese station where we indulge in sliced fresh fruits, seasonal berries, locally sourced artisan and international cheese board with accompaniments.
We also enjoy their fresh bakery station with their freshly baked croissants, assorted muffins, Danish pastries, mini bread rolls, paired with honey, jams, butter and preserves. The freshly baked croissants are to die for: golden brown, crisp on the outside, extra flaky, and so incredibly warm fresh from the oven. Their croissants immediately transport me to a quaint French bakery in gay Paris!
My husband who is a much healthier eater than both my son and myself, heads towards the salad station which offers generous selections of avocado Caesar salad (which is absolutely yummy); grilled vegetables salad; marinated beet salad; arugula with horseradish vinaigrette, fresh dill and roasted pumpkin seeds; roasted cauliflower and butternut squash; pickled cranberries, Neufchâtel cheese, and cranberry miso; wild rice and baby spinach salad; dried blueberries with candied pecans flavoured with cider vinaigrette. This salad station is truly a haven for healthy eaters and those who carefully watch what they eat.
I also love their chilled station which serves the BC jumbo prawns with their cocktail sauce on the side, charcuterie with condiments, and their smoked steelhead with accompaniments. Again, the jumbo prawns are succulent, fresh and naturally sweet, I don’t need to have the cocktail sauce, I just eat it in its natural deliciousness!
My único hijo’s (only son) favourite buffet station is their hot chafers station. His favourite is their perfectly cooked traditional eggs Benedict and also their lobster Benedict! He went wild over their juicy sausages and crispy bacon! In this station, they also serve rotating fish and protein specials — king salmon bouillabaisse and chicken cordon bleu respectively. My son thoroughly enjoyed the chicken cordon bleu which he described as a masterpiece blend of juicy chicken, savoury ham and melted Gruyère cheese all heavenly bundled up in a crispy golden brown crust! So delish!
At the Carvery station, on that special Easter Sunday brunch, they served Salmon Wellington artichoke and sundried tomatoes with basil and Chervil hollandaise sauce on the side; they also had a lightly smoked beef Striploin with brandy peppercorn jus on the side, as well as, Harissa spiced leg of lamb with mint and coriander accompanied by toasted cumin spicy zhoug sauce. Personally, my favourite meat selection was the Harissa spiced leg of lamb which was moist, tender and flavourful! I definitely lost track on how many times I kept returning to this particular station for the lamb! That’s how great it was!
Oh and don’t forget their Dimsum station which serves an array of delicacies from the Far East such as pork and shrimp dumplings, shrimp har gaw with hot chilli sauce on the side; vegetable spring rolls with plum sauce on the sides; the famous Jeanet’s Fried Rice (my personal favourite); there’s stir-fried Fraser Valley chicken with black beans and Asian greens; and lastly, the traditional and tasty Shanghai noodles.
My two boys (my husband and my son) and yours truly had to take a half an hour break from eating so that we can resume our culinary adventure and spoil ourselves with their out of this world dessert buffet station! For this special Easter Sunday buffet, they really did not scrimp on the selections; on the contrary, Oceans 999 outdid themselves in presenting a truly mouthwatering dessert buffet station! Once again, Pastry Chef Hans Pirhofer and his team did an amazing job!
They had a Callebeaut Chocolate Fountain display with fresh strawberries, marshmallows, and rice crispy squares; pineapple cake, donut holes filled with different flavoured donuts; Easter cake pops; exotic mango and wild berry mousse cake; Tiramisu cake; colourful French macarons; chocolate profiteroles; cream caramel coconut tarts; chocolate coffee tarts; and strawberry shortcake jars to name a few of their endless sweet treats for everyone. I absolutely fell madly in love with the French macarons! My husband loved their Easter special roulade cake and my son went crazy over their chocolate fountain. Suffice to say, we all felt like children again!
We were absolutely food comatose! But, we had those precious contented smiles plastered on our faces! Ah, where there is food, there is love and satisfaction! And you can find plenty of love and satisfaction at Oceans 999 — a food haven where the Master Chefs indulge their diners in flavours that make life utterly delicious and diners are pampered by the efficient and accommodating service staff! Needless to say, Oceans 999 is definitely our heaven on earth!
