O’Doul’s Restaurant on Robson Street in Vancouver, BC

O'Doul's Restaurant & Bar on Robson Street in Vancouver, BC (Canada).

There aren’t too many restaurants in Vancouver older than me. The rate of turnover is just so high in the city. But O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar on Robson Street in the west end of Vancouver has stood the test of time for almost 40 years.

I’ve been meaning to eat here for some time now and was invited by the restaurant to have lunch there the other day. It’s my duty to be able to write about Vancouver restaurants, so I gladly accepted

The lunch menu is surprisingly large, with a one-page regular menu and a one-page specials list. The focus is on west coast seafood but there are some very popular meaty dishes, I’m told (I like my meals sans meat).

Sorbet Dessert at O'Doul's Restaurant on Robson Street in Vancouver, BC.

I went with the classic, and one of the longest lasting menu items, West Coast Warm Seafood Salad. This meal-sized salad is light on lettuce and large on mussels, shrimp and scallops. It was the perfect light lunch paired with the perfect Blue Mountain pinot noir glass of wine.

My attempt to leave it at that was soon over as I saw a gentleman dining beside my guest and I be delivered a dessert made in heaven (or in the O’Doul’s kitchen). After perusing the more-than-a-handful of choices dessert menu, I chose the same: three sorbets served in a waffle bowl. The sorbet was flawlessly fresh and the strawberry, blueberries and blackberries on top were a nice touch. Did I finish it? Why, of course, isn’t that in my job description, too?!

Dina Goldstein's Snow White Photo in her Fallen Princesses exhibit in Vancouver, BC (Canada).

What I Liked:

• The corporate atmosphere of the Listel Hotel, which takes up the rest of the O’Doul’s building, keeps the restaurant upscale but doesn’t let pretence sink in. The service is efficient and certainly not stuffy.
• Because of the great location, right on busy Robson Street, O’Doul’s takes advantage by offering up almost floor-to-ceiling windows along the street side. For those who want a less active scene, during the summer months a small patio in the back is open air, yet closed in to keep the noise down.
• There is live jazz seven nights a week here.
• The art exhibit featured at the hotel and restaurant right now is another reason to go. Local wonder Dina Goldstein has created a series of photographs called “Fallen Princesses” that deconstruct the fairytale myth of princesses. Think snow white has it good? Actually, she’s got dirty-diapered kids and a lacklustre prince of a husband. Think Belle’s the most beautiful princess? The photo shows her under the knife getting cosmetic surgery.
• These photos are full of life, full of colour and full of storylines that make you think. Some could be controversial, some work better than others, but overall the series is worth a closer look and is my favourite photography exhibit this year. It runs until January 15, 2010.