We enjoyed the Fire and Water Fish and Chop House. It’s casual and comfortable, well appointed, too, with dark woods and beautifully striped wall fabric. And somebody deserves credit for the soft lighting achieved with beautifully designed lighting fixtures and flickering candles well placed along wall shelves. The staff is attentive and service perfectly paced.
Our server, Ron, left us with warm olive bread slices and crunchy flatbread, accompanied by three dollops of whipped butter spreads: tapenade, pesto and plain.
The Fire and Water’s $25.00 Dine Around set menu was superb and very good value. We had a choice of one of two appetizers, one of two entrees and, as we were to find out, an outstanding individual chef’s dessert tasting plate. It was the perfect menu for a couple, allowing us to taste everything, if we ordered properly.
My wife chose the Goat Cheese Tart appetizer. I ordered the Clam Chowder. Leeks, smoked bacon, diced Yukon potato and paprika in a thick, fresh cream clam broth topped with five steamed clams and pea shoots made this chowder very special. Probably the best I’ve ever tasted.
The warm Goat Cheese Tart was another unique experience. The extraordinary flaky pastry tart was stuffed with goat cheese, roasted root vegetables and pea shoots on a balsamic reduction. Wonderful.
We selected one of the suggested wine pairings: Mission Hill’s Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon. It was a good choice and we enjoyed it.
For our main menu choices, I opted for the Double Cut Pork Chop and my wife chose the wild BC Sockeye Salmon. (We only eat wild salmon).
My Pork Chop was well seared with a slight crust. It was served with baby vegetables on a generous portion of savoury Stilton cheese-flavoured bread and potato pudding in a pond of Jack Daniel’s mustard jus. Tangy and flavourful, it was delicious.
The Salmon filet was wrapped in prosciutto, Dungeness crab and presented on a creamed lobster champagne risotto, accompanied by baby carrots and zucchini. Done to absolute perfection.
By this time, we were reaching our limits. The servings had been generous. And then came the chef’s three-dessert tasting plate. Wow. Oka Cheese on brioche crackers with a Bing cherry compote; Hazelnut crème brulee with a citrus biscotti for dipping; and a small Irish Coffee with bourbon ganache. A definite highlight.
Top marks to the Marriott Hotel and the Chef at the Fire and Water Fish and Chop House for a creative and delicious meal. Highly recommended.
—The Secret Diner
