HYATT REGENCY VANCOUVER ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL OPENING OF CLOUDSTREET RESTAURANT IN DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER SEPT. 18
If you have lived in Vancouver for a while and visited downtown, you probably ate at the Mosaic restaurant in the Hyatt Regency hotel on Burrard. Not satisfied with the past, the hotel decided to do a complete renovation of Mosaic, renaming it Cloudstreet. The renovation swept away the dark, traditional shadows of the past restaurant, replacing them with a bright, vibrant energy that aims to redefine the Vancouver hotel dining experience.
Before sitting down to try a variety of dishes prepared by Chef Craig, I talked with Chef about his experience and vision for Cloudstreet. For Chef Craig, this kitchen is hallowed ground. He first walked through these doors at 18 years old, a young apprentice under the mentorship of Chef Daniel (who is still at the restaurant as well). After seven years of honing his craft here, Chef Craig spent five years immersed in the vibrant food culture of Australia before eventually returning to Vancouver. Now, he stands at the helm of what he calls his “playground,” bringing his global perspective back to the very place his career began.
Chef Craig doesn’t try to over manipulate dishes, opting instead to let the ingredients speak for themselves. He said that “If the ingredient quality is good, I don’t have to do much to it; I can just showcase it. I’d rather let the ingredient be the star instead of trying to mask it up.”
This philosophy follows his sourcing strategy of finding quality ingredients across Canada. It is a way to maintain the highest standards of quality and “showcase” the ingredient while ensuring the menu remains accessible and high-value for his guests. So you will see BC salmon, Alberta beef, and PEI mussels on the menu, for example.
Let’s move on to our dinner dishes and wine pairings.
Our amuse-bouche was a Braised Beef Cheek Tartlet. This opening bite showcased a depth of rich beefy flavour, featuring tender, slow-braised meat encased in a crisp puff pastry shell.
We next moved onto four Small Plates accompanied by two international wines for pairing.
Our dishes:
Beet & Burrata – Featuring both pickled and roasted golden and red beets. The inherent earthiness was balanced by the creaminess of the burrata and the bright, lifting acidity of the dressing.
Bison Carpaccio – Sliced paper thin for a delicate mouthfeel, this dish was served with focaccia for crunch, tamari, and shiso.
Crab & Prawn Toast – A decadent, buttery toast base served with an herb salad. The finely chopped seafood was handled with restraint, allowing the natural sweetness of the crab and prawn to remain the focus. The crab and prawn flavours were subtle, not strong.
PEI Mussels – From Canada’s east coast, they were served in an authentic Thai red curry broth, paying homage to Chef Craig’s Australian culinary experience. The broth was creamy, had gentle heat and spiced flavours that did not overpower the mussels. My favourite Small Plates dish.
Our wines:
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc – The nose was bursting with aromas of passion fruit and guava, leading to a dry palate with a bracing, clean acidity and more of these tropical fruits along with some capsicum flavours.
Louis Latour Gamay – Hailing from one of Burgundy’s oldest winemaking families, this Gamay offered a medium-to-soft body with a lean, dry finish. It displayed prominent cherry and red fruit notes with a distinct tartness reminiscent of rhubarb.
The Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc made an excellent pairing with the PEI mussels, where the wine’s vibrant acidity and tropical fruit profile served as an excellent accompaniment to the Thai curry broth, heightening the aromatic spices, and with the Crab & Prawn Toast, as the wine’s high acidity acted as a foil to the rich, buttery mouthfeel of the toast. While not as exceptional as the Sauv Blanc, the Louis Latour Gamay did make a complementary pairing with the Beet & Burrata salad and the Bison Carpaccio.
Next we moved on to the Main Plates, four dishes along with two BC, Okanagan wines.
Our dishes:
BC Steelhead Salmon – The fish was served with a miso beurre blanc; the skin was specifically rendered to achieve a remarkable, focused crunch, which I particularly liked. The salmon was tender and moist.
Braised Alberta Bison Short Rib – Subjected to a seven-hour braise, this “fall-off-the-bone” meat was paired with a creamy garlic barley served together with mushrooms, providing a risotto-like texture.
Bison Pappardelle – These wide, al dente noodles were made eggless to accommodate dietary requirements without sacrificing the chewy, rustic texture required to stand up to a deep, roasted tomato ragu. Lots of delicious deep flavours from the bison, the roasted tomatoes, and herbs.
Our wines:
Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris – Aromas of peaches and pears that continued to the palate. It had a thicker, more viscous mouthfeel and medium acidity.
Burrowing Owl Merlot – This wine showed red fruit and blackberry aromatics with a hint of spice, featuring a light-to-lean body and balanced tannins. These fruit flavours carried to the palate plus juicy berries. A tasty sip.
My favourite pairings were the Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris and BC Steelhead Salmon and the Burrowing Owl Merlot and Braised Alberta Bison Short Rib. The Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris and BC Steelhead Salmon pairing worked the best when the stone fruit flavours of the wine interacted with the roasted potatoes and the miso richness of the salmon dish. For the Burrowing Owl Merlot and Braised Alberta Bison Short Rib, the wine’s juicy berry fruits and light oak provided a classic balance to the lean, savoury profile of the braised bison. The short rib just fell apart without any effort. Truly delicious.
Lastly, we moved to our Sweet Plates, aka Desserts. We had four desserts to sample:
Vanilla Creme Brulée was a refined interpretation featuring the inclusion of sweet, spiced pears that added an extra flavour layer to the traditional vanilla custard.
Wood-Fired Apple Pie utilized the restaurant’s wood-burning oven, which married salted caramel and yogurt ice cream with a bright lemon apple glaze.
Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Chocolate Ganache Bar. The chef’s own coffee-infused pudding was elevated by a rich 40 Creek Whiskey sauce, while the chocolate ganache featured a blood orange puree and a gluten-free cocoa crunch.
All the dessert dishes were terrific, and it is up to personal preference of which one you would want to finish your dinner at the Cloudstreet restaurant.
The restaurant is bright and fresh, along with a wide range of Canadian-sourced products to make delicious dishes for you and your guests to enjoy. Hurry and come downtown to enjoy a great meal with Cloudstreet.
Pacific Northwest cuisine is elevated to new heights at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Officially welcoming guests to its Cloudstreet Restaurant in the heart of Downtown Vancouver at 655 Burrard St. Offering 30% off during its grand opening weekend beginning Friday, Sept. 18.
Pacific Northwest-Focused Restaurant Offers 30% off for Guests During Opening Weekend of September 18-20 off to Celebrate Grand Opening. Full details here.
