Praise + Accolades
Awards
Four Diamond Award
AAA, 2010
Restaurant of the Year, Gold
Chef of the Year, Frank Pabst
Best Seafood, Gold (third consecutive)
Best Service, Bronze
Best Regional, Bronze
Best Formal Japanese, Honourable Mention
Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, 2010
'Best of' Award of Excellence
Wine Spectator, 2010
(ninth consecutive)
Wine List Award, Platinum (Best Overall)
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, 2010
(third consecutive)
Best Seafood
Best Fish & Shellfish
Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards, 2010
Best Bar (Formal)
Westender Reader's Choice Awards, 2010
Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook - Best Fish & Seafood Cuisine Cookbook
Cordon d' Or - Gold Ribbon, International Culinary Academy Awards, 2010
Best Seafood
WHERE Magazine 'To Dine' Awards, 2009
Blue Water Cafe Seafood Cookbook - Best Seafood & Fish Book in Canada
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, 2009
Four Diamond Award
AAA, 2009
Silver Medalist, Frank Pabst
Canadian Culinary Championships, 2009
Sommelier of the Year, Andrea Vescovi
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, 2009
Chef of the Year, Frank Pabst, Gold
Best West End/Downtown/Yaletown, Gold
Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards
Readers’ Choice, 2008
Vancouver Culinary Champion, Frank Pabst
Olympic Gold Medal Plates, 2008
Birks Silver Spoon Award
Voted by the Concierge and Clefs d'Or as the best restaurant overall for cuisine, service and ambiance, 2008
Reviews
"Executive chef Frank Pabst dazzles, as he has for years, with his stellar menu highlighting locally sourced, sustainable seafood. Pabst's oversight of the kitchen is complemented by Yoshi Tabo's beautifully fastidious, expertly crafted sushi."..."Add to the mix a burgeoning cocktail program and a knockout wine list, courtesy of award-winning wine director Andrea Vescovi. Marry all that with seamless front-of-house service and it adds up to a superlative dining experience."
Vancouver magazine, 2010
"This high-concept seafood restaurant is Vancouver's best posh oyster bar and the pinnacle of Yaletown fine dining."
Lonely Planet Travel Guide, 2009
"Vancouver's A-1 pick for seafood from wild and sustainable fisheries."
Frommer's, Vancouver & Whistler, 2009
“In a seafood-obsessed city, few places do it better.”
FASHION magazine, 2009
“A must-try for anyone who wants to know what progressive West Coast cuisine is all about.”
EnRoute magazine, 2009
“Consistent freshness, high quality, and meticulous preparation are the hallmarks of this Yaletown institution.”
Vancouver magazine, 2009
“Gremolata cannot visit Vancouver without stopping by for some of their delicious creations like the Dungeness Crab salad, a tower of perfection served with flying squid, couscous, chickpeas, green onions, parsley, and harissa vinaigrette. Divine!”
Gremolata.com, 2009
“One of the country's finest seafood restaurants.”
Vancouver Courier, 2009
“Executive Chef Frank Pabst and Raw Bar Chef Yoshihiro Tabo offer a menu of West Coast plates and sushi unrivalled by no other.”
Sweetspot.ca, 2009
“They really capture the essence of what the region, but also the neighbourhood, is about.”
Jim Tobler, Critic, Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards, 2008
“One of Vancouver's hottest restaurants. If you had to describe this busy, buzzy place in one word it would be fresh, as in fresh, seasonal seafood; only the best from sustainable and wild fisheries makes it onto the menu.”
Frommer’s Travel Guide, 2008
“Chef Frank Pabst’s dishes have a clarity of expression that stays with a diner long after the meal is finished.”
Northwest Palate, 2008
“It was the taste of my childhood–it was the essence of British Columbia–and I did not want it to end.”
Bottom Feeder by Terrace Gresco, published 2008
“For the freshest local seafood, head for Blue Water Cafe...Executive Chef Frank Pabst shows off his Michelin-starred experience from the Cote d’Azur in mouth-watering gourmet dishes.”
Elite Traveler magazine, 2008
“The head-turning choice is the Blue Water Tower: three tiers of iced fish, shellfish, and samplings.”
Robb Report, 2008
“At this chic spot in Yaletown, chef Yoshihiro Tabo prepares excellent sushi and raw-bar plates, while chef Frank Pabst adds a modern-Vancouver sensibility to his French-inspired seafood dishes. We loved: ‘Unsung Heroes’ sampler of sustainably raised fish, such as sardines, spot prawns and lingcod.”
Food & Wine, 2008
“What really keeps diners coming through the door is Frank Pabst’s expert, understated way with wild and sustainable species, and faultless sushi from Yoshihiro Tabo.”
“The Raw Bar at Blue Water Cafe (Silver) consistently cranks out some of the best sushi and sashimi anywhere…thanks to disciplined and expert knife skills, top-notch sourcing, and informed service.”
Vancouver magazine, 2008
“One of the best unsung sushi bars in town.”
Where magazine, 2008
“Chef Frank Pabst is known not only for his innovative and well-executed West Coast plates but also for being an advocate of wild and sustainable seafood.”
“Blue Water Cafe’s Private Wine Room is an oenophile’s dream.”
Coastlines magazine, 2008
“One of Vancouver, BC’s, most popular drinking and dining destinations…it’s a mecca for locals and visitors alike.”
Flavours magazine, 2008
Guest Chef Dinner @ James Beard House
Two sold out events at the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
New York City, 2006 + 2002
