...Recent Openings

Voya is a Worthy New Contender in
Vancouver's Competitive Dining Arena

The 77-room Loden Hotel is the newest boutique hotel to set down roots in Vancouvers Coal Harbour neighborhood.
The contemporary building with lots
of glass and copper is a chic addition to the glut
of nondescript mega-towers in the vicinity,and
the lobby invites with plush couches around
an immense, suspended fireplace wrapped in
zebra marble.

Guest rooms are beautifully appointed in a
coral, chocolate, and caramel color scheme, with
king beds, oversized robes, 30O-thread-count
Fili D'oro bedding and down-filled pillows and
duvets. Bathrooms boast heated floors, soaker
tubs, and private shower rooms, plus premium
personal care items by the U.K's Molton Brown.
Turn-down service pampers with bedside
slippers, filtered water, ice, and a loofah with
bath salts placed tubside-should a hot
soak beckon. Although coffee is offered free
in the lobby, or alternatively through room
service (for a fee), coffee makers are not
provided in the rooms (Thefreedom to make
and enjoy a cup of coffee before looking at
another human being can't be overestimated,
in my opinion.)

The second floor offers garden access suites
and a spa where fitness buffs can enjoy the
latest equipment, and infrared sauna, and pilates
and yoga videos, which are also shown every
hour in the privacy of the rooms.

For tony cocktails and sophisticated fare,
Voya Restaurant and Lounge awaits lobby level.
Vie for one of the faux-alligator club
chairs in the bar and peruse the list of oldschool
and new libations by noted mixologist
Jay Jones. The adjoining dining room is
an elegant space headed up by ex-Lumiere
Executive Chef Marc-Andre Choquette. The
80-seat room is center-lit by three sparkly
chandeliers, with bright-white lacquer tables,
upholstered chairs, and wrap-around booths in
ice blue and chocolate hues. Mirrored screens
of interlocking circles border the space, lending
an early Hollywood retro feel.

Voya's menu is French-Asian with global
influences and hits all the right notes with a
balance of sustainable sea- and land-based
fare. "High casual" lounge picks run from
sesame-crusted frog's legs with a sticky
barbecue sauce and lamb kebobs with mint
yogurt, to right-out-of-the-oven gougeres
served with that 1980's throw back-warm artichoke and spinach dip.

Dinner offers starters, mains, or shared dishes
for the table. A velvety mussel veloute makes
an amuse-ing start, followed by a terrine of barbecue eel and fatty duck liver. Pickled shimeji
mushrooms, pine bud syrup, and red shiso
provide delicate counterpoints to the liver's
richness: the triad of flavor nuances is indicative
of Choquette's talents.

My husband and I enjoyed the decidedly
shareable stuffed Cornish hen. The mostly
deboned hen was stuffed with focaccia and
chorizo, wrapped in prosciutto, and baked to
a golden-brown. The ample portion arrived
with a jus roti, braised cipollini onions, and
kale gratin.

Service is polished throughout and manager
Robert Herman's wine list is a happy
balance of new and old worlds, with many
by-the-glass options.

Voya is a worthy new contender in
Vancouver's competitive dining arena.
Guest rooms start from $199CDN. Voya is
open daily.

By: Shelora Sheldon

09.03.01 - Northwest Palate

« Back to News & Notes