St. Lawrence (restaurant)
Located on the ground floor of a heritage building at 269 Powell St, originally a Japanese general store, St. Lawrence serves a blend of traditional Québécois dishes and French haute cuisine.
Executive chef and owner J.C. Poirier began developing the concept for St. Lawrence in 2013, and sought with both the menu and the décor to replicate the feeling of being inside a rural French home and eating a country-style meal.
The interior, which features a blue and green colour scheme and numerous keepsakes and photographs, was developed by Vancouver-based studio Ste.
The menu at St. Lawrence is primarily concentrated on rich, hearty fare served in large portions, running counter to the predominant stereotype of Vancouver cuisine as light and health-focused.
St. Lawrence is located on the ground floor of a heritage building at 269 Powell St, in the Japantown neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.
[1][4][5] Executive chef and owner J.C. Poirier, formerly of Rob Feenie's restaurant Lumière, began to develop the concept for St. Lawrence in 2013.
[11][12] The original colour scheme for the restaurant used cream and faded yellow, but was changed to a blue and green palette after the designers sampled the proposed menu.
[8][12] The woodwork and cabinetry is painted glossy royal blue, including a large piece of millwork inspired by antique furniture, which hangs on the back wall.
[1][4] The large portions and focus on rich flavors runs counter to the predominant stereotype of Vancouver cuisine as light and health-focused.
[2][5][8] The menu deliberately omits poutine in an effort to showcase Quebecois cuisine beyond its most famous dish, instead serving pommes duchesse with cheese curds and gravy.
[2][4] Less common cuts of meat, such as sweetbreads, calf and chicken livers, and tongue, appear both on the regular menu and as special features.
[1][12][19] Each meal is preceded by an amuse-bouche of cretons (spiced pork spread) served with sourdough and house-made grainy mustard.
[1][20] Permanent menu items include venison tourtière, mushroom vol-au-vent, and a daily pâté en croûte.
Feature items are often more elaborate, for example lobster Newberg, cailles en sarcophage ("quails in a sarcophagus"), and a ling cod fillet for two.
[5][4] The signature desserts are a lattice-topped classic sugar pie and a rice pudding with salted caramel, which comes with small pastries called pets de sœurs ("nun's farts").
[21][24][25] In January 2020, St. Lawrence held a series of "cabane a sucre" dinners, with a menu modelled after the traditional fare served at Quebecois sugar shacks during the maple syrup harvesting season.
During these dinners, the restaurant was set up for family-style long table dining, and used checkered tablecloths to imitate the look of sugar shack diners.
[31] This menu was intended to be the first in a series based on regions of France, which was cancelled due to the re-imposition of indoor dining restrictions.
"[33] Guy Saddy of Conde Nast Traveler described the restaurant as "not swish" but found the food both "unpretentious" and "exquisite".
[21] Lindsay Anderson of Bon Appétit warned diners not to make plans after eating at St. Lawrence, saying that the rich food was "guaranteed to put you to bed,"[13] although Gail Johnson of The Georgia Straight suggested a post-dinner walk along Vancouver's seawall.
