Lift: For Classic Creme Brulee and iPad Menus
Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
Against the breathtaking backdrop of sailboats and North Shore mountains in Coal Harbour is the chic restaurant, Lift. I’ve always thought this place looked like a futuristic hub with an amazing patio. Disappointingly, we had to sit indoors since it was much too windy and cold to perch on the patio (typical Vancouver weather!).
Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
Nobody loves dessert more than me so when we couldn’t decide which dessert item to order, I happily picked four items to share. As delicious as Lift’s desserts looked on the menus, we were more distracted by the iPads that we were viewing the menu on. I’m pretty sure I have to get out more but I’ll admit that this is the first time I have seen restaurant menus presented this way. Bonus points for innovation. The downside? Battery drainage. One of our iPad menus was down to only 4% of battery life. Good thing there were six of us at the table and had other iPads to look off of.
iPad menu at Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
iPad menu at Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
I ordered the Red Halo martini (I have a weakness for extremely girly cocktails): lychee liqueur, raspberry vodka, cranberry and sparkling wine. It was sweet from the lychee (my other requirement for girly cocktails) and the slightest bit tart from the cranberry. It totally hit the spot.
Red Halo Martini, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
On the table, we had the flourless chocolate torte. I loved this torte, and it turned out to be a favourite amongst all of us at the table. It was dense, not too sweet and amazingly moist. There’s something incredibly decadent about a flourless torte, as if without the flour, all the fluffy air has been vacuumed sucked out to leave a very concentrated, super rich chocolate bomb.
Flourless chocolate torte, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
Next up we had the organic rhubarb crumble, served with vanilla ice cream and mint. I happened to love the creamy, rich ice cream. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the crumble. I’m not even sure why we ordered this. We had some health nuts at the table! I also thought the top of the crumble would be more toasted, the oats looked very pale when the dessert was served. If it wasn’t for the sweet and moist fruit filling the topping would have been unbearably dry.
Organic rhubarb crumble, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
Organic rhubarb crumble, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
Creme Brulee, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
One of my all-time favourite desserts was also ordered: creme brulee. The ultimate creme brulee test? The initial crack under the teaspoon. And the creme brulee at Lift totally passed. The brittle caramelized sugar top gave away to a satisfying shatter, it tasted nutty and sweet, sticking to our teeth and melting on our tongues. The custard inside was wonderful, thick, creamy and rich. It tasted like sweet eggs and butter and I couldn’t get enough of it. We actually ordered two of these and I’m sure I took the most spoonfuls out of both ramekins.
Tiramisu, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
I am particular about tiramisu, I like it when it’s served in a cake form, like a square of pastry on a plate. Many contemporary restaurants go for the tumbler glass presentation to showcase all the layers in the cake. The only problem is, all the layers get mashed together anyway, when you dip the spoon in, like yogurt.
Tiramisu, Lift, 333 Menchions Mews, Coal Harbour, Vancouver
The tiramisu at Lift is served in a glass. And as tasty as it was, it did not measure up to the flourless chocolate torte and the creme brulee. It wasn’t bad though for a tiramisu in a glass. We could really taste the strong coffee flavours and the mascarpone was so smooth and creamy.
My favourite was the creme brulee. But I’ll gladly revisit to try the rest of the desserts and to soak up the summer sun on the patio as soon as our Vancouver summer heats up.