H2 Rotisserie & Bar: Winner, winner chicken dinner and more at the Westin Bayshore (PHOTOS)

There’s been a bit of a shakeup at the Westin Bayshore in Coal Harbour when it comes to their food and drink program, and now the hotel’s restaurant has a new location within the building, a new name, and a fresh new locally-focused menu. H2 Rotisserie & Bar is all about approachable, seasonal, and playful eats.

The full service restaurant operates for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner, and weekend brunch–as a hotel restaurant needs to do. The offerings shift for every meal somewhat; for example you’ll find more light and fast options during the lunch service, with more share-able and heartier options come the evenings.

There are a few noteworthy things happening at H2 that set this restaurant concept apart from the average in its class, and that’s their emphasis on working with locally-sourced ingredients and reputable BC purveyors, rather than let it all roll off the big corporate delivery truck. You’ll see all BC craft beers and wines on the menu, along with ingredients like goat cheese from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks in Qualicum Beach, or wild BC mushrooms.

And the dishes at H2 will make you smile before they even get to your table. That’s because they’ve had a lot of fun…or pun…naming them. Order up The Codfather Fish & Chips, Oh, Kale Yeah! Kale & Quinoa Salad, or the Drop It Like Its Popped, Salted Caramel Popcorn Cheesecake. Don’t worry, it’s not overdone–you can still get a burger, French Onion Soup, a Caesar Salad, and much, much more without having to punctuate your order with a grin and a wink.

There are definitely a few must-order items on the H2 menu, too, like the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. The classic duo here is done with three ooey-gooey so good cheeses (mozzarella, gruyere, and provolone) on sourdough, paired with one of the loveliest tomato soups you’ll find, studded with bits of fresh, ripe tomato and that gorgeous sweet tomato-y taste.

See also

• Buckets Ice Cream: Main Street's new nitrogen dessert parlour
• Terroir Kitchen: An unforgettable brunch in West Vancouver
• How to pair 6 kinds of dumplings with wine
• The Rise Eatery: Asian fusion playfully elevated at new South Granville restaurant

Get your best bites of the season delivered via a seasonal salad (early summer shines in the Rain or Shine Summer Salad, made with goat cheese crumbles, fresh strawberries, and garden greens), or look for the freshest of veg in their Farm and Field Risotto (that’s got wild BC mushrooms and peas right now).

Of course, if you’ve got “rotisserie” in your name, you’ve got to have the goods, and indeed H2 does. They do rotisserie chicken for lunch and dinner as a full section of the menu, served on a wooden plank in your choice of size and with sides like coleslaw and fries, and fresh-baked buns, with a nice cup of sauce for dipping. (At dinner, the side spectrum widens with choices like roasted veggies and other potato preps.)

If you manage to save room for dessert they are having fun with their flavours (remember that popcorn cheesecake?) along with a S’mores (hold the campfire), housemade gelato, carrot cake, or even a cheese plate. The truly indecisive can get a dessert selection, with smaller portions allowing everyone that proverbial “just one bite” of something sweet to finish off a meal.

Wines are available by the flight, too, which makes mealtime pairing even more fun. Imbibers will find an impressive cocktail menu, and those who are going booze-free also have an abundance of options, from kombucha on tap to several fizzy and refreshing options.

H2 is also taking a bold step in the non-alcoholic sector with their Cold Brew and Lemonade combo. Sounds odd, but it actually works quite well, and will get you wanting to be sipping it by the hotel’s iconic circular retro-chic pool.

Suddenly the Westin Bayshore is #goals again, and you can thank the modern mojo that’s behind H2, too, for that. With locals in Coal Harbour deserving another dining option, and out-of-towners now able to get a fresher, more on-trend taste of BC at their hotel restaurant, H2 is definitely there to meet legit needs.

 

H2 Rotisserie & Bar

Address: Westin Bayshore – 1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver
Instagram: @h2restaurant