The Farmhouse

Went there for a Christmas gathering with friends. Love the Tonno e Cipolla. Probably the cheese, Scallop Risotto was a little bit too salty. Have the best Tiramisu I even have. Place is cozy. Always being served with smiles. Definitely with go back!

All in all both the food and service was mediocre at best. My partner and I were looking forward to dining out at the newly opened restaurant however, we were thoroughly disappointed. From the get go we had notified our server that we would like to speak with the in-house sommelier but they seemed otherwise busy with bussing tables. We had the urchin risotto along with the duck ragu tagilatelle for our mains along with a couple appetizers- overall appealing to the eye but fell short on serving size and price to match it. To end our night we were pushed to settle up with our server and told to come again. Which without explanation would not recommend.

The duck ragu was incredible! Service was amazing and my friend and I had a great time. Well done!

Food was below average and service was slow. Based on the price, it’s not worth it.

They are new so hopefully they work out the kinks.

Also, don’t get the salad. I wish I had a photo but it looked like Costco spring mix with 5 craisins in it. I’m not even kidding. Pretty uninspiring considering the price.

Incredible food matched by a thoughtful and fairly extensive wine list. Plenty of by the glass options for those who want to try a bunch of different things without committing to a full bottle. Service was excellent. Come eat here!

Breathtakingly beautiful, cozy and inviting. Food and service was excellent. Such a lovely establishment-would definitely recommend for date night.

Amazing food, especially spaghetti with muscles. The noodles were perfectly aldente and had perfect amount of flavour.
Artichoke hearts were nice and meaty and flavourful.

Beef and pork meatball was tender and juicy. And other find!

Cocktails were nice, I liked The Orchard more than the Wildflowers.

Very flavourful dessert. American (not European) style americano, so get espresso if you want a cup of European style caffein.

The stuff is amazing and the type of people that come in to dine are also very friendly, just like people on Main Street.

The only giant problem are the CHAIRS! Almost impossible to sit at the bar, as they are extremely unergonomic. So I had to stand most of the time. Regular chairs might be fine, but a table wasn’t available.

Surprise to see that some reviews indicate small portions!
Went there for the Vancouver dine out.
We had a salad and the meatball for entrée and they were big portions.
The deserts are also rather large (the chocolate cake and the tiramisu).
The only reason we gave 4 stars instead of 5 Stars (should have been only 1/2 point down) is because we felt that the beef cheek main needed a little more salt in the cooking. I do not take salt but a little more would have been better. The main course besides this was excellent and the meat very tender. The portion was sufficient.
Service was excellent both from the chef and the servers.
Atmosphere is very relax and comfortable.
The price for the dine out was cheap for what we ate and when we compare to other restaurants.
We will definitively try this restaurant on other occasions (especially a la familia style).
We have never been disappointed with the restaurants managed by or where Curtis Luk worked. Good job.

Honestly one of the more surprising well executed restaurants I have dine at in while. I read some of the negative reviews but after trying the restaurant myself I have to strongly disagree with all of them. We had the 'Be Our Guests' chefs tasting for two people and let me tell you it is the absolute best value on the entire menu. The kitchen will stuff you with food till you burst. We were so full we actually packed some of our pasta and entree home!

Our server was very professional and attentive to our needs. He was kind enough to ask us which two dishes we must try and we mentioned the sea urchin (uni) risotto and bone marrow which the kitchen gladly included in our tasting menu. The wine selection was excellent and I tried both a local BC wine and a regional blend from Italy.

The meal started with housemade bread, focaccia served with a side of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic and chili oil. The chili oil was super spicy but so delicious. The appetizers that followed was out of this world. First was an oyster gratin dish. I didn't see it listed on the a la carte menu but it was warm comfort, umami with the burst of ocean from the oysters. Second appy was steak tartare with pizzelle wheels and roasted bone marrow. This was so good. Buttery marrow, nicely balanced tartare with a garnish of bitter microgreens that paired amazingly well with each bite.

Our two starches included a rigatoni pasta and the sea urchin risotto. The sea urchin risotto in my opinion is a must get for anyone trying out this restaurant. Presentation wise they could have plated bigger pieces of uni, but I could care less because it tasted amazing! The spoonful bites with the uni, creamy risotto and crispy risotto was devine. The pasta dish was perfectly al dente rigatoni with simple tomato sauce, basil and some type of pancetta. For our main we were provided an 8oz strip loin with roasted root veggies and a walnut puree sauce on the bottom. This was really well executed and the walnut sauce surprisingly paired very well with the steak.

Lastly for dessert we were presented with some type of frozen chocolate cake, meringue and frozen fudge with fresh raspberries. This dessert reminded me of an upscaled version of the Keg's Billy Miner Pie. Anyone who had that dessert knows how good it is! Our second dessert was a panna cotta with raspberry coulee and a crispy cookie on top. It was so creamy and decadent, we polished it off even though we were stuffed to the brim.

Overall I would give this restaurant a 5 star. We had a wonderful dining experience. Don't expect The Farmhouse to be a pretentious fine dining establishment, with some snooty sommelier, because it is absolutely the total opposite. This restaurant has its own character and charm in a relaxed dining atmosphere. For the food quality, kitchen execution and level of attention to detail, the menu is offered at a very reasonable price point. I would definitely return.

Dear amazing chefs who worked Friday February 10 2023: Thank you for the best valentine's dinner ever. You put your love into our food! Each dish was amazing and unique. Thank you server Kirin and all the staff (my husband counted fourteen people working in the kitchen.) Wow you guys work hard and it shows.
To others reading this review: I recommend the Family style table, it was a LOT of food, so come hungry. I think the chef really delighted in wowing us, and he did.
I can't believe how lucky we are to have a restaurant of this calibre in my neighbourhood, feels like I travelled to Northern Italy last night, without jet lag.
Photo of dessert only because I was too busy eating to bother with photos of the other courses!

What a hidden gem! We went for Dine Out - we made a mistake with our reso and they were kind enough to squeeze us in anyway even though it was totally our error. The food was phenomenal, vibe was chill and cosy, and the staff were super lovely. Would recommend in heartbeat!

Delicious food with generous portions, great service, and cozy atmosphere. This will be a date night staple

Come here during Dine Out and boy we were pleasantly delighted! It's been a while that I enjoyed all 3 courses in a set menu. The housemade bread ($9) is great to order for the table with a variety of dips for the 3 typea of bread served.

Appy: Tomato tonnato with nice thick slices of albacore tuna lightly grilled with a zucchini relish and compressed tomatoes was nice and balanced and refreshing at the same time. The polpetta (aka meatball - beef and pork) the size of a baseball was a lovely texture that was still moist dressed with a zingy salata and kale. YUM!

Main: Braised beef cheeks served with a jus and polenta fries was delicious and a great portion size. The carrot and saffron risotto was perfectly al dente and was rich and creamy (still even had a nice lil crunch for lunch the next day heated up in the microwave).

Dessert: All 3 selections were tasting, but the star was the panda cotta in a sage cream and tarty macerated fruits served with a almond florentine. The panna cotto was silky and luscious with a pop of tart from the fruits on top. I kept coming back for more.

Overall: Highly recommend this place and will be coming back to try the regular menu. It was beautifully executed and the service was on bbn point! They had a nice selections of wine and cocktails to choose from as well. I wouldn't call this place rustic at all as the plantings were intentional and esthetically pleasing. Well done.

A lovely new dining addition to our East Van neighbourhood, definitely worth trying out.

The ambiance of the room is warm and inviting and we felt the menu provided creative and delicious options. Our absolute favourites were the Tagiatelle Al Ragu and Oyster Mushroom Piccata.

The service we received from our server was and the sommelier was top notch. They were friendly, informative and provided the perfect amount of attention to our needs.

The only reason I'm not providing 5-stars is that we found that Curtis Luk, the GM, made the dining experience a bit odd. He was very active front of house walking around the floor, watching the tables and staff work yet never cracked a smile and when the table next to us asked him a question he appeared curt and unfriendly. It just didn't seem like he was having a good day, brought it onto the dining floor and was almost a distraction. Hoping it was just a bad day and the rest get better for him.

We'll definitely go back because of all the good and hope his front of house engagement is on par with his team who definitely deserved 5-stars.

Absolutely delicious. The meatballs are *perfection*. Sommolier on staff to assist with wine selection. Yum!

Dine Out Vancouver Review

A welcome addition to this area of Mount Pleasant. The aesthetic of the restaurant certainly matches a Farmhouse. Warm and cheery, rustic and welcoming. The tomato tonnato is a seared tuna punctuated by a relish and arugula: a good starter. The polpetta was a very generously sized meatball that is juicy in flavour but held its shape quite well. Plenty of delicious sauce with ricotta cheese to pair with an order of house bread.

The paccheri all’amatriciana was cook perfectly: an excellent al dente pasta in a classic tomoato sauce seasoned well. The beef cheek was a unique item to DOV. The meat had bold beef flavour served with a robust selction of root vegetables. A very meat and potato combo.

The panna cotta was a perfect dessert to top of the heavy bef cheek. The chocolate torte, we were told is a rotating regular on the regular menu is a large serving best shared.

Service was attentive. The wine list is extensive with an in-house sommelier to answer your questions and make recommendations. A small but focused group of beers are available with a full spirit bar.

Our first 2 courses came out from the kitchen with good timing, Unfortunately, our dessert took an unusually long time to come out; at least 20 minutes. The only other note is the front door. Although charming in its own way, it does not close itself and needs someone to ensure they are closing it behind them. Tables close to the front door will be blasted by the elements as there is no baffle to protect and will be at the mercy of the courtesy of others closing the door behind them.

Love the cozy and welcoming vibe! A cute place for date night.
Meatball with kale was on point, though the uni wasn't so fresh.

Was excited to try somewhere new, but was disappointed. Very average food, which was incredibly overpriced for the small portion sizes. At this price point there’s other Italian places that are better bang for your buck.

We had the tasting menu as a group of four. The food was very good but there weren’t any dishes that were exceptional. Service was a mix of amazing and clumsy. There were a number minor mistakes that I think were in part due to the restaurant being new, but overall the serving staff was very friendly and contributed to the positive evening. The menu had a good variety of Italian dishes and they had quite a few cocktails (though limited draft options). The cocktail I had (the barn door) wasn’t a winner but others at the table enjoyed their selections. Unlike another reviewer, I thought servings were large, though I would agree with some others who felt the price was a bit high for the restaurant.

I was excited to try this new restaurant by Curtis Luk, one of the contestants on Top Chef Canada.

Serving staff was friendly, but being a new restaurant there were a lot of minor mistakes. It’s nice they have an in-house sommelier, but also strange that after answering my wine question, the sommelier only took my husbands and my drink order and ignored the couple that was with us. We had to wave down the server for our friends to order and their drinks came after.

We were trying to decide on the “Be Our Guest” family style tasting menu for $69/person or ordering a la carte because I really wanted to try the sea urchin risotto. The server told me if I really wanted the sea urchin risotto, she would make sure to include that on our “Be Our Guest” menu, so we went with that. It's nice to try various dishes and the portions were generous. I was annoyed that they never served us the sea urchin risotto. I understand tasting menus are up to the chef, but the server should not promise guests something if they can’t follow through. Overall the dishes were tasty and I could tell the bread and pasta were made in house, but none of the dishes were exceptional. My favourite dish was the cauliflower carbonara because it was unique.

Amazing food and cocktails! Highly recommend trying the "Be Our Guest" menu option! We had the best service from Jason!

Fresh and unique West coast flavours from appetizer through dessert at this new restaurant. A memorable meal: well paced, attentive and thoughtful service. Thanks Curtis and team.