Sept 13th, 2020: Alta Bistro

Location: 4319 Main St, Whistler, BC

Hours: 5:30pm - 12am

Price: $$$

To start: Spicy pork crackling $6.00

I cannot recall the last time I had pork cracklings (probably when I was a child) and this is definitely not something you see often at restaurants, so I was very curious about it. It was super crispy, airy, and quite crunchy. Like cotton candy, it dissolved very quickly once I bit into it. I do not taste the spice at all. It did not even taste like meat much, which was not a bad thing. The pickled crabapple and maple jam was mildly sweet with a hint of chili, and went really well with the cracklings because the cracklings on their own did not contain much flavour. 8.5/10

Main Course: Seared albacore tuna $38.00

I have to say Alta Bistro does plating design supremely well. I expected as much from a French place, especially since they were also recently named one of the top restaurants in Vancouver (and Whistler). They took a simple seared albacore tuna dish to the next level with a variety of different ingredients without any of them overpowering each other. The fish (which was seared perfectly as well) sat on top of a luscious lime caramel and a piece of charcoal foccacia - the coolest thing I have seen/eaten - with tomatoes, summer squash and fennel, sprinkled with sesame seeds and basil, complete with some fresh greens and crisps made from the charcoal foccacia. The way the chef played with the ingredients was sublime and impressive. Who would have thought the sweetness from the lime caramel would work so well in a savoury dish? 10/10

Dessert: Spice rum carrot cake $13.00

Once again, excellent plating. I was not able to take a picture from above due to the shadow from the phone, and so I am not able to show it in all its glory. French chefs really take their plating designs seriously, and I am absolutely here for it. The texture was exquisite with a fine, delicate crumb, and was subtly moist without it becoming oily. Delightfully soft and fluffy for a carrot cake. The best thing about it was that it was served warm, which accented the heavenly smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. It is topped with golden raisins, oat flakes, and a light coconut foam, served alongside an interesting apricot and pineapple weed sorbet. A drizzle of sunflower cream cheeze and rum raisin purée brought the whole dish together. Nothing was overly sweet, dense or overly spiced like American carrot cakes usually are. This was simply perfect, and an incredible way to end the meal. 10/10