The Wildflower: Birthday dinner in Whistler
The Wildflower is a Pacific Northwest restaurant inside the Fairmont Chateau hotel in Whistler. We made a reservation here to celebrate my friend’s birthday so this review is based on an in-dining experience.
Interior
The interior is very fancy with high ceilings, fireplaces and walls full of wine. Chairs were cushy and the lighting was very warm and romantic. There’s a lot of space in general so tables were far away from each other. All staff were wearing masks.
Appetizers
West coast seafood chowder ($16)
This seafood chowder is super creamy! It has big bits of salmon, shrimp, clams and scallops. The texture is thick and the size of the bowl is misleading because it’s actually ALOT for one person.
Our friends shared a chowder and asked to have it split into 2 bowls and they charged a $5 fee for that (more chowder though!)
Special of the day: Risotto ($20)
This risotto was their special of the day so it’s not on their regular dinner menu. This is a vegetarian pasta so no meats or fish but you are able to add for additional $ if you wish. You can order this as an appetizer or main – we chose the appetizer but it’s still as large as a main!
The risotto is very pretty and green – makes me feel like I am eating something very healthy. Like the chowder, the risotto is very creamy and rich. Due to the sheer portion size, it was already enough to fill me up.
Mains
Special of the day: Surf & turf ($47)
This main was their other special of the day – surf & turf! It comes with a cut of steak, shrimps and a deep-fried croquette ball with a seafood soup inside. I would love to tell you more about this dish but as it is a special of the day, I don’t have all the components of the dish written down in my memory.
In terms of the steak, I would say it’s an average steak (not super amazing). The cook was done well on the steak but the cut of meat was sub-par. This was more of a bang-for-your-buck option.
Yarrow meadows duck ($38)
I order the duck dish and like all the other dishes so far, it is presented beautifully. The main star is the beeswax aged duck breast in the cherry gel. The Pemberton carrots and beets are a great accompaniment to duck. The duck breast is also cooked perfectly – not chewy and the skin is crispy.
The confit duck leg is actually all inside the little croquette ball, which is similar to the little croquette in the other steak entree.
Final thoughts
In total we spent over $300 for 4 people but we also ordered a $60 bottle of wine.
We were actually already very full by the time we finished our appetizers so we struggled to truly finish and enjoy our entrees. The appetizers we ordered were delicious but huge in portion size and also very creamy and rich.
Our mains were just as large and although the special of the day (surf & turf) did not meet expectations, I loved my duck dish. Plating was beautiful and the ambiance of the restaurant as well as the service made for a really wonderful night.
The servers helped us give a little birthday surprise by adding a candle and writing “Happy birthday” on the birthday girl’s dessert.
Sincerely, Loewe