Araxi

4222 Village Square 
Whistler, BC


Being a well-known establishment famously featured in the 6th season of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, of course I had to try Araxi while in Whistler! Admittedly though, I didn't have very high expectations due to some mixed reviews I've read online. However, in the end, I was thoroughly impressed with that night's dinner.


W and I had a really tough time deciding what to eat! We had to shoo away our server a few times due to our indecisiveness haha... After some discussion, we made our orders and settled in with a Pear Mojito to share and some complimentary rolls. The rolls came with an olive oil and mashed bean spread. The server introduced the spread to us but we couldn't hear him clearly so I have no idea what it's called. I found the taste to be a bit bland but it was quite unique; a nice change from the usual butter.

Satori OystersFreshly grated horseradish and raspberry vinaigrette

I chose a pair of oysters from the raw bar as our first starter. Truth be told, I just randomly picked the type of oyster from the menu. I had no idea how to differentiate them. These ones were very fresh and clean tasting with a hint of saltiness from the sea water. W didn't like to eat raw oysters and so he had never tried one before. After some prodding from me, he finally ate his first raw oyster! And he liked it!!

Canada Prime Beef CarpaccioArugula, crisp Pemberton beef shortrib fritters, pecorino romano and local horseradish pickled shiitake mushrooms

The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced and tender but I wasn't very wow-ed by it. The shortrib fritters were alright...I found it a bit dry and could be more flavourful. I've eaten shiitake mushrooms fresh and dried in Chinese cuisine so tasting them in West Coast fare was interesting and surprisingly I liked the pickled taste of it.

Three Cheese Tortellini (feature special)Sage and garlic sausage

Our third appetizer was selected from that night's feature special. If our server hadn't mentioned it, I thought this was a featured main! The tortellini was delicious with the creamy cheesy sauce and the savoury sausage was equally yummy. I would've liked it more if they had seared both sides of the sausage though and not just the top. The sauce was definitely a highlight. I think I mopped up the remaining drops with the bread!

Qualicum Bay Scallops Smoked sable fish agnolotti, crisp local parsnips, smoked bacon and a saffron and white wine sauce
W and I chose to share the main entree and the kitchen was kind enough to split it into two plates for us. This was SO SO GOOD! The scallops were cooked perfectly with a nicely seared crust. The sable fish agnolotti had a wonderful aroma when I bit into it and that was what really made the dish for me. I closed my eyes and savoured each bite of it. I think I know what a foodgasm feels like now haha...

I also ordered a side of Truffle fries to share. Honestly, since I've never really tasted truffles before, I can't tell you if it was rich with truffle oil or not. But the fries were crisp and warm and the grated parmesan cheese imparted a nice savouriness. I finished all of these to the last bit too!
Chocolate and Walnut Cookie
We didn't have dessert but we received complimentary cookies to end the meal! They were served warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar on top. The edges were crisp but the cookie itself was still soft which I liked (I do not like crispy cookies). Yum!
Overall, I was really impressed with Araxi. The food was top-notch and the service was attentive and not pretentious at all. I was awed and impressed when our server swept our table crumbs away with a little gadget, shaped like thin pen, he withdrew from his shirt pocket. I've never encountered a restaurant that did this so both W and I thought that was pretty neat.

Yes, the menu was quite pricey in my eyes but with the way we ordered, it actually amounted to the same as a $38 DOV meal for 2 (including drinks). So, actually, this wasn't too bad!