Review: C-Prime Is Surprising, Off-the-Radar and Excellent

So, this is on me. I live down the street from C-Prime, but I’d looked past its unassuming hotel location more times than I could count. Until, that is, I saw the undeniably stacked wine room through its windows, and questioned whether I had been missing out on this downtown gem.

That wine room isn’t just for show—the selection of grapes available is one of the largest I’ve seen in the city. But that’s not to say the list isn’t carefully curated. From rich super Tuscans to aged dessert specialties, the wine available was wide-ranging, eclectic and well, delicious. And with the help of an incredibly knowledgeable somm—very accessible. Price-wise it’s accessible, too—our 2015 Chateau Brown Pessac-Leognan was $80. The bottle retails at the BCL for $65, a less than 100% markup at a steakhouse, no less. But here it seems to be the norm—there are tons of hard to find, great bottles for a reasonable price.

The food is similarly impressive. Chef Behshad Zolnasr’s version of a beef tartare is also a play on the Italian classic veal tonnato. Chopped finely, the dish is high on texture thanks to hazelnuts and undeniably umami-forward. It’s the pitch perfect version of a dish I eat almost every time I’m in a steak-forward restaurant.

The octopus also came out swinging. Nestled on a bright and punchy romesco sauce, this dish doesn’t hold back on the spice, which is a welcome counterpart of the charred-yet-supple protein.

This is an Italian steakhouse, so there’s an innovative selection of house-made pastas available. We tried the raviolo—which some may consider trendy, but call me pro-trend: I’ve yet to have one so balanced in flavour, salinity and richness. Stuffed with an egg-yolk but surrounded by farm-fresh peas, foraged chanterelles and just enough truffle, the pasta itself was technically perfect too—a thin yet toothsome dough that held its shape yet yielded immediately to the knife.

But the winner of the night was undoubtedly the steak. Though C-Prime has ample steak options ranging from wagyu to Canadian prime, the newest addition to the menu was something I’d never tried before: Omaha. Corn-fed, this 14-ounce ribeye arrived a perfect medium-rare with just enough finishing salt. Sides like a fluffy-yet crispy potato rosti and honeyed carrots were the perfect pairing, but frankly, I was laser-focused on the protein. 

I’m a sauce girlie through and through, and the accompanying au poivre was balanced in its spice and creamy richness. But as good as the sauce was, for one of the first times in my life, I went sauce-free. The beef was that remarkable.

Dessert (and dessert wine pairing) was exceptional even though I’m usually more on the cheese plate side of final courses. But this not-too-sweet transcendent tiramisu really hammered home how much I had overlooked C-Prime in the past. From now on I know where I’ll be celebrating birthdays, cozying up for date nights and, booking a reservation when I just want a damn good steak. 

C-Prime

1015 Burrard St.