Sage Bistro - Vancouver

As part of a concert at the Chan Center a 3 course meal was offered at a very good price and well worth it. A nice first course consisting of a watermelon salad with olives & feta cheese (tons of greens but very skimpy amount of watermelon & feta) but was tasty, I had a panko crusted salmon with asparagus, variety of potatoes. The salmon was done to perfection. A lovely piece of orange cake was served. I had a glass of white wine followed by a cup (the size of a demi-tasse) coffee but very good, you go for refills.A very modern simple place with a lot of metal & plastic and everything is in clinical white; being a romantic myself there certainly no touch of romance.The service was fantastic, all waiters were on the bit & never missed a beat.

We booked this restaurant mainly because it is very close to the Chan Centre, where we were to attend a concert after our meal. The restaurant is located in one of the UBC buildings that looks as if it was constructed in the 1950s or 1960s; we did have a view of the water and mountains from the large windows of the restaurant. Sage offers a set menu that includes salad (one choice only), a choice of three entrees, dessert (one selection only), and coffee. The atmosphere and the service are neither intimate nor warm; one gets the feeling that pre-concert meal service is an exercise in getting a large room of diners fed in a limited amount of time, so niceties are sacrificed to that end.The salad was light and delicious. My friend and I both had the beef short ribs which were overcooked and slightly dry. The blueberry tart was delicious but would have been much nicer served warm.Our server seemed inexperienced.I don't think we will return to the Sage Bistro.

I was visiting the UBC campus and my colleague there recommended Sage Bistro for a lunch venue in contrast to student fast food options. I loved it. Lovely small building, nice view, superb food and a good glass of wine. I especially enjoyed the grilled trumpet mushrooms dish.

The Sage Bistro is housed in the space formerly occupied by the UBC Faculty Club and is located immediate next to the Rose Garden underground parkade. The menu is first rate and the views of Howe Sound and surrounding waters are magnificent. The space is bright and open and the tables are well spaced. There is effectively one sitting per meal so one is not rushed. One can carry on a very efficient conversation with little distraction.The Sage is an ideal place to take important visitors for business discussions.

My husband and I were here for the first time as part of a fixe price dinner deal with the Chan Centre. First of all, the restaurant is difficult to find in the dark when you are coming here for dinner. There is very little signage outside the restaurant. Luckily, since it was before a concert, concert staff gave us directions. Once inside, the restaurant staff were very nice and attentive(I would have given 4 for the service). The atmosphere was nice. The food was the big downfall (I would give it a 2). We started with a mixed greens salad with beets and feta cheese. It was very good, but could have been a bigger serving. Next, there were three choices of main dishes; Pan Seared Chicken Breast (which my husband had and the vegetables were over cooked). Cod which neither one of us ordered. The 3rd choice was White Bean Cassoulet, which I had and the beans were under cooked. We told the waiter and we should have sent the beans back, but we were in a hurry, so I ate them. That was a mistake and my body told me so all night. We had the whiskey cake (which was dry) and the flour less chocolate cake (which was very small with whip cream topping which was so frozen, I had difficulty cutting through it). Overall, one of the most disappointing dinners we have ever had. We won't be coming here again.