G Philip's review of Arbutus

I dined with friends at Arbutus yesterday, the evening of my arrival from Toronto. The food was wonderful—probably as good as any I have had in North America, on the Continent, or in the U.K. The service, by an English waiter originally from Bath, was courteous and pleasant. This is certainly a restaurant I would recommend to any friends visiting from Canada.
With one proviso: dine early! Because of my travel fatigue, we booked at 6:00 rather than 9:00 or 9:30. Unfortunately we had to finish by 8:15, which meant that we couldn't relax over dessert and coffee. For early diners, I would suggest booking at 5:00 or 5:30. That will enable you fully to enjoy your meal.
It will also allow you to avoid the one drawback of this very pleasant space. When invaded by the younger, hearing damaged, generation, the noise level is beyond the restaurant's ability to cope. So: go early, relax, and enjoy a really quite wonderful dining experience.