Sage

Sage created the blandest food possible with the most ingredients possible. Presentation was probably what they were going for, and it was lacking. Taste was a sad afterthought, as was politeness as soon as the tips were given.

Nosh and Nibble came here for lunch and I had the following:
Hand Cut Frites ($ 6)
Pan Fried Stuffed Squid with chorizo sausage, Mediterranean vegetables, nicoise butter (~$ 12)
Mussels & Lamb with Garam masala, coconut milk, smoked butter, cilantro (rec’d by ruby) (~$ 13)
The Hand Cut Frites were made with Kenebec Potatoes. While the fries were not astounding (I had ordered them to make sure I was full after the meal), the basil aioli that accompanied them was an amazing dip and I eagerly scooped it all up with each fry.
The Pan Fried Stuffed Squid had squid stuffed with chorizo sausage complemented by Mediterranean vegetables (tomato, zucchini, cilantro and onion) and nicoise butter. This was the best presented dish out of the three. The sausage was perfectly fitted to each ring of squid and the two tasted pretty good together.
The Mussels and Lamb came with a Garam masala, coconut milk, smoked butter, and cilantro. My foodie agent Ruby recommended this dish and it didn’t disappoint. The lamb was quite tender and mixed well with the masala soup. Having some butter also made the mussels a little creamier and there were a good number of mussels for the price. All in all, the food costs more than your typical campus food, but the quality also comes at a higher level.

After wonderful visit to the Museum of Anthropology and the nearby Nitobe Garden, we stopped by this restaurant for lunch. I had the salmon dish which was good. My partner had the fish and chips — the fish was only fair and the chip tasted as if they had been reheated. There was a long wait for food to arrive.
This was not a unique dining experience — the food tasted institutional!

(Summary: Up-​scale restaurant with good food and excellent location.)
I have been to Sage quite a few times, as it is the go-​to place whenever I am accompanying a visiting faculty at my department for lunch. The last visit was such a pleasant one, that I decided that I should shed my procrastination and write about the place.
This is an up-​scale place with an excellent location, mostly serving UBC faculty or people visiting UBC. The north facing glass wall gives you a great view of the Burrard inlet and the hills in the background. Pity that they are only open for lunch (Hours 11:30 to 14:00), or on a lucky Vancouver evening one might have been able to view an amazing sunset while enjoying dinner.
I ordered the seared duck breast ($ 25) which came with turnips, parsnips, spiced pear, pommel purée, reduced port jus. Never had duck meat before, and man, this was good! Everything on the plate combined with the seared duck to create a very pleasurable culinary experience. The service was prompt and amicable. My lunch mates ordered the Sablefish & Octopus (comes with roasted fingering potatoes, glazed vegetables, nage butter), and they were super happy with the food. Overall, a great experience.

Great food. Great service. I really like this restaurant. Great view if it’s a clear day. So go between July 31 to Aug 1 to ensure a clear day. :)

Nice little space and polite staff. That’s about all it has going for it. While the staff was nice enough but didn’t have good service. We had to wait a long time to have our waters refilled-​even when we asked. And the food was not good at all. We both got the chefs three plate choice. Nothing was good. Seafood soup was the best thing and it just tasted slightly better than a can. There was a sous vide short rib which was tough chewy and sticky sweet. There was a polenta cake with a teeny little smidge of blue cheese. While nothing was actually gross, nothing was good either. Steer clear of this expensive and not good restaurant.

We were referred here by the local museum, which is a short walk. We were greeted by a nice bright room overlooking a garden, with white tablecloths. Everything went downhill from there.
Slow, fastidious server who was more taken with a nearby table of five than he could be bothered with my wife and me. And did I say slow???
When my wife’s ahi tuna came out, I expected my order of fish and chips to be arriving momentarily. Alas, that was not to be. Why??? It appears that either my waiter forgot to put the order in, OR someone else picked up his/​my oder. Thus, a further delay, in addition to trying to get my server’s attention throughout the lunchtime meal. Finally, after about 20 minutes (no, I’m not kidding), my meal arrived. The waiter had the good sense to offer my meal at no charge. But, that was not the point… it’s nice to be able to dine with your table.

Sage is pretty much my favourite restaurant in Vancouver. I don’t eat there as often as I’d like, because it’s only open Monday-​Friday for lunch. But anytime I’m at UBC during the week, I make a point of having lunch there. The menu changes seasonally, and they use local ingredients. If you can, get a seat outside — the view is breathtaking.

I had a pretty good experience here. I had the ceviche and it was really tasty and fresh! I also had a caesar which was… whatever. The service was a little hinky and slow, but I think the waitress was really new. I will probably eat here more often throughout the summer as their balcony is pretty much the best thing ever.

Sage Bistro was a great success at our wedding.
The space was perfect for our entire wedding day. We had pictures out on the deck, and inside, the ceremony, cocktails, dinner and dance reception. They even had a room where the kids to go to and play amongst themselves with a babysitter or just watch a DVD on their TV.
Rick is the catering manager, and he took care of all the details beautifully. However, because he is so busy, it was sometimes difficult to reach him or get our questions answered. But everything worked out fantastic on the day of the wedding. Rick is very experienced with events and was very knowledgeable about what would work (wine selections, how much to order, event flow, children’s meals, etc) and what wouldn’t work. He took care of our special requests and made sure that they happened.
The food was very good. My husband and I didn’t want to compromise at our wedding – and we didn’t. We had 3 different entrée choices (sit down, plated meal), and all were excellent. Even the children’s meals were excellent.
The service staff was great too. Somehow all the glasses were filled, hors d’oeuvres passed, plates cleared, and tables set up and torn down without us noticing.
One concern we had about the location was whether people would be able to find it without getting lost. If you get lost at UBC, you can get really lost. So I emailed out maps, I had signs made, and I had postcards made with a UBC map on the back. And everyone made it!

For campus, this is probably the nicest place you can take a visitor or something. The food is alright. If it were off campus I might give it 3.5 stars. The view is amazing and the restaurant itself has a very calming environment (not spa-​like though). I’m a fan. But would only go for fancy occasions. It’s too expensive to go regularly.
Extra Points for using UBC Farm produce!

This restaurant is a real shame, granted I’ve only been twice and havent tried the breakfast/​brunch.
Sage Bistro is a restaurant on the far west of UBC campus. It has outstanding views of the Ocean and Mountains and a really fantastic patio as well as interior. It used to be a faculty club but they’ve opened it up to the public. From what I can tell, the place is mainly filled with older UBC faculty who are meeting for lunch.
I ordered a parpadelle with braised veal and a shrimp chowder. The chowder was too soupy and didn’t have the potato thickness I expected. It felt like they added in frozen shrimp after. The parpadelle, sauce wise was okay. The veal could have been braised much longer and much gentler.
The presentations were fairly nice and the service was moderately good. We didn’t order wine but the winelist looked decent.
This place has lots of potential. If they opened it up for dinner then maybe they can transform the place. It has a lot of potential to be a showcase restaurant for the UBC farm and also a place for seafood because its right by the water. I guess its really out of the way for most vancouverites though.
I look forward to some changes being made and would come again for the views. Prices are reasonable and the food isn’t bad. The views and interior just give you too high expectations.