DINE OUT - SIP RESTO LOUNGE - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Dine Out Vancouver post #2!

I struggled with this post. I had a great time at this restaurant, my company was great, the service was impeccable, everything was going well, except the food. My last visit at Cardero's left me with a better impression of the Dine Out Vancouver gimmick, but it seems like I'm in for a roller coaster ride.

I understand $18 Dine Out Menus are the cheapest one, I also understand Dine Out means busier nights and pre-made food - but it doesn't mean I'm not expecting quality food. You may say "what you pay is what you get", but the intention of Dine Out Vancouver is to offer a chance for restaurants to showcase their kitchen at a discounted price, in hopes people will return for their regular menu. To me, Dine Out Vancouver is supposed to be a gateway for restaurants to attract potential customers, not drive them away.

AMBIANCE | I have heard about SIP on the radio numerous times. I have always been curious about it, and finally suggested to try it with a girlfriend. SIP is a small restaurant, its partnering restaurant, The Refinery sits upstairs. The restaurant itself is very cramped, we sat in a booth that fits only one butt (haha), I could barely fit my purse next to me. Our coats were hung on a hook to the side of the booth - this irritated me. As you probably guessed, I am an incredibly picky person, I get very paranoid when my coat is hung there as servers walk quickly next to it. I always imagine my coat falling to the floor or somebody spilling something on to it. Its open kitchen 3 meters away from me didn't help my paranoia either.

We had an amazing chance to be served by the owner of the restaurant. We didn't find out until we started chatting and he even offered us a free drink! He is an amazing guy with a great personality, strong management skills and incredible sense of humour. He was definitely the hi-light of our night.

 Food Ordered:

 Tuna Tower - marinated albacore tuna, cool coleslaw, tropical pineapple
Beef Carpaccio - arugula,  garlic aioli, aged parmigianno

Guiness Grilled Chicken - free range, organic chicken, roasted garlic mas, season veggies, guiness gravy

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin - bacon wrapped, apple and caramelized onion filling, roasted garlic, seasonal veggies and strongbow cider pan sauce

Frangelio Chocolate Cake - chocolate ganache, seasonal fruits

FOOD | This was my first time trying an $18 Dine Out Menu, and I probably never will again.

The beef carpaccio is naturally a expensive dish, so for a $18 menu, I wasnt expecting too much.

The tuna was not a tower, nor was it coleslaw, but a mixture immersed in very salty sauces with a cracker on top.

The chicken sounded amazing on the menu but was only flavourful when loaded up in hot sauce (which we asked the server for). I really only enjoyed the mash potatoes. The mashed potatoes were amazing.

The bacon with stuffing  I could not even tell what was stuffed inside, until I looked up the menu again to type up this post. But it tasted quite alright! This dish was perhaps the only one that I enjoyed.

The chocolate cake as expected, was far too sweet. I didn't finish it.

I hate being a harsh critic, but in a nutshell, the food was very mediocre, very disappointing.

The service is a drive for me to come back if my friends decide to pick this restaurant in the future, but I most likely will not be choosing this restaurant myself.

1117 Granville Street
604-687-7474 

DINE OUT - CARDERO'S RESTAURANT - COAL HARBOUR VANCOUVER

It's Dine Out Vancouver again!

Remember in my past years, I am not particularly a fan of the Dine Out events, I think the gimmick is valued more than the quality of food. BUT whatever motivates my friends and I to go out and enjoy fine dining...

I'm in.

I was able to visit a Cardero's on the first day of Dine Out. I have been to Cardero's for the regular lunch and dinner menu before - all visits, so I had an idea of what to expect.

AMBIANCE | Unfortunately, the ambiance was disappointing  I have never been to Cardero's on a full-house Friday night, and I probably will never again. Situated close to the center back of the restaurant, I found Cardero's acoustics dreadful. I was literally yelling at the person next to me to be able to converse, I simply could not hear the person at the end of my table. According to the engineer majors within my friends, the low roof combined with solid wood walls cause sound to bounce back and forth, literally amplifying and echoing everything, creating a mayhem.
I also found it very stuffy and warm inside. I had my coat on the back of my chair, and when I got home, my mother instantly said "you smell like frying oil, you better dry clean that coat!" To save costs, my coat is currently being aired out in the garage haha.

Overall, the interior of Cardero's is very similar to Sandbar (Granville Island) - both consisting of wooden themes and a half open kitchen (I suppose thats why I smelled of oil...) The wood and anchor/nautical details certainly suit the seafood cuisine. Above all, I did thoroughly take pleasure in the casual and fun mood of Cardero's, it is the perfect restaurant for having laughs and drinks, all while enjoying fine dining. Plus, I should not complain about anything that was an amazing waterview.

Food ordered (Party of 6):

Appetizers:

Tomato Bocconcini Salad vine ripened tomatoes, Fior de latte, balsamic reduction and fresh basil

Manhattan Style Clam Chowder finished with dark rum

Wok Squid garlic, chilies and cilantro

Entrees:

Braised Lamb Shank mashed potatoes, market vegetables and red wine demi-glace

Grilled Steelhead Salmon roasted vegetable succotash, brown butter sauce

Dessert:
 Cardero's Chocolate Mousse Cake raspberry coulis, fresh berries

FOOD | Cardero's again, specializes in seafood. This time however, I wanted to try their kitchen and order some land animals. I ordered the Bocconcini Salad, which was average and small (as with most Dine Out menus). I heard the Chowder was decent, though many said that European white clam chowder would've been preferred. Still I regret not ordering the Wok Squids. The squid portion looked small but in my opinion would've been a better deal over a few slices of tomato and vinegar.

Between Lamb, Salmon and Chicken breast, I ordered the lamb. A word of caution, the lamb is very game. The portion looks big, but the lamb shank had a huge bone in the middle, so in reality, the meat portion is very small. Oh, I really enjoyed the mashed potatos (I suppose you cannot really go wrong with mashed potatos...). I tried a touch of the salmon - it was quite juicy, far better than I had expected. Going with the rule of thumb, choose salmon for a light taste, lamb for the meat hearties. That said, if it is your first time to Cardero's, salmon would be the recommended choice since seafood is their specialty.

I almost never enjoy Dine Out desserts. To me, they are almost always a generic, overly sweet cake of some sort. Cardero's surprised me. The seemingly common chocolate mousse cake was perfectly flavoured - not too sweet and not too heavy. I finished my plate in a jiffy!

1583 Coal Harbour Quay 
604-669-7666

DineOut Vancouver 2012: LA VALLEE - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

My second and last Dine Out Vancouver of 2012. I dare say La Vallee has given me the worst fine dining experience of all time. Which is such a shame, the restaurant décor is absolute stunning, the food is amazing, but the service definitely could use much more improvement. Dine Out Vancouver is to incentive for Vancouverites to try out restaurants and enjoy a three course meals at a slightly cheaper price. It is not a surprise, as I have stated with Mistral French Bistro, that restaurant qualities fall slightly to accommodate the high volumes of customers. But La Vallee`s service has me extremely doubtful about giving it another chance.

SERVICE & FOOD | Normally I review AMBIANCE and  FOOD, but for lack of better words, I cannot wait to share my dining experience from beginning to end.

I had arrived with my party 7 people at 7pm. We ordered by 7:30 and the appetizer came about 20 minutes later. The bread, I must say, was the best of the night - it was deliciously fluffy and warm. The vinaigrette complemented the bread very well. Definitely a smile on my face. But when asked the server for some hot water, which she promptly plopped a large boiling teapot in front of me ON TOP of my fork - immediately I saw a tiny red flag. The crab cake was decent, but the salad I ordered was rather mediocre. I had read reviews on this restaurant stating that this salad seemed to have came straight from a Costco salad box, and as much as I hate to say, I do agree. The appetizers seemed rather "thrown together" - rather thoughtless.

However the disappointment lies in the entree. We had to wait an hour and a half after the appetizers until our main courses finally arrived -the dirty appetizer dishes were still sitting on the table the whole time. For the benefit of the doubt, we thought maybe the food was freshly cooked - that was the only way to explain the delay. But the food was not only cold, the server did not even try to remember who ordered which plate! She simply stood at the front of the table announcing the dish and expected us to raise our hands and say "mine!". I was over the top surprised at the service from a restaurant located in a formal hotel Downtown Vancouver. The food AND plates were not even warm, it was simply room temperature.  I could taste so much potential in my lamb shank. The side of potato was butter and soft, the tender lamb shank was cooked with a rich sauce. But the wait, shocking service, and room temperature food already made my tastebuds run away. 

Lastly the dessert, I took two bites of my Praline and it tasted wonderful! The layers of cake and crisp was intricate and not overbearingly sweet. But the pistachio parfait that my friends ordered, was ruined by the service. Originally the parfait was elegantly designed to stand freely in the middle of the plate, decorated with drizzles along the side. But one of my girlfriend's parfait had toppled over and buried the spoon by the time the server brought the dish to our table (please see the picture below) and the server clearly pretended not to notice. 

I walked out of this restaurant with utter disappointment and pity. Not once did the server come by to ask us if the food was alright or if we needed anything else. Not once did I feel like my money and presence was appreciated. The food in this restaurant - although lacking a tad of character and thought, was savoury and delightful.


I see so much potential in this restaurant, only for it to be masked behind such terrible service. I did say in my last review that Dine Out qualities are to be judged with discretion, but La Vallee has me again, extremely doubtful that I will return.  

1379 Howe St. Vancouver

604-696-6980

DineOut Vancouver 2012: MISTRAL FRENCH BISTRO - KITSLANO VANCOUVER

I never really hype about Dine Out Vancouver. To be honest, I think Dine Out Vancouver are not the "special deals" that they advertise themselves to be. As the years pass, while my food expectations have gone up, I feel the quality of Dine Out participants to significantly decrease.

Mistral French Bistro is the first Dine Out restaurant I went to this year ( I went to a total of 2, reviews to come soon). I have been eyeing this restaurant for a while to satisfy my escargot craving after Le Crocodile (escargots were not part of the Dine Out menu, but I was still excited to scope out the restaurant nonetheless). My girlfriend and I went for dinner after a long tiring day at school and as soon as we walked in, the both of us fell in love with the romantic decor and charming male french servers.

Miss Dimply ordered- Provencal Tomato Cream Soup - Pistrou Foam, Topenade Crouton
Daube de Boeuf - Beef cheeks in red wine stew, olives, carrots, mushrooms and pear onions, served with fresh spaghetti
Fresh pineapple in mint sirop, raspberry sorbet

I ordered - Soya and black pepper marinated Albacore Tuna - in Dijon-sesame crust, cucumber and celery salad, lemon-dijon dressing
Duck leg confit - duck jus with orange, green beans, Gratin Dauphinois
Giant macaron - Tiramisu cream


Both with added Gin and Tonics on the side

 

 

AMBIANCE | Mistral French Bistro itself is petite, delicate and cozy. Soft natural paintings and warm cream and golden flecks certainly creates a very sensual feel. That is, only when we first walked in. After about half an hour, the restaurant was filling up, people were lining out the door, the restaurant became irritably crowded. I had looked at pictures of the restaurant prior to going and I can almost guarantee they put in more tables and chairs. Dine Out Restaurants are constantly fully booked, reservations are to be made 2-3 weeks in advance - putting in a few extra tables are expected. There was a clear problem getting out of my seat and to the washroom, let alone the high noise level. I was almost yelling back and forth to have a conversation - not my definition of French fine dining.

FOOD | After less than 5 minutes of ordering, our appies came! Immediately after we were finished, the entrée came right away! I was famished so I was happy the food came at such a efficient pace. It is not a surprise that Dine Out sets are pre-made and re-heated, but perhaps I would appreciate a little white lie that made my dish was made timely with thought. Nonetheless, the food was pleasant - nothing out of the ordinary, but still very much enjoyed.
One critical critique (haha) that I must say, the bread was absolutely terrible. The dough was not only cold, but hard as rock. I could not cut it open or tear it with my hands without great difficulty. I took about one bite and decided to dip the rest into Miss Dimply's cream soup. Which by the way, Miss Dimply loaded the cream soup with Tabasco sauce, and as much as I cannot handle spicy foods, I'd say the soup is much more flavorful and outstanding.

Final thoughts, Mistral French Bistro is a wonderful and thoughtful restaurant. I will not judge the quality of the food and service from Dine Out session, because I definitely see a great potential in them. I will definitely return to try their main menu - especially escargots and French onion soup. Will keep you posted!

2585 West Broadway, Vancouver

604-733-0046