Wings

Went here on a Saturday night for dinner not expecting much because this place is known for its chicken wings and meat dishes. However I have come to learn how to make do in even the meatiest joints. This place wasn't too bad because they had three vegetarian options on the menu. I had the Mediterranean Flatbread from their Appetizers menu because it looked to be the only option that would satisfy as a main.

When it arrived, I thought it was overloaded with veggies which I don't usually like. But with the first bite into the crispy, yet soft, and flavourful crust topped with a whole lot of mediterranean goodness I was really into it. Wow, it really was one of the best flatbreads/pizzas I've had in a restaurant. Totally not what I expected!
Everyone else that I went with, shared four pounds of 4 different flavours of chicken wings which is what they came for. Unfortunately, they found, as per G, that "our wings were soggy, cold, and not as good as before." I thought this was kind of sad and ironic, because I went expecting a substandard dinner and left super-satisfied, and they were expecting to really enjoy their beloved wings yet left feeling utterly disappointed. In fact, a couple of them decided to eat somewhere else after to make up for the lack of satisfaction.

It's good to know that these meat-centric joints have some good vegetarian fare. It's true that they didn't have many items, but here is a good example of how quality beats quantity.

Highlight: The crust. I have to mention it again because it was really very good. I need to figure out how they made this flavourful crust. Great Bite.

Stats:
Cost for this dish: $9.48 + TAX
Address:
6879 Kingsway
Burnaby,
British Columbia V5E 1E4
Hours: Mon - Thu: 7AM - 1AM, Fri - Sat: 7AM - 2AM, Sun: 7AM - 1AM

(images from google)

Dark Table

Okay food, but otherworldly experience that made this new spot totally worth my Sunday night dinner!

Dark Table is one of the new blind dining eateries, where patrons dine in complete darkness. This means, once you walk in, it is pitch black inside and you can't even see what is around you, where you are sitting or what you are eating. A very intimate surrounding, because you can only touch or hear your dining buddies, which makes you that much more attentive.

Once we arrived, my boyfriend and I were greeted at the door and handed our menus from which we can choose one of 5 entrees and choose either dessert, appetizer or both dessert and appetizer, (2 or 3 course meal). There is even a surprise dish that you can choose as your main so you will have to figure what you are eating, and that's what I chose in Vegetarian. The appetizer and dessert are also a surprise by default.

Once we chose our meals, we were guided to our seats by a waitress who informed us on where to sit and what is in front of us on our table. While the waitress went to get our bread, we tried to get a sense of our surroundings and enjoyed the intimacy of the situation. We couldn't see each other or anyone around us, so we held hands just to feel grounded (?). We also noticed how everyone was talking loudly because no one can see who is saying what.

Before anymore discoveries, we were served our bread and butter which was crispy on the outside with a nice wholesome texture, yum! Now this is where it gets more interesting. So I tried spreading the butter on the bread with the butter knife, but the chunk of butter fell onto my plate. So I had to search for it with my fingers, place it on my bread and spread it again. Weird? I know...but no one was watching! Our main dish took a bit longer to arrive, and I still don't know what I had. It had some sweet pureed vegetable with roasted potatoes, which were alright, and cabbage which was pretty bad. I was quite disappointed with my main but I still enjoyed the experience of trying to find everything on my plate and trying to guess what I was eating.

Here is a picture of my dinner (credits to G):

Dessert came along, it was good but nothing special, but here, in the darkness, it was a whole new affair. First we tried to find out what our dessert was by touching it with our fingers, then tasted it and discovered we were having a decadent brownie with vanilla ice cream.

I definitely enjoyed this dinner, not because of the food, but because of the new intimate sensory experience. This night reminds me of this song:

"A whole new world,
 A new fantastic point of view..." - Tim Rice

Definitely a place to go for a romantic night out as well as for an adventure!

Stats:

Cost for this dish: $33 + TAX (as of September 30, 2012)

Address:
 
2611, West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6K 1P8
Canada
 

Cost of my meal: $33 + TAX (for entree and dessert only)

Reservations are highly recommended

Tel : 604-739-3275(DARK)

SUN-THU : 5.15PM-10PM
FRI AND SAT : 1st service @ 5:45 PM
                         2nd service @ 8:45PM

Death by Chocolate

My friend and I came here after having dinner at another restaurant. We ordered a Peanut Butter Cheesecake to share and coffee for my friend. My friend liked his big mug of coffee, but I thought it was too bitter. The cheesecake was good though. However I felt it was overpriced at 6.95 per slice for cake that wasn't super delicious. It was still pretty good but it was pretty much like the ones I can get at Safeway. I feel like this place has good potential, if it focuses more on the desserts. Perhaps it was because we went near closing that there weren't that many options on display. But I really liked the service; very attentive and friendly although we only ordered coffee and dessert. I also liked the ambiance; it was a nice place to sit and relax after a night out.

 

 

(image from google)