Posts Tagged ‘Lounge’

Xi Shi Lounge at Shangri-La Opening

October 13th, 2011 admin

Last night, I attended the opening party of the new lobby lounge located inside the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver.

Making the signature Iron Lotus Cocktails

Xi Shi Lounge is a tribute to the ancient Chinese goddess of the Lotus Blossom, Xi Shi, and their own Shangri-La heritage, with a modern interpretation.

The cocktail list has been crafted by Jay Jones the Bar & Beverage director for the hotel who is one of the top cocktail creators in his field.

From “The Iron Lotus,” their homage to classic cocktail culture to the servers in tailored, traditional dress, Asian touches are evident, Sino Chic attire…  think Shanghai in the 1930′s.

The Max Zipursky Trio

The bar menu offers up a small selection of tasty appetizers including my favourite of the night the crab cakes; you will also find unique cocktails and other fine liquor. Last night The Max Zipursky Trio played live jazz for the guests to enjoy.

Xi Shi Lounge is open nightly and located in the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver at 1128 West Georgia Street or online

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Latest, Openings Tags: , , No Comments »

GERARD LOUNGE

October 11th, 2011 admin

845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC

Tel: 604-682-5511

Web: http://www.vancouver.suttonplace.com/restaurant/Lounge_Menu.htm

Twitter: n/a

Advice: Drop by for lunch, dinner or a late night drink.

Known as an old classic, Gerard is one of the most notable lounges in the city for the business crowd and visiting celebrities. I had lunch a couple of weeks ago joined by my Actor friend Kenji Maeda, it was the first time we had both visited for a meal. The room is well appointed dark wooden bar, matching tables and comfortable leather chairs.

Albacore Tuna Tataki

Spicy Fried Salmon Tacos

To start we shared the delicious Albacore Tuna Tataki ($14) wakame & shitake salad, green horseradish mayonnaise & lemongrass sambal dipping sauce; along with the outstanding Spicy Fried Salmon Tacos ($15) served with tomatoes, guacamole, chipotle crème fraiche & spicy coleslaw.

Beef Sirloin Burger

Sutton Clubhouse

For our mains I had the Beef Sirloin Burger ($17) white cheddar, bacon, mushrooms, Portuguese bun, horseradish aioli & red pepper relish and Kenji had the Sutton Clubhouse ($16)  house -smoked & roasted turkey breast, potato artisian bread,  traditional condiments & caciocavallo cheese as well as fries on the side.

Review By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Bar & Cafe Reviews, Downtown Tags: , , , , , , , , , , No Comments »

MCLEAN’S

July 27th, 2010 admin
200 – 332 Water Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-669-1112


Twitter: @Mcleansgastown

Advice: Reserve for the upstairs dining room.

Fior de Latte

Grilled Humbolt Squid

Had dinner recently with some media friends and shared several of the different dishes. We sat in the downstairs lounge, though next time I would prefer to dine in the beautiful dining room upstairs. To begin the meal, I tasted a couple of Appetizers that included the tasty Fior de Latte ($10) over roasted cherry tomatoes drizzled with a balsamic reduction & Spansih extra virgin olive oil with fresh basil; unfortunatley the Grilled Humbolt Squid ($12) with chorizo lime and sansho pepper aiolli was not too my liking.

Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

Free Range Chicken Breast

Queen Charlotte Halibut

AAA 10oz Ribe Eye

For the main dishes I enjoyed my Queen Charlotte Halibut ($28) pan seared filet with pommes puree, green asparagus, & sauteed wild mushrooms finished with a lemon beurre blanc. I also tasted and liked the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli ($21) in a white wine cream sauce, with sundried tomatoes & Italian parsley, finished pecorino pepato; the Free Range Chicken Breast ($21) was in a tasty pommes puree with seasonal vegetables. My favourite of all the main entrees was the AAA 10oz Ribe Eye ($29) the meat was delicious and perfectly prepared with pomme frites, balsamic glazed green asparagus, finished with a truffle demiglace.

Bread Pudding

Creme Brulee

Beet Sorbet

Chocolate Mouse

As full as I was I had to try some of the desserts, all of the ones that I sampled were quite good including the Bread Pudding ($8), Creme Brulee ($8), Beet Sorbet ($8) and the Chocolate Mouse ($8).

Review By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Gastown, Restaurant Reviews Tags: , , , , , , No Comments »

1181 LOUNGE

January 20th, 2010 admin

1181 Davie Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-687-3991

Web: www.tightlounge.com

Advice: Usually very busy after 9pm, go early if you want to talk with friends. No cover charge and everyone is welcome.

Located in the heart of Davie Village, this bar/lounge has a great vibe late into the night. Serving up inventive cocktails with great music, live dj’s spinning, theme nights equals a whole lot of fun.

LuLu Melon

Mojito

Pippi Longstocking

Some of the more popular cocktails include the LuLu Melon ($9.50) made with Skyy vodka (2 oz), muddled watermelon, passionfruit, fresh lime and cranberry; Mojito ($10.50) made with Appleton v/x rum (2 oz), fresh mint, raw sugar, fresh lime and soda; and the Pippi Longstocking ($9.50) made with Absolut Vodka (2 oz), St. Germain Elderflower liquer, elderflower syrup, muddled orange zest and fresh ginger. The huge cocktail list features fresh, fruity, floral, tart, savoury and classic drinks. The wine list boasts reds, whites and bubbles. The beer list includes a Dead Frog pale ale and lager on tap along with local and global beers. Ciders and Coolers round out the beverage offerings. One of the popular Bartenders is Ryan Steele who mixed up these cocktails shown here.

The interior is stylish, movies and tv shows are projected on the back wall, the seating on the couches is comfy, seating at the bar provides a great place to see and be seen.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Bar & Cafe Reviews, Westend Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »

SOCIETY

November 20th, 2009 admin

Society Opening 10.29.09 022

1257 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-629-8800

Web:  http://www.society-grg.ca

Advice: Ask your server for drink and food suggestions and have fun.

Fernie Meatloaf Balls

Fernie Meatloaf Balls

Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella salad

Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella salad

A dining lounge that is upbeat, sophisticated, fun and glam with great food and drink to celebrate, downstairs dining is mostly table service where the upstairs is mostly for lounging on appies, drinks and desserts. Society is all about having fun and this goes all the way from the Candy Floss drinks to the food to the desserts, if you are with a group of friends you may want to order up the Junk Food Platter for dessert and share. The décor is mostly black with two bright pink chandeliers that are the star attraction of the room. The menu was chock full of dishes and so tempting that my friend and I ordered a variety of items some to share and some to devour on our own. Started off with a couple of drinks, I had the Chocolate Mint Milkshake ($8) and my friend had the Amaratta Manhattan Cocktail ($8). Our first appetizer was the Fernie Meatloaf Balls ($7) in a tasty tomato sauce. Next up was the Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella salad ($8) a colorful array of tomatoes which was a good size for sharing.

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

The chef suggested we try his French Onion Soup ($10) which is made with veal bones for the stock, how could we pass up a suggestion from the chef, since we both wanted to try the soup we asked to him to serve the one portion into two.

Lobster Gnochi

Lobster Gnochi

BBQ Beef Ribs

BBQ Beef Ribs

Cauliflower Gratin

Cauliflower Gratin

Now it was time for the entrees and we had the Lobster Gnochi ($18) -1/2 Atlantic lobster, tarragon cream, Parmesan crust and the BBQ Beef Ribs ($18) with tomato cucumber salad, we added a vegetable side and went with the Cauliflower Gratin ($6) parmesan cream.

Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding

Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding

Rocky Road Brownie Parfait

Rocky Road Brownie Parfait

Doughnut Holes

Doughnut Holes

At this point my friend and I were quite full, so I had another friend join us for dessert, we changed tables and shared 3 of the spectacular desserts, we enjoyed all of them but the one that was a star was the Maple Bourbon Bread Pudding ($8) brioche, bourbon butterscotch, the other two we shared was the Doughnut Holes ($8) filled with white chocolate with a pink creme anglaise for dipping and the Rocky Road Brownie Parfait ($8) ice cream, marshmallows, brownie, prailine, chocolate sauce. Since it is fairly loud inside with music playing and the customers talking, if you are looking for a quieter more intimate dining experience then head outside to the heated patio.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Restaurant Reviews, Yaletown Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment »

GEORGE LOUNGE

November 19th, 2009 admin

George 047

1137 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-628-5555

Web: www.georgelounge.com

Twitter: @GeorgeLounge

Advice: Sit at the bar if wish to experience the wonderful madness happen in front of your eyes.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights

Kentucky Dusk

Kentucky Dusk

Jerrys Punch

Jerrys Punch

Impressive happening ultra lounge and bar scene with a very cool vibe, this is the hot spot in Yaletown for inventive cocktails, a great wine list and delicious food. I was in with a friend recently and we shared some of the dishes and sampled some drinks.

Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

Buffalo Mozzarella Salad

Northern Lights ($12) A twist on the classic Negroni- Campari washed ice stirred with Martin Millers gin, Cassis, sweet vermouth and Rhubarb bitters. This is a bitter apertif style drink perfect for before dinner. Served with a massive ice block to maintain a cold rink but not dilute as this is a sipping cocktail. The Kentucky Dusk ($12)- Nice after dinner drink. Makers Mark bourbon, Giffard caramel toffee liqueur, fresh apple juice, and fresh lemon. Shaken extra hard, served neat with Old fashioned bitters dripped on top of the vanilla foam.  Jerrys Punch ($10)- A very inviting and friendly looking drink which is quite so, but a very complex drink as well. Sailor Jerrys spiced rum stirred delicately with house mad Malbec syrup, Fino sherry, Punt e Mes, and Angostura bitters. Served with some fruit.

Juliene Vegetable and Tofu Spring Rolls

Juliene Vegetable and Tofu Spring Rolls

We shared the Buffalo Mozzarella Salad ($13) vine ripened tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, red onions, sundried tomato-olive tapenade along with the Juliene Vegetable and Tofu Spring Rolls ($11) with three sauces for dipping -orange aioli, shitake hoi sin, mango sambal, the head chef in the kitchen is Jason Wilson who plates the dishes beautifully for superb presentation.

Sheryl and I sat at the bar and conversed with Head Bartender Shaun Layton who was guiding us thru the liquid and food menus. I asked him what the rarest liquor he had in his bar and he went to tell us. The two most unique liquors was the Cuban Cigar Infused Bourbon, which is quite strong on its own, but beautiful in their Havana cocktail along with the Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, which was the original vermouth recipe dating back to 1786, an extremely rare find here but very popular in Europe.

Cuban cigar infused Bourbon

Cuban Cigar Infused Bourbon

Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

After this Q & A an almost show and tell if you wish we set our eyes on the dessert menu and had difficulty in deciding which to order. Shaun assisted us with Pastry Chef Lisa Perkins selection and we settled on sharing the Tiramisu ($10) –espresso and frangelico maserated lady fingers, caramelized bananas, toffee, vanilla and marcarpone crème and the Pumpkin Cheesecake – ($10) caramelized Okanagan apples, dulce de leche caramel.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Bar & Cafe Reviews, Yaletown Tags: , , , , , , , No Comments »

THE DIAMOND

November 13th, 2009 admin

The Diamond 001

6 Powell Street, Vancouver

Tel:  n/a

Web: www.di6mond.com

Advice: Order a couple of different items if you are hungry as they are fairly small.

The Diamond Cup

The Diamond Cup

Buck Buck Mule

Buck Buck Mule

Soba Noodles

Soba Noodles

Love the room with their exposed brick walls, this is a shining star for cocktails and nibbles in Gastown, the bartenders are masters in mixing up interesting cocktails and they have quite the extensive list from boozy to refreshing to not so boozy. The drinks are well priced in the $7-$10 range which makes them affordable. My friend and I chose different cocktails and both were unique, The Diamond Cup (on the Not So Boozy list) and the Buck Buck Mule (on the Refreshing list). There is a small menu of small plates with an Asian influenced theme. I had the Soba Noodles in the duck broth with peking duck and market vegetables in a bowl of miso broth. My friend had the Salmon special and the Prawn salad. The Diamond is an ideal spot for a late afternoon or night time snack with cocktails not exactly a great spot for dinner with friends unless you order a few different items. We skipped dessert as the only had one dessert on offering. The servers were friendly and we liked that they dropped by to check in fairly often.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Bar & Cafe Reviews, Gastown Tags: , , , , , No Comments »

VOYA LOUNGE

November 11th, 2009 admin
Simon Ogden - Head Bartender

Simon Ogden - Head Bartender

1177 Melville Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-639-voya

Web: http://www.voya-restaurant.com/food-and-drinks/lounge

Advice: DJ spins live music on Thursday from 4 – 8pm. And Friday & Saturday, 10:30 pm – 2am

Located in the Loden Hotel, Voya is lounge which is vibrant and enchanting. The cocktail list features a selection of Inspirations and Aspirations created by Bar Manager Simon Ogden who is one of the best Bartenders you will ever meet. A couple of the stellar cocktails on the Inspirations list includes Twentieth Century ($12)- timeless – plymouth, lillet blanc, white chocolate, lemon; and the Last Word ($12) irresistible – tangueray ten, green chartreuse, maraschino, lime.  From the Aspirations menu I suggest the Amaro Rossi ($10) – tenacious – hendrick’s, campari, guignolet d’angers, lime; and the Glassy Junction  ($10)- complex – juniper green, rose, aloe vera, basil, lime, coriander, allspice. There is also a large selection of wine and beer for your sipping and drinking pleasure. Delicious nibbles can be had from the Lounge Plates list that includes Coconut Crusted Prawns ($14) with a sweet curry and apple yogurt or any of the other tempting plates. Go forth and enjoy!

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Bar & Cafe Reviews, Downtown Tags: , , , , , No Comments »
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