Taste of Yaletown- Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar

Last night I went to Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar (1079 Mainland Street) for their Taste of Yaletown menu. This restaurant is owned by the Glowbal Restaurant Group which also manages Sanafir and Italian Kitchen.

As usual, I chose the outdoor patio seating, knowing that their heat lamps would keep diners toasty warm even in the coldest of nights. Maybe a little bit too warm – but the servers were quick to fulfill my request to turn down the heat! Glowbal has always been a restaurant I somehow “end up at” in Yaletown. I think it’s because of it’s uber-convenient location – smack in the middle of Yaletown, and the popular patio seating leads to a short wait time.

Between an appetizer of “seared autumn sea scallops” or a baby spinach salad, I had the latter option with a drizzle of vinaigrette, roasted tomatoes and candied pecans. (Although my friend’s choice of 6 mini scallops on skewers was an equally fulfilling choice.) For the main course, we both had the “rosemary crusted Australian lamb chops” (I don’t eat fish) with numerous references to the musical children’s TV show “Lamb Chops Play-Along (“This is the song that never ends…”) in our personal conversation.

By the time our food was served, the sun had already set and we were literally eating by candlelight with a soft neon green glow from the Glowbal sign and faraway street lamps as the only other sources of light. I couldn’t really see my food which was slightly disgruntling because I like to know exactly what I am eating. (This is part of the reason why I don’t have any photos from the night. *Note to self: take food photos before it gets dark!) The lamb was tender and juicy but the vegetables were quite salty which took away from the tastefulness of the lamb. If my sense of taste does not deceive me (since I have already lost my sight in the darkness), I believe there were small squares of red peppers, yam and baby potatoes, beans, carrots and a big, soft onion which was kind of fun to cut up and eat with the lamb and vegetables.

As for our dessert, the chocolate espresso tort looked so delicious that the diners at the table next to us leaned over and asked what we were eating. (Yes, our tables were that close together!) A chocolate-filled tart which looked like it came fresh from the display window of a bakery and would satisfy any sweet tooth with a thin layer of raspberry syrup lining the plate. It was super filling though, so be sure to leave room for dessert – even if it means eating less of your main course.

Overall, Glowbal is quite a social restaurant to go to, especially with their backroom lounge Afterglow for drinks after dinner. Its ideal location makes it a hotspot in Yaletown. Their unhurried service makes Glowbal a great place to chat over dinner. If you haven’t had a chance to experience Taste of Yaletown yet, the fixed-price, three course menus run until October 26th so you still have time! For more details, including restaurant listings and menus, click here for the official website. Otherwise, if you are checking out Glowbal not for their Taste of Yaletown menu, then I would definitely recommend their satay sampler for a comprehensive selection of what this restaurant has to offer.

Modern Mix Monday – Canvas Lounge

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

I love the fabulous layout of Canvas Lounge (99 Powell Street) in Gastown – every time I go, I feel like I’m stepping into an elegant mansion, with railings and staircases and a balcony looking over the dance floor, not a club which I paid $20 to get into on a Saturday night. With “sexy house” on the main dance floor, top 40 and hiphop on the art gallery side and enough seats to be comfortable but not crowded, there’s always something new to explore at Canvas.

Space Lounge Restaurant

This past weekend, I had a chance to visit Space Lounge Restaurant (1149 Granville Street) which newly opened about a month ago in downtown, Vancouver. We sat at the bar for post-dinner, pre-clubbing drinks and I was able to talk with the Bar Manager Ivan Chew (AKA “Chewy”) and the Space Lounge chef Matthew Phillip

What sets Space Lounge apart? Other than their zodiac-inspired space theme, with a wall of glowing space lights, translucent curtains, and menu based on the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air), the kitchen and bar have very close ties. In fact, all their cocktail syrups are made in-house with fresh ingredients! Simmer equal parts of water and sugar and add in dashes of licorice, spices, fruit puree…anything! As a result, the flavors of the Space Lounge menu and cocktail selection are likely to complement each other. I ordered their most popular drink – the Pirahnna for its unique blend of flavors. Spiced rum! House-made pineapple syrup! In terms of prices, it’s about $8 to $10 for a specialty drink – a little bit on the pricy end so make sure you try something unique! The bartenders are also equipped with bar tricks, so there was entertainment value in the tossing of shakers, and the pouring of alcohol at unusual angles.

As for its food, some bite-sized appies are served on silver spoons on a flat, square dish. Thanks to Chewy, I was able to sample a delicious bite of juicy mango topped with coconut sorbet. The other spoon held a square sliver of cheesecake. This serving-style reminds me of the appetizers at Whine-o’s just down the street, where appetizers (mini meatballs, etc.) are also served on white chinese style spoons.

We stayed until about 9pm but apparently as the night goes on, Space Lounge turns into a little bit of a dance floor. However, it closes at midnight so for those who was to get their late-night/early-morning groove on, it’s time to conveniently club hop down the Granville strip.

Tunnel Bar|Lounge – Industry and Media Reveal

Last night I went to the Industry and Media Reveal for Tunnel Bar|Lounge (622 West Pender Street) which was an invitation-only event to preview the club before it opens to the general public. Thank you to DJ Skilla, the resident DJ at Ginger 62 for handing me these passes while he was DJing at my 21st birthday party last week. The event started at 8pm-ish and we were given complementary drink tickets (stylish, mini, fuscha-colored cardboard squares) in the line up. By 10pm the club was already starting to fill up with groups of people who know a lot of other people from working in “the industry”.  The picture below is taken from the BACK of the club, facing the front entrance: 

The Tunnel venue is a long, rectangular club. Looking through the entrance, you could see right to the end of the club, where the DJ booth is located. Coatcheck is on the right, a small, veiled VIP lounge is on the left. Beyond that, the bar, its white counter stretched down on the left side of the club while couches were opposite it on the right. Behind the bar were wide TV screens flashing scenes of a driver’s-seat view of (appropriately) driving through a tunnel. At the back end of the room, with the dance floor and DJ booth, the walls and ceiling curved where they met to give the impression of a tunnel. The washrooms were slightly grungy with its with black walls and pink graffitti yet elegant chandelier lamps hung from the ceiling

At the event, broadcasters were there to film the progression of Tunnel club – from the planning to the launch. They intend to pitch the series to a number of networks later this summer. I have to say, you should check this club out if not for any other reason than to see what the hype is all about. From my blog stats, more people are visiting Modern Mix Vancouver from search terms relating to Tunnel than any other search query.

Tunnel Bar|Lounge – opening on Pender Street

Tunnel Bar|Lounge is opening soon and is located on 622 West Pender Street. 

Keep your eyes peeled, your ears open and your liver strong with these grand opening nights:

 Traffik Fridays w/ Soulgood Events & Epik Entertainment (May 30th)
Lifted Saturdays w/ Canthrill Productions (May 31st)
Shelter Wednesdays w/ D Rock & Alan. (June 4th)

If you want to guestlist to any of the above events, email guestlist@entertunnel.com.  Their Media & Industry night is tomorrow, Wednesday May 28th, and I have tickets! 
If I end up going, I will definitely give a review of the club.

Tunnel Bar|Lounge Official Website
Tunnel Bar|Lounge Facebook Group