{"id":9972,"date":"2017-01-21T15:53:12","date_gmt":"2017-01-21T23:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=9972"},"modified":"2017-05-19T10:53:22","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T18:53:22","slug":"royal-dinette-dine-vancouver-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/royal-dinette-dine-vancouver-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Royal Dinette – Dine Out Vancouver 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was\u00a0out for\u00a0a\u00a0fun Friday night. \u00a0It began with\u00a0meeting J and JT for drinks in Downtown. I picked\u00a0Royal Dinette<\/a>\u00a0for happy hour and cocktails, as I was looking for the\u00a0choices for my next Downtown Cocktail Crawl<\/strong>. Arriving at the restaurant, I realized it was the opening day of Dine Out Vancouver Festival<\/a>, and they only have the happy hour drinks available, but not the happy hour food menu.<\/p>\n

I took a peek at\u00a0their $40 3-course Dine Out Vancouver menu, and was instantly fascinated. Since I needed to grab food\u00a0anyway before my next destination at Brassneck<\/a>, I decided to stay\u00a0here for dinner, although I would be eating only by myself, as J and JT was having other dinner plans.<\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a>
Royal Dinette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was sitting by the rustic but chic looking bar. Our cocktails looked dashing on\u00a0the marble bar top, with a back drop filled\u00a0with terrariums and glass jars for\u00a0bitters and spices.<\/p>\n

The happy hour cocktails were mostly simple classics, and our choices\u00a0turned out to be pretty tasty. \u00a0We loved our bubbles, so we had\u00a0the Kir Royale\u00a0<\/strong>($6), a marriage\u00a0of cr\u00e8me de cassis and sparking, and the\u00a0French 75<\/strong> ($6), a mix of\u00a0gin, sparkling, pressed lemon and orange bitters. I appreciated\u00a0the extra effort of orange bitters for the additional depth in the taste. \u00a0 I also tried the Kentucky Mule<\/strong> ($6), which was mixed with bourbon, ginger beer, pressed lime and peach bitters, and served in\u00a0the usual copper mug for all the “mule” variations. But as a lover of the \u00a0ginger and whisky combination, I probably prefer a Penicillin <\/strong>instead.<\/p>\n

\""Kir<\/a>
“Kir Royal”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"French<\/a>
French 75<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""Kentucky<\/a>
“Kentucky Mule”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not too from the far right corner of the bar, there was a view of their pasta making station, where 2 chefs were\u00a0making fresh gnocchi, which I found fun to look at.<\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a>
Royal Dinette – Making Gnocchi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I decided to dine with the wine pairing option<\/strong> ($25) as well, just to get the full experience.<\/p>\n

I started with the Wagyu Beef Tartare<\/strong>, with smoked parmesan and dijon on the side, and also served with grilled house-made bread. Much more delicate than regular beef,\u00a0wagyu also packs with a distinctive buttery\u00a0flavour. And I liked the extra earthiness from the tiny\u00a0bit of sauteed mushroom on top. The tartare was paired with Petradolce Etna Rosso 2015 Nerello Mascalese<\/strong> from Sicily, Italy, a light red that’s\u00a0elegant and complements the beef tartare well. I did find the wine\u00a0a little young for drinking by itself.<\/p>\n

\""Wagyu<\/a>
“Wagyu Beef Tartare”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pietradoice<\/a>
Pietradoice Etna Rosso 2015 Nerello Mascalese, Sicily, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the main, I had the Kasu Marinated Pork<\/strong>, with fermented barley grits, XO sauce and wild mushrooms. I enjoyed the bold flavour from the kasu marinade and the texture of the pork, \u00a0but I was in love with the grits even more. It felt like eating a very thick congee with the XO sauce, \u00a0packed with intense flavours from\u00a0spices and dried seafood. It was something I was familiar with growing up as a Cantonese child. And the mushrooms tied everything together on the plate, forming a harmony of textures and flavours. \u00a0The pairing wine was the Sea Star Vineyards 2014 Ortega<\/strong> from Pender Island, BC – bright, crisp, and with floral and fruity notes that tasted almost like apple or pear, which was great with the pork.<\/p>\n

\""Kasu<\/a>
“Kasu Marinated Pork Loin”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sea<\/a>
Sea Star Vinyards 2014 Ortega, Pender Island, BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dessert dish\u00a0was visually striking, with that bright pink beet soda on top of the Elderflower Sorbet. <\/strong>The beet was a slightly\u00a0overpowering with\u00a0sweetness, and the elderflower flavour was a little lost. However, the rum preserved summer berries at the bottom stole the show for me. There were such little flavourful \u00a0jewels!\u00a0I liked the pairing wine, the Marcel Deiss Vendange Tardive 2009 Riesling<\/strong>, from Alsace, France, a slightly aged wine from late harvest with a sweet finish, exhibiting notes of peach and apricot.<\/p>\n

\"Elderflower<\/a>
Elderflower Sorbet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Marcel<\/a>
Marcel Deiss Vendange Tardive 2009 Riesling, Alsace, France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Dine Out Vancouver menu at Royal Dinette scored a high one for me. The dishes were well\u00a0designed \u00a0 and executed, reflecting what Vancouver cuisine is all about – the combined efforts\u00a0of beautiful local ingredients and the techniques from\u00a0different types of world cuisines.<\/p>\n

Website and menu:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/royaldinette.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a><\/p>\n

Location:<\/strong><\/p>\n