2008-04-03 - www.shau.ca
By: Sarah's Blog
Cactus Club = Best Meal Ever
John and I got invited to a food tasting at the Cactus Club at Broadway & Ash in Vancouver by John's coworker who knows the head chef. That night will forever go down in history as the most enjoyable eating experience I've ever had. It was amazing...
A little background: Rob Feenie, Canada's only Iron Chef recently left his own restaurants (long story) and came to Cactus Club to head up development. The location where we ate is the test location for all new things for the chain, outfitted complete with offices and a test kitchen. So Feenie is in there every day, creating dishes, finding the freshest local ingredients and raising the bar for the restaurant as a whole.
The waiter just kept bringing us cocktails, beer and appetizers to sample and we couldn't stop laughing at how indulgent it all felt! Little mini burgers, yam fries, westcoast pockets. But that was just the beginning. Then our friend the head chef, Wil, comes out and explains each dish, describing the thought process, taste combinations and incredible artistry in each of them. He pretty much spent the whole meal chatting with us. Then came the salads... smoked salmon, port-filled dates, goat cheese... everything fresh, everything unique, everything better than anticipated.
Then we took a break and went on a tour lead by Wil. We saw the kitchen, the huge walk-in fridge, the offices and even the test kitchen. When we had finished our tour we headed back to our table for the main course. I mean main courses. Mouth watering four mushroom demi-glace steak, I can't even remember half the things we got to try. Wil chose a wine for us and we just soaked up the flavors, the knowledge, the experience.
Finally came dessert: vanilla ice cream with candied nuts and a gourmet chocolate sauce, key lime pie made with fresh squeezed limes and a chocolate fudge lava cake with a berry compote. I think I might have cried.
We all had so much fun. In North America we rarely allow a meal to be more than food. In Europe, it's a whole event. I know that this kind of thing won't happen every time I eat at Cactus Club but the fact that they think building a reputation for fresh thinking and an incredible dining experience is important has made a fan out of me. I would recommend it to anyone.
Check out our favorite Cactus Club location, and keep your eyes peeled for Rob Feenie...