It’s
funny how people tend to explore areas that are close to home or is familiar to
them. At times I can be guilty of that myself. Now that I live close to
Kensington, I’m more inclined to visit restaurants in and around that area or
not too far away from the downtown core. But lucky for me, I have a great group
of foodie friends that love trying new things and visiting different places so
when we get together we’re always looking for something fresh and unique. A
couple of friends and I have been planning to check out Vin Room West for a
very long time. However since none of us really live out that way, we had to
make sure we made plans well in advance. Rain (read snow) or shine, we were
going and nothing was going to stop us.
Atmosphere:
Large open dining area with a more relaxed sensation than the 4st street
location. Vin Room West features woodsy interiors, a great bar area and large round
tables perfect for group get-togethers.
Price
Range: Mid $10s - $20s
Food
& Wine: It was quite chilly that night, but we made it out and couldn’t
wait to indulge. Since we were all huge fans of Vin Room on 4th, we knew that
we were going to be ordering a fair bit off the menu making it easier to decide
what we wanted, since it really was a bit of everything. Starting with the Paella
Arancinis made with saffron risotto and bits of chorizo, prawn and crab all
served over top a green pea puree. They were perfect one biters, crispy on the
outside and flavourful on the inside.
The Merguez
Meatballs were super tender and succulent. Made with a
mixture of lamb and dates, served with a tangy red pepper puree and topped with
mint yogurt. The incorporation of the dates really helped the meatballs to
retain their moisture and also provided hints of sweetness. The mint yogurt aided
to counteracting any gaminess there may be from the lamb, which I’m usually
sensitive to but didn’t find in this dish. I personally quite enjoyed them and
would definitely order them again.
The Pistachio
Crusted Scallops were next, with a sweet and salty raisin pineapple chutney.
The scallops were perfectly cooked, translucent in the middle with the
pistachios adding in that extra crunch and the chutney providing a balance of
flavour. I’ve always enjoyed this dish and order it every time I’m at Vin Room,
I hope it continues to be a mainstay on their menu.
My
friends are huge fans of fish and we decided on the Pan Roasted Steelhead
Trout, which were seared to perfection. It came with a lightly dressed frisee
salad providing a hint of bitterness enhancing the sweetness of the golden
beets. I found the roasted mushrooms added a bit of earthiness especially due
to the brown butter sauce and the almonds provided the crunch, a well-rounded
plate.
As for
the hearty dishes we ordered the Duck & White Bean Cassoulet, Braised Pork
Short Ribs and the Oregano and Lemon Lamb T Bone Chops. The cassoulet was made with confit duck,
bacon, tomato and navy beans. A comforting dish and great for the chilly winter
weather we had that night. The pork short ribs were sticky and sweet. I really
enjoyed the smoky chipotle sauce and the crispy yam fries. The only issue was
the fries became soggy shortly after due to the chipotle sauce, but they were
delicious shoe string fries and very crunchy when they arrived at the table.
The lamb bone chops were succulent cooked to a medium well temperature,
enhancing their tenderness. Accompanied by a red wine spinach feta salad and
crispy lemon garlic potatoes, it was a very composed plate. Again the lamb was
very nicely seasoned and not gamey, which I prefer.
We also
had an order of the Eggplant chips, which are thinly sliced eggplant coated
with bread crumbs, fried and served with herbed yogurt and pomegranate molasses.
I did find the chips a bit overly breaded and the taste of the eggplants
themselves was slightly lost. However I really enjoyed the pomegranate molasses
and would probably top many a salads with it. The molasses provided that
perfect salty sweet combo. I found that I didn’t even need the yogurt dip, but
it could also be possible that by this time, my mind was already on dessert.
Vin Room
offers a feature Crème Brulee, which happened to be pumpkin pie that evening.
So we had to get an order of that and the Warm Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pudding.
The crème brulee was creamy and lightly sweetened with the perfect crunchy
sugar coated topping. My friends love their crème brulee and were genuinely
satisfied. I on the other hand preferred the bread pudding. Soft and gooey with
a decadent rum caramel cream and Sicilian pistachio gelato, it was my ideal
dessert. People who know me know that I am a sucker for desserts that contrast
hot and cold.
It’s
hard to go to Vin Room and not be tempted by the wine selection they have in
house, especially when pairing with all the delicious bites on the menu. We
sampled some lovely wines that evening and since they offer 2oz, 6oz, half or
full bottles, the combinations are endless. I definitely encourage people to
play with the wine list. If you’re ever unsure, order a 2oz to sample. They can
also create wine flights for you, ranging from light to bold, you get a good
feel for what you enjoy.
My
Picks: Merguez Meatballs, Pistachio Crusted Scallops, Warm Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Pudding
Overall:
All of the food was amazing and my only complaint is that there wasn’t more of
it! Although now I know that when I’m craving it again I now have two locations
to choose from, since the west location has more space they can accommodate more
tables. So if you’re reading this and longing for a taste, it’s easy, make
plans to venture out west because we’re sure glad that we did!
Vin Room West
8561 8a Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(587) 353-8812
Website:
www.vinroom.com
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