Society Dining Lounge Yaletown – Unpredictable or Awkward?
To view this post on my new domain, please go to http://victoriasfoodsecrets.com/2009/11/society-dining-lounge-yaletown-unpredictable-or-awkward/
Tuesday was a fun and crazy night in Vancouver – and the fact that I was able to eat a meal at a new place didn’t hurt either! It’s a bit late for me to be putting up this post, but I figure I have a pretty good excuse since I’m still trying to recover from my boyfriend’s big birthday bash that he has every year. Those who have been to one of these parties at any point in the past will know exactly what I’m talking about…
Anyway, we started the night out at the new Society Dining Lounge in Yaletown that’s run by the Glowbal Group. There, we had the entire upstairs lounge area to ourselves, and were able to enjoy a dinner with a variety of the comfort food that they serve. Mind you, comfort food to me is more Asian style fare (see my Congee Noodle House post), but I’m always willing to give something new a shot.
Since we had a larger group filling the place up, we ended up doing a set menu buffet-style arrangement so we would have the chance to taste a variety of appies and desserts and other menu items. This was a great way to be introduced to the food at a new restaurant in town, and wish I could do it everywhere I go.
Here’s what was brought out (in a great, quick way – thanks to all the staff there that night for the prompt and friendly service!):
Appies:
- Mixed Leaf Salad – with a light vinaigrette dressing – a little bland for my tastes, but I’m also not huge on salad in general
- ‘Mac and Cheese’ Balls – these were essentially macaroni and cheese in a deep-fried shell
- Forno Baked Nachos – loved the whole black olives on this one!
- Poutine, with cheese curd and chicken gravy – a good way to carb up in preparation of a big night of drinking (or at the end of the night before bed)
- Smoked Salmon on flatbread – this was definitely my fave of the night. The salmon didn’t taste overly strong or smoky and wasn’t fishy at all.
Main:
- Loaded Prime Rib Burger – I really could taste the distinct flavours of the caramelized onions. Not really my favourite – I love prime rib but prefer it on its own instead of in the confines of a burger.
Dessert:
- Junk Food Platter – everything from cotton candy to caramel corn to a delicious ice cream sandwich milkshake. The doughnut holes, filled with warm, white chocolate were soooo divine. I heard the rice crispie squares were also pretty tasty. I love dessert, no complaints there.
Photo Credit: Mark Kinskofer
In my opinion, the upstairs lounge at Society has a great atmosphere and I really liked the deco and the comfortable open seating. It was really great for hosting a larger party and turned out really well for our group. However, when I was downstairs walking towards the bathroom, I noticed that the dining room seating was a bit crammed and am not sure I’d really be into having food in that kind of setting.
All in all, I’ll for sure go back to Society for the upstairs lounge atmosphere, drinks and friendly service. The team was definitely accommodating and did an excellent job of ensuring our large group could eat and drink and stay on schedule for the rest of the night’s agenda. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really a fan of the comfort food and the servers in white tank tops and jeans. Maybe this needs a bit more fine-tuning so it feels a little less awkward and more like their goal of ‘unpredictable.’
What did everyone else think?
Society Dining Lounge
1257 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604.629.8800
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