Palki Restaurant

I've been in the market for a good Indian place nearby for a while now, so when Palki Restaurant invited me to try them out, I told them I'd stop by the next time I had a craving for curry.

My family is nuts for Indian food, so when they arrived on Thursday, we headed pretty much straight to Palki. The facade is rather dark and unassuming, which explains why I've never noticed it before. It used to be a Turkish place called Rime, which I remember visiting in my pre-blogging days. Palki's interior, done up in shades of purple, has a lovely feel which belies the reasonable prices on the menu.

Said menu has the usual suspects, along with an impressive array of other options. We all enjoyed everything we tasted. Our only complaint was that some of the naan was a bit overcooked. My sister thought the bathroom was a bit unkempt, and not in keeping with the rest of the place. I forgot to check it myself, but they may want to keep a closer eye on it. The service was super friendly and prompt.

The five of us were absolutely stuffed, some of us were tipsy, and we had substantial leftovers, so we were surprised that the bill came to less than $200 including tax and tip. I am all about cheap and delicious eats in my neighbourhood, so I'll definitely be back to Palki!

Founders' Lounge @ The Cultch

The other night E and I had the great pleasure of seeing the Christmas Carol Project at The Cultch. The show, billed as "Western Canada's hippest holiday tradition," features a talented cast of Albertans making music in the voices of Dickens' classic characters. In buying our tickets, we noticed that on show nights, the Cultch's Cafe and Wine Bar is now a small restaurant called the Founders' Lounge run by the folks from Two Chefs and a Table and Big Lou's Butcher Shop. I'm a total sucker for a three course $30 fixed menu, so we booked a reservation before the show.

We enjoyed a past dinner at Two Chefs, so we had relatively high hopes for the Founders' Lounge. I'm not sure what the kitchen set up is, because our mains (coq au vin) were not quite hot enough. That was our only quibble with the food, which was delicious and well prepared, (wherever it happened). Our server was obviously new and trying to do things by the book. He was rather endearing, and the kinks will work themselves out with a bit of time. E and I both agreed that we'd like to eat at the Founders' Lounge before every performance we see at the Cultch!

The Pourhouse

Having a friend in town for the weekend is the perfect excuse for dinner out. Ensemble last night was nothing special (my company excluded!), but my first dinner at the Pourhouse on Friday lived up to its promise. I have been there a few times for their expertly made cocktails, and it turns out the food is equally delicious and satisfying.

I tried to order a Blood and Sand, since I had first learned of it there, but apparently they no longer carry one of the ingredients. In its stead, I enjoyed a Pisco Sour, for the first time in a while. (There seemed to be a months long pisco shortage at Vancouver bars earlier this year.) For dinner, I started with perfectly turned out albacore tuna on a bed of butter lettuce and artichoke, followed by grilled cheese on brioche and cream of cauliflower soup. The three of us split the generous apple tart for two while tipsily puzzling over exactly how many fractions of dessert we were each consuming. Try it; it's harder than you think.

The atmosphere is warm, dark and cozy, all especially welcome attributes at this time of year. I have half a mind to go there tomorrow on my day off for lunch!