Cocktail Heaven at The Refinery

Photo courtesy vancouverdealsblog.com

I heard a lot of hype about The Refinery and its cocktails in particular, so when Ethical Deal did a deal for half off food I jumped on it. The cocktails are indeed no joke. I had the Gunpowder, which was just the perfect sweetness (more tarte than sweet) without much taste of alcohol.

There are a few vegetarian options, and I’m glad I went for the Fettucine Primavera ($14) because it had a good helping of veggies. And if I hadn’t had pasta, I might have been in serious trouble with my cocktail! As I ate I started to feel a nice buzz.

Fettucine Primavera with seasonal vegetables

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Tiramisu Cheesecake

I had a few bites of my boyfriend’s Heirloom Tomato Salad ($10) which was also very good and cleverly seasoned. We ended off with the Tiramisu Cheesecake ($9), which was the best cheesecake I’ve had in a while. A very subtle taste of cheese, with whipped coffee icing served on the side. If I wasn’t such a lightweight and already buzzed off the one cocktail, I would have had another one with dessert (they do have dessert cocktails on the menu too). The interior deco is very cool and trendy; I see why this place gets talked about & agree with the high ratings. Definitely the best place for professional-level cocktails & a good meal downtown.

Photo courtesy Urbandiner.ca

The Refinery
1115 Granville Street & Helmcken Vancouver BC V6B 2G6
604-687-8001
info@therefineryvancouver.com
therefineryvancouver.com

Hours:
5pm-1am Tuesday to Thursday
5pm-2am Friday & Saturday (good idea to make reservations)
Sunday & Monday for bookings only 

Circa Restaurant & Lounge

I’m surprised I was the first one to write a Yelp review on this place because I heard so much hype about it on Twitter when it first opened.

I went there after work for drinks and dinner with my sister and it was ladies night (Thursdays) which means they have a special Pink Martini for $3.50 and a FREE small plate for ladies. Mos Def was performing a concert that night and apparently he left just before we walked in. Darn!!

My sis and I got the martinis and the Ravioli and Calamari for our small plates. Both excellent appies. Oh, by the way Circa is BIG and has great decor and ambiance. We liked the lighting how it was before they turned it down, but other than that I have no other beef with the place. Hostess and serving staff are super nice too. For dinner we shared a set price meal for $38, and you can choose an appy (greek salad), main (ahi tuna steak) and dessert (apple caramel brioche). Everything was excellent. The salad was buried beneath a whipped foam dressing, but it tasted like there was nothing on it.

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