We decided to kick off Dineout at The Park at Sands hotel. The first thing we noticed when we sat down at The Park at Sands hotel was the live music playing in the background. It was entertaining and everyone got into the vibes but it was hard to talk to anyone at the table.
The Park at Sands hotel menu
Shortly after we arrived, we were offered our menus and given (a little too much) time to choose from the selections. They also offer their regular menu if you don’t want to participate in the event.
We always try to choose different dishes so we have a chance to try them all so this is what we got.
Prawn tacos with slaw and crispy onions
The tortilla wraps were the size of my hand so they were larger than we expected them to be. They were unexpectedly spicy and had more slaw than anything which was disappointing. They were pretty filling of an appetizer though.
Crab cakes
This came with avocado mash, mango salsa and lemon aioli. The crab cakes were fried very crispy but remained soft on the inside. They didn’t fall apart or crumble though. Lil’ bun was not impressed with the avocado mash because it was starting to brown and didn’t seem fresh. The mango salsa was a nice balance between acidic and sweet.
Beet and burrata salad
This was topped with apple slaw, mixed greens, roasted pecans, and pomegranate vinaigrette. I liked the acidity that the vinaigrette added to the salad. The beet added sweetness and the ice-cream scoop amount of burrata cheese on top added saltiness. The salad wasn’t heavily dressed and it was a perfect start to the meal.
The salad was so big that I was practically full by the time it was time for the main but food awaits and how could I say no to a delicious plate of food sitting in front of me?
7 oz striploin
This came with peppercorn demi glaze, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I swear everytime it says “seasonal vegetables” on a menu, it immediately means that you will be getting carrots and broccoli. Am I the only one who thinks this?
Mother deer got her steak medium-rare and Old bean got it rare. Both steaks were cooked as requested with a nice smoky sear on the outside. Mother deer really liked the smokiness of the char. The plate of food didn’t look big when it arrived at the table but the steak was very filling.
Sous-vide Moroccan lamb chops
This was served on top of pesto gnocchi, grilled apples and mint demi glaze. I was surprised that this was gluten-free because sometimes flour is used to make gnocchi. The gnocchi was soft and strong in potato flavor but lacked in the pesto department which was disappointing.
There were 4 lamb “lollipops” on the plate and they weren’t very large either. We all thought that the grilled apples were an interesting addition to the plate since it was definitely not something we had seen before.
Pan-fried portobello mushroom ravioli
Lil bun and I both ordered the ravioli. To be honest ravioli has never been a favorite of mine so I was skeptical about ordering it at first but after the first bite, I started to enjoy them.
Although there were only 6 raviolis on the plate, they were really filling because of how rich they were. They were topped with a red pepper aioli, chopped tomatoes, spinach and parmesan. I really liked how thin the pasta dough was because it allowed you to really taste the filling.
Strawberry trifle
This was brother deer’s choice. It came with layers of vanilla whipped cream, sponge cake and fresh strawberries. I don’t think the strawberries were all that fresh though because they were dull in colour. If you are not a fan of sweet desserts, this would be a good pick.
Chocolate volcano cake
Lil’ bun and I went with this one. I picked it so I could do a boomerang video with it and she picked it because she loves lava cakes.
The cake was topped with ice cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce. Well, it was SUPPOSED to have strawberries but they totally forgot about that because it was not on the plate! If you love rich and fudgey dense chocolate cakes, this is the choice for you. The cake was a little too sweet with the ice cream on top but if you eat it separately it’s pretty nice. The ice cream on top of the warm cake adds a nice contrast of temperatures that was very welcome.
Hazelnut cafe mocha
Mother deer and Old bean went with this one because they said it won’t be as sweet as the other desserts. This mocha is no ordinary espresso beverage because it had hazelnut and coffee liqueurs added to it! It was interesting because it was served warm but there was cold whip on top. For some reason I didn’t expect for it to be served warm but it rounded the night off nicely for them.
If you’re from Vancouver, are you going to dineout this year? If so where?