The lonely diners of “No Friends? No Problem!” met up for the second time this school year on a foggy Friday evening at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro to have a taste of the restaurant’s Vancouver Dine Out menu. The theme of the Dine Out this year at The Oakwood was pork, so the special menu was replete with bacon, porchetta, and pork belly!
For the appetizer, the choice was between pork terrine, smoked chowder, and waldof salad with bacon. I chose the smoked seafood chowder with cod and clams and oyster crackers on the side. The chowder was rich and smoky but not heavy. It’s definitely something I would order again. The crackers that came on the side were also quite yummy and buttery.
For the main course, I went with the pork belly spaghetti with forest mushrooms because I love my carbs. The spaghetti mixed with the mushrooms was very flavorful. However, the overwhelming saltiness of the pork belly was quite unpleasant. I think most of the members that ordered the spaghetti found that the pork belly was way too salty. That definitely brought down the overall experience of the meal.
For dessert, I chose the chocolate mousse with a coffee pistachio crunch topping. It was definitely the highlight of the meal. The mousse came in an adorable short mason jar. The mouse was very rich and dense, and the sweetness was just right and with the added crunch from the topping; it was a great finish to the meal.
I think the majority of the group had a good experience, albeit the long rectangular table we were seated at made it hard for everyone to get to know each other. However, the ambience was very cozy thanks to the quaint fireplace and the overall ski lodge feel.
The dine out menu for The Oakwood is $28, and with tip and tax added it came to just under $35. Our server was super funny and quirky, very accommodating to our large group of 11. Overall, I liked The Oakwood and I do think it was a “fine dining” experience at a reasonable price. Check out some of the other pictures from the event below. Thanks for reading!
