Girls NIght Out - Salida 7 Gastown

I love my coupons!  Sometimes I love them too much that I forget their expiry dates.  One was coming up soon in April so I booked my girlfriends for a Girls Night out at Salida 7 Spanish Tapas restaurant in Gastown.   

Another bonus is that Salida 7 Spanish restaurant is also in the Vancouver Foodster Meatball Challenge.  Doesn't venison and wild boar meatballs sound like something you would want to try because you are never going to make that at home?  That's what I thought.  What a perfect opportunity that I could use my coupon and in addition to participating in the meatball challenge.   Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  When we tried to order the meatballs, they did not have any left.  I was quite sad about this so it was lucky that my coupon included wine to make me quickly forget about my disappointment.  

My Social Shopper coupon included 4 glasses of taster wines (2 white, 2 red), 2 tapas, and a paella.  Since there were three of us we ordered a third tapas and dessert.  I love girls night because we splurge on dessert to share.  The dessert at Salida 7 is definitely worth saving room for.  Let's take a look at the food photos from the girls night out.      

Patatas Brava - Potatoes with lemon aiolli and spicy tomato

Prawn Toast

Wild mushroom and arugula flatbread - refreshing and delicious!
My favourite tapas

Paella - Chicken, sausage, mussels, prawns, saffron and rice all in its own paella pan

Don't forget dessert - creme brulee and the almond pastry puff!
I love the pastry puff with fruit and mint - wonderful combination that melts in your mouth.
So happy we ordered dessert!

I don't play baseball and I'm not good at it, but this time with my choice in restaurants, I hit a home run!  My girlfriends went from scared, not sure what they are doing on Alexander Street in Gastown to relieved and refreshed with Spanish tapas, dessert, and wine.  

If this blog post has peaked your interest you can find out more at the Salida 7 website:  http://www.salida7.ca/

Come back in May to see Via Terre Pizzeria as our night Girls Night Out!

They also have meatballs so I'll be ordering those for sure!

Vancouver Restaurant: Secret Location

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

Now when my girlfriend first asked me to get ready for brunch and we'll go to a Secret Location, I was a bit excited but also scared.  How was I supposed to get there if she wasn't going to tell me the address.  So I asked "Are you going to pick me up?"  At that time she replied "I'll let you know the night before."  How curious, this was going to be.  But a part of me was scared of the unknown.  If she doesn't tell me until the night before, will that give me enough time to figure out the directions and how to transit there.  I sneakily asked my other girlfriend who was joining us to see if she got more information than me.  
"Do you know the Secret Location?"  I asked.
"Google it," she answered.  Will google give me the answer?  How odd is that.  So I did what she said and put Secret Location in Google.  

Try it!  Google Maps Secret Location. 

My "AHA" moment arrived.  ROFL (Rolling on the floor laughing).  Secret Location was the name of the restaurant in Gastown in Vancouver, BC.  So there is no detective adventure, it was plainly told and I interpreted it as a mystery.  How life goes.

So we all went and met at the Secret Location for lunch one afternoon.  It was a rainy day so when I arrived my rain jacket definitely did not match the decor.  Walking into the Secret Location, is like walking into a fancy hotel that has been untouched or a fancier version of an IKEA showroom.  I'm not sure which.  My complimentary bright orange Metropolis umbrella seemed out of place so I shoved that in the umbrella jar at the entrance.  The restaurant was pristine and classic.  We were seated on a comfy couch by the window with large drapery curtains and a sparkling chandelier behind us.  The hostess even offered to put our jackets coat check which I heartily agreed to because my wet jacket seemed a bit out of place in the Secret Location.  The service was excellent as they immediately offered us sparkling or still water.  I also ordered a Vanilla Earl Grey Misto to warm me up from the rainy weather and that was a brilliant choice.  It was amazingly delicious.  For lunch two of us had the Sirloin burger and one had the Cubano sandwich.  Unfortunately for my friend the egg and wild mushroom dish was already sold out.  Their daily soup which was lobster and corn soup that day tempted me at $8 each but that was a small plate and I wanted a big one to fill me up for lunch.  The juicy sirloin burger did the job.  I can see why people would go to the Secret Location to catch up with friends over coffee or tea.  The decor is beautiful and elegant.  Time can stop even for a moment over lunch in the Secret Location and then once it's over, it's time to put on your jacket and step back out in the rain.      

Secret Location - Cubano Sandwich $17

Secret Location - Sirloin Burger $17

Pristine Secret Location in Gastown