Last week, I was invited by the lovely Gastrofork (@gastrofork on Twitter) to the fall launch menu of Prestons, a restaurant serving cuisine infused with Mediterranean and Asian influence. I was very excited as it was my first media event and it was a chance to meet food bloggers and local media personalities.
These guys really wanted to make an impression. So what do they start with? Red carpet treatment. I missed taking a picture of it because I wanted to chat with Dee (gastrofork) who I haven’t seen in ages. Right after our little chat, I was ready for some food, Prestons style.
First sight: rows and rows of gift bags for everyone, a huge screen with the twitter feed and booze. Tell me you have those 3 things at your next shindig and I won’t need a lot of convincing to go. What better way to start the evening.
Venetian Spritzer - Aperol Herb liqueur and brut. Didn't get a very good quality pic with this one
This one looks better, somewhat
Goodie bags!
Twitter feed
Yes, you read that correctly – Open Bar. Two of my favorite words in the world. Unfortunately it was a Monday evening in Vancouver. If it had been a Monday evening in Vegas, that would be a different story. But I digress.
More Venetian Spritzers
Walking among the crowd, I recognized some bloggers and foodies. In today’s social media world, it’s so weird tweeting to someone or mentioning them in a blog post or whatnot, but not actually formally meeting them yet. Fortunately, I got to schmooze and meet some people whose tweets/blog posts I read often. Now it’s not so weird 🙂
The first dish that tried was the Mini Thai Red Thai Curry
Mini Red Thai Curry
I loved the presentation.
Mini Red Thai Curry
Spicy Coconut Curry, Chicken, Eggplant, Peppers, Steamed Jasmine Rice.
A little tidbit about me: I’m not a big fan of spicy food. In an earlier post, I mentioned that my taste buds are very sensitive to it. Even a mild dose of spice will trigger the “Can I have some sour cream/milk please?” question.
Anyway, I was told this was mildly spicy. A red flag immediately went up in my head. We all have different definitions of what ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘nice’ or ‘mild’ means. I had a feeling it would be too spicy for me but I tried it anyway. The chicken was very moist, and in small bite sized pieces. There were red onions in there too; that and the peppers gave it a nice crunch. I thought it was good, but again this is not something I would order unless I have 2 glasses of milk with me.
While waiting for the next platter to arrive, I explored the venue a little bit more
Peeps enjoying their Spritzers and schmoozing
Very modern design
Bowl decor on the wall
These bowls were attached to the wall. What a way to save money on decor. Wonder if they found these from Daiso and decided to use it. It’s a lot more cost effective than buying 2 or 3 $300 paintings or murals.
Busy but fun evening
As soon as I finished snapping pictures, more food arrived. Next dish: Mini Poutine with Pulled Pork
Comfort food... aww yea
Crispy French Fries, Quebec Cheese Curds, Rickard’s Red Gravy
This item is a must-try. The french fries are cut nice and big, lightly deep-fried so it isn’t very oily at all. The cheese is gooey and it held on to the gravy well. It’s not like an average poutine where the fries are swimming in gravy and just tossed in cheese. There is just enough gravy, which is really nice as it’s not very pleasant eating poutine that is swimming in gravy. What really separates this poutine from the average pountine? The pulled pork. Small chunks of yummy goodness; I had two servings of this as it was quite delish.
A serving station was placed in the second section of the house, together with a wine table and a beer table (GIB to be exact)
Ribs!
Sweet Hoisin and Ginger Glazed Pork Ribs
I love the combination of ginger, garlic and honey. Very Asian and very good. Drizzled on moist pork ribs? What’s not to like? I’ll tell you what’s not to like.. this small portion! I kid 🙂 Honey garlic ribs are certainly messy, but what a better way to help you eat through this mess than these
I thought these were mints when I saw them the first time
I'm so fascinated by this lol
They’re really just compressed towelettes, with the air sucked out of them. It’s like hydrating beans or sun-dried tomatoes.
Gyoza station
Seared Shrimp, Vegetable Dumpling, Miso Vinaigrette
I wasn’t a big fan of these Gyozas; there was nothing special about them at all. The seared shrimp was cooked nicely and the gyoza was a nice portion, but even the miso vinaigrette did nothing to make this dish stand out. I feel as though I could get this at any Chinese restaurant in Vancouver.
Right after ribs and gyozas, I spotted sliders (which turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening)
Every time I look at this, I can almost taste it again.. So good
Stewed Red Peppers, Basil Pesto, Feta Cheese
These Eggplant Parmesan Sliders were definitely my favorite that evening. The combination of the crunchy breaded eggplant and the stewed red peppers makes this a solid A. The soft red peppers with the basil pesto gave it an interesting flavor; almost creamy and filling, and very tasty. Combined with the sturdiness of the bun, this was an excellent dish for me.
After some bites and nibbles here and there, I saw a friend of mine who I haven’t seen in ages. I told her about the things I tried and after that we decided it was time for a drink. We headed to the bar and ordered the French Martini
French Martini
Vodka, Chambord, Pineapple Juice
The sweetness of the Pineapple Juice combined with the sting of Vodka (yup, I said sting of vodka) makes for an interesting cocktail. It’s a very girly drink, but hey, I’m here to try everything and it’s all free so I’m not complaining. I actually liked this drink because it’s almost like a dessert cocktail. If you want something sweet after your meal but don’t want to eat anything, have this.
Speaking of desserts, the lone dessert item on the menu arrived in front of us as we were ordering drinks
Had 3 servings of this!
Sweet, light and silky, this Mini Matcha Creme Brulee is not rich at all (which I quite enjoyed). I couldn’t really taste the matcha, but I do find it interesting that they used green tea with this. I also like the torched sugar on top. A nice crisp to a smooth interior. Delicious.
As I thought I was done for the evening, another round of food passed by us. This round had sliders again, so I told the server I already had sliders earlier (not realizing they were serving two types that evening). This one is the Braised BBQ Pork Sliders
Pork Sliders and Ribs
Slow Cooked Pork, Homemade BBQ Sauce, Gorgonzola Coleslaw
Another hit with this dish! The coleslaw is nice and creamy, and it isn’t heavy at all. The pork was tender, and the BBQ sauce had a very home-y taste to it. All the elements worked well together and I was happy to have more, if not for my appetite that was about to burst.
Just when I thought I tried everything, I missed another one. Tomato & Bocconcini Crostini
So full, but tried one last dish
Artichoke and Basil Pesto Puree, Grape Tomatoes, Marinated Mozarella
Unlike several of the dishes tonight, this one was a miss for me. I found the crostini a little soggy, which I don’t quite understand why (possibly from the puree?). The combination of all the elements didn’t do much for the texture, and I wasn’t a fan of the presentation as well.
Overall, I thought the entire night was a success. The samples were really tasty (with the exception of a few), the atmosphere was inviting and the crowd was enthusiastic. The servers were very patient and knew all their stuff. I would definitely come back as I only got a taste of their appetizer menu.
I’d like to say thanks to @gastrofork once again for inviting me! I had so much fun.
Goofing off at the photobooth!
The inside of my gift bag
Tags: Asian, media tasting event, Mediterranean, Vancouver, West Coast
Sweet to savory and everything in between 