Is it just me, or has Vancouver had a ridiculous number of restaurant openings in the past six months? Since April I’ve had a list the length of my arm of all the places I want to try and I’ve barely made a dent. The exciting part for me, of course, is that most of these new establishments have gone out of their way to develop a strong cocktail program alongside their wine and beer selections. And when that program is being headed up by a fellow Windsor ex-pat, it quickly climbs to the top of my priority list.
Such is the case at Royal Dinette. Bar Manager Wendy McGuinness (previously of Chambar) has taken the reins and developed a masterfully crafted cocktail menu. The terms “farm-to-table” and “seasonal” have become common-place in Vancouver and the words hold little meaning when flavour and technique are sacrificed in favor of trendy buzzwords. McGuinness, however, has found a beautiful balance between fresh, local, seasonal ingredients and an expertly executed cocktail menu without sacrificing an ounce of flavour. I’d expect nothing less from a David Gunawan establishment; the man has set the bar high for what it means to serve local, seasonal ingredients with his two previous restaurants- Farmer’s Apprentice and Grapes and Soda.
Today there are no interviews, no witty banter, no questions to be answered. With Beautiful Spaces, I prefer to let the images speak for themselves- a task easily accomplished in a room as aesthetically appealing as Royal Dinette’s.
