Last night I went to Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar (1079 Mainland Street) for their Taste of Yaletown menu. This restaurant is owned by the Glowbal Restaurant Group which also manages Sanafir and Italian Kitchen.
As usual, I chose the outdoor patio seating, knowing that their heat lamps would keep diners toasty warm even in the coldest of nights. Maybe a little bit too warm – but the servers were quick to fulfill my request to turn down the heat! Glowbal has always been a restaurant I somehow “end up at” in Yaletown. I think it’s because of it’s uber-convenient location – smack in the middle of Yaletown, and the popular patio seating leads to a short wait time.
Between an appetizer of “seared autumn sea scallops” or a baby spinach salad, I had the latter option with a drizzle of vinaigrette, roasted tomatoes and candied pecans. (Although my friend’s choice of 6 mini scallops on skewers was an equally fulfilling choice.) For the main course, we both had the “rosemary crusted Australian lamb chops” (I don’t eat fish) with numerous references to the musical children’s TV show “Lamb Chops Play-Along (“This is the song that never ends…”) in our personal conversation.
By the time our food was served, the sun had already set and we were literally eating by candlelight with a soft neon green glow from the Glowbal sign and faraway street lamps as the only other sources of light. I couldn’t really see my food which was slightly disgruntling because I like to know exactly what I am eating. (This is part of the reason why I don’t have any photos from the night. *Note to self: take food photos before it gets dark!) The lamb was tender and juicy but the vegetables were quite salty which took away from the tastefulness of the lamb. If my sense of taste does not deceive me (since I have already lost my sight in the darkness), I believe there were small squares of red peppers, yam and baby potatoes, beans, carrots and a big, soft onion which was kind of fun to cut up and eat with the lamb and vegetables.
As for our dessert, the chocolate espresso tort looked so delicious that the diners at the table next to us leaned over and asked what we were eating. (Yes, our tables were that close together!) A chocolate-filled tart which looked like it came fresh from the display window of a bakery and would satisfy any sweet tooth with a thin layer of raspberry syrup lining the plate. It was super filling though, so be sure to leave room for dessert – even if it means eating less of your main course.
Overall, Glowbal is quite a social restaurant to go to, especially with their backroom lounge Afterglow for drinks after dinner. Its ideal location makes it a hotspot in Yaletown. Their unhurried service makes Glowbal a great place to chat over dinner. If you haven’t had a chance to experience Taste of Yaletown yet, the fixed-price, three course menus run until October 26th so you still have time! For more details, including restaurant listings and menus, click here for the official website. Otherwise, if you are checking out Glowbal not for their Taste of Yaletown menu, then I would definitely recommend their satay sampler for a comprehensive selection of what this restaurant has to offer.
3 Responses
Nice review. I’m interested in trying Glowbal/After-Glow.
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!