VANCOUVER: Diva At the Met (Metropolitan Hotel)

Diva At the Met (Metropolitan Hotel):

Would never have thought of coming this restaurant if not for Dine Out Vancouver. Ever since the first time going to this restaurant, basically, there wasn't a year that I attended this event leaving this restaurant out. Their $35 courses are always worth it, the service always spectacular and the food always fresh and never a disappointment.

Appetizer: Spiced Butternut Squash Velout and confit pork belly, golden raisins & toasted almonds --- Butternut squash is always delicious, the soup was extremely creamy, the confit pork tasted just like bacon bits, however the almonds

Fraser Valley Duck Terrine pickled vegetable salad black pepper gastrique --- The presentation (seen above) was very nicely put together, the salad on the side was blah, the sauce was good but the greens were just blah. The duck terrine was flavorful but a bit on the heavy side, would be nice if it came with bread or crackers.

Leek and Potato Soup with Nutmeg Mousse --- Leek was a bit on the strong side, nonetheless, it went nicely with the nutmeg, mellowing it down just a tad and same with their other soups, creamy!

Entree: Moroccan Spiced, Seared Rare, Ahi Tuna creamy orzo provencal, olive tapenade carrot emulsion --- The Ahi Tuna was seared perfectly, crust was just done and the inside was warm. The carrot emulsion is not a common sauce for Ahi Tuna however it did go very nice with the entree.

Aromatic Braised and Glazed Veal Cheek warm, creamy onion tart thyme-scented jus --- The creamy onion tart thyme was excellent, sauces were great and the veal cheek was not as tender as expected. The greens on the side were a bit on the bland/boring side, plain boiled peas, a little bit of a disappointment. Presentation on the onion tart could be improved, taste was good.

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Aromatic Braised Short Ribs with sherry vinegar lentils, thyme jus --- Extremely full of flavour and so tender that it could be pulled apart without a knife. *thumbs up*

Wild Forest Mushroom Risotto with parmesan flakes and truffle oil --- The first word that came out of my mouth were "Wow!" A vegetarian dish like this, with flavours so heavily infused, the risotto were cooked just so precisely, tricking your mind into thinking that the whole kitchen just opened up for you. Intense flavour with so much heart put into perfecting this simple yet sumptuous dish.

Dessert: Upside Down Chocolate Souffle topped with Housemade pistachio ice cream --- We were already exorbitantly full by the time we got to this point in the evening and swore to only have bite of the dessert. Boy were we ever wrong. This lava cake was the best I've had, and NO, I'm not a bit exaggerating. I'm not the only one who felt that way about this cake. My company is not a big fan of desserts yet he we were fighting over the last bite of dessert.

Stilton Cheesecake rhubarb compote, port wine glaze --- The port wine glaze was excellent. Cheesecake was not "cheesy" enough.