Top Chef Texas Finale Viewing Party at O Lounge, Coast
1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
Rick and I went back to Coast for the Top Chef Texas Finale viewing party held in O Lounge. We sat with buddies, Kevin, Grace and Bennett. I am actually a huge fan of the Top Chef series and usually follow the show religiously. I was too busy this time around to watch every episode, I actually haven’t watched since one of the early episodes when one of the competitors just about cut off his finger but still kept cooking. Too bad he didn’t make it to the finale! The two Finale chefs were Paul and Sarah. About five minutes into the show, I was already rooting for Paul. His dishes seemed so much more appealing and I loved how he married the classic and upscale with the comfort, i.e., his congee, slow scrambled eggs and the uni. I was drooling as the camera panned in for the glamour shot of that dish. And that dessert! Who just whips out some liquid nitrogen as a quick fix? What a pro! I loved that he was able to impress the judges just with the foam on his dessert and puffed rice! I am a sucker for puffed rice. I was thrilled when Paul was crowned Top Chef Texas!
I still haven’t figured out why but the Finale for Top Chef Texas was filmed in both Coast and Black + Blue (still on my eating wish list!). It was wonderful to see Vancouver restaurants get such high profile exposure though! Go Canada!
O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
I confess that I was very distracted by the delicious appetizers being passed around throughout the show. Some of the snacks were the same mini bites served at last week’s Dining out for Life fundraiser. There was also a refreshing, fruity, light white wine being served as the house wine. And they were very speedy on topping up our glasses. Literally, I’d take one sip, put the glass down and two seconds later, the glass was full again. If that’s not good service, I don’t know what is.
House wine, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
A nice, light vegetarian appy was the beets and blue cheese salad bite, sweet, juicy and a little salty from the cheese. It was a little awkward to eat for a klutz like myself but it was still very tasty!
Beets and goat
I also enjoyed the little spoonfuls of tuna with lychee and a little bath of sesame oil. The tuna was silky and smooth.
Ahi tuna crudo, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
I was impressed by the sushi rolls too! The two types was a fresh tasting mango California roll with a soft and sweet slice of mango right on top. The spicy ahi tuna roll lit my tongue on fire right away but everyone else seemed to think it was pretty mild. Thanks, Kevin for letting me highjack your Canon DSLR for the sharp pics!
Mango Califoria roll and Spicy Ahi tuna roll, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
Mango Califoria roll and Spicy Ahi tuna roll, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
Mango Califoria roll and Spicy Ahi tuna roll, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
My favourite appies of the night were the breaded oyster patty sliders. We were almost fighting over them as picnic boards of them kept disappearing quickly around us. Despite being small, these sliders were packed with flavour. The oyster meat patty was tender, flavourful with a slight (but delicious) briny finish and the bread was soft and delicate. We were actually still snacking on these after the Finale was over.
Oyster sliders, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
Sliders, O Lounge inside Coast, 1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver
I would totally go back to O Lounge for these yummy sliders alone!