For the Love of...: ...Vin Room West (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

When we moved to our current neighbourhood out in the suburbs we were a bit concerned it was a culinary wasteland. The closest restaurants included a Tim Hortons and a Ginger Beef Express. However, it seems over the past few years great restaurants in Calgary are venturing out of the usual downtown/17th Ave/Mission areas and setting up shop in the suburbs.

A great example is Vin Room West. We've been to the Mission location several times before and were at first a bit skeptical whether this branch would live up to the original. After dining here we walked away having had one of the most memorable dining experiences in a long time. The food was well prepared and unique while the great wine list had multiple bottles available by the glass.

The menu is based on a tapas concept which allows your to order a number of different dishes to share amongst the table. The kitchen was nice enough to send out some fried green chick peas and house made Kennebec potato chips to snack on while we perused the menu. Both were deliciously salty and crispy and allowed us to take our time selecting the dishes to follow.

Citrus marinated Humboldt squid salad: The squid was super tender and went great with the tart citrus dressing.

Applewood smoked cheddar and pancetta croquettes: The croquettes were perfectly fried and the insides were oozy and delicious

Merguez meatballs: These spicy lamb meatballs were very tender and fragrant.

Pan seared scallops with celery root pureé and fried shoe string potatoes: the scallops were fresh and seared perfectly.

Soy and maple braised pork belly: Served over fried green onions cakes with a green papaya slaw. The dish was reminiscent of a bite sized Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich.

Pan roasted duck breast with quinoa salad and roasted acorn squash: The duck was medium rare and very tender while the acorn squash was roasted to crispy-sweet perfection.

Spiced pumpkin bread pudding with pistachio gelato: Dense and rich, this bread pudding was one of the best we've ever had.