Horizons on Burnaby Mountain

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The horizon will not disappear as you run towards it. ~ Bantu Proverb Last night Suanne and I had a timeout from the boys and we went to a fine dining restaurant called Horizons on Burnaby Mountain. The restaurant is nestled in the beautiful Burnaby Mountain Park and overlooks the bright city lights of Vancouver below.

We had a reservation for 5pm. At this time of the year, it's just in time to see the sunset and the bright and yellow city lights turn on. While waiting for the restaurant to open we had a quick walk around the park in the crisp chilly weather ... the city looks so beautiful from here. This place is also referred to as The Playground of the Gods because of the many Japanese wooden sculptures on the park. We were seated by the windows and had a panoramic and spectacular view of the city and the Burrard Inlet. Already we knew this would be an enjoyable night. We see people starting to come in for dinner -- many dressed in their finest. Suanne too was stunning -- with her new leather jacket and all!

The menu is largely inspire by West Coast cuisine with grilled steaks and seafood over open flame. The setting is elegant with a warm ambiance. It's really a great and romantic place. We opted for a 3-course selection. I know it's supposed to be an elegant setting but I brought along my camera ... he he he, I must have attracted a lot of attention when my flash fired throughout the night. Note: Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

The night started off with the usual basket of warm bread and butter. It was OK, not too much of a flavour that we expect ... you know, we expect garlic-flavoured bread or so but it is just plain bread.

For appetizer, I opted for the Gulf Island Mussels. It is cooked with white wine, bacon and cream. The serving comes with seven large mussels. I like it very much. They were fresh and succulent. A very good start.

Suanne had the Roasted Tomato Soup for appetizers. The soup was prepared with fennel and garlic. It's not thick and rich -- just right. It was just warm for the cold winter weather. Truly an appetizer to start off the main course.

I chose the Grilled Beef Tenderloin for the main course and had a skewer of grilled prawns for sides. What makes this distinctive from the normal steak is that it is topped with blue cheese butter and served in red wine. I like my steak rare and it was prepared just exactly the way I like. I noticed that the plate was very hot -- I guess it's to keep the steak warm longer. The blue cheese butter makes this a 5 out of 5.

Suanne had the Herb Roasted Game Hen for her main course. It is served with Fondantes potatoes and served in apple sage jus. It was not bad except that it would be better if it comes with more juice -- it is a tad too dry for Suanne's liking. Well, it's also a bit clumsy because of the chicken is served whole, bones and all. The chicken is tender ... a 4 out of 5.

Suanne's desert was the Chocolate Mousse Cappucino. We like the way it was served with a sugar tuile made to look like fire out of the cup. This was excellent with three layers of distinct flavour -- the bottom was a layer of chocolate, the middle is the cappucino mousse and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Yum-yum!

I had the Warm Apple Brioche Pudding. The best part of this is the butterscotch rum sauce it was served on. I really like this a lot. A definite 5 of 5. Just the right touch of sweetness and a great dessert to end the night.

We both ordered a cup of coffee as we sat there chatted and looked over the now bright city lights. We felt that life is good.

As we walked back to the car, we stopped briefly in the light rain and looked at the bright lights. I took the last picture ... it did not turn out quite right, I wish I had my tripod with me. We will do this again -- it was a great way to end a hectic week.