Season in the Park

On the day of the parking-lot stabbing at the restaurant (but several hours prior to it), Hubbs & I, and our friends N & J, went to Seasons in the Park for dinner. Our friends are planning to have their wedding reception here, I think, so we were there to scope out the joint.

It's a gorgeous restaurant with awesome views of the city from its raised elevation; we sat by the window so we saw some great city skylines as the sun set. The restaurant is also quite unique in that it's circular in shape, with a circular platform in the middle of the restaurant. In the very middle of the place there is a gorgeous large chandelier that dangles into the oddly-shaped tree that is growing up from the center of the circle.

We had a super friendly server who came by promptly to take drink orders. Hubbs & I shared the cornmeal-crusted Fanny Bay oysters, while N & J had the carrot & ginger soup and caesar salad, respectively. The oysters were delicious and just lightly fried; I could have used a crispier crust, but that's just because I like things fried to a crisp. The oysters were delicious and fresh and were accompanied by a pea shoot & fennel salad that we didn't finish.

For the main event, Hubbs had a colossal prawn duo and I had the duck two ways. Hubbs' prawns really were large; they looked bigger than some lobster tails I've had. Though not as sweet as the BC spotted prawns, his two prawns were still quite crispy in texture and had a mildly sweet aftertaste. My duck leg confit was a little fatty (yum!) and its skin was very crispy, though perhaps the leg lacked a bit of its own flavouring. It ended up absorbing the hoisin and 5-spice flavours of the sauce. The duck breast was tender and had just the perfect amount of skin on it to be rich, but not overly artery-clogging. I really enjoyed my dish, and it was exactly what I needed to curb my duck craving. I also really liked the shittake mushroom rosti that accompanied my entree. Overall, I really can't complain since the entree was a reasonable $28 and it was very very good.

Though I was pretty full by the end of my meal, I opted for a dessert anyway, and ordered their daily cheesecake (almond). It was a generously-sized round piece of cake, and I appreciated that the texture of the cheese was smooth and not too sweet. The almond flavour was also prominently featured, which I liked. Hubbs' creme brulee was good and also very largely portioned, but like a trooper he ate it all ;)

Our server was really friendly and helpful, and quite prompt with her service. No complaints in that department.

Overall, I'd say that Seasons in the Park is one of those nicer, dress-up restaurants that you really should check out on a sunny evening. It's a fantastic date-night sort of place, and romantic during the sunset hour. Prices are not super steep, though not inexpensive either; it's definitely a save-up-to-go sort of place where you really don't want to cheap out when you're actually there. Given its location in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Park, it's also a good place to go for a lovely stroll either pre-or post-dinner. We'll definitely be back, and not just for N & J's wedding ;)

Service: 4.5 out of 5

Food: 4.5 out of 5