Here's the lowdown on the place: The best price option at dinner by far is the fixed-price 3-course "pre-theater" menu. They won't tell you about it, so you gotta know and ask for a special menu.... More

Here's the lowdown on the place: The best price option at dinner by far is the fixed-price 3-course "pre-theater" menu. They won't tell you about it, so you gotta know and ask for a special menu. It's $28 for appetizer, entree, and dessert, and you get 3-4 choices for each. "Here's what we eat before we eat" - when you sit donw, they bring out 4 sauces and Indian flatbread. Sauces varied from visit to visit, you might find one you like, I didn't - the bread, on the other hand, was excellent. Appetizer-wise, asparagus salad with miso sauce left me dreaming to come back. I did come back, too, only to find out that the lunch version of this salad costs $13 and isn't big enough to feed a cat! But dinner version is great, and sizeable. White fish, for an entree, was not impressive. Period. But for all entrees they also bring out their "potatoes 3-way" - yams with whipped cream, small boiled potatoes with horseradish sauce, and buttery potatoes Au Gratin. My husband and I nearly fought over the latter :) Desserts really impressed me: the deconstructed chocolate truffle had a sky-high caramel peak, and the 4 frozen sorbets were so flavourful, I couldn't believe it! Interestingly, all drinks on the menu cost $3: coffee, iced tea, orange juice... I asked for the reasoning. Turns out, coffee is gourmet, iced tea is hibiscus (really red) with a real-life sugar cane sticking out of it (quite a sight), and juice is fresh-squeezed. The kitchen also seems to have a variety of plates instead of the typical white set, so your dish will come on something of a surprizing color and shape. I find it entertaining. With the check, you get some orange-flavoured "thin crust". Great dessert in itself, I think. So, if you're not too hungry, don't order anything but entree there: the bread with sauces and the crust will complement the dinner nicely by themselves. One thing that never impressed me was the wait staff, but then again - it's not the most expensive place in town, so here is one example of when you get what you pay for.
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The Fairmont Hotel has unveiled its version of the "hip hotel" dining experience with Aria and Aria Bar. A separate entrance lets non-guests forget that they are actually dining in a hotel. The... More

The Fairmont Hotel has unveiled its version of the "hip hotel" dining experience with Aria and Aria Bar. A separate entrance lets non-guests forget that they are actually dining in a hotel. The globally influenced restaurant has an Asian feel, with granite and black colors offset with depictions of Tibetan deities, exotic orchids and plush furnishings. A floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet (complete with librarian ladder), an open kitchen with a tandoor oven and spit, a dramatic chef's table, and a glass-enclosed private dining room provide plenty of distractions for diners. The seasonal dinner menu offers more than 15 appetizers, including foie gras, mushroom ragout and sauteed sweetbreads. Hong Kong barbecue duck and lobster chow mein, spit-roasted rack and leg of lamb, and swordfish osso buco style are a few of the entree selections. Bone-in, char-grilled steaks, including a rib-eye and New York strip are among the house specialties. Lunch options include such entrees as Malaysian clay pot chicken, tandoori salmon salad and garlic and chili prawn pad Thai. Breakfast features interesting takes on crepes, hash and omelets, as well as the standard breakfast fare.
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