Lunch date: Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar

• Located inside the Waterfront station: easy access
• Casual but hip place to have lunch with co-workers if you want to avoid chain restaurants
• Great décor. Awesome for parties – features an upstairs semi-private area that can seat 30+ people
• Separated into lounge and dinner area

I work in North Vancouver, so it’s not often that I can meet up with friends for lunch. Last night, however, AG asked if I wanted to try the new restaurant at the Waterfront station that he has passed by a few times. So, I decided to take the Seabus and an extra long lunch break (1.5 hours, heehee) just to pay this restaurant a visit.

Previously the lavish TransContinental, the Rouge’s name now represents a dramatic transformation of the restaurant with a unique menu. “What is a wet bar,” you ask? According to Wikipedia, a wet bar differs from a regular one in that it includes a sink, which allows for greater efficiency, I suppose. There is an extensive wet bar menu at the restaurant, but I didn’t get a chance to explore it – I had to be sober for work, after all.

One thing to note about the restaurant: it features an open upstairs area, which is great for parties. I think it can cater to more than 30 people easily, so this would be a great place that I would look into for big group gatherings.

We were seated in the restaurant portion of Rogue. Our table was quite small, and the chairs were rather high. This gave us limited room for our food and drinks, which made for a somewhat awkward dining experience. The restaurant is busy and music does play in the background, but the noise level is nevertheless perfect for engaging conversations.

Fries X3  $7.99

We started with an appetizer called Fries X3. This dish gave you fries done in three styles: bacon, plain with onion and poutine.

1. Bacon: strong flavor from bacon and cheese topping
   
2. Truffle Oil and Garlic: bland
   
3. Poutine: both bland and salty; really depends on which side you ate from

Overall, this is a good dish to share, but I would definitely try something else on their menu next time for an appetizer.

Chicken Cappelini  $14.99

Sticky and Sweet Chicken  $14.99

I chose the Chicken Cappelini and AG tried the Sticky and Sweet Chicken. Originally, I expected AG’s dish to be somewhat similar to the Chinese sweet and sour sauce, but the taste turned out quite unique and definitely varied from the traditional Chinese standard. My Chicken Cappelini tasted good, but it certainly wasn’t breathtaking. An hour or two later, I’ve already forgotten the taste.

Our bill came to $42 not including gratuity. It is slightly on the more expensive side, but nevertheless, the ambience of this restaurant, along with its convenient location, would definitely be worth trying. Unfortunately, the service was somewhat lacklustre. It was somewhat difficult to identify servers, as they are typically dressed like normal pedestrians. Although the majority of them were relatively nice, they tended to be somewhat inattentive: they did not offer any ketchup for our Fries x 3 nor give any water refills. Perhaps this is a result of the restaurant’s business, but it is nonetheless an issue.

Rogue is a great place for a lunch date. They use quality ingredients for their food and the ambiance is modern and chic. Their wide selection of alcoholic beverages should keep the casual drinker satisfied. As long as you can overlook its mediocre service, it's a good place to take your date. On second thought, maybe not your first date.

Have fun ♥♥♥

Posted in: Bar, Casual, Conversations, Food, Waterfront