I’m not going to lie to you…I had NO idea what Robbie Burns day was prior to this past Saturday night.
Situation #1
If you, like me, suffer from a passion for information, some of which may not necessarily fall into the ‘useful’ category, then the following is for you. More importantly, understanding why people last Saturday night were sauntering around making statements like “If it ain’t scottish, it’s crap!” and “Piper down!”, then you may appreciate this: Robbie Burns was Scotland’s most famous poet who died long before anyone you or I have ever know was born. What I found cool is that he was the young lad who pumped out Auld Lang Syne (the song people sing at New Years). Who knew? Not me.
Situation #2
If you don’t fall into the above category (i.e., have already eaten haggis, understoond why you were doing it, and had a grasp as to who this guy was), don’t read Situation #1. If you already have, then there’s not much I can do about that.
All of that to say this - a few friends and I spent Robbie Burns’ day at The Cascade Room here on Main Street here in Vancouver. And let me tell you something, if you crossed the Dresden lounge from Swingers (minus the husband and wife organ/drum combo) with the Vancouver scene (read: hip, dimly lit, Morcheeba-esque), out pops The Cascade Room.
You want to know what else pops out of The Cascade Room? Service…and lots of it. Not only was it packed…and I mean Wayne Newton Vegas kinda packed…it was lining up. This, to a first timer, can be daunting and could, turn you away. Not so.
Having only opened it’s doors in the fall of ‘07, The Cascade Room has a lot of life in it. What made the experience unique for our group was that the hostess went above and beyond to find us a table (knowing it was our first time) and once we had it, our server ensured we were sorted out from a drinks, food, and entertainment perspective. She even went so far as to suggest places in the area are up and coming. I like that kind of on-the-ground intel…it’s good business, I think.
As far as the menu goes, the food is high-end lounge food…and it’s good. I thought the whole place gave off a great vibe (except for the couple who happened to be sitting beside us and listening in on our conversation…and…like any annoying person out there…decides to interject their views). Anyway, what are you going to do…you can’t control people’s behaviour…it just wasn’t classy (nothing to do with The Cascade Room at all…just bad luck in sitting next to these two).
The take away from this is an important one in my survey of the lay-of-the-land known as Vancouver nightlife: as more and more of us Vancouver folk start migrating south out of Yaletown, Kits, and the surrounding area searching for places to hang out at, The Cascade Room is definitely one not to pass up.
Keep calm, and carry on.
darren
Don’t be surprised you didn’t know about Robbie Burns day. I brought it up at Wednesday’s Hadj workout and no one except Jamie (who happens to be ancestrally Scottish) knew about it. Maybe I have been hanging around too many Scots (my cousin lives in Scotland) or that I actually like the taste of haggis, but I just thought it was common knowledge for another reason to party, like St. Patty’s day, or Oktoberfest.
Hi Darren,
Great to hear feedback such as this. Thanks so much for your posting of your experience. I really have to give a lot of credit to our staff who do such a fabulous job for us, particularly Sarah, our hostess who is so sweet and patient at the door. I will certainly pass this along to them as well.
Thanks again and hopefully we’ll meet next time you are in!
Wendy Nicolay
Media Inquiries
The Cascade Room
I have also had only great experiences at The Cascade Room. Last weekend it was packed, so my friends and I went next door to Habit to have some drinks and appies. Just as we were finishing our drinks, the hostess came to Habit to let us know our table was ready. Now that is service! They are also great at recommending drinks from their extensive bar menu. I will be back again and again. By the way, everyone must try the beets, they are amazing!
I have to say I used to agree with the above reviews. Now I couldn’t disagree more. The service has dropped off so dramatically it’s unbelieveable. It’s almost like management has stopped paying attention. After our last experience a couple weeks ago there is no way me or anyone I know will go back again. It was the last straw. Being somewhat regulars for the last couple years I can say with total authority that the service and quality has been dropping consistently. The wait staff seems to be more involved with interpersonal issues and checking emails on their phones to give service like we used to get. I love the place and think Nigel and Wendy are excellent, maybe they lost their enthusiasm or who knows. It’s a real tragedy to see an incredible place ruined by poor staff.
I’m sure they like the people they work with but looking at reviews online it’s easy to see the consistent decline in positive feedback. There is no chance of us coming back again unless the place gets an attitude overhaul.