Glowbal

Although I've had some takeout and even a semi-dining out experience at McArthur Glen, Viv and I haven't really gone to a restaurant for the true dine-in experience since mid-March.  We finally took the plunge at Glowbal due to a variety of factors.  First off, we had purchased the gift card bonus back in April and needed to use it.  Secondly, the outdoor dining at the front of the restaurant appeared to be a really safe place during these Covid times.  That it was with plexiglass dividers (even for the already separated booths) and all of the other usual Covid protocols.  We even noticed that the manager doubled checked each table after it was cleaned by staff.  We felt assured.

Onto the food, we started with their feature of the day which was the Dungeness Crab Cakes coated with a quinoa crust accompanied by arugula and fennel salad, pineapple salsa and lemon tarragon aioli.  These were full of crab and very little filler.  The outside was firmly crispy due to the use of 2 different types of quinoa.  Very subtle flavours in the crab cake itself where the salsa helped with the acidity and sweetness.  With that being said, a bit more acidity would've amped the flavours even more so.

Instead of ordering only one pasta (as another appie), we decided to go big with the Pasta Platter to Share consisting of Glowbal’s Spaghetti & signature meatballs, short rib pappardelle, rigatoni pomodoro and
tiger prawn pappardelle.  To say this was a whole lot of food would be an understatement.  One of the best values in town in my opinion at $45.00.  Moreover, we found it to be pretty solid too with moist and meatballs with truffled spaghetti.  Big slices of tender short rib nestled within the al dente pappardelle and flavourful braising jus.  Our favourite was the spicy and tangy rigatoni.  Creamy and rich, the prawn pappardelle was topped with fried capers and tangy roasted tomatoes which cut through the heaviness.  Best of all, the prawns were gigantic and perfectly textured.

Of course we didn't end our meal there (as evidenced in the background) as we also had the Pan-Roasted Halibut with lemon, capers, homemade gnocchi and brown butter foam.  Unfortunately, all the components of the dish were excellent except for the halibut itself.  Despite the beautiful sear on the outside, the fish itself was dry and overdone.  Too bad because the veggies were expertly prepared being vibrant while coated with a nutty brown butter.  The gnocchi were on the firmer side, yet at the same time had a good mouth-feel.

Now I've had the burgers at Glowbal before, so I was pretty sure we would enjoy the Ultimate Burger with a 9 oz beef patty, braised shortrib, mushrooms, double smoked bacon, fried mac n’ cheese, onion rings, truffle aioli, beefsteak tomato, lettuce, dill pickle, fries and side caesar salad.  This monstrosity was a bit hard to eat, but it was all worth it.  The large patty was meaty and moist while the brioche bun held it together (despite getting a bit soft on the bottom).  Individual components were good where the short rib was tender, bacon was thick and rendered.  Crispy onion ring and loved the cubes of fried mac n' cheese on top.  Another solid deal at $22.00.

We saved a little room for dessert and had the classic Zeppole al Cioccolato with hazelnuts, vanilla crème anglaise and amaretti biscuit.  I've had these Italian-style donuts on many occasions and these were good as usual.  A bit crispy on the outside and plenty fluffy on the inside, the semi-sweet molten chocolate centre was a nice contrast to the sweet
crème anglaise.  Very addictive and hard to eat just one.  However, that is what we did as there was another dessert!

The featured dessert of the night was the Lavender Pot de Crème with fresh berries and sugar tuile.  Wow this was really rich and creamy.  Viv thought it was bit too thick, but for me, it was prefect.  Otherwise, if it was light, it would resemble a pannacotta.  This was not that and the spoon would've easily stayed put if I stuck it down the centre.  It was aromatic and floral while only purposefully sweet.  The fresh berries were a simple and nice compliment adding more sweetness and tang.   In the end, we tried to pull a "Mijune" but was ultimately unsuccessful.  Where is she when you need her to finish the food???  Anyways, the meal at Glowbal was good and pricing was fair with all things considered.  Best of all, the Covid protocol was solid and we felt safe dining there.

The Good:

- They take the Covid protocols seriously

- Good value with all things considered

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Halibut was overcooked