As you know, Vancouver has a few days of rain a year... In fact, an average of 169 per year! So when you feel a little blue sometimes, especially during the months of October - April, I don't blame you! So even though we boast that we can play a round of golf 365 days a year, there are many of us who are fairweather golfers. Not to fear, we now have a new place where we can play on a golf simulator while enjoying beverages and food, even before we hit holes 9 and 18. Located in the former location of Big Ridge Brewing in Surrey, we find Par4 Kitchen & Bar. We checked out both the simulator and food one night.
We didn't end there with the handhelds as we also went for the Korean Fried Chicken Burger. By virtue of using a chicken thigh, the meat remained moist and juicy. The batter was a bit thick, yet worked in this case offering up a firmly crunchy coating. They were conservative with the gochujang, hence it wasn't dripping with sauce. As a result it wasn't super spicy either. The crunchy slaw worked in this burger but I would've liked to see some kimchi instead.
We tried the one pasta option on the menu in the Basil Pesto Fettuccine. We added a grilled chicken breast for $7.00 extra. Although a bit saucy, the pasta was quite good. It was creamy and rich with the definite taste of basil. The addition of mushrooms and truffle oil did provide the usual earthiness. Glad they didn't overdo it with the truffle oil. The pasta was a little past al dente, but that might've been due to our picture-taking. Chicken was charred and smoky.
Although looking more like a pork chop, I can assure you that the picture is of the Big Easy 8oz Ribeye. We chose it to be prepared blackened with Cajun butter. This was perfectly medium-rare being super tender and juicy. The outside was smoky and charred while the Cajun butter was nicely spiced. The accompanying mashed potatoes were starchy and potatoey. Also, charred, the broccolini was still vibrant and crunchy. Although a delicious dish, it was a bit pricey at $52.00.
For dessert, we tried 3 of them including the Carrot Cake and the New York Cheesecake. Although fairly moist, the carrot cake was still a bit crumbly. It was super sweet, especially with the cream cheese frosting on top. As for the cheesecake, it was pretty dense, but typical for New York Style. It was plenty cheesy and somewhat aromatic. I found it to be purposefully sweet, so it was fine. Both of these desserts were okay, but the next one was my favourite.
*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*
The Good:
- Golf simulator and other games are a great way to pass the time with friends
- Food is decent
- Nice dining space
The Bad:
- Some items seemed to be too expensive?
- Desserts are pretty sweet, but if you like that, then ignore this comment
When it comes to late night eats, we often go to the default options such as Asian joints, pubs and fast food restaurants. Sure, there are a few unique places, but there is no escaping the regular on a consistent basis. After a few weeks of exploration, we always end up with a bowl of congee. However, Lionel Hutz had a novel idea for something after our Friday night hockey game - One Under. In addition to some eats, we could play mini-games and whole golf courses on a simulator (charged by the hour). Awesome, we could look just as pathetic with a simulator as we are on a real golf course. Yes, that is me in the picture. Please be gentle and do not criticize my stance.
From golf to eats, we were presented with the Charcuterie Plate first. There were 4 options for both meats and cheeses on the menu. Our choices consisted of Taleggio and Grana Padano, 18-month San Danielle prosciutto and bresaola. Also on the board were warm marinated olives, gherkins, grainy mustard, confit garlic and flat bread. Not much to comment other than this was a pleasant dish to share. Next up were the baked Rosemary Parmesan Bread Twists basted in garlic thyme confit oil with fresh rosemary and grated Parmesan cheese. Being served right from the oven, these were warm, soft and well-seasoned. We liked the char on the outside as it added both texture and nuttiness.
Simple and focused, the menu offers up mainly pizzas in addition to some basic appies. Therefore, we got 3 pizzas starting with the Roasted Mushroom + Kale with confit garlic, taleggio and parmesan. Being a pizza bianca, it was almost like a thin flat bread with a smattering of toppings as there was no sauce. Hence, it ate a bit dry especially with the dry ingredients. I do like kale personally, so it was quite nice to have some crispy bits on top. With mild hits of fresh basil and a mild San Marzano tomato sauce, the Magherita was okay with a thin and crispy crust. There wasn't a whole lot of leoparding which meant there was a lack of smokiness.
The best pizza of the bunch was the Spicy Sausage + Soppressata with tomato, provolone, arugula and fresh oregano. It was spicy as described. Furthermore, the addition of more substantial ingredients made the pizza more hearty and flavourful. Although these pizzas wouldn't strike fear into the top Neapolitan-style joints in town, they were respectable and held their own. Not bad for eats to go with a game of virtual golf and some beverages.
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