I was invited by my friend Areta of Foodgressing for a spectacular dinner experience over 100 feet off the ground. Although the Dinner in the Sky program was only introduced in Canada last year, it has been around since 2006 and operates in more than 40 countries worldwide.
The summer dinner event is now running in North Vancouver until July 29, and in West Vancouver from August 3 to September 4. The dinner table in the sky accommodates 22 guests and is available for brunch, lunch, Happy Hour or dinner prepared by “Sky Chefs”. This is an exceptional dining experience surrounded by breathtaking views of the ocean, the mountains and the beautiful skyline of Vancouver.
We are welcomed inside a luxury tent with a full bar for the needs of beers, wines or cocktails. I was happy to see the local names from BC such as North Shore Pale Ale ($7.50), Nk’Mip Dreamcatcher ($12) (one of my favourite white wine blends from Osoyoos), and Stellar Jay’s Rose Brut ($15) on the menu.
For the cocktail, I tried the See to Sky ($14), mixed with Renovo Gin, elderflower and lemon, and topped with sparkling wine and a lemon twist – frizzy, refreshing and flavourful.
And I was fortunate to run into executive chef Ned Bell of Oceanwise who designed the dinner menu. Bell is the author of The LURE cookbook author, the 2017 Global Seafood Champion and the founder of Chefs for Oceans. He hosts some of the VIP events in the sky as well.
I was very excited as we were about to take off and rise above ground. The kitchen and serving station is in the middle, surrounded by all 22 guests. There was a staff of 5 including one host, 2 servers and 2 chefs.
The feeling was incredible once we were taking off the ground. Each seat is designed to strap you in safely and also make you feel very comfortable. There were other safety measures in place such as the safety cable that’s strapped on my back. I guess after many years of improvement, the design has been fine-tuned to provide absolute safety with minimum discomfort.
It was a perfect day and we were under the blue sky with no clouds. Everyone didn’t seem to get enough of the views of the ocean, the mountains and the city skyline.
Time for a glass of Stellar Jay Rose Sparkling and enjoy the company around me! There were 2 birthday parties onboard and they were glad to have chosen this unique experience for the special occasion.
The dinner was under one hour and it was served at a quick pace. But surprisingly I never felt rushed. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, and the interaction with them was one of the best features for the experience. I had put together a video and posted on YouTube and IGTV.
Here was what was I had for food.
The first course was the Tomato Salad with buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomato and basil consommé, sugar beets, and garden lettuces. Light and refreshing as I particularly enjoyed theconsommé.
The second course was the Seared Albacore Tuna, served on picked cucumber.
For the main course, guests get to pick from beef, salmon or vegan.
The Wild BC salmon (Oceanwise) was served Chilliwack corn, fennel & lemon emulsion, charred green onions, sunflower seeds and sprouts. Like many people who enjoy Japanese style cooking, I like to enjoy fresh salmon undercooked and very moist. However, I really liked how meaty and succulent the fully cooked salmon here.
The Organic Beretta Farms Beef Strip Loin with summer vegetables, cracked wheat, caramelized onion puree, and jus natural. To serve beef in the sky, the beef was precooked, which I assume, with sou vide and searing. The colour on the beef looks perfect but the texture was slightly tough for my liking.
For the dessert course to end the meal, we had the BC Blueberry Parfait with broken pavlova, citrus cream, and lime curd.
Final Thoughts
The food is solid but you come here for more than just food. It’s the whole experience of being pulled up towards the sky by a 200-foot crane, and the incredible views up there, as well as super fun and attentive staff.
I did feel like being the king of the world up there. 🙂
Limited Offer
For a limited time (July 14 – July 20), there is a 50% Life Off sale and you just need to use the promo code FLASH50 while purchasing tickets.
For more information and tickets, please visit:
* All food tasted and price of the lift in this post were complimentary. Opinions are on the reviewer’s own.
