Another High-End Contender in the Okanagan
My partner and I took a California colleague to this new establishment, and we certainly didn't regret it.

What the restaurant lacked in finishing touches to the ambiance and the service, it more than made up for with what came out on the plates. Grilled shark on a bed of yam, conch fritters with aioli, diced ostrich in a coriander sauce, Turkish "salad" with spicy pita bread -- it was all a culinary treat, and intelligently assembled.

The dessert was a tiramisu, but it came accessorized with poppyseed brittle, among other things, which fit right in.

Small quibbles:
- no espresso machine
- the insides of the room still need a bit of a treatment to bring the mood up to what the kitchen is offering

This will be a treat for locals and visitors alike, and we look forward to going there often.    [23 May 2004 20:39:17]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­bcwine   

Wow
This is an as yet undiscovered gem. In a place where standard fare prevails this is a standout. It is totally unpretentious and the kitchen speaks for itself. Fish prepared as it should be and in imaginative presentations. Each dish is totally unique in flavour and presentation. Rivals the best that the big cities have to offer.    [27 Jun 2004 03:36:32]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: anything fishy

     ­fooddude   

Keeps Getting Better
We went back to the Vanilla Pod with high expectations, and we were not disappointed.

The décor has been improved, and some of the rough edges of the service are being ironed out.

What impressed us the most, not surprisingly, was the quality of the food. The night we were there Reid Jenkins, the proprietor of Adora Winery in Summerland, was guest-cheffing alongside Brad Clease, and the special menu was in honour of Julia Child.

We chose to share several tapas-sized plates, which is one of our favourite ways to dine. The crusted marlin, blow-torched at our table was exquisitely tender, and just on the edge of being too spicy for my palate. (The lowly butane cylinder provided a bit of a novel rustic touch, but could have been dressed up a bit.) The sashimi-quality, lightly seared tuna was also excellent, if a bit too similar in preparation and presentation to the marlin.

The centrepiece was the lamb grilled over Syrah vine cuttings, accompanied by an Alsatian potato and onion tart. The smoky flavours were delicious, and the tart was a good counterpoint.

Accompanying it all was a bottle of Adora's dry Riesling, which did the job very well. Also on the menu were many wines by the glass, all from local wineries.    [30 Aug 2004 18:15:41]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: lamb, marlin

     ­bcwine   

Lucky Locals
The restaurant seems out of place along the quaint Olde-English-themed main street -- it's almost too hip, but that can't be taken as criticism.

The service was a bit uneven -- our waitress was accommodating enough, but one of our companions' food came at least five minutes after everyone else's and she spilled one of the beers without bothering to clean it up. She might have been new.

The last time we were there, I had the pasta special with a creamy white-wine sauce and delicious sea bass. The menu is small, and none of the entrees really suited my wife, so she ordered two fantastic appies: yam fries with mushroom gravy and lamb skewers with two outstanding sauces. A couple of Nelson Pale Ales and suddenly we were in the $50 range.

If you're up for some amazing, adventurous eating and don't mind spending extra for great flavours, it's worth checking out.    [03 Jan 2005 01:22:45]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Jeremy, Summerland   jerhiebert at hotmail dot com

What a Gem
Had a wonderful evening, what an improvement, the food was off the scale. Tried the Sushi Pizza and the Tomato Tower. Finished off with the Mocca Creme Brulee. The wine list has more depth and the service was friendly and well informed with excellent product knowledge.    [03 Jan 2007 03:36:37]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Sushi Pizza, Tomato Tower, Creme Brulee

     ­Foodie   

Friendly and Fabulous
I went to the vanilla pod last fall and enjoyed every minute of it. The food was wonderful. I really enjoyed the tomato towers. What I especially liked about the restaurant was that they weren't a bunch of pompous snobs. My friends and I range in the ages from 17 to 21 and they were super friendly towards us, unlike some fancy places. I also discovered a new favorite white wine their, Grey Monk. Its nice when a group of teens go to enjoy a nice meal out and don't get treated like a bunch of "cheap kids".    [09 Apr 2007 16:34:00]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Tomato towers and the sushi dish

     ­Catey