A Kobe Dinner Experience

After work, and after a couple of birthday cup fulls of Bailey's....mmmm Bailey's... My boyfriend took me on a surprise dinner, downtown Vancouver!!

Getting ready for the dinner was a bit aggravating, as I wasn't sure where we were headed and therefore couldn't decide on the appropriate outfit. I started with a "Bob's Surplus" t-shirt and black leggings, only to have my boyfriend tell me I 'probably don't want to wear that....'
Once the wardrobe dilemma was sorted out, we hopped on the skytrain and headed downtown.

As we walked out of the station, I was filled with curiosity! Where was he taking me?! Why couldn't I wear my knitted winter hat?!

We crossed the street to Kobe - A Japanese steak and seafood house on Alberni. I was super excited and began to take Blackberry pictures, as we were told to head up to the 3rd floor...




The ambiance was amazing, the waitresses were so friendly and the hostesses were so clevagy. I was beginning to see why this place was so popular! We were seated, and began going through the menu.



Obviously, this was a birthday celebration and beers were in order. They were the first thing ordered, in fact! The plates were heating on the grill top and our table quickly filled up. 3 gentleman, blinged out to the max, had 3 bottles of Sake and excellent tans. There was an older couple across from us who looked as though they had been waiting for sometime. A younger couple was beside us, and both had water to drink. I was starting to wonder if the beer was the right thing to do - what did they know that I didn't?!



I think Danny sensed my awkwardness of not knowing the ways of Kobe, and he said that it didn't matter. It was my birthday, so I could eat this dinner however I liked. Awww.



First came the soup. It was excellent! Sweet fried onion noodles, mushrooms and green onions in a delicious broth. To be honest, I really wanted another bowl but didn't want to mess with the system...

Then our chef came and threw down all of these little bowls. The intrigue was killing me! What was going to happen next?! Why were there so many bowls?!


Each person received 2 bowls, and they had sauces in them. One garlic sauce for steak and chicken, and a ginger sauce for seafood. Refills aplenty on the sauces...much to my delight!

The chef threw a bunch of veggies on the grill, and then carefully took apart an onion. He began to stack the rings of onions, and then poured some oil over them...what was he up too? This whole dinner was so entertaining - they even had a strobe light over the grill for added effect. It was like a dance party, with food!

Then BAM! (thanks Emeril...)

ONION VOLCANO!!

Steak and Chicken Teriyaki was my dinner of choice, and the chef began throwing out lobster tails and shrimp and doing all sorts of flips with the knives and salt and pepper shakers. I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying, but I think I played along quite well. I caught the words "onion" "mushroom" and I think, but am not sure "spaghetti" There clearly was no spaghetti, but whatever.

You can't do this to spaghetti:


This is my favorite photo of the night! The sweat on my forehead when we left, probably made it seem like I had just come from the gym - it was HOT in there! Especially when he lit the room on fire... whoaaaa! I think the 3 tanned men got one or two shades darker, at least!

On the way home, we made a stop for birthday cake substitute:



I love how he kindly paused so I could capture this picture, haha. It deserved the moment though, since I'm pretty sure that this is the most amazing ice cream in the universe.



Overall, I had a fabulous birthday (thanks Hunny!)

And on a sidenote, Kobe would be a great spot for a blind date. The meal was so entertaining, that the conversation is pretty minimal - it would definitely cover all uncomfortable moments!