It’s been a few years since I last dined at Diva At The Met. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to return. Located in the Metropolitan Hotel, the restaurant offers fine dining with an unpretentious ambiance. As you enter the restaurant you find a cozy lounge bar area as you make your way up to the area for dining.

There are 2 menus to choose from, their current Fall/Winter Menu or the $45 Table D’hote menu. The Table D’hote menu is a 3 course dinner with your choice of starter, entree, and dessert. Wine pairing for each dish is also available.

My husband and I aren't big drinkers...anymore, so we we decided to start with some wine. We are never sure what kind of wine to get, but Steve, the general manager at Diva, simply asked us what type of wine we like. After telling him of our affection for Pinot Noir, he suggested the Blue Mountain Pinot Noir from the Okanagan. This was a perfect choice given its light fruity flavour and went perfectly with our entire meal.

My husband decided to order from the Table D’hote menu and I from the regular dinner menu.

For the starter we ordered the Pork Belly and The Seared Sea Scallops. The pork belly was amazing!! The cracking was incredibly crispy and the meat was so tender and succulent. It was so flavourful and I highly recommend it. The sea scallop was another fantastic choice. The scallops were season well and cooked to perfection. The pork belly pieces and craisins added a bit of saltiness and the hint of sweetness elevated this dish.

Our mains included the Petite Filet. I found it a tad salty but my husband loved it. Cooked to a medium rare, the 7oz filet was accompanied with smoked potatoes, root veggies, red onion marmalade and beef jus. The couple next to us seemed to have the same issue with saltiness, but to their credit, the restaurant promptly took their steak and had another one prepared without any question.

My lobster gnocchi was just what I needed. The perfect comfort food for the cold rainy evening. The dish was creamy and full of flavour and the gnocchi so light and pillowy. There was a generous amount of lobster and ample mushrooms. I only wish there was a bit more of their house made gnocchi as it was delicious!

To finish off our meal we choose 3 desserts:

Sticky Toffee Pudding, Blue Cheese Cheesecake and the Chocolate Praline Bar. The sticky toffee pudding was my favourite! I generally find this to be too sweet but it was not the case. The cake was moist and I loved all the tiny piece of toffee pieces in the sauce. I believe this is a seasonal dessert, but in my opinion should be a permanent fixture on the menu.

My husband was excited to try the blue cheese cheese cake. I am not really a fan of blue cheese but he loves it. This was his favourite of the 3 desserts. Surprisingly the blue cheese was subtle and not overpowering that I even enjoyed it.

The Chocolate Praline Bar with caramel hazelnut, and dulce de leche is a perfect pick for any chocolate lover. You can never go wrong with chocolate!

Our entire experience at Diva was top notch from start to finish. The food was delicious and the service impeccable. So if you are looking for fine dining with a more casual, relaxed atmosphere definitely pay Diva at the Met a visit.

Diva at the Met
http://www.metropolitan.com/diva/
645 Howe Street,
Vancouver, BC
(604) 602-7788
Monday - Sunday, 7:00am - 12:00am