Restaurant Week at Gimbilyn

Complementary Drink: Orange Sunrise

As decided by my wonderful voters it was decided that I would be going to Gimbilyn at the the Alhambra Inn  for Restaurant Week. After closing the polls on Wednesday I decided to call Gimbilyn restaurant to make reservations for dinner at Gimbilyn Restaurant. However, it seems that not only you my voters thought Gimbilyn was a good choice, as I was told that they were booked out for the entire weekend! How could this be? This meant that I will not get to sample the menu Gimbilyn had to offer? Nor would I get to go the the restaurant that my voters chose for Restaurant week?

Appetizer: Fresh Garden Greens

I must admit I was disappointed when I was told that they were totally booked so dinner for Thursday evening was definitely out of the picture and possibly for the rest of Restaurant Week. However, I was not in the mood to give up! So I called back and asked if anything at could be worked out for me to dine there for Restaurant Week, but once again I was denied, but this time with a glimmer of hope. The receptionist told me I could call back on Friday to check it there was any available slots. Friday morning I did just that wan with great results as they had two slots, one at 7:00pm and another at 9:00pm! Of course you know I opted for the 7:00 reservation time and it was all set!

Main Course: Pork Passion

The ambiance at Gimbilyn is certainly conducive to dining with it's dimmed lights and open air feel, with both dining inside or outside on a terrace. added to the cozy, enchanting feel was the music in the background, some 80's souls music. The staff at the restaurant was also very pleasant and courteous, especially the waiter that served our table. So, ambiance great, staff great, now what about the food?

Dessert: Tropical Pina Colada Cheesecake

After glancing through the restaurant's menu I had made my selection: for appetizer it would be the fresh garden greens, for entrée I definitely had the Pork Passion and finished off with the Tropical Pina Colada Cheesecake. All this was accompanied by the sponsored drink mix, called Orange Sunrise, which included Appleton V/X. The garden greens was a crispy mixed leafy salad greens topped with slivers of Parmesan cheese and served with a June Plum Vinaigrette. I didn't think the salad was extra ordinary but it was satisfactory nonetheless. My main course the Pork Passion was Grilled Smoked Pork Chops accentuated with a sorrel sauce and served with sweet potato croquettes and seasonal vegetables. This was good, and that's just not because I love pork! The meat was tender, well cooked and the sauce sorrel sauce gave it a sweet flavour. The only thing that would have made it better was if it was a little more deeply seasoned and spicy. Nevertheless, the light flavour was still good and I would definitely have another slap of the pork! The Tropical Pina Colada which boasted a combination of coconut rum, chunky pineapple sauce and toasted shredded coconut din't live up to my expectation but was just OK.

After dinner complimentary Martini

The Restaurant Week menu was not the end of the treats that Gimbilyn as our waiter presented us with coupons to get 20% off Country Style juices, a Virgin Atlantic competition entry form and stamped our receipt for a free mix at the Alhambra Inn's bar. Overall, my Restaurant Week experience at Gimbilyn was a good one and I would definitely dine there again.