Vancouver 2015 Wedding - Reception

The night of the big reception dinner! The mornings of most weddings are dedicated to the ceremony and while it was wonderful to see the couple go through the traditional Sikh wedding traditions, I could not help but be a little lost in the circumstances and deeper meaning of their culture. The night was dedicated to the newlyweds and promised to be a night of fun, dancing and exciting meals.

The reception was held at Fraserview Hall located on Fraser Street in South Vancouver. The brightly lit hall was a site to behold! The venue took up the entirety of the second floor and featured a large balcony, seating for a couple hundred and a prominent dance floor.

The brightly lit lobby led us upstairs to the reception. I was impressed by the class and elegance of the hall with its bright lighting, handsome veneer walls and elegant soft carpeting.

The inside of the hall was no different. The wedding party had thoughtfully decorated the hall with Indian inspired themes. The handsome centerpiece of  the table was a conversation topic with its goblet radiating brilliance and warmth. The table clothes were a detailed set akin to Henna and was almost too beautiful to eat upon. Big emphasis on almost. Now onto the food!

I loved this kind of meal. As the guests started to arrive, the hall started shoving plate upon plate of appetizers onto each table. To start, a number of deep fried vegetable appetizers including Pakoras, Samosas and Vegetable Fritters.

We were pleasantly surprised by this Chicken Tandoori. Knowing that traditional Sikh culture is comprised of vegetarian cuisine, we were unsure if meat protein was on the menu. The juicy meat had a nice level of spice on them. Delicious!

Next came the Tandoori Lamb Skewers. Large pieces of succulent lamb were finished off in the tandoori and served with peppers and onions. The lamb had a nice char on the outside while still retained the juiciness of the interior. The dish was lacking in flavour but served well as an appetizer.

The appetizers continued with Fish Pakora Succulent juicy fillets of (?Basa) were finished with a masala sauce and fried. I appreciated the dichotomy of the lean fish with the masala sauce. However the dish was overcooked and the fish a bit too dry for my liking.

To finalize the appetizers we were served a Stuffed Naan. Flaky tender Naan bread is filled with vegetables and lightly fried. I cannot explain how delicious this dish was. The simple Naan bread is elevated to higher levels by the stuffing and slight crispiness from the light fry.

Unsure if the service was complete or not, we were promptly asked to join the happy couple for the dance. It was during the dance when it was announced that dinner was served! Gleefully I galloped over to the buffet line for (top going clockwise): Marinated Carrots, Mixed Vegetable Korma, Lamb Curry, Karahi Chicken, Malai Kofta, Salad and Rice in the middle. The star of the night was the Mixed Vegetable Korma. A delightful mix of Okra, Cauliflower, Zucchini and Eggplant were grilled tender and mixed with Indian spices. I appreciated the chef's ability to keep the vegetables tender and not overcooked, as it so often happens during a buffet service.

For dessert we had a Mango Kulfi and Pantua (deep fried balls with rose water syrup). I was delightfully stuffed at this point but remembered these offerings to be simply average and on par what you would expect from an Indian restaurant.

As always, a photobooth seems to be a standard at weddings.

Congratulations Parichita! You are a wonderful friend and an amazing person. I was so thrilled and honoured to be at your wedding and wish you the best in all your endeavours going forward! Final shoutout to all the Para14zers medical class who were able to make it out to the wedding as well!