Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by Tangoo to check out their Tangoo Night on Main Street. The portions on the dishes or service may not be representative of what you would expect from a normal dining experience.
Tangoo Nights brings together Vancouverites that love food and mingling. You just chose the night that you like and then you are taken to a few venues around town. It’s hassle-free and you just sit back, relax and eat a lot. All you have to do is pay a flat fee and you get 3 courses and 2 drinks.
I went to one of the night on Main Street and we were taken to The General Public for appetizers, dinner and a drink. Then to end the night, we headed to Eight 1/2 for a late night drink.
The General Public is the sister restaurant of The Eatery in Kitsilano. If you are a UBC student, you must have been to that restaurant before. If you don’t want to travel so far, The General Public is a good option to go to.
They have innovative rolls and Japanese inspired items on the menu. It’s not the most amazing food, but you will definitely love the decor and ambiance.
When you walk into the front door, you will be stunned by a huge Frankenstein stuffed animal.
All the decor around the room will resonate in your mind if you grew up in the 80s or 90s. I got excited by this bust because its Darth Vader! I am a huge fan of Star Wars.
As a drink was included, I ordered a Caesar that came in a boot. The tequila I had inside was a Habanero tequila! It tasted so good and a tad spicy, but it worked so well together. Great way to start the night.
Sushi Pizza Bites was the first item that arrived. The texture of the crunchy base and the raw fish on top blended together quite nicely.
Bacon Striptease is the ultimate fat food. It’s essentially deep-fried bacon. As a woman, it just reminded me of how much I need to go to the gym the next day.
Volcano Roll is not what you would normally expect because the rolls here have a fusion twist. These aren’t spicy, the shape of how the rolls were oriented resembles a volcano.
Cucumber Wrap Roll has the cucumber instead of the seaweed and rice. I thought this was a very strange roll. Might as well just eat a salad.
The Fat Elvis aka the deep-fried avocados. I’m not sure why it’s called the Fat Elvis, but I even tried searching on the internet to find out, but I found nothing. This dish was good, but something about a heated avocado didn’t resonate well with my taste buds, I usually like them cold.
Tuna Sashimi was wrapped up like a rose. It also has some sauce and asparagus on the side.
Tuna Tempura was something I never would have thought of. It was a cool combination and the tuna was nice and delicate inside.
Main Roll is lightly battered and deep-fried. It was ok, but when it comes to the sushi rolls here, you can’t really compare to the authentic Japanese restaurants.
Salmon Tartare comes with some fried wontons. You just scoop some of the tartare onto it and munch away.
Tuna Tartare is shaped more like a pyramid, but nonetheless delicious. I think they mix the tuna with avocados to give it a much more creamier texture.
Prawn tempura was nothing special but tasted ok.
Bob Marley Roll has mango inside and topped with tuna.
This roll, which I have already forgotten its name has eel on the inside and is topped with salmon and a slice of lemon.
GP Roll as you can guess stands for General Public, just like the restaurant.
Seared Salmon Belly nigiri was a bit disappointing. The texture wasn’t as delicate and soft as it could have been.
After ALL that food arrived, we all basically wanted to unbutton our pants because they gave us so much food! In between all the food, we entertained ourselves with Jenga. It was a great game that really helped break the ice with all the attendees of Tangoo.
Deep Fried Mars Bar with Ice cream man, this was good! I usually hate Mars bars, but if you deep fry it and put some ice cream on, its like so delicious.
The food at the General Public isn’t the best, but they have a variety of items that will appeal to your taste buds. Don’t come here if you’re expecting authentic Japanese food, it’s all fusion here.
After General Public, we all headed over to Eight 1/2 for a drink before the night was over.
We had the option of a few different beverages, but I chose the white wine to end the evening. Trying to be classy when I’m so not. I enjoyed having one last drink at the end of the night since you can still socialize and have fun.
Overall, I really did enjoy my experience at Tangoo. The price you pay it totally worth it. I think it was about $50. You are stuffed silly and we all wondered when the food would stop coming (that’s so rare). I met some cool people, tried new restaurants and would consider going again.
Check out Tangoo: http://www.tangoo.ca/