Frankie’s Italian Kitchen & Bar
765 Beatty St.
Georgian Court Hotel
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 688-6368

J: When it comes to hotels, I’m very picky about where I stay. I like to have the convenience of location, cleanliness, service (who wouldn’t) and just like my favourite eating establishments, atmosphere. It is in this light that Ed should bow down and be grateful that I was adamant when it came to staying at the Georgian Court, a regular booking of Be A Fan Entertainment Packages. It was within walking distance of not only our destination of Rogers Arena but of Vancouver’s Yaletown. Ed should’ve also produced sacrificial offerings after I had managed to swing us for a free early riser breakfast at Frankie’s Italian Kitchen.

E: Yeah, right, even though everything was booked under my name. But yes, convenience was in high order to balance out what I saw in Frankie’s regular menu even before we got out the door in Victoria and arrived in Vancouver by mid afternoon. Overpriced as they were, we had no plans on dining at the restaurant joined at the hips with the hotel. When the hotel offered a free buffet, it was my turn to turn Scottish.

J:  I was very impressed with Frankie’s cosmopolitan decor which incidentally went hand in hand with the Georgian Court. One could almost imagine you were dining in a Manhattan restaurant. One bit of decor that drew my attention was a set of three wall hangings which depicted 2 diners in a very 1920’s style. As one would expect of such a place, the servers were attired in black casual. And with the exception of the maitre d’, Frankie’s staff were moving at great speed.

E: While the staff were working hard to please the early risers–of which we showed up around 9am–the offerings were simple and basic. I did not think any of the products really stood out. Now if it had ingredients from a magic garden of extra herbs and spices, then just maybe I’d be impressed. But at a buffet, I don’t think any operation goes out of their way to provide a sunny product.

J: I’m of a total different view on the buffet Frankie’s offered. From the buffets I’ve sampled since I was a child. But can food from a kid’s point of view at Sooke’s Camp Barnard really be classified as buffet or even as food? Frankie’s though did very well. True I was expecting a breakfast that could be ordered rather than a “Choose Your Own Adventure” but I made the best of it. I had my eggs, sausages, bacon (most important), fruit, toast and a glass of what tasted like freshly squeezed orange juice to brighten my morning. But sadly pancakes and syrup were nowhere to be seen. I would’ve given up my plate and yes, the bacon, just for a stack of lumberjack cakes topped with butter and smothered in Canadian maple.

E: I’ve had better in Shanghai, but then in those hotels I visited, they were tailored to really pamper the tourists. Now can anyone imagine a smorgasbord style buffet with food from two different countries four tables long?

2½ Blokes out of 5