Delilah’s Conviction Kitchen (West End, English Bay)

There are many reasons why I love the concept behind Delilah’s/Conviction, or as the Canadian reality TV show calls it, “Conviction Kitchen”. The first one is that I believe in the rule of law. The second one is that I believe that people can change. And the third one is that Conviction Kitchen as a project provides ex-convicts with a new chance at life.

Mom and I had just arrived from Whistler (I went on a writing retreat with my Mom, in hindsight probably a mistake in regards to timing as I got about 321 emails about Mental Health Camp during the course of my pseudo-offline period – a wonderful opportunity, nonetheless – and I have my good friend Lisa Thomas-Tench to thank for the chance to go up to Whistler).

Being as stressed as I was, I told Minna and Jay (The Network Hub) that I needed a drink, and that Delilah’s was possibly the best place for a stiff martini. They agreed to join me. I am grateful to them that they did, because the experience was fantastic.

It’s not the first time I have been to Delilah’s, a reputed restaurant in the West End famous for its lethal martinis. I have been here many times before, the last one on the day of my birthday of last year (RaulCamp for those who may remember). But this is the first time I have been to Delilah’s since Delilah’s/Conviction opened (from my conversations with Chef Thuet, it’s been open for only a couple of weeks).

As I could expect, being all evening on-camera, and having their every movement videotaped did have a bit of a frazzling effect on the servers. I could notice that they felt somewhat under the microscope, particularly as I whipped out my digital camera and started snapping photos.

The great thing is that I was surrounded by wonderful friends of mine and by my Mom, and we all tried to engage the servers in conversation to let them know that we strongly supported the project. As the evening progressed, I noticed that the bartenders, the head server and the general manager, all started coordinating and synchronizing in a much smoother way, and we overall had a fantastic time.

It is noticeable that the project is still incipient, and that the waiting and kitchen staff are still feeling a bit tentative. But this did NOT detract at all from our experience. Mom and I had already had dinner at home so we only ordered drinks (I had a Black Widow to start, and Mom had a margarita, each $8.95), and a platter of mixed olives ($5.00).

Minna ordered a Brooks Peninsula ling cod poached in olive oil, crushed fingerling potatoes, niçoise olives ($22.00) and Jay had an Alsatian putta braised Fraser Canyon rabbit with morels ($21.00). Both dishes were delicious (I tried bits and pieces of them both). Jay ordered a Thai One On martini (vodka infused with Kamr lime & lemon grass, lime & mango juice, $8.95) and Minna had a Boston Tea Partini (citrus vodka with iced tea, lemon wedge & sugar rim, $8.95). She did not finish it so I had to (yeah I know, tough life I lead eh).

On my visit, I got the star treatment: the general manager scored me a chance to talk to Chef Thuet, introduce myself, have a photo taken with him and chat about the project itself (and congratulate him on a fantastic project and a great dinner).

For dessert, we ordered a chocolate tart ($8.00) and a chocolate coulant ($9.00), both of which were amazing.

I ordered a Pearl Necklace martini to accompany my dessert ($8.95) which was an absolutely blissful pairing. And after we had finished our dinner (which had amazing service, I might add), we still spent a few times talking to the general manager, to the head server and to our own server. I even had my photo taken with the bartenders.

Overall, I would very, very strongly encourage my readers to come down to Delilah’s/Conviction for dinner, with an open mind, a generous wallet and a kind heart. Remember, these people are being given a second chance at life, be there for them. Note, just in case my review sounds too sugary or nice or positive, and you think I was paid to write this post – I paid for everything we consumed, in full (the bill came down to $150 if you are totally curious, which isn’t really all that expensive if you think about how many drinks and food we consumed).

Kudos to Chef Thuet and his wife Biana (who is now acting as General Manager of Delilah’s/Conviction) for a fantastic, heart-warming and positive project. I will be back, for sure, and I will be bringing people along with me.

Related posts:

1. Volunteer at the Molson Red Leaf Project Cleanup at English Bay (Nov 19th) and win tickets to Grey Cup Festival
2. Season Finale for @DelilahsMartini Conviction Kitchen VIP Reception
3. Italian Kitchen on Alberni (@Glowbal_Group)
4. Martini’s delight at Delilah’s (West End, Denman and Comox)
5. Restaurant review – Goldfish Pacific Kitchen