Hidden Tasting Bar and Social Lounge (The Westin Grand)

If anybody asks you if Hidden Tasting Bar and Social Lounge (otherwise known as Hidden, the Westin Grand restaurant) is actually hidden, the answer is yes. Hidden is on the second floor of the Westin Grand Hotel (in downtown Vancouver, right around the corner from the Vancouver Public Library and my favorite, the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts.

You probably wouldn’t know that it’s a restaurant until you turn right and realize a beautiful, large, well illuminated and spacious room with large windows.

JT took me here for dinner as he knew we were going to Fiddler on the Roof and we needed to eat within reasonable close distance from the Centre. I like the tapas-style concept of Hidden. We ordered a platter of flatbread with 3 dips (spinach, smoked salmon and black bean hummus, one dip for $5 or 3 for $8) for starters.

We weren’t extremely hungry so we went for only a set of slider burgers (bacon, avocado mini burger trio on a poppyseed in brioche bun $13) which was more than enough for us (we each ordered one). We were so full (and yes, it’s tapas style but we weren’t extremely hungry) that we ended up not eating anything else.

I’d definitely recommend Hidden as a rare, hidden gem (pun totally intended). Glad I came unannounced (as they did talk to me on Twitter, but I made a point of not letting them know I was coming so that my review and the service would be unbiased). The service was excellent and it was not expensive at all. I’ll be coming back to Hidden soon.