The Living Room Restaurant — Restaurant in Calgary

I have some mixed reviews but overall the place has a very nice atmosphere and some of the dishes were really good but portions were small For the price. So depending what you order it can be a hit or miss. Came for a birthday dinner, called to notify them I was 15 minutes behind and brought my own birthday cupcake . Was a greeted by a gentleman at the door to say that we were late for dinner as the reservations were supposed to be 630… I said that I called that I would be 15 minutes late for 645 and then he said that they don’t make reservations for that time and felt very uneasy about me bringing my Birthday cupcake into the restaurant he said it was considered “food “. A lady finally came to greet us and said yes but she remembered the phone calls and then we were seated but I felt that bringing my own birthday cupcake wasn’t really a welcoming thing , we told them that we were going to eat it elsewhere anyways at Royale restaurant as we wanted to have champagne afterwards there. Dakota our waiter was nice & patience with us as we had a hard time deciding over the wine . Not much options for a glass of wine there so we were limited due to price and quality . Did end up getting a $35 bottle of French rose which was actually quite a nice blend for the price ( so recommended if you want something versatile in a reasonable price) We were offered sparkling or Stillwater which of course we chose the still as we know that there’s normally a charge for any type of sparkling water anywhere . The mushroom plate was the most delicious item there but the portion was very small more bread than mushroom . Oysters were presented beautifully and fresh. The sautéed calamari Lacked flavour but was sautéed well, and the seafood cannoli was not to my liking though it was beautifully presented . It tasted like sushi ( perhaps because it was wrapped in seaweed ( so definitely would pass on that . Not feeling satisfied with the meal and was still hungry we ended up ordering a cheese fondue for $30 which seemed a little bit expensive for the portions, however the cauliflower and brussels sprouts where a nice alternative.

But here is my biggest beef, be prepared to pay for bottle of Calgary tapwater ! They charge $2 regardless if it’s still or sparkling . Course it’s not disclosed to you when you order and because you haven’t had a chance to look at the menu you have no idea that they’re charging for Stillwater . I have travelled to many countries and I know that in particular it’s a European thing but we are not in Europe ! Though the waiter was offering to refund the $2 for the water charge , I said that’s not the point. I think the overall system of charging everyone two dollars is just wrong which is not the waiter’s fault . When I was leaving I again told the hostess that it seems wrong to be charging people for Stillwater, she didn’t really seem to care as she said it comes out of the same filter system. So if you’re going to go there obviously order the sparkling water because you’re paying $2 regardless if you get still or sparkling! I felt a little ripped off for that . I haven’t had any other Calgary restaurant charge for that except this place . We then went to 2 blocks to Royale French restaurant Who more than happily welcome to Us with our birthday cupcake and we’re allowed to eat it openly at the table with our champagne . No hassles there! Not sure if I would return to the living room but it is a very nice comfortable atmosphere , And some of the food plates were really good and presentation was excellent. Noticed some people having chocolate fondue and coffee so perhaps a place to come for dessert. Just be prepared to pay for...

We came to The Living Room to celebrate a birthday on the recommendation from a friend, with the same recommendation for the fondue.

When seated we ordered a drink each, which for their $17 and $18 price tags, were miniscule. This would quickly become a theme for the evening.

We ordered the bruschetta and the cheese fondue for two with pork belly and beef tenderloin. The description on the Fondue indicated it came with toasted baguette.

The bruschetta was fantastic and easily the best part of the evening. The fondue however was extremely lackluster. The "toasted" baguette was cold and didn't have a hint of being toasted, the texture combination between that and the fondue was not appealing. When I inquired with our server about the lack of toast, she stated that it was not supposed to be toasted, despite the menu clearly indicating otherwise.

The pork belly and beef tenderloin were nice, with the tenderloin easily being the better of the two. The problem being that you pay for the meat separately, and as such would expect them to come in separated portions. This was not the case and the pork and beef came out in the same container which, like the beverages, was absolutely pitiful in its proportions for the price. Also the absurd ratio of meat vs cheese in the fondue most likely results in the restaurant having a ton of cheese left over as food waste, unless they are recycling their cheese between guests which would also be absurd.

We finished the evening with dessert in the form of the creme brulee and banana cheesecake. While nice, we were shocked upon initial tasting to discover that the creme brulee was extremely tart. The server told us this was due to the Yuzu that they added to the creme. Overall the creme brulee was nice, but due to the added Yuzu did not have the consistency of a proper creme brulee, and was fairly liquid.

Overall we were disappointed in our evening at The Living Room, after it received such high praise from the people who recommended it to us, and we most likely will not be returning as there are other options that offer a better value for the $200 price tag. The 3 stars is only because the bruschetta was so good, otherwise I would have given it 2.

Final note: Although not an expectation, The Living Room did nothing to acknowledge the special event as input when booking the online reservation. Photos are for reference as to the size of the meat container, and the...

First I'd like to share that I've worked with Éric Ripert, world renowned French Chef, at his 5 Diamond Blue Restaurant in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. And have paid top dollar for this prestigious place. I've also eaten at places like "The Keg", Chop, places like "Red Lobster" to "East Side Mario's" "Boston Pizza" etc... Needless to say, I've been and worked at many stages of all classes of restaurants in my life.

Firstly, The Living Room Restaurant is nothing short but a pretentious wanna be fine dining place with very highly expensive and very small portions and disappointing choice of food and dessert plates. The price is astounding for what you get. Rice Crispy Squares and a few tiny banana bread squares for chocolate fondue?? really? this is "upscale cuisine"?

Secondly, my amazing loving wife made a reservation for my birthday. It was a first time here for both of us and she wanted a nice memorable outing. She added this special occasion on the online reservation. Upon our arrival and giving our name for the reservation, the hostess had no clue that it was my Birthday only till I mentioned it. Thinking there would be some type of communication between the hostess and waiter, again, nothing at all till I mentioned it. Any chances to make a special personal service, connection and a however small effortless free little memory for us completely gone. "Upscale Restaurant"?? Very unprofessional and disappointing yet again.

I'm not one to condone a free dessert at all for a birthday and some may believe it's cheap doing so as well, but when I was a waiter, bartender, from the 5 Diamond Restaurants to the lower scale ones, there is always opportunity for a fine and "Upscale" personal service to all in-house patrons for any special occasion.

Expenses and small portions aside, the most disappointing is letting a special, potentially memorable, opportunity for first time visitors slip away and remain completely non existent even after mentioning it three times (including reservation).

Epic Fail for an "Upscale restaurant" and completely unacceptable. I'm not going back. If my birthday is not special enough, this place is not worth the "Upscale" cost...