Bravo Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Chilliwack

Halfway through my first meal at Bravo, I was already penning the 5-star review in my mind. Sadly, the evening didn’t end on the same high note it began.

My girlfriend Kirsten and I were excited to have a night to ourselves at one of the area’s nicer restaurants. While the young lady who served us was pleasant enough, she hadn’t taken the time to learn the menu, and had to read the day’s specials from a piece of paper. I understand how difficult it is to find staff these days, so I won't make a fuss over that.

When the bread basket came, Kirsten and I devoured every fresh-from-the-oven bite, gushing about the texture and flavour. 20 years ago, marvellous bread baskets were a feature at many nice restaurants, but in what I assume is a cost-cutting measure, that’s rarely the case today. Bravo’s house-baked bread hearkened back to those times, and smothered in the generous pat of butter it was a perfect start to the evening.

Our appetite whetted, we anticipated nothing but good things from our appetizer of choice – pan roasted cauliflower, featuring toasted hazelnuts, parmesan and truffle cream. Yes, it’s exactly as good as it sounds, and our yummy noises were likely overheard on the other side of the bistro. By the time the seared Albacore tuna arrived, I was floating on a happy cloud of perfect company and brilliant food, and based on the presentation alone I was certain this last chapter of our evening’s meal would be as good or better as the first two. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

I arranged a perfect first bite, with a modest slice of tuna sitting atop a swirl of rice noodles, while ensuring the cashew crumble and coconut lemongrass reduction were generously mixed in. I expected great things as I slid the fork into my mouth, but what happened instead was every receptor on my tongue geared to tasting salt went into overdrive. Without being dramatic at all, the effect was pronounced enough that I nearly spit it out, and I LOVE salt.

I looked at Kirsten, and she was clearly enjoying her bite. We’d split the dish down the middle, so I had a bite of hers, and it was perfect. She had a bite from my half of the dish, and had a similar experience to mine. It was about then that our server arrived at the table, “How's everything?”

If we’re being honest, at more pedestrian restaurants, this question is a courtesy – your answer may or may not register with the server, and a complaint may or may not result in any effort to resolve the issue. In a fine-dining establishment, however, this should never be the case. My server listened to my salty story with mild interest, and didn’t inquire again later to see if the problem persisted. The fact that I still tipped her 15% was a reflex rather than a gesture of gratitude for excellent service.

While paying for our meal, the gentleman behind the bar also asked how the meal was, and I shared my experience with him. He too was unconcerned with the situation, and only said, “That’s odd, as they don’t really add any salt to the tuna.” I’m generally not lost for words, but his claim was wildly contrary to my experience, and I just stood there open-mouthed for a moment. He was clearly not interested in looking into the issue, and I don’t make a habit of begging for quality service or making a scene.

We left. I’m very grateful Kirsten’s half of our dish was missed by the salt cannon, but disappointed that mine was so mercilessly assaulted with it. I have to believe the seasoning catastrophe was an accident – a ‘pinch’ of salt inadvertently becoming a tablespoon when the lid popped off the shaker. While I don’t know what happened in the kitchen, I do know the complete disregard for my concerns with two frontline staff members was profoundly disappointing. Even more disappointing is that halfway through the meal I was sure Bravo would be a regular spot for us. We may not be back for a while though – not because of a mistake in the kitchen, which can happen anywhere, but rather because the staff absolutely didn’t care...

My wife and I went out to try something new tonight and heard bravo was the place to go for fine dining. Upon enterance we noticed that the restaurant feels rather outdated. Took a few minutes to be seated and the waitress was nice enough. Bread was fresh and served warm. We had the prawn lobster bisque and it was pretty tasty but was a tiny portion - something to expect from a higher end restaurant. My wife ordered the seared albacore tuna and I ordered the lamb. The tuna was good and cooked well but the lamb and mushy risotto were absolutely flavorless. After a few bites, the manager came by to check how things were. After complementing the first two dishes, I went on to explain how dreadful the 'rice' was and how the lamb tasted like it was pressure cooked with no seasoning. Harsh words, sure, but honest ones. Instead of the 'manager' apologizing or recommending something else he went on to 'correct' me infront of my wife and sarcastically asked 'have you ever had RISSOTO before?' Well, you may want to educate yourself and look up what risotto is made from - regardless, it shouldn't taste like mush. Judging by the reviews, I'm also not the first one to mention this dish either. Needless to say, after explaining to the waitress on how poor the 'manager's' customer service skills are he then again returned to our table to reluctantly comp the meal and 'apologize' for his service. I use reluctantly VERY strongly here. Still acted extremely defensive stating that my comment was harsh and that '10 people come to eat the lamb regularly.' Well, 10 people ain't a whole lot people chief. Maybe those 10 certain people love eating flavorless mush but I sure don't - especially at that price. 'Manager' needs to learn to take the compliments AND the criticism and put his ego aside. Overall, I'd say the drinks were good, the food was okay (overpriced), the interior was okay, and because of the manager the customer service a big whopping 0** (sorry waitress)

Will not be returning and will be telling friends and...

I took my best friend here for her birthday after hearing it was a great place . Well, we were not disappointed! We were a bit worried when we first arrived due to the location and the exterior of the place, but once we were inside we felt better about our choice. We were greeted cheerfully and taken to our table. We were given drink and dinner menus, and told about the specials. We ordered wine, but from what we saw the drinks looked amazing as well. We especially appreciated the amazing fresh warm bread and butter brought to the table. (So many places have stopped doing this ) We both had the beef tenderloin and it was fantastic! Seasoned correctly, with a pat of blue cheese butter on top, it was so tender you could cut it with your fork! The potatoes were thinly sliced and baked then fried in a cake ...amazing! the veg was tender- crisp and fresh. We had crem brule' for dessert and it was flavourful, creamy with the right amount of crunchy caramelized sugar on top! The meal was amazing , service great...the only critique would be we did notice the manager doting over some of the other tables, larger groups and maybe regulars...maybe try to make the rounds to everyone if that is something you do regularly. I highly recommend Bravo, and we will...