The newest Cactus Club at Coal Harbour

If you are planning on heading to the newest Cactus Club, give yourself some time to wait for a table. The restaurant is huge, according to their website, "Cactus Club Coal Harbour offers approximately 500 seats for guests, including 200 patio seats and 300 seats inside the restaurant, including private dining space." But even with 500 seats, there is a still a bit of a wait. On a Friday afternoon, our wait was about 20 minutes. 
But they do make the wait pleasant, inviting you to have a seat at the bar while they give you one of those vibrating "coasters" that will go off like a spaceship when your table is ready. I loved the lights hanging over the bar. If it was possible, I'd love to have this in my living room! 
We decided to go for a few tried and true appetizers and ordered three in total. Our waitress thoughtfully staggered their arrival, so we didn't look like pigs and our food didn't get cold. the first one we got was the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. It's a stirfry of local chicken coated in a sweet and spicy glaze. For crunch, there are some peanuts and fried wonton skins. 
There are a duo of sauces, some spicy yogurt and some chili oil. Surprisingly, there was enough heat from the spicy marinade so that the sauces weren't really needed at all. I think I would have like some sriracha instead of the chili oil, something that would actually stick to the chicken. I did like the abundance of well-shaped lettuce though, they do make wrapper easier and cleaner. 

 

Another great standby? Their Chicken Wings of course! My favourite way to enjoy their wings...simply with Salt and Pepper. I do like their hot sauce but prefer it on the side, to ensure the wings maintain their deep-fried crispiness. Oh, and when I order chicken wings, I expect all wings, no drummettes please. I asked the waitress nicely and that's just what I got! No thanks to the celery and blue cheese; after all, the lettuce was enough for a vegetable serving, right? As usual, the wings were crispy, with a juiciness that only comes out from a deep-fryer. 

 

The final appetizer of the day was their Beef Carpaccio. It's thin slices of Canadian tenderloin with a peppercorn crust. There is a bit of dijon aioli and some capers with some watercress. Covering the beef were slices of grana padano. I was surprised at the crudeness of the cheese, I had expected shavings, not slabs. Mind you the taste and textures were bang on, but the cheese slices looked so heavy compared to the lightness of the thin tenderloin.

Take note:

• Go prepared for a short wait, but enjoy a drink at the bar first.
• The view is best on a semi-cloudy day. A sunny day might be too bright to enjoy the view.
• They have a 40-seat private dining area - great for birthday parties and more!