I visited Cassis on the evening of Friday, January 8, 2010. I had organized the evening for a friend’s birthday after learning about Cassis through dinehere.ca and vancouvermartini.com, where Cassis is generally regarded as a ‘hidden gem’ with fantastic food and an excellent cocktail/martini menu. Our experience fell very far below expectations.

We were first seated at 9pm at a large table in the back with a damaged vinyl cover and an incredibly wobbly base. There were 9 of us and a few other tables in the restaurant with people at them. It took about 15 minutes for the waitress to come over to us, help us strategically place some cardboard to make the table functional, and bring us menus and water. When the gentleman that I assume was the manager came to the table he notified us that he did not have a drink menu, had only flavoured Stoli and one premium vodka - Wyborowa vodka, and only knew how to make a couple of cocktails. In an attempt to compensate us for this stunning turn of events, he offered to serve us Wyborowa and charge us for regular vodka, as well as bring a round of shots for the table and bread. Although Wyborowa is a good vodka, it is about the same price point as Stoli, so I don’t see how selling it to us for the same price was a particular genuine gesture. However, we did appreciate the shots, which were refreshing and delicious, as well as the bread.

The manager made our drinks, and slowly. When they did come, one at a time, they were incredibly uneven in size. Some people had good sized martinis, while others had very small martinis. One martini had a fruit fly in it and had to be sent back. We were trying to make the most of our night, and did not complain at the time (besides replacing the martini that the fly had selected). We did not have dinner, but we did order crab cakes. They were delicious, but amounted to 3 tater-tot sized crab cakes and some sauce for $16, which was exorbitant. Desserts were good, but also expensive.

I attempted to organize a fun evening with appetizers, desserts and drinks in a quality atmosphere. I was not successful, and as the organizer I found the experience disappointing, frustrating and embarrassing.

While this negative experience was a concern, it could have been an isolated event. However, I emailed the restaurant with a complaint containing much of the same content as above. is not the only issue of concern. 2 weeks later I have still not received a response, which to me suggests that poor quality service and unsatisfied customers are not of much concern to the owners/managers of Cassis. I would caution that this restaurant may be on the decline, and to think carefully before planning an event there.

Cheers.