Here’s what it’s like to eat inside a terrarium

A dining experience called Dinner with a view is currently touring around North America where you eat dinner inside a dome. I recently had the pleasure of dining inside one of these domes. Located just outside of downtown Vancouver in West Vancouver it was fairly easy to get to.

We took an Uber, but there was lots of parking available for those who opted to drive. The area was beautifully lit and each dome was slightly frosted over, providing some privacy to those dining inside.

Terrarium dome restaurants
Dinner with a view took place at Ambleside in West Vancouver. The domes were mini pop-up restaurants and they were pretty cozy inside, with blankets on every chair.

The event was well organized. Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted and brought to the rest of our group who were enjoying cocktails in the lounge. They offer a small but sufficient cocktail menu with a wide enough variety that we were all happy.

I ordered a refreshing Seville orange gin and tonic, a nice twist on a classic drink. Once seated in our dome the server didn’t come back very often so I’d recommend ordering an extra drink when you’re seated if you don’t want to risk being thirsty.

We enjoyed a 3-course meal inside our own private terrarium. The food is all locally-sourced, which I love. The starter was a beet tartare that resembled a beef tartare. It was both colourful and flavourful. When making your reservation you are able to select vegetarian or meat options.

We had all opted for the meat option for our main courses and were served chicken with roasted potatoes and a variety of vegetables. Dessert was a coconut mousse of sorts, I can’t recall exactly what was all inside, but it was delicious as well.

Terrarium dome pop-up restaurant
Our dome had a table and chairs for six people and was filled with plants, albeit fake ones, but they did provide a terrarium-like experience once you were seated inside.

While we were eating it began to rain and the sound of the raindrops falling on the outside of the dome was rather magical. Thankfully the domes are waterproof and leakproof, at least ours was and we all stayed perfectly dry.

Would I recommend dinner in a dome? Yes and no. It is a unique experience and the price definitely reflects this. For what it is, I think it is too expensive; however, if you have the money and want the experience, I’d say go for it. They allow 90 minutes per seating and not a minute more so the end of the evening did feel a bit rushed. However, the staff were very friendly and the food was really good. Plus, the photos make for a great Instagram post 😉

This experience reminds me of the Dinner in the sky event that toured Vancouver a while back. My friends and I were eating at a table that had been hoisted up into the sky via a large crane. That was an incredible, unique dining experience.

All-in-all, I’m always going to be up for trying something new and different. Anytime there’s a pop-up dining experience, I’m likely to try it. How about you?