The Lookout Restaurant at Gray Monk Estate Winery

Food Quality
Atmosphere / Services
Reasonable Priced
Summary

Strength: Polished service with fresh local food and an amazing view

Weakness: N/A

The Grapevine Restaurant recently changed its name to Lookout Restaurant at Gray Monk. This is an ancillary restaurant to the Gray Monk Estate Winery in Lake Country of the Okanagan Valley.

Is this Provence of France?

After parking the car, we walked straight towards a focal point next to the winery gift store. The large bush of lavender and the yellow building surrounding reminds me of Provence of France. The stair to the right is the main entrance to the Lookout Restaurant. The patrons goes through the ritual to being bask in the European environment before entering the restaurant.

View from the store’s deck

We went straight to the gift store for wine tasting. They offer $5 to taste 5 different types of wine. The fee is waived if we end up purchasing a bottle of wine. Stepping out to the roof deck puts us on a vantage point to overlook the lake with Gray Monk Estate Winery’s architecture in the foreground. We can also see entrance of the Lookout Restaurant from here.

Restaurant Entrance was modest

We had a calming experience walking towards the restaurant entrance. There are artifacts to tell the story of the winery. There are many large hanging flower baskets along the wall. The entrance of the lookout restaurant is very modest. Interior was dim, which created a large contrast.

Spectacular service starts right when we enter

There were two waitresses at the front reception. There is always one person to greet customers while the other lead patrons to their seat. We knew this place is busy, so made reservation. We arrived on time, but they did not have the table ready due to previous customer. We did not think too much of it and sat down on the bench in the spacious waiting area.

Gray Monk Odyssey White Brut

Soon after, one of the waitresses brought us each a 2016 Odyssey White Brut as their sincere apology. This was really not necessary because I was just so used to Vancouver Restaurants not honoring their reservation. Nevertheless, I got a taste of Gray Monk’s professionalism. Later on, I checked the price of the White Bruts. They are at $16 value each. Don’t judge me, I know you would do the same.

The White Brut was bubbly with strong acidity, making it a very good appetizer. If you hold the liquid in your mouth while breathing through your nose, you can smell a very faint fruity smell.

Unobtrusive service enhanced dining experience

We were here for a special occasion and we got a seat next to the balcony. The chairs are oriented in such a way that we can both enjoy the lake view. There was no other table in front of us.

The waitress leads us to our table and waited until we both pulled our chair out and seated before presenting us with the food and drink menu. She waited patiently. We could feel her attention on us, waiting for the right moment. She did not interrupt us before we were ready to receive the menu.

Casual and Elegant Atmosphere

After sitting down, we get to enjoy the view and other patrons in the dining room. The dining area is busy but not too crowded. The exterior sliding doors facing the lake are completely open. The transition between interior and exterior treatment is tactfully done.

Best patio view in Kelowna

The trellis over the outdoor patio provide the outdoor seating. Sitting here makes you feel like you are among the lake and the hills. This kind of environment really widens your horizon, both visually and emotionally. Perhaps this is why they changed the name to the Lookout Restaurant.

Simple, Elegant Tableware

Everything is clean and classy. It is elegant and not overly extravagant.

Dishes are beautifully presented

We were still full from the breakfast we had, so only ordered two dishes to share.

Sterling Springs Chicken Paprikash

This dish is made of fresh tagligatelle pasta, candied chili, smoked mushrooms, cherry tomato, and drizzled with sour cream.

Tagligatelle pasta that is a little wider and thinner than fettuccine. Regardless of the thickness, it still has a bit of bounce. It is perfectly cooked and not soggy at all. It absorbed a lot of flavour from mushroom and chicken. The mushroom is a little crunchy and has lots of flavour.

The amount of yellow bell pepper is set to minimal so the taste does not overpower other ingredients. This is a very wise decision. The bell peppers are cooked that they have no texture but I like the texture.

The candied chilis looked like dried jalapeño decoration. They are actually very spicy, but tastes very good.

Artisanal Cheese Plate

The Artisanal cheese plate includes local Cheese, house-made pickles, Wine Jelly, crush mustard, fresh baguette, seasonal compote

The cheese served are buffalo bree, extra old-age chedder, and gouda with herbs. The buffalo bree is very moist with a hint of bitterness. It has a firm exterior. The extra old-age cheddar is creamy with a strong cheddar taste. It has consistent texture. The gouda with herb has a very subtle taste of herbs. This is a bit more salty, but the most flavourful among the 3 cheese.

Strawberries and radishes are very fresh. The red radish is crunchy and has more radish flavour. The white radish is also crunchy but more juice. Strawberries are cut in half for ease of consumption.

604 Food Critic Assessment

I consider the Lookout Restaurant as fine dining. Therefore I am a little more strict on the performance. Looking at the restaurant closely, everything they do is in unison. From courteous service to delectable food, everything I have experienced have been tastefully designed. Adding the astonishing view to that makes the Lookout Restaurant at Gray Monk one of the best restaurants. Everyone should at least try it once in their life time.

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How to get in touch

• Phone: (250) 766-3168
• Address: 1055 Camp Rd, Lake Country
• Hours: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
• Reservations: opentable.ca