If I can give this place negative stars, I would.My wife and I tried to go to illuminate for dinner tonight. Like we have numerous times over the last 5 years we’ve been in Tsawwassen.We did not have a reservation.We were told by the manager that the restaurant was fully booked and that a table would not be available until later in the evening.A Caucasian couple behind us heard this and said that they didn’t have a reservation either, and that they would leave.On our way out, the manager stopped them and gave them a table.This made my wife feel bad and asked me why the couple behind us were given a table.I then went back into the restaurant and questioned the manager of his decision to seat them and not us. Regardless of them being “regulars”, seating without reservation should be first come first served.The manager answered our concern with, “it’s my choice”.No apologies!We’ve never felt so insulted and disappointed.We have frequented this restaurant and have always enjoyed the food and service.Until tonight.I guess our money is too coloured for them!Just disgusted with how this “manager” showed his true colours.In this day and age, this is the last thing we’d expect.
My husband and I ate dinner here last Friday. Illuminate has a wonderful ambience and very friendly service. The sommelier spent time with us ensuring that we were happy with our wine selections, and, as we have seen in the past, the food was amazing. The carpaccio appetizer is a must-have, served with unctuous, thin slices of filet that melt in your mouth. We also shared the charred salad which has what I consider to be the best salad dressing in the greater Vancouver area. Our mains were a veal t-bone and cioppino. The cioppino is a generous portion of mussels and other select seafoods in a delightful fennel-flavoured broth. The t-bone was a wonderfully grilled, large portion of veal, served up on a bed of delicious root vegetables. We finished with dessert, tiramisu. Velvety smooth, Illuminate's version of tiramisu takes this Italian favourite to an all new level. Highly recommended that one makes reservations.
Lovely first visit to this restaurant. Best Linguini Vongole I have ever eaten. Highly recommend this place for date night!
We had the most amazing dinner last night! All 6 of us raves about our meal, thank you Roland and co! You’re killing it
Hands down the finest meal I have had in a long time. Everything was perfection. My friend had the carpaccio which she said was the best she's ever had and trust me this woman has eaten at the finest restaurants around BC. The Tuna was gorgeous and the lamb rack special was tender and again highest on the "We Loved It" scale. This spot is a gem!
The service was outstanding right from when we walked in to our server etc. 2 out of 3 of the dishes were extremely salty. They were kind enough to remove one of our main meals off the bill im not sure if they accidentally poured extra salt on the meal. They were very kind and sincere people. Great service
Hands down the best restaurant in Delta and one of the top ones in Greater Vancouver. Last night, we enjoyed take-out. Chef Roland and his team layer flavour after flavour in each of the appetizers and main courses. The ingredients are amazingly fresh. Last night, we enjoyed the carpaccio, caprese salad, veal scallopini, pasta al fredo, and sablefish. The veal and fish were coated with the most delicious and subtle crusts. I admit that the carpaccio was my favourite. In the past year, we have savoured the short ribs on risotto, seafood pastas, and other fish plates. Without exception, the meals are have all been exquisite. Having been a regular visitor to Montreal's finest Italian restaurants, Illuminate meets and exceeds the standards of the best restaurants.
After having had some good times at Illuminate, I will not be going there again. Either the chef/owner has become conceited, swollen headed with all the good comments are simply racial. We made a reservation for 5 & were there for a special evening on January 20th. We were pleasantly greeted and guided to our well set table. We asked about their corkage charge and were advised it was $30.00. (Bit pricy compared to most restaurants). We agreed and I went to y vehicle to get the bottle. On my return we were advised "because of Covid" np outside wine was permitted. Give us a break I thought. I said I came in from the outside too and the wine was sealed. The 'manager' then came out and advised the young lady who advised about corkage was misinformed and that if we had a $300 bottle of wine he may have permitted it but not on a cheap wine that may have been on sale at the BC Liquor Store. Just before we ordered our meal two adults felt a cold draft and we requested for another table. They were prepared to provide blankets instead! Were we at a picnic spot or sitting on a bench outside. There was only one other table occupied. We asked if we could move to a table for four and add another chair. Again, we were informed Covid regulations do not permit that. Covid -Covid -Covid, restaurants are seeing customers yet places like Illuminate are using Covid as an excuse. We walked out and they probably lost a sale 0f $300-400. We went next door to the Greek restaurant where we were warmly welcomed. Corkage was $14.00, we had a table for four and fifth chair was added, service was excellent and we enjoyed our meals. We were so full that we could not indulge in a desserts but to show our support each of us order a dessert to enjoy at home. However good the food and ambiance is, if I am not welcome at a place I would rather take my business elsewhere.
Hands down the finest meal I have had in a long time. Everything was perfection. My friend had the carpaccio which she said was the best she's ever had and trust me this woman has eaten at the finest restaurants around BC. The Tuna was gorgeous and the lamb rack special was tender and again highest on the "We Loved It" scale. This spot is a gem!
Inexperienced server seated us beside the bathroom in an empty restaurant, was disheveled, introverted and mistook a Cesar cocktail for a salad when she took our drink order, about 15 minutes after we were seated. She served my wine in a significantly broken glass. My piocinno $29 was delicious, but had a 1/2 lobster tail (unexpected) larger than my husband's lobster feature at $42. We had to flag the server down a half hour after we were done drinks. We don't expect we'll return and will drive the distance for good service and an order as expected.