per se Social Corner

per se Social Corner in Vancouver is a delightful food hall, serving mixed dining options from one delicious menu.

There’s nothing like walking in brisk, night air from the Douglas hotel up to per se Social Corner. It was the perfect distance, slightly uphill, to make us hungry from the short walk.

The concept of per se Social Corner is nothing new. It’s a type of food hall, with the distinct cuisines named under provider categories, order able from one menu at your table. Water + Flour Pizzeria for flour, Ciclo Espresso for coffee based drinks, and so on. I liked that we could order from the difference concepts under one menu.

I started with the INVERNO SPRITZ (Mixed berrie, coconut water, orgeat, fresh citrus, soda) as we browsed the menu. After visiting Montenegro and Paris last year, I have a love affair with spritzes. I don’t know what it is about them. They are so refreshing and tasty! Plus, I loved this version – because it didn’t rely on booze to mask the effervescent flavor profile. It was good on it’s own merits.

To start, we shared the PROSCIUTTO E BURRATA (30 months Prosciutto di Parma Leoncini, Burrata di Puglia, grilled ciabatta, melon tartare). Almost immediately after, the CRIMINALE PIZZA (San marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, prosciutto cotto, soppressata picante, applewood smoked bacon, sliced red onions) was also dropped off.

Now, the pizza was freshly made and swiftly dropped off at our table with a pair of scissors. Not wanting anything to be lost in translation / overstep or assume, I knew that in LA – it was typical for the waiter to cut the pizza and serve the first slice. This was not the case in Vancouver. When I asked if we were supposed to cut the pizza ourselves, our waiter said, of course “yes”.

So, we did what we needed to do to fit the pizza slices into our mouths.

The pizza was an example of well crafted perfect. The crust was savory and spongy, soaking up the tomato sauce and standing up well to being folded and eaten. The toppings were well thought out, high quality and tasty. It truly was an example of high quality, wood fired cuisine, at its finest, freshiest serving.

The prosciutto was good. However, when something that large is served with only two pieces of fire roasted bread, of course you’ll have diners asking for more bread. However, when I asked for more bread – we were not given another small dish of fire roasted bread. Instead we were given a half order of flat bread.

Le – grande – sigh.

I don’t understand this in restaurants. It’s like – you’re given the awesome bread first, to get you hooked. And when you ask for more, you’re given filler bread.

I will say, the flat bread did the job of offering a medium to soak up and savor the final bites of the prosciutto and burrata. But, being charged $2 for the flat bread vs happily being charged more for higher quality bread? I simply won’t understand it.

To complete the evening, I knew I wanted a hot drink on a cold, rainy night. After a lovely conversation with a bartender (who came to our table to consult with me about the flavor profile I desired) I was served the BLUEBERRY TEA COCKTAIL (Grand Mariner, Amaretto, tea). It was hot and exactly what I was looking for – the perfect end to a lovely evening.

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