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| - From first appearances, the Depanneur is just another lovely place to buy coffee, cheese, eggs and baked goods. My friends who live nearby are lucky: they can visit this corner shop regularly and indulge. As for me, it's a small trek but each trip would be worthwhile especially if it's for one of the special dinner parties. Apart from being a local grocer, the Depanneur is also the home of the Rushholme Park Supper Club.
Despite walking over there in the drizzling, cold rain, I was greeted to a welcoming atmosphere. It was cozy and warm, and the smell of food wafting in the air. White linens dressed two long tables that formed one long communal table. The kitchen is large and open to us; I felt like I was in someone's house rather than a grocery store.
Each dinner at the Depanneur varies, and the night's food theme was black and white which meant all of the food served were in those two colours. For fun, each guest had to dress up in those colours too.
It was three course dinner and because we were a small group, we had ample seconds. Here's a sampling of what we had:
- White and Black bean soup, with fresh cheese & black garlic
- Squid-ink pasta with white truffle Alfredo sauce
- Linguine with black trumpet mushrooms
- Black sesame and vanilla ice creams
- Homemade Oreos with white chocolate ganache infused with espresso & cacao nibs
It was all delicious, and what a surprise to taste certain flavours that I didn't expect in each dish. Because we were a small group of approximately 10 guests, we had a chance to talk to the supperclub and store's owner and our chef for the evening, Len. He explained to us how he created each dish, as well as what his plans were for his store and supperclub. I loved his ideas so far!
His goal is to make the Depanneur is a place where great food events happen and most importantly, accessible to all. Supperclubs are a wonderful opportunity to try delicious food and mingle with wonderful like-minded people but a lot of them are expensive to join. But membership at this supperclub will set you back $40, which is steal. The one caveat is that it's valid for one night. If you want to attend another food event, you have to pay $40 for another membership that is valid for that night. See what I'm getting at?
It's a good idea to sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss on what's coming. That's how I learned about the dinner. The Depanneur also plays host to weekend brunches and Tuesday night drop-in dinners which cost you less than $20.
Len also explained to us that the supperclub is open to anyone who wants to host a dinner. Apart from having dinner parties with guest chefs, you can host your own and have all of the right tools and equipment at your disposal. My friend Ashley is thinking of hosting one of these dinners; she's a great cook so I can't wait for that event to happen!
Thanks to my lovely experience last night, it's certain that I'll return. Nothing beats eating a great meal with old and new friends, and the Depanneur is doing a great job at becoming a neighbourhood favourite.
A point to remember: Cash only.
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