I am so extremely lucky to have such a wonderful, strong, amazing group of friends. We are always there for each other, no matter what. Last week we all got to together to celebrate one of our own. Laura turned 24 and we had a night out on the town.

Sarah, Kat, Amy and I all got ready at my place. We headed to Gastown to meet Laura and Cassidy. Our original plan was to have cocktails at The Diamond. Unfortunately, it was completely full. Our next option was Chill Winston; also completely full.

We wandered around trying to find somewhere where we could sit, talk and have drinks. We had nearly given up, until we walked past the Blarney Stone.

The Blarney Stone is an Irish pub that turns into a semi night club after dark. We popped in for a quick drink before heading across the street to to our dinner reservations at L’Abattoir.

The table they had booked for us was still occupied. While we were waiting we ordered a bottle of bubbly to celebrate. We didn’t wait too long before we were taken to our table. We were at upstairs in the very full restaurant.

We ordered very strong cocktails and took a look at the menu. There were so many yummy options. In the end I chose the cod.

Sarah and Amy ordered veal tartare as a starter. We were given two bread baskets to have while we waited for our meals. The bread tasted freshly baked. It was delicious.

Our meals came and I was pleasantly surprised. While the portions were huge, the food was rich and delicious. We all enjoyed our meals before feeling full.

Because it was Laura’s birthday, we made sure she had cake. As her cake came (candles included) we started singing. To our surprise, so did the ENTIRE restaurant. It was amazing. Laura was so shocked, she started to cry.

It was a fabulous night to celebrate a fabulous woman. While L’Abattoir was very good, it was the company that made it better. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, but probably more for their cocktails than their slightly overpriced food.