Time to get your inner geek out! A Halloween Night at Wayne Manor (Brock House Restuarant) Event Recap

The reception area

This was one of the most unique events I have ever been to (it was from October, I was a bit late in posting this) A good friend of mine had an extra ticket to "A Halloween Night at Wayne Manor" at Brock House Restaurant and she invited me to go. What an experience it was! A fully immersive theatrical event where there were actors acting out parts from the Batman movie coupled with good food from the restaurant and all guests dressed up (except me...) really made this a spectacular event. Put on by the Geekenders, it was nice to see so many actors who were so passionate about what they do. Just a warning, if you are coming to an event like this, be sure to dress up. My friend and I didn't dress up because we just assumed it was a casual dinner with no dress code, but we were wrong... haha.
   When we arrived, the parking in the surrounding areas were full so we parked a few blocks away. The Brock House restaurant is a vintage house built in the 1900's. It's more of a mansion than a house (especially in modern day Vancouver where houses are getting smaller and smaller) and it definitely has some historical significance to it. It was definitely majestic to see the house from the outside as the building felt like it was from another era (one where Vancouver was probably more affordable).

The appetizers 

   From the entrance of the Brock House, a small line up of people attending the event can be seen. Everyone was dressed in suits and gowns so at that instant, I felt abit weird. Once the line started moving and we were on the porch and inside the restaurant, we were greeted by people from Geekenders. They were all dressed up and really contributed to the vintage and classy feel that the Batman movie portrayed.
   After we finished with the coat check, and got our champagne tickets, our attention immediately shifted to one of the characters trying to show the upstairs venue to a bunch of guests. To be honest, I am a nerd, but I'm not much of a Batman nerd so I don't really know many of the characters (that explains my choice of clothing). It was only a few moments into the event, I was already impressed.
   The main dining hall had some characters playing and singing on the piano and food. The first hour was the appetizers which included cheese, crackers and vegetables. There were also olives and a cheese platter. All around were characters acting out scenes. There were also photographers (one was a character from Batman) walking around with vintage cameras to take pictures. After about an hour, this was when the entrees and appetizers came out.

The self serve entree bar

    The appetizers were exquisite. From spring rolls to smoked salmon on cream cheese and cucumbers to mini quiches to skewers with bacon and asparagus, the selection was quite well done. The taste of them and the quantity were very well done. I personally loved the smoked salmon (I think I had at least 10 pieces because I don't eat smoke salmon often). 
    In addition to the appetizers the main dish was a self serve bar where you can choose things like shrimp, fish, meat, pasta, vegetables and more and there are live chefs there cooking for you. I had some shrimp mixed with pasta and some white sauce. It was sooo good. There weren't many places to sit, but they had chairs lined up on the side of the dining hall. 

The "Press Release" from the Mayor of Gotham City

    The highlight of the night happened after the dinner was served. The actor who played the mayor suddenly appeared on the elevated steps of the dining hall and everyone gathered around him. There were actors in the crowd who were portraying journalists and asking him questions about the mayor's decisions on building a psych ward. All of a sudden, the lights went out and the joker appeared. The joker and his gang took over the stage. Soon after, the lights went out again and the next thing we knew, Batman showed up to tied up the mischiefs. The scene was saved and then Bruce Wayne (the actor portraying Bruce Wayne) showed up. This was really well done in my opinion.
   After this scene, everyone dispersed to grab drinks. I think this was when the ball was supposed to happen. However, most people decided to just grab a drink a chat rather than dance. My friend and I decided to go upstairs and see what people were up to. To our surprise, we found the dessert section.

The dessert selection

   The desserts were amazing. There was a volunteer from the Geekenders there at the dessert table and we briefly chatted. He had a very slim face and a sort of natural evil look (like a resting bitch face, but a resting evil look instead).  It turned out he played the evil character in many movies and had small roles in movies such as Deadpool. He also has his own IMDB profile and his own acting classes. Together with mingling with actors were the desserts. The dessert selection was quite amazing too. They had cream puffs, chocolate mousses, a variety of cakes and fruits. My favourite was the chocolate mousse. I've never had mousse like this in a cup before so it was quite special.  The other desserts were good too. The selections were quite good in my opinion.
  Before we left, we discovered in one of the side rooms, there were coffee. I think that coffee room was sort of like the "introvert's corner" of the event. There were a wide variety of coffee and tea and people we were there by themselves and away from the acts happening outside.
  Overall, what an event! It was quite well done. Besides the part where people didn't really dance, overall the event was so well done. The food and drinks selection was amazing. Together with the immersive action from the Batman movie, the vintage location a Brock House Restaurant and the scheduling of the events, it was quite a well run event. If I was a bit more Batman geeky I would have understood it more, but from a non Batman geeky perspective. That said, using a bit of with a bit of imagination and a hint of nerd, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this event and other Geekender events in the future.