Date night is one of my favorite nights. It’s a night that my husband and I often plan together, or it just spontaneously happens. Either way, it’s our time to focus on each other, be present in the moment with each another, and nurture our relationship.
We recently had the pleasure of a spontaneous date night at the new Tiki Light Lounge in downtown Simpsonville, SC. The Tiki Light Lounge is a new fixture to the incredible variety of Warehouse at Vaughn’s, and is the love child of culinary genius, Tye Cantrell.
Exterior Signage with Stone Tiki Head
The Tiki Light Lounge has a very Hawaiian tropical vibe to it, and everything from the décor, right down to the drinks and food, is nothing short of heavenly! We were able to enjoy conversations with the staff and other patrons, and we enjoyed every second of it! There’s even a sandpit for the kiddos!
To start our night off, Aaron ordered a Mai Tai while I opted for a delicious Hawaiian Sunset. The Hawaiian Sunset was sweet with just the right amount of tartness cut in so that it wasn’t just like drinking juice, served on ice with a cute palm tree stirrer, and garnished with a slice of grapefruit and a single cherry on top. The Mai Tai was tart and strong — as it should be— and garnished with a lime round, sprig of mint, and a bamboo straw, all of which suited the glassware very well.
We’ve literally tried almost everything on Chef Tye’s menu, so I wasn’t surprised when my husband opted for an order of volcano fries. Volcano fries are just as spicy as they sound, but they are oh-so tasty! Crispy, loaded crinkle fries topped with spicy crab salad, jalapeño mayo, furikake, and sriracha, but Aaron requested no sriracha on his order to tame down the spice level a notch.
My choice of the evening was the deep fried pork and cabbage egg rolls, rice topped with furikake, and a side of orange ginger dipping sauce. The egg rolls had such a savory flavor that was complimented so beautifully with the orange ginger sauce, and the crunch with every bite — cloud nine! The rice was steamed to perfection, but it was the furikake that really brought it home for a win. At this point, I think I could literally put furikake on everything.
Aaron rounded out the evening with the bartender’s choice. He opted for something light, which the staff calls “one tiki”. A Bahama Mama was served in the cutest tiki mug, garnished with pineapple slice, cherries, and a couple of pineapple leaves. This drink tasted a lot stronger than it actually was because of the Bacardi 151, and it wasn’t as sweet as others we’ve had in the past — which is great since Aaron doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth! All-in-all, we would definitely order this drink again.
If you ever find yourself in Simpsonville, SC, and you want a fun date night spot or a chill hangout — make your way to the Warehouse at Vaughn’s and head out back to the Tiki Light Lounge. You’ll be glad you did! Show some love on their Instagram linked below!
jl bizzell 