Vancouver BC
Sept 23
We are off to the Arts Club theater tonight to see the Empire Strips Back and what better way to start the night than at Bridges Tap and Barrel.
Long a staple on Granville Island, the fine dining version of Bridges closed a few years ago and in it’s place opened Tap and Barrel.
I must admit I had a soft spot for Bridges. It was always great food. Even had a buddy who worked there.
I’ve been at the Tap and Barrel twice since the change. The first visit I don’t recall much other than sitting on the beautiful patio which overlooks Downtown Vancouver.
Tonight we are just sharing a couple appies and having a couple drinks.
They had a gin I hadn’t heard of before, Malfy Gin Rosa.
This is a wonderful gin. The pink grapefruit bursts onto your tongue followed by hints of lemon and white pepper and then finishes with a strong juniper kick. So crisp and clean.
Onto the food!
We started with the Tuna Ceviché. Tuna, red onion, jalapeños, avocados,radishes and crispy onions with a citrus dressing.
Pretty standard dish these days. I am seeing ceviché show up on quite a few restaurants now. This one is good, but Cactus Club’s version is slightly better. In particular the jalapenos. At Cactus they slice them really thinly so they’re not overpowering like the ones in this version.
Our second dish was crispy brussel sprouts.
Wow that aioli is a shocking color! Regardless of the assault on my eyes though I really liked these. Roasting brussel sprouts gives you that differing texture throughout the sprout that other cooking methods don’t provide. Other than having to get past the thought of gross nacho cheese sauce when I look at that aioli I did rather enjoy it.
The atmosphere in the winter months is okay. It certainly doesn’t live up to the summer months though when you can sit on the patio.
I’m not in any hurry to go back to Tap and Barrel. This is my third visit overall and none of these visits were particularly memorable. But I see a few popping up now around the lower mainland so some people must enjoy them.
Food 6/10
Drinks 9/10
Overall 6/10