Alibi Room
(604) 623-3383
Address: 157 Alexander Street, Gastown
Homepage
Food menu

Of all the watering holes in all the cities…
a restaurant review

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver writer
Saturday, June 28th 2008

** (of four stars)

Alibi Room feels like it was cooked up behind a bar by a couple of industry vets, “You know what I’d do if I started my own place?”

The reply, sarcastic in a I’ll-keep-this-going-if-at-least-to-kill-time-kind-of-way: “Yeah, what?”

“Well there’d be a huge draft beer list. Stuff you can’t get anywhere else.”

“Obviously, what else?”

“A kick-ass burger.”

“And laid back service, you know, so it’d feel like you were just hanging out at someone’s house?”

“Exactly.”

You know the conversation I’m talking about.

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From the Eat Vancouver mailbag, news of a potentially interesting brunch special. Read more to read more.

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The New Bohemian
(604) 736-7576
Address: 3162 West Broadway (map)

A First Look at The New Bohemian
a Quick Bite

By Jason
Eat Vancouver writer

First, a brief disclaimer: I visited The New Bohemian on its opening night, a night when no restaurant should be judged at any level of discrimination (would you like to be rated on your first day of work?). In fact, one could argue that it’s pointless to attempt a serious review during a restaurant’s first two weeks of service, a task that should be reserved for amateurs and The Globe and Mail. Being neither, I will attempt a modified quick bite, in which I will comment more on the overall concept of The New Bohemian in order to focus on the aspects that should remain relatively stable.

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Abigail’s Party
(604) 739-4677
Address: 1685 Yew St, Kitsilano (map)
Homepage

Dear Abi,
a restaurant review

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver writer
Sunday, May 20th, 2007

½ (of four stars)

With a wealth of new Kitsilano restaurants (Bistrot Bistro, Gastropod, Fuel et al) soaking up our collective attentional resources, it is easy to overlook the several Kits standards that have already made a name for themselves. One such joint is Abigail’s Party, which opened over a year ago to much critical praise and considerable success. But has this Cinderella maintained her charm, or is she late for the ball, her coach nothing but a dirty old gourd and her hand servants mere field mice? Recent evidence suggests she is showing her age, but with some serious tweaking, this soiree can regain its former splendor.

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The Fish House in Stanley Park

Address: 8901 Stanley Park Drive (map)
Tel: 1-877-681-7275 or 604-681-7275
Homepage

Hours:
Lunch - Monday to Saturday from 11:30am
Dinner - Seven days a week from 5:00pm
Sunday Brunch - from 11:00am
Afternoon Tea - Seven days a week from 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Fresh Catch from the Forest

By Desmond Cheung
Eat Vancouver Columnist Emeritus
Sunday February, 18th 2007

*** 1/2 (of four stars)

An English friend from college days was visiting Vancouver for the first time ever. Recently relocated to New York from Beijing, he asked to go somewhere ‘quintessentially Vancouver’ for dinner. There is, of course, no such singularity here; many places could offer fine flavours that make up our city’s distinguished and varied palate. Considering his expatriate and cosmopolitan experiences, plus the fact that I hadn’t seen him for a few years, I decided to treat us both to one of Vancouver’s most noted restaurants that had long been recommended to me but I had not yet had the opportunity to try out: The Fish House in Stanley Park.

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Habit Lounge
Address: 2610 Main St (map)
604-877-8582
hours available on their homepage

** (of four stars)

The Flying Tiger
Address: 2958 West 4th Ave (map)
604-737-7529
hours available on their homepage

** and 1/2 (of four stars)

Share and Share Alike

By Jason Chin
Writer

Statisticians describe mediation as what occurs when one variable explains the relationship between two others, who without this third variable would have a merely specious relationship. One might interpret the relationship between The Flying Tiger and Habit in the same way: one is Asian-themed, the other has few Asian inspirations; one is full of Kitsilano yuppies, the other is Main Street hippies; one is brightly-lit and very modern, the other is like the inside of a Pandora’s box. Long story short, they don’t have a lot in common unless you analyze the situation a certain way. Both menus feature items that are perfect for sharing.

Oh yeah, and they’re both really good, too.

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Infinity Dining Experience
Address: 819 Pacific Street (map)
Phone: 604-684-2529
homepage

Quick Bite: Terrific Steaks, Familiar Service, ad infinitum

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver Editor

Cactus Club, Earls, Joeys, Moxie’s – Vancouver has no shortage of what locals term casual fine dining (CFD). Local food critics and enthusiasts have been known to debate the merit of these chains, discussing matters ranging from the quality of food provided, to the social benefits of these restaurants’ training programs. Don’t worry, although I’m not going to get into this debate here – I doubt it would be fruitful and it is only tangentially related to the topic at hand – I will say that with the exception of Moxie’s, which I have not had much luck with, I find these chains provide a rote predictability I do not approve of, yet a nice buffer between lower and higher end restaurants at a quality level that is often commensurate with price.

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Nu
Address: 1661 Granville St (map)
Phone: 604-646-4668
homepage

Quick Bite: Nu’s Worthy Jazz Brunch

By Jason Chin and Desmond Cheung
Food Writers

I love brunch as an opportunity to try a restaurant that might be slightly out of my price range. It’s also a great meal, situated such that one can wake up late, enjoy a big meal, and still have a good portion of the day afterwards to get some work done.

Unfortunately, it seems the supply of good brunches in Vancouver is dwindling. Aurora Bistro served a good one, but apparently, no more. A lot of the familiar institutions truly do not deliver as their lineups might suggest, in particular the large-scale breakfasts at Sophie’s Cosmic Café and heavy offerings at the Sunshine Diner. With this in mind, I was pleased to find that the versatile Nu happens to serve a brunch, a jazz brunch at that (perpend: Jazz is Sunday’s only), and even more pleased to find out that it does so quite aptly.

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Beyond Restaurant + Lounge Opening Gala
Address: 1015 Burrard St (map)
Tel: 604-684-3473
homepage

Enter The Beyond
Beyond Restaurant + Lounge Opening Gala

By Jason Chin
Eat Vancouver Editor
Monday, September 25th, 2006

Beyond Restaurant and Lounge in the Century-Plaza Hotel officially celebrated its opening this past Tuesday in great style. The media, as well as many other prominent Vancouverites were invited to this gala event marking the restaurant’s opening, which officially occurred over a month ago. It was indeed a lavish and largely enjoyable evening, perhaps the perfect move for a restaurant that was recently praised by the Globe and Mail for its edibles, but not for its tourist-heavy clientele. I have to believe that, at least in the short-run, the event has branded Beyond as a hot-spot in the minds of many Vancouverites.

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Feenie’s
Address: 2563 West Broadway
Tel: 604-739-7115
homepage

Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30am-5:30pm lunch
Sat-Sun 2:00pm-5:30pm lunch
Mon-Sat 5:30pm-11:30pm dinner
Sun 5:30pm-10:00pm dinner
Sat-Sun 10:00am-2:00pm brunch

More than just a Pretty Burger

By Lorna Yee
Eat Vancouver Columnist
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006

*** (of four stars)

Rob Feenie’s role in shaping the restaurant scene in Vancouver is indisputable. His 2004 win on Iron Chef against Masaharu Morimoto cemented his position as an internationally respected chef whose approach to cooking has impressed the likes of Charlie Trotter.

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