Casual Eats At East Van's Crowbar

This corner at Kingsway and Fraser is becoming a foodie's dream come true.  Solvio Volpe, Faux Bourgeois, Sal y Limon and now Crowbar which we checked out last weekend

Atmosphere:  Crowbar is a tiny space with a few tables against the far wall and the rest of the seating around the bar.  We were initially told it would be at least 30min to get in as a large group had snagged all of the tables.  Fortunately we persevered and went back 10 min later after realizing that others restaurant in the area (the always-packed Solvio Volpe and ever-popular Faux Bourgeois) were also at capacity and we managed to get the two bar stools facing the semi-open kitchen.  In my mind, they are the best seats in the house, right next to the heater which was key on this cold winter's night, and with a prime view of the chef prepping our dishes.  I was a fan of the decor as well, with spirit and champagne bottles behind the bar, and even a saber knife to open the bottles with!  The super-chill vibe is great for a low-key drink and meal any night of the week.

Service:  Crowbar has a small but mighty team, with just one chef in the kitchen, one bartender and a few others to do all of the other jobs.  They clearly have a pretty good system worked out, as we were seated, served drinks and had food in front of us in near record time.  We were asked several times how we were doing and how we were enjoying everything, and they gave us great menu suggestions. For a small crew, these guys got it together.

Food: Crowbar has a small menu that changes very frequently (often weekly) with 8-10 small plates and 2-3 larger plates, all mean to share.  There is also "dealer's choice" pasta and risotto options, and we were told that the chef has ins with some of the pasta makers in the city.  There is a nice mix of veg, fish and meat dishes to please just about any diner.  The dishes we enjoyed were all very easy to split between the two of us.

Suffice it to say that all of the dishes we shared (6 in total) were amazing.  Both the conception and the execution were spot on.  It is pretty remarkable that one chef could pull all of this off solo.  What talent!  Here is a sneak peek, minus the delicious vegetarian winter pasta with buckwheat noodles, potato and cabbage in a creamy sauce which we dove into before snapping a picture.


"Nicky Santoro"- Cachaca, becherovka, beetroot, lime, mint bitters

Grilled endive- salsa bolzanina

Albacore tuna- cured and smoked, cucumber salad, castelvetrano

Scallop Tonnato- sweetbreads, fried capers, evoo

 Pork Cheeks- tomato caramel, roasted pistachio, brussels

 Salted chocolate chip cookies- chantilly cream

Overall verdict?
Crowbar far exceeded our expectations and it is certainly in the running to become on our new Friday night haunts with its super chill and casual vibe.  It adds to an already great food scene, and is the perfect compliment to the more upscale Solvio Volpe and Faux Bourgeois.  Crowbar's food can compete with the best of the best in Vancouver, and should not overlooked.  This is a place I will definitely find myself again soon!

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A Taste of Latin America in Kits at Cacao

There have been many new restaurants popping up around Kits recently, including this tiny little space on Cypress near Cornwall.  I recently visited with friends in early January, a few months after its opening.

Atmosphere: This new little space located near Kits beach on Cypress is in a great area, surrounded by other restaurants in a quiet hub off busy West 4th Ave.  The room is certainly very intimate, with barely 20 seats to its name with fairly sparse decor and wooden tables.  Looking back toward the semi-open kitchen at the back of the space, you can occasionally catch glimpses of Chef Alvarez surfacing out of the back to put the finishing touch on dishes before sending plates out.

Service: There were a few hiccups at the beginning (a harried-looking server clearly did not have my reservation noted but they managed to find us a table) but these things are excusable considering the place just opened last month.  One thing that was rather obvious that they need to start working on is the pace of the meal, as not everyone will enjoy 3+ hours for a 6 course dinner.  There was a full house on the Thursday night of our visit so perhaps more staff is needed as weeknights get busier?  I did appreciate the genuine excitement that the servers had for the dishes when they were brought to our table, and appreciated the chef coming to get our reviews at the end of the meal.

Food/drink: Cacao has a small wine menu (quite pricey) but I would recommend choosing from their unique drink menu with latin-inspired drinks with recommended alcoholic options.  The basil drink I had was delicious and refreshing, and my friends really enjoyed others off the same menu.   The food menu is offered with a la carte dishes, but we chose their tasting menu (5 courses + dessert).  We had the option of letting the chef choose our dishes, or crafting our own 5 courses menu from the a la carte offerings and we chose the latter (3 smaller plates and 2 mains).  Since they had only 1 pescatarian main, they kindly made one of the meat mains into a vegetarian dish for me.  The presentation of the dishes was remarkable, and each dish had a very impressive number of balanced components that worked together to create harmonious dishes.

The menu changes regularly based on seasonality, with slight adjustments have already been made in the 2 weeks since we have been there.  Here are the dishes that we enjoyed in our 3 tasting menus:

Overall Verdict?
Cacao exceeded my expectations and the more I think back to it, the more I like it.  I hope this is the beginning of more casual tasting menus popping up in the city.  The most redeeming quality is how novel the ingredients and the flavour combinations are, making it vastly different than anything else I have tasted in Vancouver.  Chef Alvarez has created a unique, well-crafted menu that weaves Latin flavours into Pacific northwest fare.  This may just be the most exciting meal I have had in Vancouver and I cannot wait to go back!

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