Steamworks Brewing Company: Vancouver British Columbia

Lunch time in Vancouver and where to go? Meeting with a friend I looked around for a place that’s casual and close enough to the office. Steamworks shows up in my internet search, and not having been there before, I decided to give it a shot and invited SJ and my friend to meet me there. JR, my friend, suggests we meet in the lower level as he knows the bartender there and will provide not only personal attention but fun times. Parking beside the restaurant is paid parking and very convenient. For those of you who have tried parking in downtown Vancouver, you’ll appreciate the convenience of this lot, as the entrance is right off of it. Walking in we noticed the decor is trendy and pub like. Walking down the winding staircase to the basement we notice JR seated waiting for us. Almost immediately the bartender, a very pleasant and easy going guy, took our drink orders and began to go through the recommended dishes with a refreshing honesty. All of us decide for fish and chips as they sounded great and were well recommended.

Pounding back a few drinks our meals arrived without delay. The fish adequately portioned and served with a bit of coleslaw and a mound of fries. I would suggest the coleslaw is more of a decoration as the plates all came with a few bites of it, which was good considering the portions of the fries and fish on the plate. However, if you like coleslaw, you should request more than usual, I am sure they would gladly accommodate such a request. I digress, what to say..... the fish, halibut, were beer battered and lightly deep fried. Not too greasy or over battered...there are few places that have passed our "fish to batter" ratio and this is one of them. The halibut, flaky, juicy, and tender, came in great portions...I thoroughly enjoyed all three pieces of them. The tartar sauce that accompanied them was perfect and, we believe, homemade. SJ has only ever had better tarter sauce in one place, and it was in England. We enjoyed the fish and chips so much that we all requested more tartar sauce and our server brought three more portions for us. I have a tendency to only eat a handful of fries, and in this occasion I ate a few more than usual as they were crispy enough without being greasy or oily, and as I liked the tartar sauce so much, I dipped a few to finish the sauce off.

The overall experience was great. Better than what you would expect for pub fare.... the bartender was entertaining, friendly and honest.

JR's presence made our experience memorable, and the food was a perfect choice...not too heavy or greasy. We would highly recommend that if you’re looking for a good place to have a few drinks and some well cooked pub fare, this would be the place to check out. Remember to visit the bartender downstairs, he is funny, enjoyable, and definitely added to the great experience.

Location visited: 375 Water Street

Ratings:

Ambiance: Casual
Cuisine: Pub Fare / Contemporary
Presentation: Average
Price: $20/serving
Service: Above Average * ( this could be due to our overly entertaining bartender)
Value: Average



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