Granville Island Part 1

Anytime I get to go somewhere new when it comes to food, I get excited. We arrived into Vancouver shortly after 1130 am at the Vancouver airport from Edmonton. We grabbed our luggage, found the sky train and headed into the city from the airport. After a 20 min Sky Train Ride we arrived at our hotel shortly after 12:30 pm and found out our room wasn’t ready yet. A quick conversation with the crew and we decided Granville Island was our destination.

We called an Uber and a quick 10 min ride and we were at our destination. Coming on to the island was quite exciting with impressive amount of boats on both sides of the island, and the shops and restaurants that lined both sides of the street. It was Monica’s first trip to Vancouver and she was impressed.

Before we went to the market, we went to a local seafood inspired restaurant called the Sandbar. Our traveling companions Mike and Doreen Launer have family here. We were joined by Mike’s cousins for an impromptu round of drinks and appetizers. I didn’t do a full review on the restaurant because we only had a few appetizers. I didn’t think this would be fair as this place is not a mom and pop restaurant , nor is it a chain. It is one of the sequoia group of restaurants that are here in Vancouver area.

We were immediately seated in this 2 story restaurant with stunning views of False Creek and the Vancouver waterfront. One of the things that impressed me was the live tanks of fresh shell fish, and the decor. The dining room was rustic maritime, but not overly decorated, lobster traps and other maritime fishing items placed strategically in the the room .All the wait staff dressed in white with black aprons. Chefs as food runners, open kitchen and sushi chefs applying their knive skills cutting and preparing fresh sushi.

Another thing I liked was the fresh seafood menu, if it was fresh and available it was served. We had a great waiter named Josh, he kept the table happy with a constant supply of drinks and helped us navigate through menu with his suggestions. The menu is mainly seafood based with a few other choices so everyone had options.

Monica is a big fan of hot dips, especially ones that have crab or lobster in it, so she ordered the Crab and Artichoke Dip. Doreen’s Choice was the Wood Fired Margherita Pizza and the spicy Green Beans. Mike’s choice was the Clam Chowder and I rounded out the order with Crab Cakes.

Monica was impressed was the dip, lots of Crab and Artichoke with a little bit of heat, she gave it an 9 right out of the gate. Doreen enjoyed her Pizza, I personally didn’t try it, but I prefer a round traditional Pizza but that is a personal preference. Now a lot of people will be surprised on my next comment, the Green Beans were good, like really good. I am personally not a fan of cooked vegetables as I find most cooked vegetables overcooked and flavourless. The culinary staff did a great job, I would give this dish a solid 8.5 out of 10. Mike was happy with his Clam Chowder. I had the Crab Cakes they were ok, but not impressive as they were deep fried not pan fried in clarified butter. Lots of Dungeness Crab in the cakes, but not seasoned enough. Over all the table was quite happy with all items ordered.

I would definitely come back to the Sandbar, the waterfront views are incredible, good service, a menu that would keep most people happy. We left the restaurant at around 3 pm and headed to the market. The amount of people in this area on a Saturday afternoon was incredible. I want to give a big shout out to Monica for supporting me on this adventure and to Mike and Doreen Launer who let me run wild in every market or food stall I see. Granville Island part 2 will be a full review of the Market.