Sean Heather is takin’ it to the streets. Literally.
Sean Heather outside Judas Goat Taberna in Blood Alley - Tim Pawsey photo
For better or worse, back alleys constitute a big part of Vancouver. We’ve lived and worked overlooking one for many years. They add up to the most under-used and often abused significant chunk of unremarkable real estate in an otherwise pretty spectacular city.
Sean Heather—the ‘Laird of Gastown’ and the man behind success stories such as The Irish Heather and Salt Tasting Room—well understands this. He truly knows how to take a seemingly hopeless situation and turn it into something positive.
Witness the popularity of Salt, Heather’s first foray into Blood Alley, which now incorporates the cosy downstairs Salt Cellar, the perfect setting for wine tastings and other gatherings.
When Heather opened Salt, concierges cringed and West Side matrons vowed never to set foot in such seedy surroundings. But guess what? Even though the ‘hood can still be edgy (polite term), people heading down are discovering a true neighbourhood, with—gasp—real people.
Judas Goat takes it one step further, literally, with full sliding doors that, come summer, will allow diners to sit outside (in the alley) facing in. Overall, the Gair Williamson designed space is extremely clever.
“Sean Heather has a problem that would be the envy of most restaurateurs. As the brains behind newly minted hideaway Judas Goat (27 Blood Alley, ph. 604-681-5090), Heather says his Spanish inspired tapas bar, down from Salt, was intended to be a stopover for a drink and a bite on the way to more obvious neighbouring destinations. Instead, the diminutive stainless steel, grey-trimmed, 28 seater has itself become the destination. Not that he’s complaining.”
Read the Hired Belly’s full review in the Vancouver Courier
Here’s a taste of chef Lee Humphries’ pretty delicious plates:
Crisp prosciutto salad, potted prawns with pistachio butter, and English pea with pecorino and mint salad - Tim Pawsey photo
And a parting shot of Blood Alley …
Blood Alley, end to end - Tim Pawsey photo
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