Pub food

Brews News: Poring over Tastes from Pioneering Portland in Vancouver

October 19, 2012

We’ve waxed poetic (and otherwise) over the years about what used to pass for a pub in Vancouver. Having been eclipsed for so long by Victoria (which benefitted maybe just a tad from being the seat of political and bureaucratic power), Vancouver is finally coming into its own. In the last few years there’s been [...]

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Vancouver’s Tap & Barrel Proves Quality Keg Wines Are Here to Stay

August 2, 2012

We owe a debt of thanks to Blasted Church’s Brent Hayman for being the first to give us the heads up on the burgeoning tap wine business, earlier this spring.  He introduced us to Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten at Vancouver Urban Winery, who were just bottling kegging their first FreshTap batch of Blasted Church Hatfield’s [...]

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Gastown’s Bitter: Sweet Destination for a Perfect Pint

March 23, 2012

If there’s one thing the Hired Belly finds hard to resist it’s a decent pint, particularly when it’s properly poured, and at the right temperature.  I’m sure it’s one of the many very sound traits inherited from my dad—who I still sorely miss. Growing up, beer was very much a church and state kind of thing—literally. [...]

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Dale MacKay Folds Ensemble and Ensemble Tap

January 16, 2012

UPDATED, August 27th, 2012. Sadly, Dale Mackay has had to close both Ensemble and Ensemble Tap. Here are the pertinent excerpts from today’s press release… “I learned quickly that opening a restaurant in the heart of Vancouver is something I should have done after building my business and expansion capital in markets that support my restaurant business [...]

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