Salida 7
52 Alexander St. | 604-569-3088 | Salida7.ca
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 5pm-late
Salida 7 had a rough start when it opened four months ago. The original chef, whose name I never caught, was obviously miserable (the food spoke to his mood and he was overheard telling customers how much he wanted to leave) and the front-of-house seemed lackadaisical at best. Paired with their low-foot-traffic location on Alexander, it seemed a recipe for disaster and early demise.
Luckily, the original chef got his wish and was canned, and Devin Blaney took over the kitchen. The new EC hails from Cuchillo, and before that from Cobre. In short, he received a solid and no doubt extensive intro to Latin cuisine from expert Stu Irving. The new GM is also a breath of fresh air. Steven Li worked for a couple of years at the famed Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino before leaving to work at several Relais et Chateaux properties in Australia and New Zealand. Four years later, he’s back and running a casual and efficient affair at Salida 7.
Even the music has improved, going from unfortunate early '70s remixes to tunes that better fit a Gastown vibe.
Blaney hasn’t completely re-written the menu, but the quality is worlds better. Daily pintxos ($4 each) include beautiful skewers of warm herring wrapped around sweet roasted garlic and lovely lamb meatballs with a smoky tomato sauce with hints of char. Tiny, fried white smelts ($6) are served alongside a parsley “allioli” (Catalan for “aioli”). It’s a perfect amuse; the fish have a light, paper-thin crispy skin, covering the almost-creamy flesh.
The bocadillos (small, fried sandwiches) are equally good, served with a simple micro-green salad. Rabbit ($7) is braised to perfection with dates and preserved lemon, while grilled beef tongue ($7) is paired with blue cheese and walnut bread for a lovely, rich snack. A feature one night of octopus salad ($10) was excellent. The perfectly grilled tentacle was served over romaine hearts studded with pomegranate, orange, crispy garlic chips and halved olives. The bomba ($8), lovely round croquettes of whipped potatoes around a smoky chorizo centre, were brilliant, served in a deeply flavourful mojo picon (red pepper sauce).
The website claims that the cuisine is based on that of coastal and “continental” Spanish cuisine, that which lies along the highway that leads you from Barcelona to Costa Brava (Salida 7 is the exit off the highway that takes you there). Seafood dishes are plentiful, but there are no claims to being Ocean Wise here, as the white tiger prawns might attest to. They’re delicious, though, served in a skillet with garlic, hints of chili flakes, white wine and oil ($13). They’re also graced with sliced almonds; a crunchy, almost sweet counterpoint. The paella ($21), served in the Valencian style, also has the prawns, as well as mussels, earthy sausage and tender chicken. The heat on this dish is a little monotonous. More complexity and aromatics would elevate this from okay to excellent. A chocolate flan ($8) was mediocre, but churros with hot chocolate ($8) were excellent, as was the sangria ($12 for a glass, $40 for a pitcher).
It’s early days for the new team, but they seem to be on the right path. A little more polishing and this could potentially become one of the city’s most popular Spanish restaurants.
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★1/2
