Steel Toad
97 East 2nd | 604-709-8623 | SteelToad.ca
Open Monday-Friday, 11am-late; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-late.
At first glance, the large cavernous space that houses this new brewery and “dining hall” on East 2nd is somewhat off-putting. All that glass, concrete and steel doesn’t exactly give off the comfortable, relaxed feeling one associates with a gastropub, but, then again, this is the new southeast False Creek neighbourhood that encompasses the Olympic Village. It’s big, bold and slightly brash, and Steel Toad fits well into that mold. Turns out it also makes for great acoustics (there’s live music every night). And, judging by the mood of the crowd on three different nights – including one game night – the look and feel of the place is going down just fine with the local crowd.
The name comes from the moniker given to the steelworkers who managed the heavy machinery and forges for Columbia Block and Tool Company, which was the original occupant of the revamped Opsal building almost a century ago. After sitting empty for over a decade, the space was overhauled over a five-year process, with original materials, such as windows and original beams, restored and re-installed.
Two large-screen TVs on one side of the oval bar are silent unless it’s hockey night, and there’s a good mix of high-top, bar and booth seating. The house taps, overseen by head brewer Chris Charron, range from classic ales to more interesting rye IPAs. There’s a decent wine list and interesting cocktails. The Earl Grey Marteani ($11) was a bit sweet, but the tea-infused Tanqueray gin had some lovely notes.
Food is overseen by chef Robbie Robinson (formerly of West, Le Crocodile and Claridge’s in London). It’s an eclectic mix of dishes, ranging from pub classics like the burger and roast beef sandwich to more contemporary offerings like cauliflower beignets. The latter ($9) were disappointing. A beignet should be pillowy soft, with a thin, slightly crisp coating. These were solid florets, still quite firm inside. The coating was great, but the inside lacked flavour, which was only partly mitigated by the curry aioli. Tuna tataki ($14) was another miss. The fish was perfectly seared and obviously well-sourced, but was seriously under-seasoned and bland. The bok choi salad that it came with was too wet to really appreciate.
Other dishes hit closer to the mark. Quail and foie gras pithivier (think pastry pocket) felt a bit steep at $19, but turned out to be an excellent dish. The pastry was light, buttery and flaky, the tender slices of quail and flecks of foie gras inside, sitting over mustard greens, made for a groan-worthy combo. Veal breast with sweetbreads ($22) was another winner. Here, the cauliflower was a lovely purée, and studded with bacon lardons, shallots and housemade spätzle. The roast beef sandwich ($12) was beautifully presented, if slightly bland; open-face with a large, heaping portion of juicy, sliced roast over toasted bread, topped with crispy shallots and sided with rosemary aioli. And don’t miss the chocolate bread pudding ($6), although it’s more of a steamed cake. The dollop of crème fraîche takes it over the top.
In general, the dishes are inventive and well thought out, the ingredients are top-notch and mainly local, and the kitchen’s technique is impressive. The lack of seasoning – especially when it comes to the proteins – could use some serious work, but it’s an easy fix, and there’s enough to like here to make going back an easy yes.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★
Value: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
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.
