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| - I was dying to come here after passing it by in Vancouver. I had never been able to go and then my friend's girlfriend told me about this place. She wouldn't stop raving about it and after finding out that they established a bar here, my mind was made up and a impromptu date night was formed.
At first, I was a little skeptical. From the outside, it didn't look open and gotta say, it felt a little sketchy to say the least. With such a plain exterior, it gave me second thoughts thoughts and I was stalling a bit (it was next to a roti shop with half my last name - I was distractingly excited about that). Walking in through the big curtains though, the atmosphere was completely different. The decor was very overwhelmingly loud. With all the kitschy trinkets, straw hut booths, barrel tables, tiki figures and masks, the bar gave a whole distinct experience in itself.
After gazing at all the little nooks and crannies of the place, my boyfriend and I managed to order the mystery bowl. What a perfect startup drink! A combination of rum, spices and juices with a touch of a gong to announce its arrival. The drink itself went down smoothly although I didn't taste the spices that they were mentioning. It made us want more, not to mention that drink disappeared within seconds. We became curious about the voodoo bowl and the volcano bowl - this one was presented by a change in lights and atmosphere to resemble an erupting volcano complete with fog and smoke coming out the stairs. We made a mental note to come back with more people as those bowls have been suggested to try with at least four people instead of two.
Our snacks to start consisted of their chips with guacamole and their Maui coconut shrimp. The guacamole was very nice and smooth. I honestly eat a lot of guacamole whether it be from Tex-Méx restaurants or bars. I even went to Mexico and purposefully avoided guacamole with nachos for a while because I was starting to get sick of it. But this guacamole is bringing me back on the bandwagon for sure!
The Maui coconut shrimp were to die for, however I feel like we were skimped on the portions. There was only three of them which weren't enough. There should be more considering the shrimp were of average size. The chips portion seemed to contain a lot more food.
The tiki burger is a must try here. Their sliders are a good thirst quencher for the food but this is the real deal. Eating this burger will leave you pretty satisfied. I have never had pineapple on a burger before but it created a good balance. It made the burger have a sweet sort of tang in every bite. Definitely made this burger above average. This is served with fries which, bonus, I dipped them in everything. I started with the ketchup that they gave me, moved to finish off our second bowl of guacamole - yes, it was that good - and then dipped them in the honey plum sauce that came with the coconut shrimp. Sounds a little weird but it came with good results. All were good, all separate add ons to this meal.
My favourite thing on their menu has to be their taco al pastor. They only come served as one so order multiple if you wish and they come in three options. I decided to get the kalua pork taco. Man oh man, was that good! They didn't shy on the pork which is how they won my heart. Most places I go, they give you the minimum ingredients but this place was great about the portion here.
I also decided to top up with the black velvet cocktail. With hints of cherry and lime, this drink packs a strong punch. I'm not really a rum drinker, I'm more of a Russian vodka kind of girl but this drink was rather good and smooth. Make sure you mix the cocktail up though. The coffee with the rum gives a kick on its own so the less of a stir, the bigger the kick. Not my top choice for drinks but it was good for the occasion. They have a legend with this drink menu for most of their drinks - excludes the bowls - so it can help you gauge them with your tolerance. They are described in barrels which was an amusing touch and go from one (mild) to five (you're a damn trooper). I am stubborn so I didn't actually pay attention to it but as an indication, if you are not used to rum, stick to two or less. Or you can work your way up, starting with one barrel and see how you go.
Something to keep in mind is that they do not have any desserts. If you go and their menu is not updated, don't ask the server about their desserts. They had stopped making them a while back but the reason is unknown.
This is a bar, I would definitely go back to and this time with a couple more people. I think this place is best for a group because of the sheer festivity of it. Probably a good end of the school year celebration would do? This can also work as a funky first date. ;)
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