After work today, we walked to Granville Island, and since we were early for our reservation, we walked around the Granville Island Public Market. I am so happy to see my favourite food option still there (I'm looking at you, Gourmet Wok).
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| View from Granville Island |
We entered the newly renovated Tap & Barrel Bridges, which still feels the same. The view and iconic yellow building are still there, but surprisingly the food is better.
We started with cocktails. I had the refreshing Cucumber Mint Gin & Tonic while my husband picked the Raspberry Crush. We enjoyed our drinks with the Nachos, which have the Bridges Favourites logo on the menu.
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| Left: Raspberry Crush (Smirnoff vodka, raspberries, lemonade, soda, and lemon) Right: Cucumber Mint Gin & Tonic (Disruption gin, tonic, cucumber, and fresh mint) |
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| Nachos with Beef Barbacoa added. Cumin-dusted tortilla chips, cheddar, smoked mozzarella, pickled jalapenos, black olives, pico de gallo, feta, green onion, cilantro, and sour cream |
The Nachos were delicious, especially the chips. The barbacoa is dry, and the jalapenos are not spicy, which is good because my hubby can't handle the heat. Unfortunately, our server took away our plate before I got the chance to finish all the bits and pieces at the bottom.
For our mains, I had the Pesto Chicken Linguine, and I added Creole Ocean Wise Prawns, while hubby had the Creole Sirloin.
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| Mains from Tap & Barrel Bridges |
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| Creole Sirloin 7oz certified Angus beef sirloin, creole butter, truffle mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables |
The sirloin is juicy and perfectly seasoned, and it was absolutely delicious. The same goes for the asparagus. But unfortunately, the mashed potatoes got left behind in taste and seasoning.
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| Pesto Chicken Linguine with Creole Ocean Wise Prawns as an add-on Sauteed chicken, almond basil pesto, feta, grape tomatoes, garlic shallot cream, and grilled sourdough with creole ocean-wise prawns |
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| Pesto Chicken Linguine |
Adding the prawns was definitely the right call as it added depth of flavour to the already delicious linguine. This dish is such a level-up to the seafood pasta dishes Bridges used to offer. Now, I want to see the pasta and sauce with seafood like salmon, shrimp, clam, etc., for a "Pesto Seafood Linguine." I'm drooling just thinking about it.
To end our already gastronomic meal, hubby ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. Unfortunately, the pudding was not warmed through. It was soft but felt dry. I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding Warm date and molasses cake, toffee sauce, Mario's vanilla bean gelato, and candied walnuts |
With what we had today, I can't wait to come back and try more food from Tap & Barrel. I remember having brunch at their Olympic Village location and having an impression of mediocre food. That's why I was pessimistic when they took over Bridges, but I am happy to be wrong because the food was great!
