- Vancity Lookout
- Posts
- The cobalts back, a ship-themed bar and braised beef cheek - here's 10 things Jamie loved this month
The cobalts back, a ship-themed bar and braised beef cheek - here's 10 things Jamie loved this month
A list of things Vancity Lookout Eats food editor Jamie Mah loved, disliked and can't wait for


Good morning!
I don't know about you, but now that we're finished with January, my spirits are instantly higher. Spring is only 40 days away. Woot woot!
That being said, is it strange to think that Tom Brady will make more money after football than in it? What a surreal reality. Oh and there might be cause for concern about those rising egg prices that have nothing to do with predatory farming producers. Keeping an eye on this one.
Anyways…let’s get to it.
— Jamie Mah, Vancity Lookout Eats food editor
Consider forwarding this to your friends so they can discover the Lookout. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.
10 THINGS
Ten things I like and don’t like
One of the things my colleague Geoff and I want to explore with this newsletter format are fun themes. Inspired heavily by our admiration for all things at The Ringer, over the course of this newsletter’s run, you’ll see us trying out unique ways to share content.
For today, I’m borrowing a theme from my favourite sports writer, ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Every Friday during the NBA season he drops his 10 things list of what he likes and doesn’t like from that past week. I have zero intention of maintaining that level of consistency, however, once a month, sure. Enjoy!
1. The Cobalt being back
I remember when things shut down a few years back. My friend Patryd Drozd relayed to me over beers that the city was shutting down The Cobalt due to structural issues with their flooring. The building was owned by the Sahota family, who have a history of, to put it lightly, poor building and tenant management. Slumlords is a word used by many publications to describe them
The Globe and Mail published an excellent piece in 2018 exposing much of who they are and how awful they’ve been. I urge anyone to read it.
Nevertheless, repairs to the Cobalt flooring eventually took shape during the pandemic, which was an ideal time. Losing the space that The Cobalt represented was a major blow to Patryk and his team, but also the local area community. Starved for live music spaces, Vancouver can ill afford to lose many more.
These live music venues represent opportunities for entertainment and many more cultural events. Finding a way to bring it back, if it was possible, was in the best interest of all involved.
With that being said, when Patryk told me the building was being sold last year and there was an opportunity to revive the space, I knew a new leaf was on the horizon. With an eventual lease signed, work on repairing the overall space took shape, with Patryk himself doing most of the work solo with the aid of only a few people.
As slow a process it was, news spread of its imminent return this fall, with a completely redone interior. New stage, sound system, bar and bathrooms, all curated to still feel like the awesome hole in the wall it once was.
I’ve already gone and seen a local group play and concur the place is great! The vibe on that corner is back and Boxcar will be better for it. The American too. The Cobalt was the hub for that off-stretch part of Chinatown for a long time. This area needs it to thrive. I’m excited that it will.
Explore: On May 4th, one of the best bluesy psychedelic Americana acts going will play at The Cobalt. They’re called Rose City Band and they are a hoot. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. Do yourself a favour and grab a pair.
2. Unleash the patios
My colleague Geoff touched on this in a past edition last week but I wanted to share my thoughts as well.
It looks as if Mayor Ken Sim wants to fast-track our patio and park drinking expansions. This is fantastic news. On February 14th, residents will have an opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns regarding this topic. I like this even though I’ve heard and read that these citizen engagement panels don’t always offer much in the way of progressive feedback and can bog down getting anything done.
Even still, I’m optimistic this will get approved and that we’ll see a return of the massive patio influx we saw during the summer of 2021. How anyone who lives here wouldn’t want more patios confuses me. Their presence along our streets offers small businesses greater opportunity to reach their customers during a time of year when being inside isn’t what diners want.
Why limit their potential and what we crave?
I don’t expect this process to be a simple slam dunk, where the city hands out licenses to everyone without doing their due diligence in regard to safety, accessibility and scale. Nonetheless, making this a priority is a no-brainer for a city, that’s quite frankly, starved for greater access to developing its own culture.
I’ve heard it countless times over the years how many who live here deride the energy and ethos of Vancouver’s community for being no fun and lacking a soul. If this is true, then how can it be fixed? Patios are a great start. They bring us together and offer fun communal spaces where people can socialize. That’s how you change the no-fun narrative.
THIS IS EXCITING NEWS.
3. A new bar with the word ship is coming to Kitsilano
You may not know this about me, but I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. My mother collected ships in a bottle and I have several littered throughout my house. A huge ship painting hangs just above my bed and I have a pirate ship tattoo. Ships are cool. There I said it.
Nonetheless, when I first heard that the team from The Heatley are opening a live music space in Kitsilano, I was thrilled to learn its name and theme. The Painted Ship looks to be the kind of spot I’m going to frequent often. It possesses all the hallmarks of dark cozy aesthetic that I love, with cute lamps and red everywhere. It's a 70s vibe with all the trimmings. I expect Led Zeppelin to play and pints to flow. I mean look at how rad this looks.
I’ve said this numerous times in the past on my podcast and I stand by it even if at times I do ponder the idea. I don’t actually want to open my own bar, but sometimes I’m jealous when others do great stuff like this.
2884 West Broadway
Opening sometime in March.
4. Uncle Abe’s pouring Off the Rail
Few dive bars in Vancouver possess the cachet that Uncle Abe’s has. It’s a tiny room littered with photos and a small bar. It’s packed nightly with patrons eager to cozy up and socialize. Nothing they do is spectacular but all who frequent love it.
One bartender often works solo serving the room. In the summer the patio is extended causing things become even livelier. It’s the best thing to happen to this part of Main Street (Main & 14th). I'm still not sure why, but it works.
That being said, the fact that they pour Off the Rail’s Crazy Train IPA just makes my whole experience of going here there that much sweeter. This beer seriously kicks and it surprises me to no end why it isn’t on every menu in town. Now, Off the Rail brewery is a tiny affair, so there are logistical issues with me suggesting this. Nevertheless, it's a gem worth everyone’s attention.
Uncle Abe's
3032 Main Street
Mon - Thurs, 4 pm-1 am
Fri + Sat 12 pm-2 am
Sun 12 pm-1 am
1351 Adanac Street
Sunday - Thursday 12 pm-8 pm
Fri + Sat 12 pm-10 pm
5. Botanist taking chances

Botanist
This one is a bit of a homegrown appreciation as I work at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. The Botanist is our signature dining room and in the past year it's done some fabulous collaborative dinner and cocktail series with some of the best restaurants and bars in the world.
So far there's been Kattana Kitten and Overstory from New York City, and this past fall, Hanky Panky from Mexico City.
Ultimately, what they’re doing here isn’t novel. Collaborations happen in the restaurant industry all the time. However, the fact that the Botanist team continues to do them, at the pace they are, with the world-class teams they’ve lined up, is commendable, even if the money and reach of the hotel have afforded them this luxury.
There’s a role hotels such as mine play in offering the high-end escapes so many covet while dining out. I see it daily in my lounge and it behooves my hotel to not always give people what they want. We’re expected to be expensive, over the top and the best. Why not strive for that? We want them happy over anything.
A Michelin Star is the goal for the team this year. They’ll most likely attain it at some point. Dinners such as these are great for customers, ideal for training and growth for the teams behind the scenes and fun events. I dig.
Here’s the press release for the event.
BOTANIST x MANHATTAN
Join us for our next culinary collaboration with Singapore’s award-winning cocktail bar Manhattan, currently ranked No. 33 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.
On February 7 and 8, Botanist’s Executive Chef Hector Laguna will pair a six-course tasting menu with three Manhattan feature cocktails created by industry veteran and Beverage Director Rusty Cerven, and Bartender Yahan Chung, with just as many concocted by Botanist Bar’s own Jeff Savage.
Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, 1038 Canada Place Way
Tuesday - Saturday 5:30 pm-10 pm
Sat + Sun Brunch 11 am-2 pm
6. Rewind’s social media game is on point
When my friend Sam Payne told me via text last spring that he and his team from Parkside Brewery were going to open a new spot just down the street on brewery row in Port Moody, I was excited. An abashed fan of his for years, I was curious about what they’d come up with.
When I visited Rewind, I loved everything about the concept. It's an 80s and 90s trip down memory lane full of fun and nostalgia. I was in the moment when I saw the massive Bill and Ted poster hanging high above their bar.
In light of this, what truly has me is their Instagram game. Specifically this beauty of the Great One.

The Great One
We need more of this in the world.
2809 Murray St, Port Moody BC
Monday - Thursday 12 pm -10 pm
Friday - Saturday 12 pm-11 pm
Sunday 12 pm-8 pm
7. Gastronomy Gastown is the worst name
Be it for me to tell anyone how to open or run their own business, but when news broke recently that the old Nicli Antica Pizzeria space in Gastown was finally turning over, I was aghast to learn of the new restaurant's name. Gastronomy Gastown? What does that even mean?
A few years back, I wrote about how important a name is to company success. In that piece I go over in vivid detail how this one aspect of a company’s narrative can make or break success. To illustrate this, I reference the magic of Tacofino’s name and branding. How simple and easy it is to use while also demonstrating who they are and what they offer. Gastronomy Gastown fails this test mightily.
I’m sure the food is great and I wish them all the success, but the ball was dropped on this one if I’m to say so politely.
62 E Cordova St
Wed - Mon 5 pm-11 pm
8. Holy hell I want this Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek from La Tana

Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek, heirloom polenta, salsa verde, pickled wild mushrooms/Caffe La Tana
La Tana is one of the best cute restaurants in the city, full stop. Located next door to the supremely popular Pepino's, this once offshoot has a flavor all its own. Case in point, this beauty, which I have yet to try but am dying to do so. I’m a sucker for braised anything with sauce and hearty flavors. I can only imagine all the fun culinary director Phil Scarfone and head chef Vish Mayekar had in drumming up this.
Can’t wait to get in there.
635 Commercial Drive
Mon - Fri, 11 am-late
Sat - Sun, 10 am-late
9. The American’s Grab & Go is a spot to look for
During the early part of the pandemic, restaurants found themselves in a sticky situation. How do they maintain any semblance of revenue when indoor dining has been shelved?
Most jumped on the train and offered delivery options with Doordash and Uber Eats. Those lucky enough to have the right spaces and licenses — in The American’s case — were able to add something else. Grab & Go is their off-sale offshoot that’s found a niche selling unique natural wines and a well-curated selection of beers.
BC natural wine stalwarts, A Sunday in August, Averill Creek’s Joue and my good friend James’ Pamplemousse Jus are mainstays to look for.
You can find some real treasures here. Check it out!
Grab & Go - The American
926 Main Street
Daily from 12 pm-11 pm
10. Restaurateurs clapping back
I talked about Alex and his bar Bagheera in a previous edition of the newsletter. You can read his interview here. I appreciate his willingness to level up and give his opinion in public.

@blacktending
Furthermore, this clip from one of my favorite comedians should give you all the context you’ll want regarding this issue. Enjoy!
What did you think of today's newsletter? |