Pax Romana imbues creativity into Spanish cuisine

Commercial Street feels like a balm to the overly commercialized newer Vancouver neighbourhoods like Olympic Village. Low-hanging buildings, Middle Eastern and Indian grocers selling affordable goods, Italian coffee shops full of large men sipping espresso and yelling at the soccer screens. It’s a vast tapestry of people and cultures, all existing in a sea of tranquillity.

While the restaurant, Pax Romana, was named after a 200-year period of peace and property ushered in by the Roman Empire around 27 BC, the unassuming Spanish tapas restaurant at 1670 Commercial Dr., could very be the standard bearer for the neighbourhood.

The place exudes elegant simplicity, with white-marbled tables and dark red walls adorned with Roman sculpture-like murals. It’s the little flourishes rather than ostentatious design elements that make it feel warm and comforting. No blaring music here. 

The menu is Spanish by design, but Meditteranean-focused. You’ve got the classic Patatas Bravas ($12), mixed olives ($8), croquetas and pintxos, and Gambas in chili ($18). But they weave in little surprises from all over the ancient Roman Empire, with Middle Eastern Baba Ganoush ($12) and French dishes like chicken liver pate ($15) and Tartare ($17). 

The drink menu is experimental, with a focus on alcohol infusions. A black fig-infused Cognac, sagebrush-infused Mezcal, and young ginger-infused gin are just a few of teh creative concoctions.

I opt for the Live at Pompeii ($15), a complex drink of bacon fat-washed white rum, Amaretto, Fernet Hunter, Fernet Branca, orgeat, lemon, orange bitters and sea salt. Fat washing is popping up more and more in cocktails, and it’s easy to see why. The flavours linger on the tongue, lightly sour and less rum-forward than expected. It’s an easy, enjoyable drink. 

I opted for the Chef’s Choice Menu, the only Spanish tasting menu come across in a city with more and more Spanish spots. At $55, it’s one of the best deals in the city and won’t leave you gasping when the bill arrives.

Where La Boquieria’s pintxos, the Spanish bread and topping appetizers, scream excess in flavour and volume, Pax Romana’s pintxos are subtle and delicate. A thin layer of aged Manchego topped with bright olive oil, a thin slice of salty ham, a perfectly skewered classic gilda with that salty, briny flavour, and happily not overly intense. Little toppings, but all of excellent quality. 

Fermentation is a key part of the menu. A dish of bright lacto-fermented vegetables, bright red fermented tomatoes in a beef tartare, fish sauce on salad, and dry-aged tuna, it’s a team unafraid to experiment and excited to show and discuss their work.

A restaurant like Bravo, awarded and acclaimed to no end, has emphasized dry-aged fish as a key part of their menu. Pax Romana does the same, at a fraction of the cost, but not a fraction of the flavour. Rather than elevate the fish by itself, they’ve paired it with a fruity and clearly high-quality olive oil. Both worked together magically.  

Peace and prosperity, whether Roman or American, also begets excess. The Lattuga, a quartered gem lettuce sitting atop a mountain of shaved ice, proved frustratingly difficult to eat, requiring me to pick up the food and deposit it on a separate plate. It took away from the inspired choice of the little bits of tuna belly nudja, mimicking and even surpassing traditional bacon bits.

The one clear miss of the evening was the pastel de nata. The Portuguese simple egg custard is a personal favourite. I once ate four in one day while in Lisbon. 

Sadly, I wouldn’t eat many from Pax Romana. The pastry was like a rock, almost hurting my teeth, and the whole dessert had a varied temperature, indicating a poor re-heating job. The egg was good, but it couldn’t save the dessert. Given the quality of the other dishes, I suspect this was a one-off miss rather than the standard pastry.  

I noted to one of the chefs that the price for a Chef’s Choice Menu was very reasonable. He explained it was by design. Main Street may have the accolades, the Michelin Stars, but they also have the high price tag. As he put it, Commercial needs to keep its charm, and part of that is good food without a dizzying cost. 

Pax Romana has a level of creativity that you can tell is well thought-through. Like the Roman Empire, the food spans beyond one country, bringing in influences from other cuisines across the region. There is clear talent and joy in the kitchen and a creative approach that will only get better with time. While maybe not 200 years, one can only hope Pax Romana sticks around for many years to come. 

Noise Level: Loud when it’s full on weekends, but not as boisterous on weekends. 

Recommended: Tartare, olives, gildas, any of the Iberico meats, chef’s choice menu. 

What I wish I had ordered: Compressed melon.

Drinks: $15-$18 for cocktails, a nice wine list with many Spanish wines. 

Price: $$-$$$. Smaller items $4-$8, and bigger dishes $11-$18.

Other details: Only a few vegetarian options, including one vegan dish.

Even more details: 

Similar restaurants:

• La Boqueria — A great casual evening, with excellent and filling tapas and a lovely Spanish-focused drink list. It’s a small spot perfect for a pre-night out bite or drink. 

• Casa Molina — More of an upscale restaurant, this place has the best paella I’ve ever tried. Seriously, it’s that good. 

• Como Taperia — Maybe one of the city’s best happy hours? With 40 per cent off bottles of Spanish drinks like sherry, Vermouth and wine, it’s a great deal.