This Saturday we had tickets to a show and decided to head to happy hour for some food and drink before. We decided on Glowbal as it was within walking distance to the venue above, and their happy hour ran daily from 2-5pm.
My guests made it to the area before me and called ahead to make a reservation for 3 for 4:45pm. However they ended up having to make a mad dash, just make it close to the cut off of at 4:55pm. Sadly, we were informed that last call was over and we would not be able to take advantage of the happy hours discount. But thankfully in the end, the staff relented and made an exception for us. Otherwise we would have had to default to our second choice, with a happy hour that ran until 5:30pm.
For drinks we got a couple of Classic Martinis for $10 and made them dirty with olives. Sadly it was incredibly briney and harsh on my throat. This was not a drink that I enjoyed, but rather one drank for the results it would give. I think this was due the choice of vodka used. I would follow it up with some wine, where as my guests wanted beer.
It didn’t even pair with the oysters available at $2.50 each. They were a little on the larger size for my preference, but nothing a good amount of mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce couldn’t fix.
For food we had a few of their shared plates. I enjoyed the crispy Fried Macaroni & Cheese balls served with a dollop of truffle aioli. This was one bite goodness that was the popular pairing of cheesy meets umami.
The Humboldt Calamari had a lovely texture with a gentle chew. I liked the squid as is with its salty breading, and found the calamansi black pepper jam dip too much. It reminded me of a miso gravy and I thought it easily overpowered the flavour of the squid.
The KFC Sliders were a hearty 3-4 bites. Korean style fried chicken, sweet chilli glaze, and honey mustard aioli. The chicken was a little on the dry side, but at least it matched the bun in that regard. I would have liked both softer with more aioli to harmonize.
The Crab & Prawn Cakes with remoulade, jicama slaw, and pickled onion were a lighter option. I thought them lean and not a small bite I would normally order for share style tapas with drinks. As is it felt like I needed a base to carry the bite.
And interesting presentation and take is the Short Rib Martini. Tender chunks of short rib in a peppercorn mushroom jus, over pomme purée and creamed leek. This is served in a martini glass, hence the name. Although, this was not the vessel I would ever think of using for such a hearty dish, but I guess it offered something whimsical for happy hour and sounded appealing enough to have us ordering it, at least. This would have been a tasty main, but now in a single sized taster serving.
In short , a solid pick for happy hour with a larger discounted menu to choose from. However at a couple of dollars off per item, you aren’t necessarily saving as much as you might want or think.
Glowbal Restaurant
590 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A3
(604) 602-0835
glowbalgroup.com
