Today we were looking for a restaurant that none of our party has been to, in the Mount Pleasant area, and that brought us to Casa Molina.
I recognized the location, having visited when it was was still an Italian restaurant. Our decision to visit came too late to make a reservation, but we were welcomed to come and see what was available for walk-ins They only had seven tables inside this old, refurbished house. And luckily we were able to claim the four bar seats on their upper patio. It gave us a perch to look out at the street and the other customers down below.
It was a hot summer day and we decided to explore their signature cocktail program. I am fond of martinis so went for the Miro with Beefeater gin, Miro vermut, fino sherry, parsley, dill, olive oil, and lemon. I found the herbs and oil especially enticing, but found they could have used more to flavour. I enjoyed the vegetal notes as is and with the food to come.
One of my guests ordered the Bon Bon which was a sweeter cocktail with Flor de Cana 5 year, Wray and Nephew, cold brew, orange, and condensed milk. This was a clarified coffee cocktail.
Another tried the month’s cocktail special, which was a Spanish lemonade at its base, mixed with strawberry, condense milk, and orujo. The latter is a traditional Spanish brandy made by distilling the leftover skins, seeds, and stems of grapes, after making wine.
We would latter try a flight of said orujo, featuring different flavours.
My second cocktail was the Jamón Ibérico which was like a negroni, with 400 Conejos mezcal, jamón ibérico, Campari, and Cynar. You got some smokiness, but none of the pork flavour that the name promises. Which was disappointing.
My guest tried the Casco Viejo with Lọt 40, Fundador brandy, licor de hierbas orujo, vermut, and Angostura. This they found similar to an Old Fashioned.
As for food, we started with a small dish of the Pitted Manzanilla olives marinated in anchovy brine. We were especially interested in the anchovy flavour and were excited to be able to make it out past the brine of the olive, without being overly fishy.
In contrast the house-preserved albacore tuna was light with roasted peppers, red onion, grated tomato, dill, olive oil, kalamata olive tapenade, and charred mayo. I found the fig leaves an interesting touch, giving it a herbal tone. I was just missing a base to have it with, alone it felt incomplete and lacking substance. I would have liked an crostini. As is it wasn’t punchy, but mild and almost bland in comparison to last two dishes.
They have three different options, with a minimum order of 3 pieces for their Croquettes. Either ham, shrimp, or spinach. We went for the shrimp and delightfully uncovered a substantial chunk of shrimp at the core of each ball. Surrounding it was a layer of cheesy potato mashed, all under a skin of crispy batter.
There wasn’t much of the Charred Spanish octopus to be split 4 ways, especially given how tasty this was. Made with sobrasada, seasonal purée, and fennel there was plenty of spice. Perfectly prepared from being poached and Sous vided, then finished with a lovely smokey char. Things were then given a zip with a red sauce made out of sausage.
And we also decided to try one of their paellas, prepared using the traditional Valencian method with their housemade sofrito, pimentón, and saffron. Each order takes 20 to 30 minutes to make and they are unable to accommodate any dietary restrictions or personal requests with it. Each portion comes with their housemade garlic aioli and fresh lemon wedges.
We went for today’s special which was a Bone Marrow Paella with carrot and broccolini. Once again, this was a small portion for the premium price, but they got the texture perfectly. Whereas at other restaurants offering paella it comes out more like a starchy risotto. This was pressed onto the pan in a thin layer, giving you crunchy bites amongst chewy bits of rice. The side of cream and squeeze of citrus helps to soften and brighten the dish. What was missing was the bone marrow, we could see it on the platter, and scrapped it out from the bone, but there was so much rice and so little marrow that it got hidden. In hindsight the seafoods with prawns, shrimps, squid, scallops, clams, red pepper, onion, Albufera rice and seafood stock would have been a tastier option.
In short, this was a lovely spot for traditional Spanish cuisine. Expect to pay more for the quality received and the authenticity mastered.
Casa Molina
2211 Manitoba St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1K1
(604) 620-5445
casamolina.ca
