I recently visited Lamplighter to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, where they had a special Irish themed food and drink menu, that I took advantage of. I was so impressed with that retelling, that I had to come back to try their regular menu. I have been frequenting this long-standing Gastown bar for years now and have seen much of its growth and change.
I recently took a local tour of Gastown and learned so much about the historic area, including the history and origin story of Lamplighter. How this pub was named after the one-armed John Clough, whose job was to light the entire town’s street lamps at night. This was a job he only did once as the town would later be caught in a fire. Luckily our one-armed man was also the town’s jailer and had another job to fall back on. And if you are familiar with the adjoining bar, kitty corner to Lamplighter, you will know that Clough Club was named after this same individual.
Truth be told, this was once my old stomping grounds. So many nights I had dinner here and milked my meal, waiting for the night to turn them into a club, and not having to pay for cover. From a dive bar that turns into a bumping nightclub, to a destination for arcade games and live music. And now to what it is today: a decent restaurant with live entertainment and themed events that includes Drag Brunch. So aside from my own history, the bar has a rich with its own, as it is a fixture of growth and a testament to what Vancouver is today.
The most recent reincarnation of the bar has given it a facelift with a striking copper detailed ceiling and crystal chandeliers, coupled with purposefully distressed wallpaper in a miss-match of patterns and hues.
The menu is an easy to navigate QR code that includes numerous photos. I had every intention of ordering the items listed as “new”, only to learn that new meant November of 2022.
We started with a couple of “new” cocktails, and like the “new” mention, they were not quite what the digital menu promised. At least they still tasted good. The Peaches and Dreams was described as a mix of Skyy vodka, peach schnapps, Cointreau, peach, lime, cranberry, and a peach ring. I didn’t get the candy garnish nor did I taste any cranberry juice, but it did at least deliver on the promise of a peach flavoured dream.
The New Harvest Mule is Maker’s Mark bourbon, lemon, honey jasmine syrup, fever-tree ginger beer, and mint. This is a great cocktail for those who don’t like their beverages too sweet. It is easy to pair with food and ideal as a digestif with its prominent spicy ginger finish.
The Back Country Orange Creamsicle Beer was actually new. I saw it on Lamplighter’s Instragram page and knew I had to try it. This delivered on the promise of a beer flavoured like an orange and cream flavoured treat, and I am officially declaring it the answer to a mimosa, as a great breakfast time brew.
As for food, we started with their Calamari and this was truly one of the best affordable plates of deep-fried squid I have ever had. It was dressed in a salsa verde with citrus and smoked paprika. Each ring had a great chewy, tender texture. The serving was so fresh and so enjoyable, not the least bit heavy or drenched in grease.
The Charred Beef Short Ribs were just as impressive coming out of a pub kitchen. I appreciated the flare in presentation, skewering each segment in a stack of hoisin, garlic, and slaw. This was a generous serving of well sauced and well-seasoned, charred meat on bone, but not all the pieces were created equal, as some parts were heavier with gristle than others. I enjoyed cleaning the bones in hand, ripping meat with teeth, thus making this a great elevated bar snack.
The Five Spice Bolognese was an interesting entree, the presentation read Italian restaurant, especially how the noodles were so tenderly spun, and the toppings so carefully laid. Spaghettini, grana padano, and thai basil.
I didn’t get much 5-spice from the noodles, and majority of the flavour came from the bits of ground beef that sat at the bottom. The twist was the fried shallot that added fragrance and texture. Anyway you eat it this was a great bar food offering to help balance out all the drinks you would be having before, during, and after.
The Eggplant Parm simply blew me away and cemented Lamplighter as a restaurant in my mind, and not just a bar. This is a quality vegetarian burger where you don’t need or want meat. Coming out of another kitchen this would cost you $27+, but at Lamplighter it is only $17.50 with a side. In retrospect, I wish we each got our own, so I did not have to share. The slice of eggplant was thick and well breaded for a crispy shell, dressed generously with a smoked tomato chutney, provolone, basil mayo, and cabbage. I appreciated how thin and finely shredded the cabbage greens were, they added a textural crunch and a need for freshness, without distracting from the main feature: the eggplant patty. This was a well-balanced burger with plenty of flavour and bite. Even writing about it now, I want another.
The standard side is fries, but why have regular potatoes and ketchup when you can upgrade them to Lamplighter’s popular Rosemary Fries? Shoestring potatoes dressed in grana padano and fried rosemary leaves, served with regular ketchup and their in-house curry aioli for the ability to mix it up.
In short, I will not hesitate to return to Lamplighter for a full meal and will definitely be back when an Eggplant Parm craving strikes. It is nice to see Lamplighter continuing to evolve and having the next evolution being a well rounded food and drink program.
The Lamplighter Public House
92 Water St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2K8, Canada
+1 604-687-4424
freehouse.co
