On this night we were at Papi’s, the West End’s seafood spot by English Bay. We walked in at 9:30pm, 30 minutes before last call and were impressed by both the service and the quality of food.
Normally, you would think that on a slow night, with a single chef in the kitchen and one staff member manning the front, so close to closing , that the experience would be lack lustre. However, our party of 3 were impressed during our entire stay. We weren’t expecting to like things this much, especially as we weren’t even that hungry coming in.
The decor didn’t specifically speak to the offerings. Dim yellow lights and wood and iron furniture. In the second half of the restaurant, was a mural of a woman who looked like she lives by the sea; given her salt spray tresses, sun kissed freckles, and the collection of underwater theme jewelry she was sporting. To her left was a quote, “The ocean made me salty”.
I was surprised to learn that Papi’s has their own house wines: Franca, named after the owner, from her own estate. We had a table red, white, and rose to choose from.
As for the food it focuses on Westcoast flavours and seafood. Like their golden fried, crispy Calamari with jalapeños, pico de gallo, and tzatziki. I liked that they were larger pieces and had an even breading. This was tasty for your standard interpretation.
I enjoyed the three piece Prawn Tacos; perfect for our trio to share. The crispy taco shell was the standout, where you would normally get a soft shell taco topped with the same filling of coleslaw, avocado, pico de gallo, sriracha mayo, and cilantro. Refreshing yet spicy, with equal parts creamy and crunchy.
I liked the idea of the Papi’s Poke Bowl as a lean option for lunch, but not a dish to share for dinner. With more rice than fish, scoops tend not to be equal, and you are left with so much vegetables unclaimed. Ahi tuna, sushi rice, mango, cucumber, avocado, edamame, crispy rice noodles, and cherry tomatoes. Where you have a choice is between their soy-sesame or a wasabi ginger ponzu sauce. I liked the latter with its more unique flavour and horseradish funk and spice.
I appreciated how carefully the Garlic Prawns were stacked. Peeled and sitting with garlic, olive oil, white wine, and cherry tomatoes. As is, it felt like it was missing a base. The toast offered some carbs, but didn’t feel like a good match.
Instead, I recommended getting the Prawn Chorizo Linguine with parmesan, prawns, chorizo, and tomato sauce. They didn’t re-invent the wheel with this one, but it is a tasty and tangy sweet pasta with juicy prawns and salty sausage slices.
I would also recommend splurging and getting the Thai-Style Seafood Cioppino for a medley of seafood. You get more prawns here, but deep fried and in a coconut curry broth with mussels, clams, scallops, and rockfish. It had a similar tomato based flavour as above, but with a lot more nuance and kick as a curry. I would also suggest adding on rice noodle or rice for $3 more to make it a full meal. Once again the toast on the side felt like an odd match and better suited for breakfast. Garlic toast would have been better received.
And if you just want just Mussels, you can get it with the classic Fries, soaking in a white wine and herb butter sauce. Like the prawn, this too was staged with each mollusk standing at attention, upright. All together resembling a black flower with petals in bloom. I enjoyed the sauce for its garlicky-ness and when soaked into all the slices of toast, got the garlic bread that I wanted above.
In short, Papi’s is a solid option for seafood, that just seems to taste better by the ocean, and with a view of it at the distance.
Papi’s Seafood and Oyster Bar
1193 Denman St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2N1
(604) 685-7337
papisovsterbar.com
