Today we were at Riley’s, Glowbal Group’s fish and steakhouse, to check out their happy hour menu. And surprisingly this is one of the largest happy hours offerings I have had the pleasure of trying. And it is not just mixed olives or fries, but substantial dishes that were fulsome enough to replace dinner.
In fact, if you have yet to visit Riley’s and are apprehensive due to the would be stiffer price, I would recommend visiting during happy hour from 12:30-5:00pm daily to get a good idea of their food, at a fraction of the cost. We would try everything on the menu in order to provide you with this review below.
The space is large with pockets inside and out. Given the colder day we were led to their covered patio. To get the feeling of being outdoors, yet protected from the elements with plastic tarps. The decor here is the same, lovely with dense faux greenery hanging from the ceiling.
We started with some drinks. A classic and stiff vodka martini with olives for $10.
I would follow it with a glass of their Riley’s Red Sangria with red wine, lemon & orange juice, St Remy brandy, and muddled berries for $7. The same price as a glass of their happy hour red or white.
Their margaritas and highballs were also $7. I had the former with El tequileno tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and agave. Salty and limey as expected.
As for food, we started with their raw bar opting for their Chilled Seafood Plater to have a little of everything. West coast oysters, prawn cocktail salad, and tuna tataki for $29. I have seen similar platters for double the price. Mind you, they weren’t the best oysters given that it was the off season and the tuna had an off taste to them from the overpowering lime. But the prawns were large and juicy and for the price I minded less.
Next we had some cooked seafood in their Steamers, opting to have both mussels and clams in the mix. One and a half pounds of each served with chimichurri bread for $19. You also have your choice of broth. We went with the classic garlic, white wine, fresh herbs, and butter mix and was not disappointed. There was some great flavour to this and plenty to sip with our seafood and dip our bread into.
The truffle fries also served as a nice a compliment to the steamer. There was no missing the truffle in this from the sprinkling of it over the fries to the addition of in the black pepper mayonnaise. $8.
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio is not something you often see on a happy hour menu. A plate of thinly sliced meat served with smoked tomato jam, onion rings, parmigiano-reggiano, chimichurri, and toast for $16. I found that it needed a bread for base given how salty and fatty the meat was. The toast and onion rings helped to counter balance some of the above.
The Salt & Pepper Calamari with charred tomato & caper aioli, plus lemon was not my favourite rendition of squid, for $15. I found the thick breaded sticks dense and in need of some freshness. I would have liked some sour cream or dill here for some acidity. And found the tomato and caper aioli a little much.
I liked the $9 Crispy Brussels Sprouts with parmesan, lemon, capers, and herbs despite being a little undercooked. The seasoning was tasty and it had me going back for more repeatedly as a nice vegetable break in between everything else.
I liked how fun the Mini Lobster & Prawn Sandwich Duo were finished with avocado, a dill slaw, and chipotle mayo. At $10 I would recommend visiting and grabbing this couple for lunch. Sweet creamy seafood between a buttery bun. Tasty.
In short there is so much to try and plenty to order at happy hour pricing. Riley’s Happy Hour is worth checking out.
Riley’s Fish & Steak
200 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6C 3L6
rileysrestaurant.ca
