Vancouver-based brewery Strathcona Beer Company has a new location on the North Shore. Already popular for their pizza and beer concept in East Vancouver, this is nothing like you have seen from them.
Their North Vancouver location is still a brewery, but culinary-driven. Still serving up their beloved brews, but with an gastropub-like menu focused on featuring local ingredients.
We started with the Costal Supreme IPA, a new beer and one exclusive to this location. This was the start to our guided beer tasting. It is based on a classic West Coast IPA with a bitter, almost rosemary finish. Herbaceous and bold, made for those who want more hops in their IPAs.
For those unfamiliar, we were also introduced to their ready to drink canned cocktail: LoLo. Two tequila based hydro fizzes in lime and honey Paloma. For each they use freshly squeezed lime juice and their own blend of electrolytes for a low calorie and low sugar beverage. The line was a classic tart and tangy. The Honey Paloma sweeter with BC honey, freshly squeezed pink grapefruit, and natural sea salt.
For food we started with Bread n Butter with roasted garlic confit, black garlic, butter, sea salt, and sourdough. We got to hear from the Executive Chef and how the restaurant sources everything within 100km from their restaurant, utilizing what is sustainable from the land. He hand chooses everything that makes it on to the menu. The butter was the selling point here, its umami earthy tones picking up the pickling of the yeasty sourdough. So good that I saved it after the bread was gone, to enjoy it with everything else to follow.
The mushrooms were foraged locally. A collection of seared of grey, blue, and king oyster. Pink oysters marinaded in teriyaki and black trumpets smoked. All seasoned in confit garlic, a red miso glaze, tarragon, micro radish, and turmeric aioli. A little lean on their own, better with the bread above as a starchy base.
The next course had our beer pairings served as a flight on a mini surf board.
The Pilsner was paired with mussel and fries (that I would miss), due to other commitments. The decision behind this pairing was that this was a typical Belgium dish, so they wanted a European beer to match it.
The Lemon Mandarin Lavender was a juicy fruit beer with plenty of citrus notes to pair with the prawns. A crispy beer that washed the mouth.
The Beautiful Pale Ale had bitterness from hops and notes of stone fruit. They paired this with the grilled peaches of the halloumi.
Big Sexy Funk is a popular one with “funky” notes, as its name suggests. Its intended pairing was with the coconut below for an off the cuff partnership that was unexpected.
Ras El Hanout prawns with a creamy tahini hummus, pomegranate molasses, zoug, and sumac. Served with flatbread for dipping into. A thin hummus with plenty of lemon and garlic. It featured middle eastern herbs instead cumin.
We all liked the Grilled halloumi with caramelized peaches, peach chutney, chimichurri, and toasted pistachios. Served with sourdough crostini for crunch, but the bread was too tough and I was left wanting some sauce to soften it up.
The Crispy Cauliflower was heirloom cauliflower florets, gochujang miso glaze, turmeric coconut cauliflower purée, Beach Mandarin Radler gelee, basil, and micro greens. I liked how they used three types of cauliflower in this, I just wished that they were all crispier.
During my visit they were still settling in and still had plans to introduce a cocktail bar menu with drinks more befitting of the menu above. A good thing too, as I cannot see myself ordering any of that and then craving a beer to go with it.
But today I was disappointed that we didn’t get to try one of the amazing burgers from their kitchen, as a bar classic that would have easily paired with any of these beers. I would not come to this spot for the above, or even expect anything of the sort available. I see the drive and passion and where they want to take this concept, but being under the Strathcona banner this was not what I wanted or expected as a fan of their original location.
Strathcona North, Lonsdale Quay
123 Carrie Cates Ct, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K7