This was one of those places that somehow I had never been. It was quite weird actually because I love trying out new places including the ‘hole-in-the-wall’ type of places. And the Sandbar is one of more popular hangout joints. But I guess in Vancouver, there are too many places to try and one doesn’t always have time to go to them all.
Dam (my partner) and I went to the Grandville Island Public Market because we wanted to try out more Indish (please find my review here). I had been to their Granville Island store – it was a small stand and a refridgerator and a nice girl – but I could not find it. Well I did have a problem first time I went there (I also went there specifically to visit the Indish Store for my Marketing project ). But this time, I concluded that the store is closed… maybe… ummm maybe not… well it wasn’t clear..
Let’s just say I couldn’t find it. So we were just going to go home and we felt a bit peckish so we were debating whether to go home or not and found a sign for the Sandbar.
I was surprised how big it was inside. It had a warm and upscale pub atmospher. We went in at a really odd hour so there was no one inside.
Each table had a simple setting. I thought the menus could look better (like the ones at Cactus Club or Earls). We had a cute round table near the window. We could see the False Creek North / Yaletown from the table.
The view was kinda like this… Well the boat was cute.
The complementary bread was quite good. The baguette was warm and soft with a bit of milky(?) taste.
Oyster Po’ Boy* chili lime aïoli $14
Po’boy was ok. Battering and deep frying makes everything taste better (usually) but the oysters were a bit fishy. Let’s just say I had better po’boys (when I worked in Louisiana for a couple months). It was ok but quite dry. Maybe it needed more sauce. However, the salad and french fries were good.
Asian Lettuce Wraps chicken, iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, Asian slaw, hoisin sauce $11
This was another ok dish… chopped chicken with veggies were a bit salty for my taste. I wished we had more vegetable fillings and lettuce leaves.
My overall experience was… ok. I mean food was ok but I could definitely see myself going back to the Sandbar with friends for drinks and some food. But then, I have only tried two dishes which is probably not enough to judge a restaurant that’s been popular for a while. 🙂 I would definitely try again.
REVIEW:
- Taste: 2.5/5
- Value: 3.5/5
- Convenience: 3/5 (parking can be difficult at the Granvile Island)
- Atmosphere: 4/5
- Staff: Very friendly
- Overall: My first experienc was just a ok. Definitely will come back.
Lazy City Girl 
Sadly, the lease for our little Indish shop in the Granville Island Public Market expired and was not renewed. Our main shop at 2779 Arbutus Street near 12th Avenue is still open. It’s a much larger location, including our kitchen where you can see the chefs in action. Be sure to stop by and say ‘hi’!
-Brent Kyle, Owner/Manager, Indishpensable.
Posted by bkyle | January 31, 2011, 10:50 pmHi Brent… that’s too bad. We really enjoy the dishes from Indish. I also have been to your Kits store. Your staff are fantastic. I always like chatting with them. They are so friendly and helpful. I will drop by soon and say hi. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by.
LCG
Posted by Kay | February 3, 2011, 9:03 amI’ve been to Granville Island so many times but never visit Sandbar. Perhaps it is a bit too pricey for me. But I’m glad to live vicariously through your experience 🙂 The view is pretty and funny at the same time. 🙂
Posted by CheapAppetite | February 3, 2011, 9:03 pmThere are many other places to eat on Granville Island so I have never been to this place either. 🙂
I thought the same about the view. Funny and pretty at the same time.
LCG
Posted by Kay | February 4, 2011, 2:28 pm