THE first step when reviewing any new restaurant is to do exhaustive background research. (Meaning I Google it, obviously.)
When checking out Narrows Nightclub & Pub - the most recent establishment to inhabit the old Maplewood Pub, and not to be confused with The Narrow, Gordon Ramsay's London gastropub - the search engine directed me to its Facebook page.
There, I found the kind of posts that make grownups run for the wine bar: F-bombs here and there, drink specials during "finals week," and excellent allcapped doozies like this one: "NARROWS X COLLEGE NIGHT X ET CETERA WITH SPECIAL GUEST DJ SOO . . . $4 JAGER BOMB $5.50 BUD TALL CANS $6.25 DOUBLE HI-BALLS."
Though it isn't perhaps the easiest to get to - just a few blocks from where the Seymour River empties into Burrard Inlet -Narrows is in a perfect spot for a nightclub that caters to the college crowd. On its handle of waterside land, it's surrounded by mini-storage, lumber companies and heavy industry. There are no residential neighbours to irritate with heavy bass and drunken rowdiness late into the night.
But did I want to eat there in order to write this column? Not really. I pictured myself squeezed in at a table, shouting to be heard over electronic music, trying to eat pub food (aka: straight-from-thefreezer fishsticks) with heaving bodies dancing on all sides.
On the other hand, it seemed like a departure from my usual column fodder, so that's something. And, there was the infinitesimal chance that it wouldn't be a crazy teenage scene with lousy food . . . that maybe I would be wrong.
As it turned out, I was wrong. I picked a Sunday night to visit, guessing that it was less likely to be jammed with those aforementioned dancers. We arrived to find only one other table occupied by customers, and another handful at the bar. An NFL game played loudly on multiple TVs and one giant screen, but otherwise, it was quiet. There was nothing rowdy, drunken or teenaged about it.
We settled into a candlelit table near the fireplace, opened our menus, and got our next delightful surprise: "Tax included." You read that right. The $5.50 pints of Narrows Pale Ale we ordered? Tax included! Nachos at $9? Tax included! The burger at $11, the pizza for $13? Those are the actual dollars you lay down on the table when it's time to go.
"Everyone should do this. They should make it a law," marvelled Big J. While that
legislation seems unlikely to come to pass, the combination of reasonable prices plus tax already factored in meant Narrows showed early signs as a contender in our roster of go-to watering holes.
The list of dishes notched it up another few points - there's a surprising attention to ingredients and flavour. Yes, there's fish and chips (what pub worth its salt and malt vinegar wouldn't serve them?), but there is also a warm beet salad made with goat cheese and roasted walnuts, a Montreal smoked meat sandwich on marble rye, fresh tomato bruschetta, and chicken wings available in, count 'em, seven different sauces: hot, barbecue, sweet chili, honey garlic, teriyaki, salt n' pepper and chipotle.
We decided on our own time-honoured pub tradition: nachos. The Narrows' version is excellent, though purists might object to all the extras; a heap of crisp, gold-edged tortilla chips scented with cumin and layered with jack cheese, black olives, jalapenos, chopped chipotles (smoked jalapenos) and black beans. We polished them off, right down to the platter below, and licked the homemade salsa from our fingers.
The Narrows Burger was a revelation: a perfect ratio of juicy, homemade Angus chuck patty to dense ciabatta bun, stacked with lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon, cheddar and sautéed mushrooms. The juice soon soaked into the bun, down my wrist and all over my yam fries, but I wasn't complaining. The steak and Guinness pie was another winner, perfect for a cold night, assembled with New York steak and veggies under a flaky pastry crust, on top of garlic mashed potatoes and caramelized onions.
It was delicious, among the better pub food I've had, and the bill, with two pints of beer and one of Strongbow, added up to just $63.50, all in. The lesson I learned, yet again, is to not judge a book by its cover, or a pub by its Facebook page. Though I'm unlikely to sign up for its inaugural Christmas Beer Pong Championships (Dec. 22 if you're interested), Narrows has something for everyone - from college kids to sports enthusiasts and nacho lovers - so I'll be back.
Narrows Nightclub & Pub is at 1970 Spicer Rd., North Vancouver. Call 604-988-6655 for information. Or find it on Facebook.
