Pourhouse Restaurant

After shopping at a few local boutiques in Gastown, I needed a snack and remembered C'est la vie a Maggi instagramming a photo of a large bone marrow from Pourhouse. In addition, she mentioned it was only $12.00! So, since BF and I were in the area and needed something light, it was pretty much meant to be.

Walking in on a weekday around 4:30pm, the restaurant was not very busy and a couple of people were drinking at the bar. After waiting at the front for a while, the bartender asked if we were here for drinks or food, along with providing us a choice of a table or bar seat, before calling the waiter.

The atmosphere at Pourhouse is very homey and feels like a relaxing place to socialize, although of course the restaurant will get loud during busier times such as dinner through to late night. Asides from the comfortable atmosphere, the high rustic wooden ceiling along with the pillars to the bricked walls, resemble a traditional European style interior. As for the seating arrangements, there are comfortable booth seats, padded chairs and stools by the bar. Furthermore, asides from the squeaky clean restaurant, I like the laminated wooden tables.

Before seating, our waiter gave us the option of choosing a booth seat or a table for two, and of course because we tend to order a lot of food, we chose the booth. Plus, booth seats are more comfortable!

After settling down, the waiter asked if it was our first visit here and mentioned there is a lunch special until 5:00pm which includes a choice of sandwich, side and a 12oz beer for only $15.00. Furthermore, there is an order sheet for the lunch menu.

Back to choosing the booth seat... since there was not much on the menu that we were interested in, we only ordered two items and when we finished ordering, the waiter had the face like "that is it?". I felt so embarrassed LOL as well as guilty for taking up a large table, thankfully it was during a slow period... Plus, a table of two left without ordering which made me feel a bit less guilty.

ROASTED BONE MARROW, SEA SALT, PICKLED RADISH, PARSLEY AND GRILLED BREAD ($12.00).

When our waiter dropped off the appetizer, he mentioned the restaurant usually serves one large bone marrow but since they were out, we received two smaller ones. The bread tastes perfectly grilled and has a really strong flavourful charred taste which I love. As for the highlight, the bone marrow tastes fatty as well as rich like usual, no complaints. 

THE POURHOUSE BURGER ($17.00).

The burger comes with a side of fries which are served in a folded brown paper bag. The fries are skin on and served hot. But, also unfortunately quite soggy. Although some may prefer softer fries, I personally like crisp ones. Or even just a slightest crisp. These were just soggy.

As for the highlight, the medium rare burger has a thick patty which tastes juicy as well as fatty, and has a good beefy flavour. As for the other ingredients, the cheese, pepperoni (or salami?) and aioli with dijon mustard seeds, does not overwhelm the burger one bit. The highlight is definitely the beef and the taste is there. If anything, the bottom of the buttered buns could have been grilled longer because they were soggy, which was not caused from the juicy patty.

TOTAL: $33.60 + TIP $5.40 = $39.00.

Overall, the two items we ordered were great. As for the service, the staff was friendly and before our waiter left, he mentioned another waiter was going to take over which is very professional of him. In addition, the new waiter poured water for us when he noticed our empty glasses. Although because we do not drink cold water, it would have been nice if he asked if we needed drink refills since those glasses were empty as well.

At the end of dinner, we asked to pack up the bones for our dogs and the waiter was more than happy to which ironically, we forgot at the restaurant because they were packaged in a box rather than a bag. However, after heading back fifteen minutes later, the waiter was a bit embarrassed in case the box was tossed out (which would have been fine), but in the end, it was not.

POSITIVES
- Staff that cares
- Above average eats (what we ordered at least)
- Pretty good burger
- Nice interior and the restaurant is squeaky clean

NEGATIVES
- Burger can be considered pricey
- Soggy fries

LITTLE THINGS
- Pretty upset we forgot to ask for the dessert menu!
- Customer satisfaction surveys are provided with the bill

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5