THE ELLIS

Alongside many of the restaurants in the West End and within a walking distance from Kitsilano beach sits one of the newer gastropubs, The Ellis. What lead us to The Ellis was Vanfoodster's Burger Challenge and we figured why not go for a whole meal? This was a big deal for me because if it was not for the burger challenge, I most likely would not have given this restaurant a try since I am neither the type to head to a bar or gastropub for snacks or a meal.

When we walked in, I was impressed by the interior and atmosphere. The restaurant looked chic, bougie and literally what you would find if you Googled gastropub.

TOGARASHI SPICED WINGS ($12.00).
We started off with a bowl of perfectly fried wings. Crispy, juicy, and the skin was well rendered. The wings were on the lighter tasting side however and could have used some more togarashi and flavour in my opinion, but nevertheless still perfectly fried.

VEGETABLES ($7.00).
Next up was an amazing bowl of vegetables. Seasoned with roasted garlic chilli and lemon, the caramelized broccoli and cauliflower exhibited a nice crunch and the Brussels sprouts were cooked perfectly. There was so much flavour in this bowl!

GRILLED OCTOPUS ($13.00).
Continuing with the theme of perfect vegetables, these were nicely charred as well and tasted great. As for the octopus, it was a touch on the softer side. Not mushy, but very soft and lacked that nice chewiness and snap. However there was plenty of spice, tang and creaminess from the chorizo buttermilk sauce.

THE MEDITERRANEAN ($17.00).
Now for the main purpose, the entry for the burger challenge was one pork and one beef patty on a poppy seed brioche with roasted peppers and onions, ricotta and provolone cheese, pickled chilies and dried tomatoes.



The fresh and soft poppy seed brioche held the burger well and captured all the meaty juices from the beef. The beef patty exhibited a nice char and the roasted peppers, pickled chillies and provolone were a great addition, but we could have done without the pork as it was dry. 

POUND O' MUSSELS ($18.00) AND FRIES ($4.00).
Every order of a burger or sandwich comes with a side of fries, which were crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. The fries soaked up the double smoked bacon, talisman ale, butter and winter herbs broth well despite that the beer was not fully cooked down. In addition, the buttery and tender mussels were a touch overcooked and not juicy.

HICKORY SMOKED SIDE RIBS ($25.00).
Last up was my favourite item from the evening, their signature (declared by me) house smoked hickory side ribs! We could smell the smokiness from across the room before the ribs arrived at the table. The barbecue sauce was filled with spices and was not too sweet while the ribs were tender and still meaty, they had bite. The ribs also came with more of those crispy fries, fresh coleslaw and a side of the addicting barbecue sauce with layers of flavours.

BEIGNETS ($10.00).
For dessert we ordered a plate of mini beignets and tried all the sauces, berry, peanut butter, chocolate and lemon curd. All the sauces were point on and did not taste overly sweet. Moreover, the light and fluffy beignets resembled Chinese egg puffs and were a touch wet inside, but still good.

The Ellis overall served well executed food especially for a gastropub. I mean, the food was better than many restaurants I have been to and the ribs are my definition of perfection. The hickory smoked ribs are definitely one of my Top 3 Best Ribs in Vancouver.

POSITIVES
- Perfect ribs
- Quality food

NEGATIVES
- Like usual in the area it may be hard to find parking

*Burger was compensated*

THE ELLIS
2204 York Avenue Vancouver, BC V6K 1C6
Phone (604) 428 2456
https://www.theellis.ca