Grapes & Soda

Happy hour from 5 – 6:30. The food menu differs slightly from the regular menu, and it’s not hugely discounted. You save about $ 3 off the regular menu price for food. $ 7 wine.
Nice, intimate setting. Probably seats about 25. Limited food menu, as they are a wine bar. Nice selection of biodynamic wines.
I had a scallop ceviche which was really fresh and sweet.
The roasted brussel sprouts with burrata was my favorite dish.
Seared albacore tuna and okonomiyaki was just OK, nothing special.
The braised beef brisket with chanterelles was a bit too subtle for me. The brisket could have been more tender. I liked the pickled cherries though.
Dessert was hojicha ice cream sandwiches. Messy to eat, as the ice cream was half melted. Didn’t really get the sake fizz accompaniment, it was kind of sour.

Badly needed for the neighborhood. The bartender Satoshi is incredible. You may even find Japanese whisky there. Food offering is great, but be ready for a small menu and if you don’t eat red meat, there will only be 2 – 3 things to choose from.

Tempting, tantalizing and tasty is how I would describe my experience at Grapes and Soda. The cocktail list is an innovative mixture that combines savoury and sweet that you have never had before. The wine list is wonderful and also unique (especially for the reasonable prices) go with a friend and try everything. That is what I did and I gave to say I was delighted with each of them and disappointed in none and that is no small feat. So put this one on your todo or togo list (whichever gets you there faster).

Team Tastic came here for a late dinner and we had the following. Wine pairings are noted:
Marinated Anchovy, fennel, celery, olive oil croutons ($ 10)
Colle Stefano Verdicchio di Matalica ’13, Marche, IT ($ 8.50)
Smoked Sockeye Salmon, mizuna, ikura, strawberry, rhubard ($ 10)
Puzelat-​Bonhomme Petillant Naturel Rose ’11, Loire, FR ($ 14)
Chicken Balantine, anson mills grits, hazelnuts, morels ($ 12)
Roagna Langhe Biano ’12, Piedmont, IT ($ 8)
Beef Tartare, beets, berries, cubeb pepper, mustard greens ($ 11)
Noella Morantin ‘Cot a Cot’ ’12, Loire, FR ($ 9.50)
Olive Oil Cake, grand fir, grapefruit sorbet, lemon curd ($ 7)
Stormy Flip — aged rum, citrus marmalade curd, falernum, grapefruit, ginger beer ($ 12)
It sounds like a lot but the plates were pretty small so I’d encourage ordering 2 – 3 plates if you want to fill up. My favourite small plate of the night was the Chicken Balantine. This featured a plop of chicken with a small bath of foamed grits that tasted like a savoury chowder. The morels were a salty spongy mushroom that were also fun to swirl with the grits. The wine for this had a buttery taste to it and the savoury chicken went well with it.
The Marinated Anchovy was another good choice where we got slices of anchovy sitting on beds of croutons with fennel and celery. The main idea was to grab these together and chomp them down in your mouth. For me, the wine was best sipped right after chewing down the anchovy. By the way, the anchovy was a pretty high quality fish and reminded me of such mackerel from Black Rice Izakaya.
The Smoked Sockeye Salmon had a clear smoked taste to it mixed among the mizuna (Japanese lettuce) and ikura (fish roe). This was a cool mix of Japanese and Western influences and the pickled rhubarb was a great taste to add in my opinion. The Puzelat was a very light, almost bubbly refresher that made each bite tastier.
The Beef Tartare was a unique dish that didn’t look like beef on the outside, but biting into the paste revealed a beef taste amidst a jelly-​like experience. The viscosity was kind of like a risotto but I’ve never had anything like this before so I give this a thumbs up for being original. The red wine this plate paired with was the heaviest out of the four plates so I’m glad this one came last before dessert.
Now for the the Olive Oil Cake. This wasn’t my favourite of the evening and I think it had to do with the Stormy Flip. I found the drink to have a spicy and strong rum taste. I didn’t find the olive oil cake to pair well because my mouth had the rum taste to contend with. I think I would have enjoyed this dish more without its paired drink because I enjoyed the grapefruit sorbet for its light taste that was almost carbonated. All in all, the small plates were winners for me here. The price might be a bit steeper to be full, but you’ll get an education on the different flavours that combine into the plates you will have no problem finishing.

Grapes & Soda is Vancouver’s first natural wine and cocktail bar. Opened by Chef David Gunawan and Dara Young at Farmer’s Apprentice, Grapes and Soda which features natural, organic and biodynamic wines and artisanal cocktails paired with seasonally inspired small plates. Grapes and Soda is located on West 6^th, next to Farmer’s Apprentice and Cadence Cycling Studio.
The team is led by Farmer’s Apprentice GM and Sommelier Hao-​Yang Wang and Manager Paul McCluskey as well as Chef Ron Shaw (former Bishop’s Executive Chef) and Bar Manager Satoshi Yonemori (formerly of Wildebeest and The Diamond).
Being an extension to Farmer’s Apprentice and the Farm-​to-​Table concept, the construction by Milltown Contracting focuses on plenty of reclaimed wood, a short bar and a long banquette.
We spent an evening over natural fine wines and seasonal dishes that are fresh and farm-​to-​table focused. Smoked Sockeye Salmon Salad: with mizuna (Japanese mustard), ikura, strawberry, and rhubarb juice dressing. A fresh introduction to summer highlighted by salty salmon caviar and a single fermentation champagne with subtle carbonation.
Puzelat-​Bonhomme Petillant Naturel Rose ’11, Loire, FR
Marinated anchovy 10: with fennel, celery, olive oil croutons. Pairs nicely with a tart lemony glass of Verdicchio (pronounced like the Italian chicory vegetable, radicchio).
Colle Stefano Verdicchio di Matalica ’13, Marche, IT
Chicken Balantine 12: Anson mills grits siphoned and aerated for a whipping cream light texture, hazelnut crumbles, onion purée and morels. I have never been a fan of grits. This may very well change my mind, if all grits were as tasty as this! This is one of my favorite dishes of the night.
Roagna Langhe Bianco ’12, Piedmont, IT
Organic Beef Tartare 11: A lighter take for the summer with beets, blueberries and raisins, cubeb pepper, watercress
Noella Morantin ‘Cot a Cot’ ’12, Loire, FR
Stormy Flip 12: If you are a fan of Moscow Mule than you will love this! This summer in a glass contains rum, citrus marmalade curd, falernum, grapefruit, and ginger beer.
Grapes and Soda by Farmers Apprentice Vancouver West 6 Instanomss Nomss
Olive Oil Cake 7: this super moist cake is amazing with grand fir, grapefruit sorbet, citrus marmalade lemon curd and topped with crunchy zest.

A sister location to the Farmers Apprentice, serving organic food and wine. The prices reflect this, so comparing them to your average bar doesn’t work. If you take it as a higher quality wine bar with knowledgeable staff it works very well.
The bites were delicious.
I had two:
Organic beef tartare, beets, berries, cubeb pepper and watercress.
Well balanced and a nice contrast of flavours.
Chicken balantine, anson mills grits, hazlenuts, morels
This was amazing, very rich, and really good. One request would be for some bread to mop up the sauce.