Sandbar (Granville Island, Vancouver, BC)

The Sandbar is known to locals and tourists to Vancouver alike as a lively lounge and seafood restaurant. But what about brunch?

We took in the upstairs patio and enjoyed some (light) open air dining before meeting with some family afterwards.



Brunch is never complete without a mimosa - orange juice with champagne!

I also ordered a pair each of Royal Miyagi and Malpeque oysters on the half shell. Briney, sweet, and fresh. They were served with fresh grated horseradish, wedges of lemon, and a housemade cocktail sauce. Paired with the mimosa, it was a nice appy.



To finish off, we also ordered the West Coast crab cakes, served with a smoked red pepper coulis and a lemon aioli. The (I suspect pasteurized) crab meat was mixed with shallots and small dice of bell peppers, and dredged in panko. The crab cakes were fried a little too long, but surprisingly still retained moisture and the sauces complimented the cakes and brought them to life! They were perfectly hot even after a short photo session (hardy-har!) and were crisp and decadent at the same time.



Service was very attentive and friendly - even though I got there only a couple minutes after Sandbar opened, most of the window seats were already taken. Within twenty minutes, the place was packed and all the waitstaff were in fine form. I'd love to return to Sandbar to try their oyster po boy sandwich, or their panfried oysters!

The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant

1535 Johnson Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: (604) 669-9030