VILLAGE TAPHOUSE (West Vancouver)

I stopped by Village Taphouse for a bite on Tuesday, after visiting it for the first time to see a friend earlier that day. Now it was time for some food. I ordered the Bay Shrimp Club, made with fresh avocado, dill aioli, and a prosciutto crisp ($14, with a side order of Poutine ($4).

Now, until I just looked up what I'd actually ordered on a menu on their website, I had completely forgotten there was a dill aoli inside. Maybe it's because the flavour wasn't that strong, or maybe it was the pint of Stanley Park Pilsner($4.75), a LAGER, overpowering it, but the sandwich kind of disappointed. I'm a huge fan of shrimp in sandwiches, and with avocado your usually asking for a guaranteed winner. My first bite, squished 80% of the shrimp out of the gorgeous looking sandwich, and there it wasn't jam packed with them or anything like that. Heavy dosing of avocado though, and the sandwich was definitely a decent size. The prosciutto crisp was a nice touch, but there wasn't enough to really make it stand out. Overall I was kind of disappointed by the sandwich. Bolder flavours and better execution would've made it a whole lot better.

The Poutine was actually pretty damn good, I think I liked it more than the sandwich. It had quite a strong flavour to it, more onion than meaty, but one of the best poutine sauces I've had
ever had. Which doesn't mean much, I usually eat shit poutine(notice the small p?) wherever I find it and am in the mood. The cheese was nice and gooey, just the way it should be, and while it wasn't covered all over the top, it was sufficiently buried in the small bowl. It's not a huge amount of Poutine, but a perfect amount for a side. It nicely complimented the meal, I'd get it again . Not quite sure what's sprinkled on top, I was too busy eating and that photo blows.

Sorry for the crap photos, unexpected stop and only had my iPhone on me. A bit shaky too.

Anyways, I would visit the location again. While the food wasn't mind blowing, it was better than your standard bar food (looking at you Lynnwood) by a fair amount and you can tell the Cactus Club influence on the place. 22 kinds of beers are available on tap, and all the servers/waitresses are given a beer education when they start working there. Their daily food and drink specials are actually pretty decent as well. Maybe next time I'll try something a little bit less...ordinary. Off to bed, I just got off set and here I am writing a food blog post when I need to be up at 6. Classy.

3/5