The restaurant at the foot of Lonsdale has a list of 24 Belgian beers as well as an all-B.C. wine list
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Diners chat at the District Restaurant in North Vancouver. Photograph by : Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun
Not one, not two, but three places have recently sprung up on the commercial blur of Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.
First there was Deuce, with its tapas-style menu in a downtowny space; then Okra, offering a modern presentation of Chinese/Malaysian cuisine.
The latest I visited is The District, which had so little hype I expected it to be forgettable and a waste of my precious time. It’s been quietly operating at the foot of Lonsdale since July.
I was pleasantly surprised at the positive vibes, the honest, really well-priced and tasty food and attentive no-attitude service.
My visits went swimmingly well with one hitch — something that’s a symptom of its success. It gets incredibly noisy in the small, narrow space when the restaurant gets slammed as it did on one of our visits. Turning down the fairly loud music when voices are ricocheting around would have helped. And definitely, it ought not be non-stop drum and base.
But, you know, despite my displeasure in too-noisy places, I’d go back. I know my husband would, in a heartbeat. He was over the top with happiness when he saw the 24-long Belgian beer list. He was thrilled with the Gulden Draak and raved about the Piraat. I sampled and thought with beers like that everywhere, we’d be a beer belly city. (There is an all-B.C. wine list as well.)
The restaurant bills itself as a Belgian-style brasserie, somewhat like Stella’s on Commercial Drive, but I won’t say ‘Chambar‘ in the same breath because that’s a whole other level. As brasserie means brewery in French, the food is meant to be simple and robust.
So, yes, there are two mussel dishes on the menu, and steak and frites as well as “patat frites” for the Belgian influence. On the brunch menu, there’s Belgian waffles. But really, that’s the extent of it. You’ll also find Szechuan style spicy green beans, chicken satay, chicken breast stuffed with apple and Guinness cheddar, a chicken and beef pot pie.
Owner Paul Mon-kau says there are regulars who eat there three times a week. He had targeted a 25 to 40 years crowd but patrons tend to be in the 35 to 60 (another reason to lose the drum and base). He’s thrilled as that is an age group that’s picky about where they eat. Main are $13 to $24, the latter for the winningest dish, the steak frites. The steak is made even more enjoyable if eaten with one of the fabulous beers. Nice frites, juicy, flavourful tenderloin. (District’s meat is purchased at Olympia Meats on Lonsdale, a halaal butcher.)
A venison stew, braised in red wine was tender and flavourful, and accompanied by a fresh-baked mini-loaf of bread. The mussels in a Russell cream ale with charred tomatoes, chorizo, was fine but not brilliant. It came with a generous serving of frites, of which I ate every last morsel. But really, if the restaurant’s pegged on “Belgian-style,” the mussels should be glisteningly plump and a big hit. Stuffed chicken breast with apple and Guinness cheddar wasn’t a strong dish with muddle flavours and a too-dry risotto.
Of the appetizers tried, the portobello tart looked ready for a magazine shot with a lovely pastry crust and a whole portobello in the centre, atop goat cheese with a side of arugula salad; Gascony spring roll with a duck confit and a side salad worked. Shrimp and crab cakes needed a little perk, a little more flavour but a sprawling pea shoot salad compensated. The spicy green beans were nicely season and overflowed the plate but were a little chewy.
Desserts disappointed. A “chocolate souffle” turned out to be a previously baked molten chocolate cake with flavourless ice cream; the dessert waffle had the texture of a rewarmed leftover.
I know I’m ending on negative notes but all things considered — the service, the dishes that worked, the great beers, the good atmosphere at certain decibles, I like the place.
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THE DISTRICT
Overall: 3 1/2
Food: 3 1/2
Ambience: 3 1/2
Service: 3 1/2
Price: $/$$
13 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver.
778-338-4938.
www.districtsocial.com. Open for lunch, brunch dinner, 7 days a week.
Closed 3 to 5 p.m.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.