Fans of South Granville’s Farmer’s Apprentice may have noticed a conspicuously under-construction neighbour—a papered-up room next door to the restaurant, long anticipated to emerge as chef David Gunawan’s dedicated wine bar, Grapes & Soda.
Well, the bud has bloomed, revealing a sweet little 25-seat café as unpretentiously enigmatic as its lauded big sister. Sit facing the bar to take in a wall of homemade curiosities, like glass jars of green apricots in vodka, rows of dried whole spices and vases of fern-y looking sweet cicely the bartenders pluck to add light anise flavour to cocktails with crushed strawberries and ice. Order from the concise menu of small plates (Grapes & Soda has its own ktichen, though FA’s beloved smoked Castelvetrano olives are here), as well as innovative, beautiful dishes with impeccably fresh, seasonal ingredients, like smoked trout and strawberries or soft burrata with vivid green olive oil and spring asparagus. The prerequisite sophisticated wine list includes compelling rarities like fortified Tissot Vin Jaune 2000, with aromas of honey, apple, brown sugar, white chocolate and coffee, and a complex, musky-citric Clos Roche Blanche Pineau d’Aunis Touraine Rose.
A gift to the neighbourhood, and the perfect spot to split an excellent bottle on an elegant, low-key date. —Adrienne Matei
Grapes & Soda, 1537 W Sixth Ave., Vancouver, 604-336-2456, grapesandsoda.ca
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