Noshwellmenu

Stella’s on Cambie, located in the space formerly occupied by Tomato, is the sister restaurant to Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar on Commercial Drive. Like the Commercial Drive location, they offer a wide variety of imported Belgian beer which compliment well with the slightly condensed Tapas menu.

We arrived for an early dinner, just after 6pm. The light was still out, but the setting sun was bathing the sky with a golden hue. We arrived with friends, a party of six. Our server, a friendly lady dressed in all black with facial piercing and powder-white makeup seated us at a long bar-height picnic length table. As we sat perusing the menu, the sun shone through the large picture glass windows in the front. The otherwise dark and intimate dining room briefly felt like we were outside on the patio.

(Clockwise: 1. Moules with Frites Madrid. 2. Frites. 3. Abbaye St. Martin Tripel Beer )

Case ordered a Stohli Vodka Strawberry cocktail speared with a sprig of Rosemary, the name of which escapes me at the moment. I, on the other hand, required the assistance of the server to help select a beer from the bible-sized menu of imported beers. She suggested Chapter 23, verse 2: an Abbaye St. Martin Tripel, which is a dark, malty beer, perfect for salty bar food. A small stainless steel bowl of homemade potato chips arrived on our table following our drinks. The thick cut chips had a nice crunch and were well seasoned — they disappeared quickly.

(Clockwise: 1. Popcorn Cauliflower. 2. Chorizo Corn Dogs. 3. Stohli Cocktail.)

Case and I selected from the tapas menu, sharing an order of Popcorn Cauliflower: the lemon parmesan crust providing a nice, light and crunchy shell. We also ordered a half pound of Moules with Frites Normande: plump, tender mussels swimming in a soup of brandy, cream and shallots topped with mushroom, bacon and slivers of granny smith apples. Case really enjoyed the frites, which were gently fried and had a nice hint of sweetness. Our friends ordered the Moules Madrid with white wine, plum tomatoes and topped with Chorizo sausage and Serrano Chillis. They also ordered a Chorizo corn dog, a well-spiced Chorzio sausage battered in a surprisingly light and fluffy cornmeal served with dipping sauces.

We were there for over an hour and our server was friendly and attentive. The vibe is pretty laid back and chill and since we were facing the street, we were treated to a wonderful view of the sun setting in the background. Our meal came to just over $40 including taxes and tips for two tapas and two drinks, which we thought were quite reasonable for the service and atmosphere.

Perfect for: Dinner sharing, beer drinking and street gazing.

The Details

3305 Cambie Street, Vancouver
604.874.6900
stellasbeer.com

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