{"id":29849,"date":"2015-03-15T15:13:45","date_gmt":"2015-03-15T22:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goodlifevancouver.com\/?p=29849"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:17:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:17:46","slug":"sidecar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodlifevancouver.com\/staging\/2138\/sidecar\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidecar Kitchen + Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District, great dining\u00a0doesn’t necessarily come to mind. Sure you can\u00a0grab a decent burger and there’s plenty of wing deals and lots of booze, but until recently I didn’t head to the strip\u00a0looking for a true quality meal. So what changed? I discovered Sidecar at 1163 Granville Street were\u00a0Chef Jason Zimmer has brought unique twists to a variety of familiar and not so familiar dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Sidecar\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sidecar is owned by veteran club and restaurant owners\u00a0Dave Kershaw\u00a0and\u00a0Chris Jackson, who also own the\u00a0\u00a0Manchester Pub on Broadway and the\u00a0Cabana Lounge .\u00a0The drive behind Cabana and Sidecar was to introduce later night\u00a0venues for those over 30. \u00a0Chef Zimmer’s experience includes\u00a0<\/strong>culinary stints on Vancouver Island working at a number of restaurants, hotels and clubs. He’s created a menu that ranges from items such as\u00a0lamb lollipops, duck confit gnocchi, to perogies with pork and salt and pepper squid. Finishing up with his\u00a0Granville St. beignets is mandatory as is \u00a0sipping on at least one of\u00a0Jason\u2019s homemade Chimichurri Sidecar Caesars or a classic cocktail, such as the Gin-Gin Mule.<\/p>\n

The restaurant opened in December 2013 and features vintage decor, a 30 foot bar, photos of 1920’s gangsters and\u00a0DJ’s that play a mix of music from \u00a0the past 30 years.<\/p>\n

\"Sidecar<\/a><\/p>\n

After dinner service the room is \u00a0transformed and low lounge tables and benches are \u00a0brought in and dancing is encouraged. I turn into a pumpkin if I stay out late, so I’ve yet to experience the transformation, but I have happily dined in the earlier hours of the evening when it’s less busy. I have semi-old lady syndrome, so prefer early outings, having already spent far more than my fair share of time in the district over the past few decades.<\/p>\n

Arriving rather early on a fortunately less busy evening, \u00a0we were able to spend a bit of time chatting to the rustically charming Chef Zimmer while we\u00a0sampled our way through some of the menu.<\/p>\n

\"Sidecar<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sidecar<\/a><\/p>\n

First up we had some cripsy squid tossed in Szechuan peppercorns and roasted sea salt with spiced smoked onion aioli. The squid was nicely tender and crisp with just enough zing to\u00a0set\u00a0our\u00a0taste buds\u00a0mildly on fire.<\/p>\n

\"Sherry<\/a><\/p>\n

A dish of tiger shrimp came swimming in a densely flavoured sherry sauce with and had an equally welcome\u00a0spicy kick. Bread may have been used to soak up the remainder of the sauce.<\/p>\n

\"Duck<\/a><\/p>\n

For mains I highly suggest the Duck Confit with is cured\u00a0in sea salt and fresh thyme, and served atop a pillowy\u00a0 gnocchi tossed with wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, sweet peas, butter, duck broth gravy and topped with shaving of Manchego cheese. Pretty close to excellence\u00a0here, perhaps a little more crunch on the skin would have perfected the dish.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8353\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lamb Shank is another must. Ideal comfort food here. It’s slowly braised in Merlot wine and lamb stock with fresh herbs and fennel and then served with a perfectly cooked\u00a0wild mushroom and barley risotto.\u00a0Love that Zimmer used barley instead of rice. Wish more chefs would venture out to alternative grains.<\/p>\n

\"Beignets\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AND the finale. Granville Street Beignets are made fresh to order, tossed in cinnamon and confectioners\u2019 sugar and served with both a Grand Marnier chocolate sauce and Bulleit Bourbon Butterscotch dip that I had to refrain from licking right out of the serving dish.<\/p>\n

Great drinks, wine on tap, craft beer and attentive service rounded out our evening and duck and lamb sandwiches were had the very next day as portions are generous!<\/p>\n