After trawling the internet to try and get a handle on Vancouver’s best eats, I realised I had a lot of eating and drinking to get through in the next two years - better get started. One place that immediately sparked my interest was Bin 941. Owner/chef and former punk vocalist Gord Martin opened Bin 941 eleven years ago and has since opened two further successful venues with ‘Bin 942’ and more recently ‘Go Fish’. Having live in Mexico for five years and after shooting a TV pilot in 2008 based around Moroccan cuisine, I was expecting some fusion at it’s finest.
With a ‘no reservations’ policy and rave reviews I was ready for a wait. We arrived and were greeted by a small, but loud, dining room packed with tables of diners full conversation, and no doubt a few glasses of wine. Others were lined up at the bar seeming unperturbed by the closeness of perfect strangers and the cacophony of diners’ laughter, and the clash of pots and pans. We were told there would be a forty minute wait and hesitated a little at the thought of lining up outside, like some young trendy kids waiting in line to get into the latest club sensation, however this was not the case. We were escorted through the restaurant past a gargoyle overlooking the entrance, strange paintings hung upside down and large mirrors to a tiny cramped bar area at the rear of the restaurant that made you feel like that is perhaps where they kept the resident hunchback who was only released after close to clean and swing from the belltower. However, a drink was quickly in hand and the enthusiasm of the diners already at tables made the wait feel like it might be worth the wait.
We started with a few selections from the Pinxos menu, Pinxos being Tapas smaller companion designed to be eaten individually rather than shared. The smoked trout, marscapone and chive potato salad was enjoyable with the deep smoky flavour of the trout playing nicely against the rich marscapone dressing. This was followed by the blue cornmeal crusted calamari with a poblano and tomatillo dipping sauce. The calamari itself was barely recognizable with the tiny pieces being covered with the cruchy cornmeal crust. However the sauce had that rich earthy flavour that you only get from great Mexican chile sauces. Moving onto the ‘Tapatisers’ menu we selected crab cakes with burnt orange chipolte sauce, cucumber salsa and tobiko. Again the crab cakes were largely unimpressive with no real crab flavour finding it’s way through. Once again the sauce was the highlight showing that Martin made good use of his time in Mexico. The citrus flavours worked so well with the hot chipotle peppers and was offset nicely with the cool cucumber salsa. I am not sure that the trip to Japan really added anything to the dish rather than an interesting read on the menu. We followed these with a Beef Tenderloin Wellington. Mash, grainy mustard masala sauce and black cod with cauliflower puree and green apple gastrique. These dishes were both standouts with the Wellington cooked to perfection as was the black cod which fell apart at the touch and whose robust flavour and texture was paired perfectly with a smooth and rich cauliflower puree and slightly tart apple gastrique. Not wanting to neglect the dessert menu we dove in with a coconut crumb crusted marscapone white chocolate cheesecake with warm fuego banana rum sauce and a Belgian Chocolate torte with Cognac soaked cherries, chocolate truffle centre and café latte sauce. Needless to say these did not last long, with the rum banana sauce being unashamedly cleaned off the plate by greedy fingers at the finish.
The term ‘wine bar’ can conjure up images of sparse modern décor, wordy menus and wait staff that don’t hide their distain for your ignorance when you ask about the difference between a Chianti and a Montepulciano. This is where Bin 941 really breaks through with their edgy décor, a well priced yet interesting wine list, and the casual demeanour of the wait staff who kneel alongside your table to discuss food and wine choices and give their opinions.
