Cactus Club Cafe (Bentall 5)

Cactus Club Cafe
Several locations in BC and Alberta
Bentall 5 – 588 Burrard Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

A couple of weeks ago, I described a lunch with two former colleagues in the Burrard and Pender’s location of Joey’s and added about we might be going to Cactus Club Cafe which just happened to be across the street from Joey’s. We did end up going there for a meeting; however, it was for after hours rather than for lunch. Is it “sooooo goooood” as my friends claim it to be? What about Rob Feenie’s recipes? I was about to find out, I guess…

We arrived at around 6:00 p.m. in an usually hot day in Vancouver (come to think about it, for the average Vancouverite, this last week has been extremely hot but I digress). Although Cactus Club faces west (read: the sun sets that way), it was overshadowed by all the tall office buildings surrounding it so no direct sunlight. We ended up inside anyway as there was a queue for the tables outside. Makes me wonder, why would you want to sit outside on such a hot day when you could comfortably sit inside (where the A/C running is running full force)? I found out relatively soon, though: music was being played quite loudly I must say and, instead of “talking” with my friends, we were actually shouting to each other (or at least that is what I had to end up doing). Hmmmmm….

We started ordering some draft ale. Not sure which one it was; not that I care much/I am too knowledgeable about beer anyway. Regardless, there was one thing I was sure about: It wasn’t too strong as I ended up drinking two full glasses. (As a reminder, I have relatively low alcohol tolerance). As for the food, we had some appetizers:

Crispy dry ribs. I did not try this but, from given their reactions, it seems it was quite good. Personally, it is not something I would order but, hey, when you are with others…

Spicy chicken, with sweet chili and scallions. I will have to admit it was quite an interesting dish that could have been better. Now, despite it was mostly white meat, it was not dry and had a slight crispy exterior. The sauce was sweet, yet it did not overpower the chicken. I would have personally preferred dark meat but, then again, white meat is what most North American people prefer… I think it could have been improved a bit had it had a bit of acidity. Lemon wedge anybody? Regardless, it went well with the beer.

Calamari with red pepper, jalapeño and dill, served with a chipotle aioli and tzatziki. I will have to admit mixed feelings about this dish. The batter was quite fluffy and light – if they could make fish (as in fish and chips) using a similar batter, we have a winner. The tempura-like fried red peppers and jalapeño was also quite good. Not crunchy, instead the vegetables were slightly cooked to the point it starts to yield some of its sweetness. And, ah, the dill… At this point, can there be a bad? Well, the dish is called calamari, right? Well, it just happens that I “missed” the calamari. Sure, you could see the calamari but, for some odd reason, I could not “feel” its texture. The aioli was OK, not much to comment about; however, the tzatziki was a fail to me. In my case, I prefer the one with a really thick consistency; here, it was almost on the liquid side – feel free to call it personal preference. And, ah, the dill, it managed to “mask” some of it… Hence my mixed feelings. (On an unrelated note, I am among the people who prefers the “tentacle” side of the squid).

This is one of the few instances I have cut the burger in half.

Myself and a friend ordered different burgers but, because the table was full with glasses (3 glasses of water + 3 glasses of beer), I did not take picture of the other one. And my case, I wanted to try one of Feenie’s signature dishes: “The Burger” – with aged cheddar cheese, cured bacon, sautéed mushrooms and red pepper relish. Out of all these ingredients, I am not sure if I tasted the cheese or the relish. As for the bacon, I did taste it (slightly) but I wished it was a bit crispier. Personal preference? But, the beef patty. I hate to admit this but this burger is darn good. It was juicy, it was a mess to eat, it was good. With every bite, you could taste the meat and couldn’t wait for the next bite. The burger comes with french fries but I switched it for yam fries. Did not pay too much attention to that, though.

Overall, the food was way better than what I thought it would be, specially if I use Joey’s as a reference point (not sure if that means anything). Service was good; unfortunately, it was a bit slow. It was a busy night, though, so I will give them some slack. One thing that threw me a bit off was the location of the restroom: Is there a reason why it should be upstairs? Hmmmmmmm….. However, despite all the food was good, I am not sure if I can recommend it for one reason: price. The total bill (two burgers, three appetizers, a pitcher of beer plus some additional glasses) was almost $100. Sure, you have to pay the price to taste Rob Feenie’s “ideas” but, at that price range (~$30 per person)… If you don’t mind the price point, by all means. Otherwise, I would rather go somewhere else.

Tagged under: Burgers • Chain Restaurant • Drinks • Vancouver