Offering a warm wooden retreat from all the drizzle outside, only to be disappointed by untimely service and mediocre food, Sandbar missed its mark with me on my trip to Vancouver. Looking back, I should have stuck to pillaging the wealth of smaller, and more likely, tastier options in the public market nearby.

Don’t get me wrong. At first thought, Sandbar looked to promise a lot. I could hear the orders resonate through the kitchen from where I was, indicating a relatively efficient one at least. Unfortunately it just took a long time for the waitress to take my order and bring the bill.

On the upside, they did serve complementary bread. Better yet, they had warmed it through and, surprisingly, accompanied by softened butter, made the normal ordeal of combining the two a breeze.

My only dish, the plank salmon arrived and true to form looked good, yet it still disappointed as the fish was slightly overcooked, lacking in the luscious moistness I’d expected out of a place like this. At least, the skin, none too fatty indicating it wasn’t a farmed fish, was crisp and the fresh … taste of the caramalesied sugar/maple left permeated through its flesh.

I’ll also admit, even though I waited for some time, their comfy brown leather seaters I sat in made it pretty worthwhile.

TheKua.com Rating: 6 out of 10