VANCOUVER PROVINCE

THE REEF is a tropical breeze of fresh air for Vancouver.

THE REEF By Stuart Deredyn

The Reef is a tropical breeze of fresh air for Vancouver. A neighbourhood eatery with loads of laid-back ambiance, killer value for food and a willingness to present Caribbean cusine with a West Coast spin, this is the first Caribbean-style restaurant to get the formula of food and funk down right.

The generally starch-laden larder of the islands if given a bit of a break with the addition of fresh veggie salsas and salads.

The snackette environment is eschewed in a favour of a laid-back eatery feel. Certain foods (roti, curry) are also good at the Roti Bistro and Nuff Nice Ness but the The Reef has the room.

From the blue skylights and tropical paint tones of the interior to the great selection for reggae, ska, bluebeat and dance hall music (all played at a volume level that still means you can talk to the other folks at your table), this is the kind of place you could take anyone for a night out. Party vibrations for sure.

Partners Liz da Mata and Simon Cotton are still shaping their new space, changing recipes and menu selection to suit the local tastes.

That said, there’s every indication that The Reef is well on its way to becoming the new port of call on Main Street’s busy strip.

The Service

Lorraine on deck and on duty. Besides being very attentive to our needs, our waiter managed to be out of our faces for most of the meal, yet there when we needed attention.

Frankly, the service was everything you could ask for in a much pricier place and beyond anything you can usually expect at a funkier dining locale.

The fact we were kept topped up with Johnny cakes (bread) all night and not charged for it was reason enough to celebrate the island feel of this loose, but classy room.

The liquor

Main Street’s restaurant/neighbourhood sports are popular hangs for three reason. Good food and funky decor are two. Choice pint prices are the third. The bar was hoppin’ at The Reef all night long, with good reason. At $2.95 a pint, the Big Rock Traditional Ale was a steal.

Frankly I want to come back on the weekend for the pitchers of rum punch, since The Reef has a great selection of this classic Caribbean liquor, not to mention a good wine list, too.

The Food

West Indian food is about unique textures and complicated spicing. Although they’ve had to drop the heat scale a few notches since opening. The Reef delivers both.

For those, like myself, that like it hotter than heck, the hot sauce selection supplied to bam the meal up a few notches is welcome. The Matouk’s Hot Hot Hot sauce can get even the heaviest chili freak beggin’ for mercy.  Full points go to the Stamp ‘n’ Go. These fish cakes come bursting with levels of paprika and roasted tomato flavour, as well as a food fishy dollop of salt fish to round out the platter.

The North Coast jerk chicken is a lot of food for one and a great snack selection for two. The spices (thyme, cloves) are more noticeable than the Scotch bonnet chilies with this dish.

The escovitched Snapper is excellent. The lemon/vinegar marinade makes the fish chewier but the cooking makes it flaky. Whether you’re hanging on Montego Bay or Main Street, the combination is exactly where it should be. The rice and beans with this dish were prefect.