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Nothing really bugs me more than the mis-use of the term
"gastro pub." The term means something very specific and for all
Spinnaker's strengths it is not a gastro brew pub.
Spinnaker's is a pub, and a very good pub at that. They brew their
own beer, they have a great view and have acceptable food - this, does
not a gastro pub make. Let me explain: the art of gastronomy refers to a
style of cooking, that is above average and depicts a regional cuisine
in a exceptional way. The term gastro pub originates from a recent
UK trend of applying fine dinning style cuisine into a pub style
atmosphere.
There is no way Spinnaker's food qualifies as fine dinning, with
respect to quality, execution or presentation.
Now that I'm done with that - the food at Spinnaker's is in the top
tier of pubs is Victoria. They do put in a little extra effort on the
menu selections, but of course that is reflected in the price ($10-15 at
lunch time). My principle criticism would be presentation: if I'm going
to spend $15 on curry I would hope the restaurant could spring for some
parsley, sparing me from looking down at a plate of entirely brown food.
Otherwise, I would suggest that the curry tasted like over-spiced beef
stew, maybe you'd call this English curry, but I think even an
Englishman might be disappointed. Luckily, I like beef stew, so it
satisfied me on this day.
Patty had a Jerk chicken sandwich with Kennebec fries (Kennebec is a
variety of potato). The sandwich had a nice flavour, was a bit spicy
(perhaps spicier than my curry) and the fries were house-cut and had a
lovely flavour.
The service was acceptable and the ambiance pleasant. They do have a
wine list that does exceed most pubs in town and that in conjunction
with a selection of yummy house brewed beers, does set them apart in my
opinion.
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Patty says....
I love brew pubs. If you are looking for a new
taste experience in your beer, a brew pub is totally the way to
go. Today I started with a pint of pumpkin porter which was
lovely and really reminded me of a spiced piece of pumpkin pie.
My second pint was a Hefeweisen - a German style, wheat beer.
Adding to the experience, this beer was served in a giant, glass
beer mug. Spinnakers changes their beer menu regularly so there
is often something new to try. |
Value
of Food: 6/10
Quality of Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Wine List: 710
Reviewed: October 31 2005 |
