It’s been a few months since we’ve went for brunch so we dropped in on Tuc Craft Kitchen. Been here a second time for dinner too. They’re known for seasonal, farm to table fare.
Sign outside.
The place was bumping but luckily, there’s room upstairs so we were able to sit without having to wait. Staff are friendly and service was good.
View from upstairs.
The menu is small with only 7 items to choose from for brunch but there are drink options galore.
Dinner menu was slightly larger with starters, nibbles, bites & sides, mains and dessert.
The DIY mimosa ($32.00) seemed like a popular choice.
Happy hour (4:00pm to 6:00pm) daily looks promising; would come back for their $7.00 tipples and small plates ($4.00 to 8.00).
Click here to see some of the drink menu (1, 2 and 3).
Trip #1
We dropped in on a Sunday afternoon (around 1:00pm).
Lavender latte ($5.00)
Latte is smooth, creamy goodness. The lavender adds a touch of floral lightness.
Crispy bacon & egg ($4.00)
We ordered a side order of their famous scotch egg because B loves it.
Good but there was already so much egg in the other dishes.
Crispy chicken & waffles ($17.00)
Free run chicken breast, savoury waffles, chili ginger sauce and maple syrup. This plate was massive. You get two huge portions of chicken.
Chicken was tender and juicy but the skin could have been crispier.
Same issue with the waffle; it ended up getting soaked and softened from the sauce.
Falafel & eggs ($15.00)
Two eggs poached, black lentil falafel, tomato chutney and goat cheese cream.
The falafel was delicious and the tomato chutney sauce complimented it perfectly.
Falafel was fried just right to give it a great texture.
Spam & eggs ($15.00)
Tuc “spam”, two eggs poached, fried green tomatoes, pickled onions, Parmesan cheese and bacon biscuit.
You need to grab a bit of everything to get the full effect. If spam was like this normally, I’d eat it more often.
Trip #2
Second visit, we came for dinner on a Saturday evening (6:00pm).
Stubborn mule ($12.00)
Earl grey tea-infused Wild Turkye 101 bourbon, ginger foam and lemon. Bourbon was quite smokey but earl grey was subtle.
Chili colate manhattan ($15.00)
Rittenhouse rye, ancho reyes chili, cynar, mezcal rinse and mole bitters. My sis liked it; strong but tasty.
Margarita
Mussels & sausage ($19.00)
Salt Spring mussels, Gelderman’s Farmers sausage, tomato chili & garlic and Ficelle toast.
It’s a tad overpriced but the mussels were tasty. Sauce was salty though.
Elk carpaccio ($15.00)
Denver leg of peace river elk, miso sioli and toasted sourdough.
Elk was sliced thinly and were really tasty bites. This was quality.
Beet & leek salad ($12.00)
Chioggia beets, roasted leeks and lemon vinaigrette. My sis’s friend said this was good but the vinaigrette was salty.
Curry mac n’ cheese ($10.00)
She also ordered this which she really liked.
Pea crusted cod ($26.00)
Rum cured Haid Gwaii ling cod, green peas, romanesco and hibicus beurre blanc. The brocollini was lightly charred and sprinkled with romanesco. The ling cod had an excellent green pea crust on top. The cod itself wasn’t super flaky.
Blackened hanger steak ($27.00)
Berbere seared hanger steak, coconut cream, squash puree and garlic confit fingerlings. The squash puree was solid and had some heat (maybe curry). There was a mix of potato, carrot and beans. Hanger steak was supposed to be medium rare but it was cooked more than that. Good but I was expecting better finesse.
Decent brunch and dinner eats. I’d come back for their happy hour deal. 3.5 stars.
Tuc Craft Kitchen
https://www.tuccraftkitchen.com/
60 W Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 559-8999
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 