“Oh My God!”
That is how we would describe this Friday dinner we had recently.
We had heard so much about the Bin 941 Tapas Parlour … read a number of reviews about them. We never thought it would be our kind of place. Reviews after reviews pointed out their loud music … and that it is dark … and that it is dingy.
Looking at Bin 941 from Davie just off Burrard, you will probably give this place a miss. With rusted looking frontage and just next to a pawn shop, what would you expect? We walked passed by Bin 941 many times. We did not think much of them.
It is cramped. And really small. If you had not known better, you would probably call this a hole in the wall.
There are only tables lining one side of the restaurant … really small tables. Put on a couple of plates and drinks, there is hardly any room left for anything else. The rest of the seats are at the bar.
Regardless, people tell me that the food is great. So I called ahead in the afternoon trying to make a reservation for a table for two. Well, they said that they DON’T take reservation. They told me that if I wanted to be sure of a table, we got to be there early. They open at 5PM for dinner. Only dinner, no lunch. They close late too. Real late … like 2AM.
So we went early. Too early as a matter of fact. It was 15 minutes before opening time. We just walked in because it was cold and windy at that time. Guess what … they shoo’ed us out! Where is the compassion?!? It was frigid cold out there. So we waited outside. It was awkward to say the least. At this point, we thought this whole place is a bad idea.
After 5 minutes, they came out and beckoned us in. “Sorry” they said. They added that it will be a few more minutes before they can tend to us. Fine by us. We were not in a hurry.
Got a drink. Beer on tap for me — $5. Suanne’s is just water — no charge. The drinks menu is just dominated by wine and beer. Certainly no bubble tea here for Suanne.
This place wasn’t that bad. The music was not loud. Certainly not discotheque loud as a reviewer claimed. The place kind of grew on us. Being the first customer that night, we snagged that great little table by the window. It was cramped with hardly any legroom to move.
But it was a fantastic window seat to enjoy the food … a cosy private little corner of our own … and watching the world go by.
It is people watching at its best.
Their menu is just a 1-pager. Very simple. Every single item looked great.
The menu said “Serious About Food” … “Serious About Fun”. They are right … Suanne and I had great food and we had fun too. You will see.
The waitress asked if we were here before. “Nope” we replied. She wanted us to know that they serve the meal one dish at a time. The concept is sharing. We like that. Anyway, between Suanne and I, we had ALWAYS shared our food.
Then the fun began.
We ordered their Pomme Frites. It was only $6. I had never had a taller pile of fries in my life. It was at least 6 inches tall, maybe 7. We have no idea how they managed to pile it so high.
No ketchup necessary. It was drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. The shoestringy fries very crisp. It was great. Simply some of the best we ever had.
Suanne tugged on one piece and the whole structure … came tumbling down. It was a mess because it kept falling down and the thick sticky balsamic vinegar just smears all over the table.
We had fun and it took an awfully long time for us to finish this. We ended up with very sticky fingers. Eating this with fork is just impractical. We thought that the best eating utensil would be chopsticks.
The Steamed Cortez Island Mussels was next. It was $15.
There are three ways that they make this. We asked for Garlic Butter, Roma Tomato, Fresh Basil and White Wine.
The Mussels were plumb. Real nice. Again we ate with our fingers. The fingers were getting to be wrinkly. LOL!
There are two pieces of toasts. Only two. We wish they gave us more because the garlicky broth is so good. There is a strong taste of white wine and slightly spicy at the same time.
Duck Breast was our next choice. $16.
The menu said it has fingering potato hash, truffle oil, harricot vert and port cranberry jus.
The plating was pretty. We started with the potato hash. It has goat cheese which is a strange but pleasantly nice combination.
The duck was too rare for Suanne’s liking but I like it. The skin were crisp but the meat was kind of chewy.
The waitress asked us if we wanted dessert. I know Suanne. She felt guilty after all the food but I know she cannot resist dessert … especially cheesecakes.
So she said “No, thank you”.
Then after two minutes, she suddenly raised her hands and asked for the dessert menu. There were three options but she did not even care to look at the other two. She only wanted cheesecake.
Well … Suanne, the cheesecake fan, irrevocably declared this ranks as one of the best cheesecake she had ever had. The warm rum sauce and banana slices were just the perfect. This was not all that sweet as one may think. Nine bucks.
Bin 941 is simply one of the better meals we ever had.
Does anyone know why they call this place Bin 941? They have another restaurant called Bin 942. We will probably check that one out too one of these days.
Hi Ben, the mussels are only $15 based on your receipt instead of $25 you’ve written. Bin941 is in one of my list of restaurants to try outside of Richmond. Thanks for the post.
Ooops, you’re right, Jonnek. I’ve corrected the typo.
Hey Ben & Susanne,
If you want another OMG suggestion got to try the $0.99 congee at Imperial Court – 6360 #3Road Unit 6-7. The special is only available after 11am and I don’t know for how long. It’s a huge pot of congee, can feed an entire village. The rest of the dimsum is standard fare and service is lacking but the $0.99 congee more than makes up for it.
Hi Footprints:
We tried Imperial Court before … see http://tinyurl.com/Imperial-Court . We did know about the 99 cents congee. That would be fun to try.
Ben
I love Bin. Those mussels are just gorgeous and I had to finish that broth they come in with the bread and just scooping it with the mussel shells.
BIN ….. one of our fave places. Tough to get in unless you’re an early bird. But well worth it ! A pillar of consistent quality in Vancouver.
I been wanting to try out this place, and from what I can see, I will definitely go in the near future…
Jenny, you just have to order the Fries. I know you will have great fun eating it. Also, go early to snag that table by the window. You will like that seat. If you ask me, I would say this is a perfect place for a date, not a group! Ben
Man, I keep wanting to try this place but never got to it. Looks like it’s pretty good. Love the pics.
I think it’s call Bin 941 as a reference to both the way wines are categorized and the address (941 Davie). Bin 942 was the second location hence…
Hi Ben
I went to Bin 942 yesterday and I took your suggestion of ordering the mussels with garlic, tomato and white wine broth, it was so yummy. I completely agree, they need more bread to soak up all the broth.
This was the first time I tried this restaurant and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
Ps. You should try the Beef Wellington, they cook it to medium rare and it is so good and juicy.
Did you go to Bin 942, foodlover? I had never been to 942 (the one I went to was 941) but I guess it is virtually the same. I should go check it out sometime.
Ben
Hi Ben
I went to Bin 942 and I tried this amazing dessert and it was the warm flourless chocolate torte with tahitian vanilla bean ice cream and grand marnier candied mandarin. I think Susanne will like it alot. It was the deepest tasting chocholate I have ever had, and it makes the perfect ending to a meal. The most interesting thing about the torte is it is served in a ramekin and dusted with icing sugar.
Yummy, go try it and the dessert is only $9, so worth it.
Hey Ben,
I just went to Bin 941 yesterday (pics are up on Facebook). I find that their dishes are very unique and uses a lot of your taste buds. Most of the sauces were sweet with a bit of spiciness to it. The prices have gone up a little from when you posted. Slightly disappointed at the Beef Wellington cause the crust is very flaky so when you swallowing it kinda scratches your throat in an uncomfortable way. Do you know anywhere that serves Beef Wellington made out of bread?
Natalie
Frankly, Natalie, I am not a fan of Beef Wellington. But I have heard that the BW from The Cannery is the best around. That is the most recommended dish in the Cannery. Too bad they are going to close by the end of this month because their lease is not going to be renewed for security reasons.
Ben
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