One of the highlights of our trip to Canada was a restaurant that we discovered in Gastown. After scrounging Yelp for the best cheese and wine bars, we came across this gem:
SALT TASTING ROOM IN VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
Located in Blood Alley, the name and location honestly spooked me just a tad. Turns out there was nothing scary about it, and the interior was as clean and classy as ever.
We sat and were given a full introduction by our friendly waiter, who explained exactly how Salt Tasting Room works. On the wall there is a huge chalkboard of meats, cheeses, and condiments. Cue angels singing: I was in tapa heaven.
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To build a ‘tasting plate’, you choose 3 items total from the cheese and meats columns, along with 3 condiments. You also have the option to choose a wine flight if you desire. You can make these choices entirely yourself, or have the extremely knowledgable staff choose the pairings for you. Jarden and I both got our own tasting plate, and also had the server recommend a wine flight for each.
My tasting plate included honey, olives, tartufo (my new favorite!), a strong blue, and brie.
The tasting plates were 16 CAD, and the wine flights were 15 CAD. The conversion rate made our meal extremely affordable for the quality of food and service; we were so full and happy afterwards! 3 cheeses may not sound like much, but paired with condiments, crostini, and 3 pours of wine, we almost couldn’t finish our lavish meal.
Jardens plate contained corned beef, fig jam, brie, and pecorino.
Salt Tasting Room was everything I was looking for in a wine/cheese bar, and it’s one of my favorite culinary experiences ever! Jarden also says it’s what made him fall in love with wine; my job is done 🙂 We both highly recommend it, and are definitely planning to revisit next time we are in Gastown!
Isn’t this the cutest? This is how they give you your bill!
Salt Tasting Room
45 Blood Alley
Gastown, Vancouver BC, Canada
(604) 633-1912
