Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because the Revel Room has been open for about a month just down the road in Gastown and I hadn’t even heard of it until yesterday. Shame on me.

Discussed some big ideas with friends over share plates – the naan bread with roasted garlic, gorgonzola and tomato relish was delicious, as was the daily soup (a coconut/curry vegetable concoction), grilled asparagus and the Chinatown fried rice. My only concessions were that the menu is very meaty and I’m veggie (although the kitchen was very accommodating and put all of the meat in side dishes for us), and the Caesar salad dressing tasted a bit too much like mayo. Next time I will try the fennel + tomato gratin, grilled polenta, and seared albacore tuna. Yum.

The restaurant spans across two floors and was entirely renovated before opening, resulting in an interior marked by warm decor and ambient lighting. And here is the tip you really need to know: though Gastown is an “up and coming” neighbourhood, the lounges (ie. Chill Winston, Six Acres, etc) in the area haven’t quite caught up and liquor licenses generally shut things down by 1am. The Revel Room, however, has their license until 2am. Game on for late(r) night drinking!