I love a good mystery.
Unearthing clues and piecing together snippets of evidence to paint a clear picture can be an exciting exercise. A recent North Shore dining experience rewarded my fascination with mysteries, even if I didn't fully get the resolution I had hoped for in the end.
The puzzle began with the appearance of a giant banner proclaiming: Olé Now Open! Wings and Tapas.
The banner was strung outside the space at 19th Street and Lonsdale Avenue, real estate formerly occupied by Ricky's and Fatburger. As the tapas scene is booming in greater Vancouver right now, I imagined that Olé might offer Spanish-themed small plates, olives, cheeses, sherry and deep red wines. But a visit to Olé's Facebook page in advance of my meal revealed that, in fact, the menu features principally Korean dishes with no trace of Spanish influence. I was intrigued.
Apparently, I was not the only one to draw conclusions about Olé's menu based on the restaurant's name, as the first thing I was told by my
server upon arrival was "I just need to let you know that we are actually not a Spanish restaurant."
The plot thickened when I noted that the menu presented to me in the restaurant is branded with the name: Olé Wings and Tap rather than Olé Wings and Tapas.
The server explained to me that because Olé does not hold a liquorprimary operating license, they are technically not supposed to use the word tapas to describe their business. The preferred, shortened name appears on menus and on social media platforms, but not on official signage.
I appreciate Olé's wish to use the word "tap" given that their menu features several varieties of chicken wings; wings and beer certainly do go hand in hand. However, with that in mind, I was surprised to learn that Olé offers only one variety of draught beer, which seems inconsistent with the restaurant's aspirations. A restaurateur might well call an establishment Sudsy McLager's Brew Emporium, but if the selection implied by the name isn't provided, it is likely to confuse and possibly even alienate patrons.
Thoroughly fascinated by the conceptual enigma that is Olé, I got down to the business of sampling their menu. My dining companion for the evening was Mike, a fellow chicken wing enthusiast and long-term North Shore resident. We had been looking forward to trying out a new wing joint, so we proceeded directly to an order of 18 chicken wings in three different flavours: spicy soy, traditional buffalo, and yang nyum, a traditional Korean fried chicken preparation. All of the wings seemed to feature the same heavy-handed batter, a thick and coarse coating that effectively doubled the size of the actual wings.
Despite such a dense coating, I have to say the wings were surprisingly light and crispy, although a consistently sweet and sticky character marked each preparation and required a hefty pile of additional napkins and, upon request, fingerbowls. The spicy soy wings were the clear winners in the mix, probably by virtue of being the least cloying of the lot.
Keen to see what else the kitchen could do, we ordered an assortment of barbecued meat and seafood skewers. The skewers are modestly priced at around $2 each, but a menu stipulation requires that patrons order a minimum of six skewers, making them a more significant investment on par with most of Olé's entrée prices.
Our skewers included grilled prawns, lean beef, asparagus wrapped in pork, scallops, and chicken meatball. The chicken meatball skewer was decidedly the tastiest of the lot, generously seasoned with garlic and ginger, nicely seared and still moist. A variation, the chicken meatball with cheese, was disappointing, featuring a melted rectangle of processed orange cheese atop an otherwise tasty skewer.
Far and away the best dish of the evening was the Jeyuk Bokeum, hot and spicy stir-fried pork slathered with a mean, red, chili-laden sauce with onions and cabbage. At $17 it was among the pricier of Olé's menu items, but the portion was generous and the tangy, fiery sauce enlivened our palates and made us grateful for our frosty pints of beer.
When Mike and I tucked into the pork, our server (who was thoroughly affable, helpful and engaging throughout the meal) seemed to summon two or three additional staff members to stand by to see how we fared with the heat of the dish. I gather the spicing of this menu item is a matter of some pride for Olé. The gesture made me hopeful that one day Olé, admittedly a brand new addition to North Van's dining scene, will discover a clearer identity and will be able to feel the same pride when diners order any one of its offerings. Olé Wings and Tap(as) is located at 1995 Lonsdale Ave. Phone: 604-770-1737.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. Contact: [email protected].
