UPDATE: I’ve been informed that Latab Food no longer serves lunch as of April 19, 2016. I’ve done dinner there and it’s amazingtastic. Recommended! Check out my Instagram dinner posts with in-depth writeups here, here, here, here, here, and here.

---

Latab Food (originally launched as Latab Wine Bar in September 2015) had been on my radar (aka the never-ending list) because of their low pretense, sustainable food, and (from the looks of their Instagram) beautiful plates & technique. I tried them for a quick lunch with a foodie friend and my first visit was positive! I’d like to come back and try out their more expansive (and meaty) dinner menu.

Located next to the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, and across the street from St. Paul’s Hospital.

The food and the size of the space remind me of Farmer’s Apprentice.

Fast, healthy lunches by day, cool wine & small plates by night.

FYI.

These Four Winds and Strange Fellows beers are more widely available in restaurants now. That makes me quite happy.

Top part of the lunch board.

Bottom part of the lunch board. Full menu available online. While their dinner menu is more varied, their lunch menu is just various types of “bowls”. But I think this is a good move for a lunch service because it’s quicker and simpler. Speaking of bowls…

…there’s a Freshii near my work. I absolutely hate that place. If you don’t want actual real food put together with care, skill, and attention, then by all means go to Freshii. Their bowls aren’t “cooked”, they’re robotically assembled like motor vehicles, with zero heart, using commodity ingredients from a global food supply chain. If you love the sound of that, then by all means go ahead to Freshii. If you want the opposite of that, check out Latab.

Some of their bottled drinks (and a tip cup). I always tip well — partly out of respect, partly out of guilt. Working in the restaurant industry is a hard job, and bloggers like me go and rip people new ones online. Damn these cuticles!!

Strange Fellows Talisman Pale Ale (4.2%). This beer has a very light, clean finish that doesn’t linger. Perfect for daytime lunch drinking.

As much as beer geeks like chasing the new, I find value in revisiting beers in varying amounts and in different situations. This beer has a very light, ephemeral quality which is growing on me. Give it to your beer-averse friends and see what they think.

House hot sauce.

Chickpea & Lamb Lunch Bowl ($9) with spicy tomato, olives, and a dollop of hummus. The lamb is in the form of a chorizo/merguez, which is cut up into cubes. Really enjoyed the creamy hummus. I’d really miss it if it wasn’t there. Also appreciate the counterpoint that the microgreens bring. General flavour is tomatoey, with Spanish/Mediterranean spices. A balanced, healthy, tasty dish. No one wants to have an over-large lunch in the middle of the workday, so this portion size was just right for my admittedly smallish appetite. You can also add toast and/or sous vide egg if you need more food:

Coffee Cured Trout Lunch Bowl ($9) with beets, bulgur, and mint, with a toast & poached egg add-on ($2). My friend ate this and I declined to have a taste, so you’ll just have to go by looks 😛 The toast looks like a dark rye.

We were there around noon on a Tuesday and it wasn’t busy. It should be busier! But I was glad that it wasn’t crazy busy. Sometimes you need to get away from the crowds. But as word spreads about this place, I’m sure they’ll get more popular with the downtown lunch crowd who want something lighter and healthier but not resort to the same boring salads or generic wraps.

Really looking forward to trying their dinner menu!