Believe it or not, The New Bohemian was yet another post-Grouse Grind dinner spot. I don’t know what’s with me and going to Kitsilano after doing the grind; perhaps it’s the close proximity of the neighbourhood to the downtown area. Oh well, I’m not complaining. Two years after that initial visit, I randomly decided to dine there again before the Bruno Mars concert with Stephy. See, Rogers Arena and Kitsilano don’t even seem like logical are matches; maybe it’s magnetic.

I am a fan of the restaurant’s interior; it has an urban vibe to it with basic colours and eclectic decorations. They do have a small patio, although we opted to sit inside on this particular visit. Their website describes their cuisine as Mediterranean, which does certainly shine through in some of their dishes. They also have plenty of vegetarian and ocean-wise dishes, if that tickles your fancy.

I opted for the Chipotle BBQ chicken sandwich ($13.75), substituting the fries for yam fries. The sandwich included free-range chicken breast, BBQ sauce, smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, and tomato on a ciabatta bun. With all these ingredients, the vegetables endowed a fresh taste upon the sandwich with the cheddar adding a nice touch. The chicken was quite tender and somewhat juicy, although it was a bit hard to tell with everything else going on. The yam fries were decent.

Stephy ordered Nanna’s fresh chicken pasta ($15.75), fresh, made-in-house pasta with ground chicken, olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, parsley, and Grana Padano parmesan. The menu advertises that this will literally “melt in your mouth,” although Stephy did not seem to think so. She found it to be a bit heavy on the sauce, although a good dish overall. It certainly has a nice-sounding combination of ingredients, at least.

Overall, my first experience at the New Bohemian over the summer was quite satisfying. I did decide to return again about a month later for some drinks and tapas to catch up with Chowder, whom I hadn’t seen for a couple months. That said, I still wonder what the point of hanging out with McGill friends from Vancouver is, since I’ll be able to see them in Montreal for eight out of twelve months anyways. Should I be catching up with old friends that I won’t have the chance to see for the most of the year? Oh well.

When darkness falls, the room really transforms into a lounge-like environment straight out of Yaletown. The simplistic colours and dim lighting really work together to give a casual yet classy nightlife ambiance.

On Thursdays, their “muddled” cocktails were on special for $4.99/each. I pointed out that this was a difference of 76 cents from their normal price, but a special’s a special, I suppose. Their 1940s Kitsilano Lemonade, made with bourbon, lemon, lime, sugar, and soda, sounded quite promising, prompting me to order it. As you would expect, it tasted like lemonade with quite a strong bourbon punch to follow. Overall, it was a refreshing cocktail, although the taste combination was slightly strange.

The above is Chowder’s cocktail. The name escapes me, although I do recall that she did not particularly enjoy it for its awkward combination of flavours.

Being the fatty that I am, we also ordered some food. The house-made breads and spreads ($6) sounded like the optimal type of cuisine for the hour. It consisted of three different types of bread (flatbread, focaccia and baguette) paired with pesto, olive tapenade and chipotle aioli.

All three types of bread were soft and light yet perfect for spreading spreads; I particularly enjoyed their flatbread, although that may just be more of an Asian thing.

The three spreads were interesting: while the aioli was a little light in flavour, the olive tapenade was extremely salty. The pesto was a bit more middle of the road. Strangely enough, combining all three spreads on to once piece of bread seemed like the optimal method to consume this dish.

In the end, The New Bohemian is definitely a place to consider outside of the downtown area for a late-night dinner or catch up in a nicely urban environment. While the presentation and ambiance are, for the most part, there, some of their flavour combinations tend to be hit-or-miss. Nonetheless, I would recommend this place for anyone seeking a lounge-like atmosphere in the Kitsilano atmosphere. A note on service: while it was a bit slow and inattentive on my first visit, it was fantastic on our second visit, with both occasions occurring at times when the restaurant wasn’t overly busy or packed.

Conclusion: Andy ate a fair amount. 

The New Bohemian
3162 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 736-7576