Having passed by Stella several time and talking about it, we finally went. It has always been in the corner of our sight when we go to Havana’s. it seems like a good place from the outside and sounds like beer.
IndecisiveGirl, Fragile Boy, M and I went for some late night food as usual. We walked in and the first thing we saw was the bar and wondered where we would sit. Then we looked over to the right side and saw a very nice little dining area. Not exactly what I expected from a bar type of place.
To start of any meal at a place like this, it called for Stella Artois ($5 special). All of us had one except for M…he had Pinapple Juice. Stella’s has a wide variety of drinks. LIKE A LOT! There was an entire menu dedicated to alcohol…this wasn’t a small menu either.
After looking at the menu, we settled on Tapas and mussels. We ordered the fish Tacos, Beef Carpaccio, Cheese Steak, poutine, and 2 pounds of mussels.
First we had the Fish Tacos ($10), it had Achiote baked white fish, corn tortillas, salsa fresca, white cabbage, crema and chimichurri. Overall I thought it was quite bland and boring. There was no flavour and the taco fell apart fairly easily.
Next was the Beef carpaccio ($11), parmesano reggiano, crispy capers, fleur de sel, spanish onion shavings, and garlic rouille. it was alright. I think I’m really use to Japanese Carpaccio. Could have use a but more acidity.
Then there was the “Filet”-delphia Cheese Steak ($12) – filet mignon medallions, snow goat cheese croute, and cranberry salsa. This was ok, the meat could have been a bit warmer. Not what we expected from this disk.
Belgian Poutine ($8) – Stella’s frites, fresh cheese curds, Blanche de Chambly & miso gravy, and topped with green onions. This dish was good and very gooey!
One pound of Bombay Mussels ($14) which had a sauce made up of Zucchini, red pepper and fresh cilantro in a Madras curry broth. This tasted good and with the left over soup, you can dunk bread into it.
One more pound of Mariner Mussels($14), which had a sauce made of Garlic, shallots, white wine, fresh herbs, and monte au beurre. In simpler words, this is garlic butter sauce. It was good. The mussel meat was very plump. On the bad side, it tasted a bit alcoholic.
We ordered 2 Baskets of bread ($2.5 x 2) to accompany the sauce from the Mussels. Expensive bread, and not worth it….6 pieces of bread for $2.50….not worth it.
Words of Wisdom:
- Go get Mussels!
- Try a beer
- Stay away from Tacos
- Bread costs money….
If you are ever on Commercial Drive looking for a place for tapas and a few drinks. Go to Stella’s for mussels and beer, you won’t be disappointed. WIth their large selection of drinks, you will get so confused!
We rate them: 
Visit them at: http://stellasbeer.com/
