Ventura Room is located across from Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Downtown Vancouver and opened in October of 2019. They were best known for the live music, dancing, and cocktails.
Since the pandemic, they have closed but recently re-opened with safety measures in mind. The tables are spaced apart in respect to social distancing. There is patio space with tables and picnic tables. Also, all staff were wearing masks.
We were invited for food and drinks and to check out the space.
Happy Hour
They have happy hour from 3-6pm and 10pm – close daily. It’s all day happy hour on Sunday, which is a great deal.
Interior
They have a laidback Californian lounge and its usually open late with live music. With the pandemic, they’re trying to find their way to being that but with safety in mind.
Menu
Strawberry Basal Spritz
It has strawberry infused aperol, campari, basil, prosecco, and orange bitters. It was very easy to drink and refreshing.
The Daquirita
It has havana 7, altos plata, yuzu, and seared pineapple. It’s a strong drink that is citrus forward and clean.
California Love
They do have alcoholic-free beverages as well. This has fresh grapefruit juice, lavender, lemon, and soda. You get the floral notes from the lavender and the sour notes from the citrus fruits.
Crispy Cauliflower
The crispy cauliflower has charred jalapeño ranch, parmesan, and chili. This was one of our favourite dishes as it was well fried and seasoned. Plus, the dip complimented well.
Ahi Tuna Taco
These tacos have ginger chili tuna, yuzu aioli, avocado, and a cilantro slaw. It comes with 4 mini tacos per order. Looks great but the taste was lacking. It really needed more tuna and sauces.
Crispy Coconut Shrimp Roll
This has panko shrimp, avocado, green onion, Thai peanut sauce, and sesame. This was our server’s favourite item on the menu. It’s a very fusion items on the menu. The Thai peanut sauce and the green onion combination was nice. The peanut sauce is chunky and sweet, which is different. Not necessarily a bad thing.
West Coast Aburi Roll
This roll is their Ventura roll with torch seared chili ginger salmon & jalapeño. It was a decent roll but it definitely needed more flavour for one of their signature rolls.
Torch Nigiri
The different nigiri have a soy saké glaze on top. You have an option of salmon or tuna. The glaze give it a good amount of sweetness and the torched sauce caramelizes nicely. Not your typical Japanese flavourings but we liked it.
Hollywood Burger
The burger is topped with cheddar, iceberg lettuce, tomato, pickle, and special sauce between the toasted buns. It was a decent burger but nothing too special. For your side, yam fries are a great choice.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the location is great if you’re in the Queen Elizabeth theatre area before or after a show. The food was ok, but sometimes people just want to socialize with friends and not go anywhere too far.
Going on Sunday for all day happy hour is a great deal. We recommend the crispy cauliflower and the torched nigiri.
Address:
695 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC
Website:
https://www.venturaroom.com/
