{"id":9837,"date":"2016-12-20T01:23:44","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T09:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=9837"},"modified":"2020-07-14T21:37:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T04:37:28","slug":"chinatown-cocktail-crawl-part-1-mamie-taylors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/chinatown-cocktail-crawl-part-1-mamie-taylors\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 1 – Mamie Taylor’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mamie Taylor’s<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was glad we were finally doing the Chinatown Cocktail Crawl<\/strong>. The idea came up right after our Gastown crawl<\/a> in the summer, and it wasn’t hard at all for us to\u00a0think of the\u00a0great spots for the new adventure. It is no secret that Vancouver’s Chinatown is where the new exciting food trends are. We have been witnessing a resurgence of modern eateries and bars in the area. Chinese influenced or not, all these\u00a0new restaurants\u00a0have contributed to the revitalization of the historic neighbourhood. \u00a0But unfortunately we weren’t able to find the right time for all of us until the winter, when we found ourselves stumbling in the snow towards our cocktail stops. But still, we couldn’t be more excited.<\/p>\n

Besides the original crew including me, Maggi<\/strong> (vieamaggi.com<\/a>) and Kristina<\/strong> (drunkennoms.com<\/a>), my friend Lou<\/strong> joined the adventure as well. \u00a0He is also a gin guy, like me. And I think 4 is\u00a0a better\u00a0number than 3 for a\u00a0crawl, as we could taste more cocktails and lower the sharing cost of food.<\/p>\n

There was a little hiccup at the beginning. As I had been trying to sell\u00a0Maggi The Emerald<\/a><\/strong> as one of the must-go spots, they weren’t open as they close their doors on Mondays. And it was the\u00a0same case with Sai Woo<\/strong> and Kissa Tanto<\/a><\/strong>, although both would make such great destinations with their Asian fusion menus.<\/p>\n

After walking around the block and not being able to stop for\u00a0food or drinks, we quickly adapted to Maggi’s suggestion\u00a0of getting a quick bite at Virtuous Pie<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0first. After all, we did need some substance in the belly, getting the stomach ready for the many drinks later.<\/p>\n

And finally we arrived at our first stop of the evening, Mamie Taylor’s,\u00a0quietly located on East Georgia street, across from the often busy Phnom Penh<\/a><\/strong>. \u00a0Having been warned\u00a0several times about this place with red brick walls full of\u00a0taxidermy objects, here I was, walking towards the end of the dining room, passing all the stuffed animal heads on the wall – \u00a0deers, boars and wolves, and many birds with spreading wings. For some reason I was picturing a moment as if I were in\u00a0a scene from\u00a0\u00a0“A Night at the Museum”, when all these objects came to life staring down at me.<\/p>\n

\"Mamie<\/a>
Mamie Taylor’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

We were seated at\u00a0seclusive round booth in the back, where we were surrounded by a bunch of collectibles, a huge bear skin, a giant adler and an antique lamp on top of a terrarium.<\/p>\n

And let’s the drinking begin!<\/p>\n

Apparently Maggi came\u00a0here for the Absinthe flight<\/strong> ($19), or the trio of Lucid<\/strong>, St. George Verte<\/strong>, and Taboo<\/strong>, and the mystery of the potion with 70% alcohol that makes\u00a0you see the dancing green fairy that looks like Kylie Minogue. But oh boy, she\u00a0was totally not prepared for it, and almost choked on the harshness of the alcohol and the “liquorice” taste that she had always disliked. And she was also disappointed about the colour – it was not the vibrant green that she was hoping for. \u00a0 \u00a0On the other hand, although I had my fair share of Absinthe experience myself, and definitely expected the strong booziness and the anise flavour, \u00a0I found the presentation in 3 wine glasses somewhat underwhelming. And why a flight? Perhaps, absinthe is appreciated better in the traditional way… A proper absinthe drip maybe?<\/p>\n

\"absinthe<\/a>
absinthe flight @ mamie taylor’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kristina didn’t look too impressed her Bourbon Flight<\/strong> ($18). But I\u00a0actually liked the taste of the trio: Booker\u2019s<\/strong>, Wild Turkey Rare Breed<\/strong>\u00a0and W.L. Weller 12 year<\/strong>, with the Wild Turkey being my favourite and incredibly\u00a0smooth considering the alcohol content. Again, I was not too thrilled with the glasses, which were the same with the ones for the absinthe flight.<\/p>\n

\"bourbon<\/a>
bourbon flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, Lou’s Mercy Mercy<\/strong> \u00a0($12) was served in an exquisite small crystal glass and it was definitely the look that fits right in the ambience. \u00a0Made of gin, lillet, aperol and bitters, the cocktail has a beautiful amber colour\u00a0and pleasant citrus notes.<\/p>\n

\""Mercy<\/a>
“Mercy Mercy”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We ordered a shared dish as we always do at any cocktail crawl stop. The Chicken Liver Pate<\/strong> ($8) was\u00a0sweet and creamy. Chicken liver probably has the least gamy flavour in the liver family, which goes well with white wine and gin cocktails IMO.<\/p>\n

\"chicken<\/a>
chicken liver pate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

We were off to an interesting start for our Chinatown Cocktail Crawl<\/strong>. Although we got distracted by the Absinthe Flight and the Bourbon Flight, and tasted only one cocktail, I did enjoy the quirkiness and fetch the idea behind their “modern American” approach on food and drinks. And I am interested in coming back for their happy hour menu, with pub fare that only costs a looney or a tooney a pop. And I’m sure the stuffed animals on the walls will be nicer to me next time, well in my head anyway.<\/p>\n

Also see:<\/h3>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 1 – Mamie Taylor’s<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 2 – Juke<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 3 – Juniper<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 4 –\u00a0Bao Bei<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl Part 5 –\u00a0Keefer Bar<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Website and menu:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/mamietaylors.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Mamie<\/a><\/p>\n

Location:<\/strong><\/p>\n