"Oh, I remember this place," said my dining companion as we walked into El Gato Gab Gab. "It looks the same but different!"
The Main Street cocktail bar with snacks and share-ables recently opened up and is a fresh concept from Boxset Collective, the team behind Vancouver's award-winning Published and Bar Susu.
After closing Novella this spring (which, to be fair, had been functioning as Bar Susu for months, as its home a few blocks north underwent repairs following a 2023 fire), the Boxset crew got to work transforming the former cafe by day and wine bar by night into what it is now, a lively Mexican-themed bar-restaurant.
The layout is the same, but the space is now a warm rusty orange for the most part, with cooling pops of turquoise, mostly behind the bar. Playful touches include a luchador (masked Mexican wrestler) on the menu cover, cats everywhere (gato is cat in Spanish) and lots of artwork and decor that all give the feeling of being in an upscale cantina, seeking refuge from the blistering desert heat.
Honestly, it's impressive what a complete makeover can do to a space.
Drinks are a focal point at El Gato Gab Gab
There are no vestiges of Novella (or its evening wine bar alter ego, Vignette) at El Gato Gab Gab, but the quality of food, drink, and service remains the same.
Drinks are most assuredly a focal point here, with Beverage Director Joe Casson's extensive cocktail menu showcasing the spirits and flavours of Mexico as well as the tropics in general.
The drinks menu boasts that El Gato Gab Gab serves the "cheapest marg on Main," but, while I was tempted, I used their unusual descriptions under each drink to guide my choice. The Pinoy to Piña, which is a Filipino-inspired riff on a Piña Colada with banana Fandango mezcal, Tanduay Gold rum, ube ice cream, and calamansi soda is "rich, tropical, yum," while The Blue Demon, with its Bacardi Ocho, blue Hpnotiq, pickled mango, pineapple, and habanero is "demon, got, bite," for example.
But I was drawn to the short-attention span-friendly three adjectives "crispy, spiced, alluring," which prompted me to order the Botanga, which features pisco, Amontillado sherry, chamoy cola, and lime. It was an easy sipper without a lot of sweetness, perfect for enjoying with some share plates.
Mexican ingredients and dishes with creative interpretations
Executive Chef Christian Chaumont's menu leans into traditional Mexican flavours, dishes, and ingredients, but takes a lot of creative liberty in their expression. For example, the Mexican Street Corn (aka elote, when it's on the cob, and esquites when it's off), which has become a flavour combo of corn, mayo, cheese, lime, and spice trendy enough to inspire bagged salads and potato chip seasoning, is presented as a slab of cornbread custard studded with bits of corn and draped in a kimchi queso. It hits all the right taste notes of elote/esquites but through a delivery method with more of a chilled corn pudding texture.
The crab flautas are fun, wrapped in a blue corn tortilla and baked, served upright in a pool of salsa verde and drizzled with a not-too-spicy peppery sauce and dusted with chopped cilantro. This one will absolutely have you reaching for a few napkins as it is best eaten with your hands.
Tacos are big hands-on share platters
Similarly, the main event dishes at El Gato Gab Gab are hands-on, and the saucier you get, the more likely you will regret wearing white pants. (I might be speaking from personal experience here.) These are big platters designed to share (with the prices to match). We had the lamb shank birria, served on the bone and swimming in a tangy pool of broth.
While a traditional birria taco features stewed meat loaded into a tortilla, dunked in sauce and griddled, at El Gato Gab Gab your meat hangs out in the soup and awaits your fork to pull it off the bone in generous, tender shreds that will fill your bi-colour tortilla. On the side are a few sauce options, and you are fully within your rights to dunk your taco back in the broth before carefully moving it to your mouth. This is where the pile of napkins at your table will come in handy. It's rich, savoury, and a lot of fun to eat.
Same goes for dessert, which was a sole option the evening I visited, a bunuelo with chocolate sauce, toasted coconut, and mezcal pineapple bits. It's basically a funnel cake, with crispy, lacy edges and a nice firm base for all the toppings, which also delivered a nice slightly smoky bit of heat.
A little thinking outside the box for this bar-restaurant
What's nice about the same space having a new concept under the same ownership is that while the room looks different, there is consistency in the approach to hospitality. It makes sense that Boxset would want to think out of the box for this particular space, given that it didn't make sense for it to pick back up as a daytime cafe with a nighttime wine bar that ostensibly mirrors Bar Susu. El Gato Gab Gab gives this crew the room to flex their creativity and Mount Pleasant another great option for drinks and eats.
El Gato Gab Gab is located at 2650 Main St and is open daily from 5 p.m. to late. Follow @elgato_gabgab on Instagram.
Video: What's on the menu at El Gato Gab Gab in Vancouver
@forkingawesomevia Check out El Gato Gab Gab, Vancouver’s new modern Mexican cocktail bar and restaurant. From the creators of Published on Main and Bar Susu, this place blends chic design with a playful vibe. It’s a great choice for a relaxed date night or a fun evening with friends. #forkingawesome #vancouverbc #cocktails ♬ Mexican Hop - Marcio Nigro
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