UPDATE Nov. 1, 2023: Salt Tasting Room will re-open on Thursday, Nov. 2, according to its website. The original article follows below.
The last loaded charcuterie boards were served up under the Salt Tasting Room banner in Gastown back in August 2021. Two years later, and restaurateur Séan Heather is prepping to reboot the popular spot in a new location.
With much of the paperwork in place and some minor renovations underway, Salt Tasting Room could open as soon as mid-September at 227 E. Pender St, Heather tells V.I.A. by phone.
The 25-seat wine bar and charcuterie restaurant will be set up in the minimalist space that had been home to oyster bar Shuck Shuck, which has been vacant just about a year.
Moving Salt Tasting Room to Chinatown was the plan all along; the move was asserted two years ago as the Gastown spot (now home to wine bar Is That French) prepared to end its 15-year run on Blood Alley Square.
Earlier that same year, Heather packed up his 24-year-old gastropub the Irish Heather and moved the business to Chinatown to a space on East Georgia Street.
Heather calls the relaunch of Salt his "benchmark" for "getting back on our feet," explaining his thought that: "If we can get Salt open and humming then truly it's the last step on the rung of survival from COVID."
Chinatown the 'last affordable frontier in Vancouver, rent-wise'
For the veteran restaurant owner, having his ventures close to each other was crucial.
"It was always going to have to be Chinatown for Salt," Heather says, noting that he can easily walk from one business to the other to help out. But he's also found the neighbourhood to be a great fit. "There's just a great community here in Chinatown. I've been welcomed here, and people appreciate what I bring - and that I can bring new people to Chinatown."
Heather also says he appreciates running businesses in a neighbourhood where he can support other merchants, pointing out that he shops from the local fishmonger and produce stands to stock his kitchens.
"It's also no secret that this is the last affordable frontier in Vancouver, rent-wise," adds Heather. "There are opportunities here, in particular the [former Shuck Shuck] space that's been empty for a year."
Because the Shuck Shuck crew had put a lot of work into renovating the space, Heather says it was ideal for him to step into something where he would not have to spend too much on a build-out. To that end, the old Salt Tasting Room tables, made by woodworker Brent Comber, are being brought in (after the removal of the oyster bar's eye-catching but impractical central table), and Heather says they'll be doing a paint job and swapping out some light fixtures and will be ready to go.
Before Heather went public with the news Salt Tasting Room had a space he was able to handle most of the necessary paperwork, which he says still took a very long time to secure. However, the previous tenants let their liquor license lapse, which puts Heather on hold as he awaits approval on a new one.
What to expect on the menu at the new Salt Tasting Room
When it comes to liquor, Salt Tasting Room will reboot with a refreshed wine list that balances the restaurant's traditional offerings with some new additions. "We've always had local, we've always had foreign, but lately I'm really leaning into skin contact, organic, and natural wines, so we're looking to better represent those options as well," says Heather.
Once the doors open, Heather is keen to offer customers pricing on par with the original location, though, given the dramatic rise in operational costs, he may scale back the scope of the boards a pinch.
For Heather, giving guests an affordable dining-out option means a lot to him. "If you can give a break, give a break," he says, adding that the plan is to keep labour costs down further by him working the kitchen. "I'm not expensive," he jokes.
The new Salt Tasting Room will also offer some other wallet-friendly ways to pay them a visit, which Heather acknowledges will help more guests nab a table at the smaller venue, which is about half the seats of the original. Given neighbours like Kissa Tanto, Barbara, and Pizza Coming Soon, among many others, Heather suggests Salt Tasting Room be a place to consider for a snack and drink before you go to out for a meal, or in the afternoon (without spoiling your appetite for dinner).
Being in the mix will allow Salt Tasting Room "to complement rather than compete with" the many terrific restaurants in Chinatown. "We're a good fit for the neighbourhood," he adds.
With Chinatown residents and merchants hoping to avoid the neighbourhood having a "closed in the day" feel, Heather hopes to bring in locals looking for a lunchtime grab-and-go snack or meal, like sandwiches, meat-and-cheese cones, and the like - though of course you can also sit down and sip on a flight of wine, too.
The plan is to experiment with operating Salt Tasting Room from noon to 11 p.m. five days a week. "You need to be open as much as you can, " adds Heather. "You pay rent 24/7!"
Follow @salttastingroom on Instagram as opening nears for the relocated restaurant.
