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DINER: Stewart & Durbach’s Little “Sardine Can” Opens Up On Powell Street In Gastown

by Andrew Morrison | Chef Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart officially (if softly) opened The Sardine Can yesterday after a hectic Monday night dry run that saw three full turns of tables. I’ll go a few more times before I get into lengthy dish descriptions and broad analysis, but suffice it to say here and now that the little 20 seater at 26 Powell Street focuses on simple, unassuming Spanish tapas and pretty much nails both the requisite casual ambiance and bold flavour hooks. Durbach’s albondigas, patatas bravas (with soft fingerlings!), fish toasts, and so on are each represented well and are wholly pairable with Stewart’s select list of wines, beers and sherries. The prices are a little higher than I thought they’d be, but rents in Gastown ain’t cheap anymore, and I left feeling more sated than depleted (having torn through half the menu – doubling down on some items – and finding not a dud in the bunch). They’re open from 3pm until late and don’t accept reservations. If you go this week, and you should, be sure to bring cash. While they do accept credit cards and Interac, customers paying cash get 10% off of everything. Take a look at the before and after…

BEFORE

  • Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart | The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • IMG_1818
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AFTER

  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can (doorstep)
  • The Sardine Can | Octopus, potato and chorizo stew
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can | A mash of smoked sardines on toast
  • The Sardine Can | Alhambra
  • The Sardine Can | Manchego and tomato toasts
  • The Sardine Can | Drinks
  • The Sardine Can | Patatas Bravas
  • The Sardine Can | Menu
  • The Sardine Can | Serrano and Pata Negra
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can | Prawns with garlic
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can
  • The Sardine Can | Beef and pork albondigas
  • IMG_6407
  • IMG_6417
  • The Sardine Can | Proprietors Chris Stewart and Andrey Durbach

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There are 5 comments

  1. the one photo you missed- the brilliant Rob Chaplin
    “wall of Sardines”….

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