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DINER: First Bites & Looks At Chinatown’s Highly Anticipated “Bestie” (Open Tonight)

bestie

by Andrew Morrison | The long wait for Bestie – the new sausage and beer joint at 105 East Pender in Chinatown – is thankfully, finally, awesomely over. We tore through its tiny menu at a dry run over the weekend and it was as good as I had hoped it was. Knowing how long it took (over a year) and how they agonized over every detail made me all the more critical going in, but finding a flaw in such a simple, unassuming concept – sausages and beer – especially when you love sausages and beer, is a silly bit of business. My only regret is that they didn’t have their liquor license yet, but that comes this week, with crossed fingers (and hopefully an oompah band). What to eat? Everything! But start with a classic, Oyama-made Thuringer sausage as a currywurst (with fries and sauce) together a warm pretzel, side of mustard, bowl of beets with horseradish creme fraiche, and maybe another sausage, like the spiced lamb or the turkey. Hours are Monday to Wednesday, 11:30pm to 10pm and until midnight on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The tiny takeout window will operate late nights on weekends. Break a leg, fellas!

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

There are 11 comments

  1. Nice restaurant, it looks like a place I would go to on a day on my own. As this blog suggests, I will say what’s on my mind. Being in Chinatown, I should mention that in some parts of the far East, they might get turned off. When they receive a dish with a utensil stabbing your sausage in that dish displayed above. This usually means death is around the corner, when chopsticks for example are stabbed into food like that. Something to research and think about! Thanks for listening dudettes, and see you!

  2. We’re all gonna die dude.. didn’t realize utensils were giving out fortunes!
    I wouldn’t mind if I went out with a sausage on the table 😛

  3. Those utensils have been blessed by a feng shui master, no need to fret my dear.

  4. Hey Gabriel, we’re not in the Far East. This is Vancouver. As far as sausages are concerned, fork-stabbing is encouraged. Please begin stocking the fridge with Schöfferhofer & Astra… I’ll be there shortly.

  5. getalife-

    no, we’re not in the far east, but gabriel’s comment didn’t seem malicious or snarky from where i’m sitting, more a possibly-relevant fyi. there are many far east customs and superstitions that are adhered to by many in the community here. living in close proximity to a hospital being bad luck, an ‘8’ in an address is good luck, a ‘4’ is bad luck, never cut noodles in soup, etc. should bestie change their plating because of this, no – I don’t think so – but if they didn’t know of this common superstition, since they own a business in the heart of chinatown, i’m sure they don’t mind being aware of why a few potential customers may be turned off. nothing wrong with educating people of another culture’s customs.

  6. andi quote

    I agree, why are these posters so negative of someone pointing out an eastern custom to a business that has opened up in Chinatown. I guess GetaLife hasn’t been in a newly constructed mid or high rise in the city, then he would realize there’s a reason there’s no floor numbered 4.

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