Oyster Seafood & Raw Bar, Vancouver (Downtown)

Not much bigger than my room, not that I have a big room but this bar is ridiculously small. It is located inside the Old Stock Exchange Building in downtown Vancouver on the corner of Howe and Pender. This small room serves namely oysters and drinks. Buck a Shuck runs from 4-7pm and reservations are highly recommended. A group of us got there for happy hour and found ourselves on each others’ lap. First we sat at the bar and then moved onto the only long table that sits max 8 people.

The space although intimate is quite cramped. The ceilings has a slight Da Vinci / Euro vibe to it and the little red booth seats are cute. The service was not so much. We were greeted by a snooty witness that didn’t want anything to do with us. We weren’t sure if she was angry at us for not making a reservation or the fact that we asked for water. One bar, One shucker, One Server.

Oysters are delicious and fresh. I like how they offer a few species of aphrodisiacs, especially my favourite Kusshi oysters. Above are
Effinghams.

Caesar. Weak. No spice, no kick, and the salt rimmed glass was simply not very salted. I read that they use smoked salmon vodka (I couldn’t taste it if they did). And sadly the pickled bean was really not that fresh.

Gin and Tonic. Hendrick’s Gin. A classic best served with a wedge of cucumber instead of lime. Cucumber brings out the natural flavours while lime will completely butchers it.

This is may not be the greatest place to charm your date. I just hope you will encounter a different waitress. But is a great place to meet if you want an excuse to snuggle closer. Just reminder to bring a few fresh mints!