Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Back to Bodega on Main ! Already? I know, right? But I'd been telling my friends about the paella, and someone had a birthday, and it just sort of came together. Online menu looks like it's been updated, with paellas showing at $28. Forgot to bring my usual Yelp pen, so look for clues in the pictures for scale -- sometimes close-up pictures make things look bigger than they are. Sorry everyone. Also, they turned down the lights and suddenly we're practically eating by candlelight only. I used the flash on my smartphone, but that sometimes makes things glisten more than they should, like these beef short ribs that look dusted with gold. Pet Peeve: The room was already loud with conversation, and shortly after 6pm they turned the music up even louder. Like I wasn't already having trouble hearing my dinner companions. Duh. I'm really tempted to dock points for this... Costillas de Res ($18) braised (beef) short ribs At $18 you get a pretty big slab of meat...

Following a tip from my friend who'd been to Bodega on Main before, before, I went to try the paella. As we were first-timers our server suggested the Paella Mixta, which is the "normal" one. TIP: Some prices are WRONG on the online menu (as of Sat-Mar-19). TIP: Lots of gluten-free items! Pisto Andaluz ($6) stewed peppers, tomatoes, squash, onions Boooring. Get something more interesting. Piquillo Con Bacalao ($12 for 2 pieces) Special of the day. Salted cod wrapped in piquillo pepper and with a sweet sauce. Sweet sauce juxtaposed with the slightly salty cod nicely... but $6 per piece? Argh. Paella Mixta ($28) Winner! Just price for portion is a great deal -- You get a plate that's like 2-3 mains worth. Lots of really flavourful rice (though on the salty side). Tender calamari, not hard-rubbery. Two HUGE prawns. Even the smaller prawns aren't wimpy shrimps. Lots of mussels and clams. Sadly, you have to dig up chicken and sausage like ...

The Sardine Can isn't a restaurant per se. It serves appetizer plates at horrific prices if you are hell bent on putting together a dinner together with them. And it looks like a lot of people do try it. Don't try it. Eat a light (cheap) meal elsewhere, then just try a few things at The Sardine Can that pique your interest. Treat them as snacks to go with a drink. Price for portion, even looking at them as appetizers, is very high. Gambas al ajillo ($13.75) Spicy garlic prawns Didn't taste particularly spicy or garlicky. Tasty enough and quite a few prawns (10?) Estufado de pulpo ($11) Octopus, potato and chorizo casserole This tasted like olives in tomato soup. If you got a bite of olive in your mouth, it dominated any other flavour. Tostas de sardinas ($8.25 for five) Smoked sardines on toast Very crunchy thin slices of baguette generously topped with sardine. Tastes like sardine (not the in-tomato-sauce canned ones) on toast. Pass. Paella de la casa...