The August Jack

Not good. Very friendly staff, but very below average food. I had to send the oysters back as they were warm and smelled rotten. Avoid this place, there are so many other great restaurants in kits.

My Hubby and I went there two nights ago for the first time. We were early and were the only people there until some friends of the server came in to hang out at the bar… which made me think we would then be ignored but although the server was chatty with them, we didn’t seem to suffer for attention.
Timing was good on the food — be warned it’s «Tapas» which can indicate overpriced, under portioned food, with no accompaniments to speak of.
Overall the food quality was very good — I am a steak fiend and my tenderloin strips were cooked, and rested, to perfection. I think $ 18 for about 3 ounces of steak is too much, but it was very nicely done.
We also had a flatbread (for me, overpriced for what it is and something I could do at home very easily) some very nice, fresh oysters (though shucking lacked experience as there were many gritty pieces of shell in them) and the charcuterie plate, which I found lacking in substance. Their housemate pâté is outstanding as is their fig compote. The cheeses were nice but overall the price point did not match the presentation.
We received well made cocktails, perhaps a little short on the fill, nice service and nicely prepared food. I do think it’s overpriced for what they offer and may have a tough time with longevity given the stiff Vancouver competition. We regularly dine at Joe Fortes, CinCin and like restaurants so don’t mind paying for good food, just think this one is a little overshooting for what they deliver.
Good job on the food guys, need to up the portions a bit or tighten up pricing on some items.

We went on Wednesday, the night they had 5 $ bowl of mussels. The red wine broth was good, the mussels a little flavourless but the size of them and the portion was great for the price. Would definitely go back again. Beer selection was great, the beef tenderloin cooked medium-​rare was phenomenal. The charcuterie plate was a little underwhelming however their selection of cheese is decent. I would pass and get the charcuterie plate at the chill Winston instead. The mushroom pesto flatbread was also underwhelming. Something I could easily do myself. The Crème brûlée desert, recommended by the waitress was delicious. Would recommend.

If it’s not for the groupon, I wouldn’t have came.
The staff is very nice, however, the food was quite average.
Rosé mussel: decent sauce but stiff bread
Duck poutine: super generous portion of duck meat
Special fish risotto: salty, slightly overcooked and the rice is definitely not creamy enough.
Overall, all I remember is the taste of salt.
What chocked me the most was our drinks… I know they are famous for beers, but I am just not a super beer fan… so we decided to get the martini and the vanilla sour cocktails…
I was looking at the bartender while he made our drinks… He was throwing things randomly in while reading on what looks like a piece of recipe next to him…
I mean… It’s ok to have a check list, but when I took a sip of the drinks, they were literally lemon juices… So sour that it was hard to swallow.
My meal tonight was not really August jack, but rather as salty lemon,

I went back to give this restaurant another try because the waitress told me the chef was on holiday. My second time the food was much better!!! Not the place to go if you are on a rush though.

My girlfriend and I have been here a couple of times. We had a Groupon deal both times, but we like it so much we plan to return without the Groupon.
We both like craft beer, so we ordered the tasting flights. They have a good selection of craft beer on tap.
Both times we ordered some appetizers and a couple of mains. The standout appetizers include the parsnip frites, wild mushroom toasts and leek & barley risotto. All are excellent and the serving sizes are generous.
The cheese & charcuterie was also excellent. The meat and fish are organic/​oceanwise which is a big plus for us. The hazelnut sablefish was also very good, cooked just right.
The only very slight miss was the quinoa cashew squash. Not because it wasn’t good, it was good, but it didn’t represent very good value at the price.
We also tried one of their desserts, the chevre cheesecake. The cheesecake had a lot of flavor, but the best part was the raspberry sorbet that is served with it.
Service was prompt and friendly.

Food is only ok. Oven was broken. One third of items on the menu was not available. Only 3 desserts on the menu, only one is available. It’s not even 8pm. Not likely to come back, and would not recommend to friends.
My friend asks me to add that the music is not appetizing (nicer than his original word).

Came here for Sunday brunch, very excited to try the duck eggs and venison sausage. We were told upon arrival that they were out of duck eggs and venison sausage… now this was surprising because the brunch menu is tiny, so you would think they would have enough to at least make the few items that are on the menu.
Regardless, I got the fry up with chicken eggs (scrambled) and some other kind of sausage. No idea what kind of meat it was, but it was pretty tasty. The toast served with the meal was burnt — completely charcoal on one side. I was shocked that they served it like that! I was starving, so cut the burnt part off and ate the rest, but in hindsight I should have sent it back. The potatoes were listed as ‘herb and lemon scented fingerlings’ — they tasted like regular old plain potatoes to me. They were fine, just not anything special.
The coffee we were served the first time around was cold. When we got refills they had made a fresh batch and it was hotter.
Our server was very nice, friendly and quite attentive. She had water waiting for us on the table when we arrived, which was much appreciated (we had made a reservation — TOTALLY unnecessary. there were only 4 other people in the whole place).
So all in all, it was okay, but certainly nothing special. Maybe I would think differently if they hadn’t ran out of most of the ingredients for their menu… but I probably won’t bother going back.

Went to the August Jack last night with a group of friends and left bitterly disappointed. The evening started out ok with drinks, but quickly went downhill as the food started to arrive.
Actually, my appetizer of mushroom toast was pretty decent and portion size was good for the price point. But when my tenderloin slices arrived, I was left stunned, and not in a good way. The dish was $ 18 on the menu, which led me to believe that it would be entrée-​sized, or at least be accompanied by a salad or something. Wrong. It was about a 4oz. piece of meat, which had been slightly overcooked, but worse — wasn’t allowed to rest before it was sliced, so all the juices ran all over the plate, and then looks like it sat for a while before it was served. Let me just say that I have absolutely no problem paying $ 18 for tenderloin — but not a small, cold, dried out piece of tenderloin.
I immediately told the server I didn’t want it as it was dried out, but also that I was expecting an entrée at that price so I’d like to have something different. She insisted that I at least try it and that she’d bring a side of brussels sprouts to go with it. I took a bite and it made me think of sawdust as I tried to choke it down. No thanks. Three others in my group also had terribly over-​cooked food — the salmon, pork loin and crab cakes were all hard, dried out portions. I don’t know about the rest of the group but I know at least four of us did not enjoy the food.
The server recommended the barley risotto as a replacement for my tenderloin — when it arrived, again I was surprised by the minuscule portion for $ 9, but also that it had been placed into a form and turned out onto the plate. Not risotto consistency at all. The flavour was just okay. The brussels sprouts were also disappointing — sitting on a pool of balsamic reduction. Ick. Thank goodness the beer was good.
I will most definitely not return.

Came back here for another Unilocal event — which was awesome. I love their vibe and atmosphere and the beer flights paired with food is pretty novel — I don’t know any other place that does this. The food is still just so-​so — it sounds so promising and then it’s sadly not quite on the mark.

Mussels were bland on very salty sauce. Pork tenderloins were hard and tasteless. Filet Mignon medium rare was overcooked. It’s on an excellent block in Kitsilano but it never seem to be busy only 1 to 3 tables with diners or drinkers.
I rate the ambience as ⁴⁄₅ too bad the food is poorly executed giving that 2.5÷5.

Great atmosphere, décor and staff. I love the tuesday specials, steamworks on special and live music FTW! Great space for the music, love the open windows and light streaming in. Tasty noms and beer pairings, I think I will be back weekly… :)

We came in for the Buck a Shuck Sundays.
The restaurant opens at 5pm and we were the first of 2 tables.
We started off with 1 dozen of oysters to see which kind we like, they have Read Island — creamy small oysters and Saw Mill Bay — slightly larger and saltier.
We decided we like the Read Island oysters better so we ordered another dozen.
The first dozen came pretty fast, and the second dozen took a bit longer even though there are only 2 tables in the whole restaurant.
We order a Deschutes Ale to compliment our oysters, it was very refreshing and light with no after taste.
Next, we decided to try their Sirloin Slices off their Tapas Menu, Thyme and Peppercorn with Boar Bacon and Tiger Blue Cream, cooked perfectly medium rare, nicely season but not overwhelming, and who doesn’t like bacon. Personally, I am not crazy about the Blue Cream but my DH likes it.
My DH wants to drop 1 star as the manager and the bartender were busy training staff and were not as attentive as we were the only table. There were 3 wait staff, the bartender, and Nick, the manager on the floor. He feels that regardless if you are training staff, paying attention to the patrons should be on the top of the list. We overheard the other table asking for the bill twice.
Anyhow, this is a nice restaurant that is worth another visit. Thursday is $ 5 mussels special, they have three different ways of cooking it.

Get the Groupon.
Our friend gave my husband a Groupon for here for Christmas. What better way to try a restaurant with their four course meal deal. It’s Friday night… it’s raining… there is a poor server/​hostess lady standing outside trying to direct traffic here instead of Bimini’s. There are barely any people inside… a couple people on dates… a table of people that I wish Pop-​Up Video existed in real life for– I really want to know how they know each other. I just want to hover my mouse over each person to get the scoop. Okay, enough of my fantasy world.
We get seated by the front window. Perfect for people watching all the folks walking along Fourth. My hubby and I played a game called: «Are they going to Bimini’s?» as people walked by. I’m not sure if you’ve picked up on this yet, but I am really nosy. Anyhoo… I get a coke (it’s fountain something) and my hubby gets a beer. Our server was super nice and explained everything as each course came out. There was a little menu, but it differed from what they brought us… but only slightly… not like full dishes were different… well sort of…
Our first course was a beet, goat cheese and arugala salad. Yum. The plate had thin slices of huge beets with arugala and goat cheese on top of that. The dressing was really subtle… my focus was on these slices of monster beets… like the size of teacup saucers. The salad was really simple… everything on the plate was wonderful.
Next course: mussels in a lemongrass sauce. Mussels. Sigh… I am a closet seafood hater. I like some… I’m always suggesting sushi so people might think I like it, but I don’t. Sure I like to eat crab until my fingers turn orange, prawns are yummy too, but bi-​valves. No thank you. Oysters, to me, taste like metally rocks I can find on the beach. Oh and the texture. My friends tell me that I really can’t be that much of a food lover if I don’t like mussels and clams. Well, let me tell you: this place knows how to cook em. I had to eat them. They were part of the groupon… I couldn’t not eat them. The Asian in me told me to buck up and do it. They were delicious. Even my «won’t-try-anything-seafood» hubby liked them. First time eating mussels. I at least tried to bite one and spat it back at my aunt’s house. These were tender and the flavouring was good. There was lots of bread to soak up the tasty broth. After raving about them, our server told us about Thursdays… $ 5 for a pound. I might have to check it out sometime.
Main course: duck with veggies and risotto. The sheet said potato cake, or galette if you’re fancy. I am big fan of duck. This was thick and meaty and everything you would want in the duck you get from Chinese places, except thicker and meatier. I really loved the parsnips. It inspired me to buy a lot and roast them at home. Mine do not compare to theirs. I must be doing something wrong. These were soft, but not too soft… or hard like mine… I don’t cook them right. The risotto was really good. I enjoyed it. I thought it went better with the dish that a galette would.
Dessert: It was supposed to be a spiced whiskey crème brûlée, but I swear mine was chocolate. I am not complaining. It was really good, I’m just saying it was different from the menu. My favourite thing to do is take the back of my spoon and thwack the top. It was smooth and sweet.
All in all, I would come back here. The groupon was an awesome value, but they have some items that I would come back for. Our server was super attentive. It did start to fill up, but we left around 8:30pm.

Came here for some drinks with friends.
Parking is available on the side streets, but there are no free spots out front.
The inside honestly reminded me a bit of a German beer hall for some reason. I think it was the arches.
Staff were friendly, but special mention goes to the bartender, who took the time to explain the different drinks on the menu.
Their drinks are just a tad on the pricey side, but one thing I did appreciate is that they use real fruits, and the bartender really took his time to get the drink right. I had the Woah Nellie ($ 7), and the entire thing was so full of fruit pulp that I couldn’t drink it out of the straw. I enjoyed picking out and eating the fruit bits after I was finished my drink (I’m not being sarcastic here). After going to many other bars that just use fruit syrup, this was really refreshing for a change. They also don’t water down their drinks, which means you’ll have a good time.

Someone else reviewed this place on the front page of Unilocal a few days ago and it was the picture of dessert which prompted me to come all the way down. I am a crème brule whore… therefore it was game on.
It is on the pricy side, however, I decided to treat myself since I’ve been so good at the gym and worked extra hard in (at) other dimensions of my life that some personal recognition was welcomed by yours truly. Unlike other tapa places, the food is good so regardless… you will want to come back.
They specialize in tapas pairing with beer. I am not a beer drinker, therefore, appreciated the tapas as is. The tapas were like heaven in my mouth, the best oral experience ever (yes I meant that with a sexual pun). The flavor notes are predominate and don’t over shadow one over the other, textures are great and portions for what they are are good.
I had the chocolate crème brule with lavender notes. I love the sweet taste of lavender, classy and soothing. My only suggestion is the make the crust a little harder so that you get that traditional crème cracking.
The ambiance is very chill yet slightly upscale without being pretentious.
Service was unbelievably awesome and friendly.

The problem with all of these tapas places in Vancouver: the prices. Where you get good food, expect to pay more than you would for a regular meal and don’t expect to be particularly full, either. It works (slightly) with some, (Salt) but not so much with others (Judas Goat). When the food is good, you’ll likely return; that’s why August Jack earned 4 stars from me.
Our server was exceptionally nice and the place was fairly empty on a weeknight as its just gaining ground. If you’re not interested in the tasting menu then try–
a) Wild Mushroom Toasts-​Seasonal Wild Mushrooms, Hazelnut Basil Pesto, Shaved Manchego, Balsamic Reduction
b) sliced steak tenderloin
c) seasonal greens with Grilled Anjou Pear and Tiger Blue Crumble and the d) chocolate/​vanilla crème brûlée (with Vanilla Bourbon Lavender Scented Milk Chocolate Brandy Snap Wafer) for dessert. I was surprised that we were given two petite crème brûlée desserts served as one, so that was a bonus, and would make me order dessert here again.
d) The drinks were great, so if you’re more of a drinker this is also a place to go, and my Cedar Creek 2012 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, BC ($ 9) was a hit, too.
All entrees/​drinks were very good, and I’d order every one again.
The tasting menu’s appetizer was also a hit, and we wished we would have had a few of the tiny little savory pastry appetizers to share amongst three people. But unless you order the tasting menu, don’t expect to order this one and that’s why I haven’t described it in more detail here; we were lucky to be made the exception to the rule since the kitchen wasn’t very busy.
The miss: the mussels. They were huge but I could not eat them, and I probably won’t be able to order them again. Still, if you get a good batch, I can imagine that they would have been great as there were a variety of broths from which to choose.
The atmosphere was exceptionally casual, which contrasted with the way it was presented on the website. Even the bathroom seemed quite «bar like» and reminded me of the décor often found at Donnelly group establishments. So the décor does not really fit with the exceptional food quality, but at least you can go casual and still receive some upscale tapas, so that part was good.
Due to the wonderful food and the service, I am bumping a 3.5 up to a 4, but I recommend that you try it yourself so you can be the judge.

The August Jack was opened in mid-​July this year, and noticed on paper they focus on tapas and do pairing with each dish. My friends and I came to try on last Sat night.
The tapas menu is good and they have special promotion on Sundays (published on website) such as $ 1 for each oyster or $ 5 for mussels. Overall, the price so reasonable, the waitress was friendly and attentive.
Tapas:
Rare-​seared albacore tuna — it served in good quality fresh tuna, taste light and good to start with it.
Sliced Beef Tenderloin — good portion, tenderloin was juicy and tender.
Island Mussels with Basil & Crème Fraiche — Flavour was well-​balanced and mussels were very fresh.
Pan Seared Oysters — it’s tasty and pan seared perfectly.
Entrées:
Pesto Grilled Halibut — it was a bit overcooked even dry inside and too much basil pesto.
Smoked Pork Loin — it was good and tender in light maple cream reduction but mashed potatoes too cheesy.
Filet Mignon — it was good and served with organic mushroom and veggie.
Desserts:
Chocolate Orange Molten Cake with Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream — It was the worst Lava cake I had in town. It didn’t turn out the way it supposed to be (the middle is warm and oozy), the whole cake was oozy gooey and undercooked!
Duo of Crème Brulée: Vanilla & Lavender Scented Milk Chocolate — Both were good and not too sweet.

Went for one of their soft opening pairing menus in June, and have been back 3x already!
The waitstaff tells me that the concept behind this restaurant is locally sourced foods paired to beers — which is right down my alley. The August Jack has about 8 – 10 extremely well chosen taps, which is a good sample of the beer style spectrum, and offers something for every palate and pairing, with a few other beers in bottles as well (Chainbraker white IPA is one of my favs!). It is very clear they have put a lot of thought into what they have decided to serve in this establishment.
The tapas-​style menu is rich, diverse, and well executed — pan seared beach oysters were outstanding, and an IPA vineagrette on the microgreen salad was both inventive and refreshing.
What keeps me coming back, however, are their oysters. These beauties from Read Island are the freshest and best oysters I’ve ever had. Period. I’ve never before had oysters that are so juicy, buttery, and plump as the Read Island Gems. Absoloutely outstanding, and a trump card for Rodneys and Joe Fortes. Seriously.
Very glad to see an eatery of this calibre coming to Vancouver! Wish it was closer to my hood though, ha.

The other night August Jack had a soft opening and we were the third table they ever sat. Of course everyone was a bit nervous, including me! I mean, I’m only in town for a certain number of days and with all the great food here, eating at an unknown was a bit of risk. But I’m happy to say my risk was rewarded. We had a good amount of food, but remember this is small plate style so don’t complain about the portion size right off and I think the prices match fairly nicely for what you get, but don’t go expecting a side of beef!
They are going for the small plate thing matched up with paired beers. We didn’t start that way, however, and while we looked over the menu we got the black plague stout and a glass of malbec. The wine was good, but the stout was excellent. One of the best I’ve had. The menu was short as they were limiting things for this soft opening. Be basically eat the menu! The only thing we didn’t have were the crème brûlée, the truffled popcorn, and the mushroom toast. None of these got us excited and we wanted to eat the more interesting things.
We started with the microgreen salad barley risotto. Both were pretty and the salad was refreshing and properly dressed. The risotto had a bit of truffle oil on the side that added some nice earthiness, although the DC didn’t like that as much. But very tasty overall. Next we had some oysters and an order of the mussels. Both were excellent, the oysters came with shaved horseradish instead of prepared, I loved this variation. They also had two condiments on the side. A dill chimichuri and a mango habanero, which had the right amount of heat. But the oysters were so good you really didn’t need either, but it did make for some good experiments of flavors. The mussels were a real winner, the slight smokyness from the paprika was just right. The overall flavors were great and the quality of the ingredients shown through.
To end things off, we had the tenderloin and more oysters! The beef was nicely seasoned, and the thyme and pepper gave it a nice flavor. We also tried a couple other beers and the pairings worked fairly well. They do sell the beer in two sizes if you want to try a number with your meal, which I think is a good idea.
They are off to a good start, it will be interesting to see how the menu fills in, and I might even stop by before I leave town. At the very least for more of that stout and some oysters! Or maybe some mussels as well!