Chambar has been a long-time favourite of ours. Gluten Lips and I live in Gastown, so Chambar, which is tucked away in a row of gorgeous brick buildings on Beatty Street, has become a much-loved dinner spot. And so it was on this warm evening in June that we ventured out, just as the restaurant was starting to see increased traffic as COVID-19 restrictions started lifting.

We made a reservation in advance at Chambar for our favourite table, which is a booth on the main floor right where the front part of the dining room meets the back end of the dining room. The table is very comfortable, the lighting is great for photographs, it is close (but not too close) to the washrooms, and it still feels relatively private while still being in the heart of the restaurant.

We started with some mocktails. The menu does not include mocktails, but once we asked about them the server described a few that they had on offer that night.

I had the Nomerciano ($6), which is a virgin-version of the classic Americano. It was made with house-made strawberry bitters and ginseng root, which is a blend intended to replicate the flavour of campari. It was topped with sparkling water and a slice of grapefruit. The strawberry bitters and ginseng root mixture was concentrated at the bottom of the glass, so it needed a good mixing with a straw, which the server brought me once I asked for one. It was delicious and had a dry tartness which reminded me of an aperol spritz with a subtle grape-fruity finish.

Gluten Lips had the Virgin Kingston Crown ($5), which was mango juice topped with ginger beer, along with a little bit of cinnamon and fresh mint garnish. The ginger beer and mango juice gave it a spicy, citrusy flavour which was very refreshing. His drink got even better when he muddled the mint into the drink, which took it to a whole other level. I don’t usually enjoy cinnamon, but it worked nicely in his drink, although I thought there might have been too much of it. Gluten Lips loved it, and, as it turns out, his drink paired very well with his main which also had cinnamon flavors.

We ordered the Carpaccio de Boeuf ($19) as an appetizer to share. We had enjoyed this appetizer before, and this time was no disappointment. Interestingly, the appetizer’s elements and presentation were much more summery relative to when we had it last, which was during the winter. In particular, the dish had a heartier feel and presentation during our winter dinner, with thicker pieces of beef sitting atop small pieces of bread. This time the dish offered a lighter, more summery feel, with razor-thin slices of wagyu beer, cipollini onion rings, parmesan, morels, pesto, black pepper jam and smoked olive oil. We asked for the parmesan on the side so that my portion could stay dairy free. Gluten Lips made short work of the parmesan on his portion of the dish. The onion rings were coated in a hazelnut flour, keeping it gluten free. The hazelnut also gave it a little bit of a different texture while still keeping them nice and crisp, although the flavour was somewhat neutral. 

We loved the beef carpaccio and would absolutely have it (yet) again. The beef was light and fresh, and the pesto added an incredible flavour. The flavours were generally very light, but the black pepper jam and smoked olive oil added a bit of heat and depth. The beef was almost neutral in terms of flavour, with each of the additions adding a different flavour to the profile. We found that we had to be careful with how much pesto we added to the mix, as it was easy to overwhelm the other flavours by adding too much.

I ordered the Congolaise Mussels ($29) as my main, along with gluten free bread for dipping. This dish is a long time favourite of mine. The generous portion of mussels is cooked in tomato coconut cream, smoked chili, lime and cilantro, for a relatively spicy experience. The pot of mussels also comes with a small cup of crispy fries salted with sea salt as well as a small cup of aioli sauce for dipping. My gluten free bread was perfectly done with a nice crispiness and also came drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The broth was light and piping hot, and the mussels were done perfectly. The broth is quite hearty with quite a few chunks of tomato, which makes it perfect for dipping with bread or even enjoying like a soup after the mussels are done. My only criticism of the dish is that the fries were much too salty for my liking, especially given that the mussels were already on the salty side. I would ask for no salt on the french fries next time.

Gluten Lips had the Tajine d’Aziz a l’Agneau ($31), which is a lamb dish with a middle eastern flair. The braised lamb shank is cooked with honey, figs, cinnamon, cilantro, almond and comes with couscous. It also came with a large piece of nicely cooked bok choy. Gluten Lips added on the Harissa and Raita (extra $3). The Harissa is essentially a spicy red pepper paste, which adds some extra heat and spice to the dish. The Raita is a Lebannese yogurt-type condiment which is comparable to greek yogurt. It has a cool, mellow taste which helps offset the heat and spice of the Harissa. The server confirmed that both the Harissa and Raita are gluten and dairy free. As it turns out, the process of producing the Raita results in the removal of most if not all of the lactose, making it effectively dairy free. The dish also came with the couscous in a separate container, which made it easy for me to enjoy some of the dish before Gluten Lips added in the couscous.

The lamb was delicious and fall-off-the-bone tender. The honey, cinnamon and dates gave it a pleasant earthy sweetness that nicely complemented the savoury elements of the dish. The dish was also nicely complemented by his cocktail, which also had cinnamon flavours. Gluten Lips’ only criticism was that the dish was a bit heavy on turmeric, which overpowered some of the other flavours and made the dish a bit bitter. He thought the flavours would have been better balanced with a little less turmeric. He also noticed that the dish was a bit oily and heavy. Lastly, while he loves cinnamon, he thought that someone who was not a fan should probably steer away from this dish.

I couldn’t get through all of my mussels, so I had them packed up to go and made a delicious lunch with them the following day. We both left feeling full and satisfied and tried to work it off by walking home the long way.

Overall, we had a good experience at Chambar. We would rate the service as 9/10, the food as 8/10, and the ambience as 8/10. The ambience was a bit quiet when we started our dinner at 6:00pm, but it steadily became more animated as the night progressed and more people arrived. By the time we left at around 8:00pm, the place was quite bustling, although not too noisy. 

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to read about our other culinary adventures sharing our gluten-free and dairy-free experiences such as Hundo-P Smoothie Bar in Whistler, Seafood Dinner at the Rimrock Cafe in Whistler, BC, and Lucia Gelato in Whistler, BC.

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