The space has been given a sleek makeover that has drawn both thankful regulars and new clientele. Smiley’s Public House delivers the style of a modern, British-style pub while retaining the warmth and character of a traditional pub. The open-concept room boasts 240 seats and a range of table sizes, including 16-seat picnic tables. Guests come in to loosen their ties, tuck into modern pub food, watch a football match and engage in good-natured banter around the pool table. The dance floor brims on busier nights, and a DJ spins to the after-work crowd on Fridays.

One of the summer’s highly anticipated restaurant and bar, The Diamond (6 Powell Street), quietly opened its doors last week in historic Gastown.  Overlooking Gassy Jack in  Maple Tree Square, the new establishment is a partnership between Mark Brand (Boneta), Josh Pape (ex-Chambar) & Sophie Taverner (ex-Boneta, Cascade Room), all major players in the bartending industry.  The place is authentically Gastown, situated inside one of the more historical buildings on the corner of Powell and Carrall.  Think corner space inside an exposed-brick room lit up by big white decorative chandeliers in one of the city’s hottest neighbourhoods.  With 60 seats and a killer view, The Diamond operates on a first-come first seated basis.

The menu’s theme is primarily Asian and includes 10 dim sum-like plates such as hand made gyoza stuffed with organic pork and shitake mushrooms, green tea noodles, and peking duck & chicken sub with japanese mayo all ranging from $3 to $12.  As expected, the cocktails list is innovative, classy and unpretentiously priced with drinks like Buck Buck Mule (London Dry Gin, Fino Sherry, Cucumber, Cilantro & Ginger Beer) and Tequila Martinez (Reposado Tequila, Bianco Vermouth, Lillet, Peach Bitters & Orange Oil).  The Diamond is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30pm onwards.

UVA Wine Bar

UVA Wine Bar (900 Seymour Street) was opened in April, 2008. Despite its modern, refurbished feel, with bold, black double doors at the entrance contrasting the light-colored interior German wallpaper, this venue has managed to keep it heritage roots, subtly incorporating aspects of its history such as the original floors from 1908. UVA Wine Bar is obviously influenced by an European allure, perhaps because of the French roots of the general manager Sebastien Le Goff. In fact, the ambient lounge melodies played in the background of UVA Wine Bar can be traced to the Parisian musical influences of the Hotel Costes in Paris.

Tonight, on a quiet Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of sampling Lemon Cello, an Italian Liquor and one of UVA Wine Bar’s in house concoctions made by the bar manager Dave Yates himself. To sample this liquor in a cocktail, you may want to try Under The Tuscan Sun for $9 with homemade limoncello, absolute mandarin and grapefruit juice with a touch of cinnamon syrup and lemon juice served over crushed ice. Other citrus cello flavors in the making included orange, lime and grapefruit.

Also made in-house is their chocolate infused vodka. The magic ratio of three bars of Lindt 70% Cacao chocolate to five cups of vodka to one cup of sugar water melted on a double broiler yields a tasteful syrup with the final consistency of a thick chocolate milk. However, do not be fooled – it has a very strong alcoholic flavor! To sample this concoction in a cocktail, try the Tiramissuva for $10 with the house made chocolate vodka, cointreau, a splash of vanilla syrup, a shot of cream and a hint of espresso.

All in all the UVA Wine Bar is a lovely place to visit. Its clean architecture, mellow music and convenient location makes it a great place to relax and drink unique cocktails, a variety of wines and import beers available on their frequently changing menus.

What sets Space Lounge apart? Other than their zodiac-inspired space theme, with a wall of glowing space lights, translucent curtains, and menu based on the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air), the kitchen and bar have very close ties. In fact, all their cocktail syrups are made in-house with fresh ingredients! Simmer equal parts of water and sugar and add in dashes of licorice, spices, fruit puree…anything! As a result, the flavors of the Space Lounge menu and cocktail selection are likely to complement each other. I ordered their most popular drink – the Pirahnna for its unique blend of flavors. Spiced rum! House-made pineapple syrup! In terms of prices, it’s about $8 to $10 for a specialty drink – a little bit on the pricy end so make sure you try something unique! The bartenders are also equipped with bar tricks, so there was entertainment value in the tossing of shakers, and the pouring of alcohol at unusual angles.

As for its food, some bite-sized appies are served on silver spoons on a flat, square dish. Thanks to Chewy, I was able to sample a delicious bite of juicy mango topped with coconut sorbet. The other spoon held a square sliver of cheesecake. This serving-style reminds me of the appetizers at Whine-o’s just down the street, where appetizers (mini meatballs, etc.) are also served on white chinese style spoons.

We stayed until about 9pm but apparently as the night goes on, Space Lounge turns into a little bit of a dance floor. However, it closes at midnight so for those who was to get their late-night/early-morning groove on, it’s time to conveniently club hop down the Granville strip.

Last night I went to the Industry and Media Reveal for Tunnel Bar|Lounge (622 West Pender Street) which was an invitation-only event to preview the club before it opens to the general public. Thank you to DJ Skilla, the resident DJ at Ginger 62 for handing me these passes while he was DJing at my 21st birthday party last week. The event started at 8pm-ish and we were given complementary drink tickets (stylish, mini, fuscha-colored cardboard squares) in the line up. By 10pm the club was already starting to fill up with groups of people who know a lot of other people from working in “the industry”. The picture below is taken from the BACK of the club, facing the front entrance:

The Tunnel venue is a long, rectangular club. Looking through the entrance, you could see right to the end of the club, where the DJ booth is located. Coatcheck is on the right, a small, veiled VIP lounge is on the left. Beyond that, the bar, its white counter stretched down on the left side of the club while couches were opposite it on the right. Behind the bar were wide TV screens flashing scenes of a driver’s-seat view of (appropriately) driving through a tunnel. At the back end of the room, with the dance floor and DJ booth, the walls and ceiling curved where they met to give the impression of a tunnel. The washrooms were slightly grungy with its with black walls and pink graffitti yet elegant chandelier lamps hung from the ceiling

At the event, broadcasters were there to film the progression of Tunnel club – from the planning to the launch. They intend to pitch the series to a number of networks later this summer. I have to say, you should check this club out if not for any other reason than to see what the hype is all about. From my blog stats, more people are visiting Modern Mix Vancouver from search terms relating to Tunnel than any other search query.

1. Kanye West – Stronger
2. 50 Cen vs. Bob Sinclair – Ayo Hold On
3. Enur ft Natasja – Calabria 08
4. Commodores – Easy Like Sunday Morning (Tittsworth remix)
5. Axwell – Feel The Vibe
6. Kylie Minogue – Wow
7. Tom Novy – Your Body
8. David Guetta – Love Has Gone
9. Discotech – Sweet Apoloize
10. Eric Prydz – Pjanoo
11. Digitalism – Pogo
12. Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke remix)
13. Holy Ghost! – Hold On
14. Estelle ft Kanye West – American Boy
15. Snoop vs The Jets – Sensual Crush
16. M.I.A. – Paper Planes

From the promotional bags with a media folder full of information on Donnelly Hospitality Management which is the “creative management company overseeing the marketing and operation of leading edge pubs and nightclubs in downtown Vancouver”, here are some cool facts about the group from the media folder and press release I was given:
+ DHM owns and operates 9 venues – four clubs, four pubs and a cocktail lounge
+ Wallpaper, an architecture/design magazine, mentions Bar None as one of the best bars to have a drink
+ The Modern was voted as the best new venue in the Clubvibes 2008 nightlife awards
+ Granville Room and Republic were voted in the Westender’s Reader Choice Awards (2008 ) as the place for the best drinks

Impressive achievements!