Restaurant Review: Situation Brewing

SITUATION BREWING 10308 81st Avenue ~ situationbeer.com Instagram: @situationbeer ~ Twitter: @SituationBeer Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

Over the past decade or so microbreweries have exploded. These days you can find one on almost every street corner. The thing that I like about these indie brews is that they usually take some risks and tend to put out some pretty interesting products. Just off Whyte Ave, Old Strathcona's (technically Strathcona Junction) Situation Brewing is just such a place. VUE Weekly voted them #1 Best Brew Pub 2018 and and it makes sense because the location is great (it used to be a bookstore) and they offer food, beer, tours, and a lively atmosphere. You can't mistake their large corner building and turquoise signage. I visited on a Saturday evening and right away enjoyed seeing the glass-encased room full of tanks where the brewing magic happens. While this is a common sight on the microbrew scene, I enjoy Situation's minimalistic yet refined approach when it comes to their beer production. The dining area itself is very industrial but also rustic. There's a lot of exposed brick and barn wood treatments, creating an overall feeling of a current and popular esthetic. Our server was friendly and seated us by a window - of which there are plenty considering that the space occupies a corner lot. Naturally, the first thing to think about is what to drink. Situation brews all of their beer right there, so it's only traveling a few feet to get to your glass. They usually have about seven of their beers on tap and they also rotate some guests on tap as well. Surprising no one, ordering a beer flight is one of the most popular things to do. It's a great way to sample a bunch of what they're brewing! I'm not much of a beer drinker myself and I thought that it was really cool that they offer a cocktail section where the drinks are made using their own beer varieties. This is such an excellent idea because not everyone loves beer (me) and it's still a way to try what they're brewing (with a few more flavours added). The descriptions of the cocktails are also very funny. I liked that one of them is made with "your parents' disappointment." I ordered the Awkward Silence ($13.00) because it sounded pretty fun and fruity.

2oz of sweet gin and fruit punch blended with our Berry Whyte Gose wants to give you what you love.

The beer itself sounded really good because it's a fruited sour made with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. Plus you throw in some gin and actual fruit punch? Sounds perfect. I enjoyed this drink because it was light and refreshing. The fun fruitiness was ideal and it gave me exactly what I wanted, which was a beer experience without having a beer experience. Bravo! They do make an Afternooner Tea Saison beer which seems really special. The tea and fruit combination in this beer changes seasonally and it truly sounds lovely. From the Small & Shareables section, I liked seeing Zwick's pretzels making an appearance. However, I was incredibly intrigued by the Potato & Parsnip Spring Rolls ($11.00) which sounded very unique.

Beer cheese, pepper & garlic aioli.

Unique indeed, these were likely my favourite dish of the meal. What an interesting combination! Golden crispy spring roll wrappers created piping hot little packages containing a creamy, mashed potato-like mixture. I've never seen anything like this before. Imagine a spring roll meeting a perogy and having a weird (yet delicious) baby. Plus the addition of parsnip really completed the flavour profile, adding an earthiness that reminded me of a comforting vegetable stew. I almost don't know how to describe these because they were so different, yet they were delicious and I loved them. The pepper and garlic aioli was my favourite to dip into. The main dishes cover a surprisingly wide range of cuisines; from burgers, to a bánh mì, to peri-peri chicken, to mussels. Part of me worries that they've bitten off more than they can chew attempting to offer so many iconic and worldly flavours. Is it possible to succeed at all of them? I was interested in the Nashville Hot Fish Tacos ($18.00 for three), another curious flavour collab.

Pacific cod, honey dijon aioli, coleslaw, pickled onion.

This dish takes a familiar fish taco and twists it with the big and spicy flavours of Nashville hot fried, which is normally used on chicken. I found this to be a decently executed dish. The generous portion of fish was moist and meaty on the inside, while maintaining a crispy exterior that was full of bold spice. The heat was not held back, which I appreciate. The rest of the taco was fairly standard with a plain flour tortilla, a nice fresh mix of vegetable components, and a great pickled onion for acidity. I've certainly had better fish tacos in my life but I did enjoy the interesting idea behind this one. Lastly, the dessert feature sounded really good because it was supposed to be a Tuxedo Lava Cake ($10.00). We ordered the dessert and then waited an exceedingly long time to receive it. Our server was apologetic but it took at least half an hour for the dessert to show up, while we looked around waiting.

Finally it did show up... But it was definitely NOT a tuxedo cake. Not even a little bit. I have some serious questions if this is what they think a tuxedo cake is. (You know the ones from Costco... IT'S A CHOCOLATE CAKE!) I was expecting ganache and mousse and generally something brown. Not a while cake with some type of berry compote on top. I mean, it tasted fine. It was warm and inside the cake there was a melted and oozing chocolate component. But in no world was this a tuxedo cake. Not only did we wait an insanely long time for this dessert but then when it showed up it wasn't even what it was supposed to be. Disappointing. Overall, I think that what they're doing at Situation is pretty interesting. Their beer game is on point and the food is full of really cool fusion ideas. I love that they're taking familiar dishes and spinning them with a completely different dish, creating something entirely new. This concept is super exciting to me. As long as they are able to deliver on execution, I love the idea. Situation Brewing is a nice place to sit and grab a drink and a bite to eat in a chill atmosphere.