Many people would associate the Kingsway stretch in East Vancouver with Vietnamese restaurants. It was, after all, where we had Dot Com Pho: Free Comic Book Edition. That said, there are all kinds of great places to eat in that neighborhood. It was after Dot Com Pho that we discovered The Tipper and I made a mental note to give them a visit.
So, that’s where I decided to have lunch one day. The Tipper, which is also known as Bottle Tipper, definitely has the feel of a pub or a bar, but they are open for breakfast and lunch too. Taking a look at the menu, you’ll find that nearly everything is in the $8 to $15 range, making for a very reasonably priced meal. From what I recall, breakfast is served until about 5pm too. Most of the fare is basic and simple, including burgers, pastas, and hot wings.
It was really quiet on a weekday afternoon, but I did notice that The Tipper was reasonably busy when we walked by on Saturday. I imagine a good part of their business comes in the evenings.
I ordered the beef dip sandwich ($9.89). The thinly shaved roast beef was served with Swiss cheese on a toasted garlic Portuguese bun, along with hand cut fries and fresh made au jus. While I’m more accustomed to having a beef dip on a longer bun rather than a round bun, the au jus had a great flavor, as did the garlic on the bun. The fresh fries could have been crisper, but they were still very good.
This is an entirely different sandwich than what you’d get at a place like Chez Meme Baguette Bistro, but you can see that the same level of care and attention is given at The Tipper.
Susanne ordered the wild salmon burger ($14.89), which includes a six-ounce filet of fresh wild BC salmon, Cajun seasoning, garlic basil butter, a generous slice of real cheddar cheese, spring mix greens, tomato, and red onion. The mild cheddar was a nice complement to the medium moist fish. The Cajun seasoning wasn’t very pronounced, which allowed the salmon to shine more on its own. Instead of the fries, Susanne got the seafood chowder, which was creamy and hearty.
Restaurants like The Tipper prove that you don’t have to be fancy to be delicious. The menu items aren’t terribly innovative, but the ingredients are very fresh and everything is presented with attention to detail. Service was understandably attentive; we were only one of two tables at the time. The availability of free Wi-Fi is an added bonus.
Considering that you’d pay around $6-9 for an “extra value” meal across the street at the golden arches, you’re much better off by paying a couple dollars more to get a fresh, well-crafted meal at The Tipper instead.
To me the prices seem too high. If I order a French dip with fries or a burger, salmon or not I wouldn’t expect to pay more than $5 to $6. Were you paying for the ambiance or maybe the prices have the WiFi built in?
But, all in all the food looks good.
You’re coming from an entirely different perspective. Food, in general, is cheaper (and bigger portions ) in the United States than it is in Canada. A Big Mac meal, for instance, is about $8 here. Whereas you can 20 McNuggets for $5 in the States, a 6-piece is about $4 here.
Our McDonald’s are always made from significantly higher quality ingredients (which isn’t saying much). Our nuggets actually taste of chicken and have a meat like texture. I tried the 20 nuggets deal in the US and it was inedible sawdust. I chucked the box after 3 pieces. I would imagine if you deep fried an IKEA shelf, that’s what it would taste like.
That being said – I’ve been to the Tipper twice and I wasn’t that impressed by the food. I’ve run the gamut of overcooked dried out burgers to oversalted fish. I’m glad to hear you didn’t have the same experiences I did
As I said in the review, it wasn’t anything particularly special, but I did enjoy it. Ingredients were fresh. Maybe it was better because we were the only ones there, so the staff could be a little more careful?
Of course I haven’t been to Vancouver, but the higher prices just seem way high. I guess I should appreciate my US portions and prices. 😉
@Daily Slif, the ingredients in McDonalds food are not different for the US and Canada. I worked for McDonalds for 14 years, Chicken McNuggets are made exactly the same in North America. All other product ingredients are the same throughout the world with McDonalds, with certain changes for religious reasons in certain countries, i.e. India and beef.
Sorry you didn’t like the Nuggets, I have no problem with them. Now if you want to talk Big Mac, they have changed the way they toast the buns and the amount of lettuce which has changed the taste of the sandwich. Because the middle bun isn’t as toasted as it used to be you don’t get the hot middle with the crunch.
i have started to try out new processed meat items which is popular in the western countries here in India like sausages , meat balls , chicken nuggets , etc
Now, Sausage isn’t always processed. A good fresh sausage is made of a variety of freshly ground meats. It is then run through a grinder into a casing made from pig intestines.
If you want to try a processed western meat, try Scrapple. It’s all the pork parts left over, ground together. It is served in brick form, sliced into squares and is delicious!
Wow that salmon burger looks awesome. I live in city that has good restaurants but not really good pubs.
What type of restaurants do you have and what type of food is the norm for where you live? With me being from a resort area our food is varied from seafood to tourist food and gifts to the norm of Italian, fast food and real good Amish/Mennonite food.
Many thanks from us at The Tipper. You write well balanced reviews with classy photos. We also love the Pho restaurants in our neighbourhood super tasty, run by good people.