Ceili's Irish Pub and Restaurant (Richmond)

Where to begin?  Ceili's is a small chain of Irish pubs with locations in the Vancouver and Calgary area.  They just sort of exploded on to the scene without much warning over the past two or three years; though I must say, they're proving highly popular.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about Ceili's.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First of all, I'm uncomfortable with chain bars.  I believe that pubs, like beers, tend to best when they're small and locally owned.  Managers of small places thus have the ability to make each place unique and special.  Chain bars tend to have orders from a head office to make sure everything is exactly a certain way.  Bars, like beers lose something when they're focus grouped to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.  That's not to say there aren't exceptions (The Heather Group), but I don't like an experience that can be duplicated exactly all the world over.  My second big complaint is that it's like someone was trying to make Irish Pub in a can.  From the sign explaining the word "craic" to the large sculpture of the famous Guinness Pelican.  It just feels like someone was trying a bit too hard to distill Irishness into a form that could then be hung on the walls.  And I don't care what anyone says, an Irish pub with a dj is just weird.

However, I don't want to come off as too negative.  The whole point of this website is to create something of a database of places in the city people can go to relax.  Despite a few things that got my back up, Ceili's does have quite a lot going for it.  It's got a great beer list.  It's a little light on the local micros, but has some great imports (Innis & Gunn!) Plus, any place that has more than 15 beers on tap can't be that bad.  The food's also great.  We had delicious nachos that didn't turn into a blob of soggy chips and cheese like they do at so many other places, and I had to restrain myself from stealing the wings from the table next to us.  They smelled so good!  Ceili's also manages to keep its price point reasonable; something which a lot of chain pubs have a problem with.  Anywhere I can get a good pint at a good price is alright in my book.

Overall, I must admit Ceili's isn't really my cup of tea, but it might well be yours, and if it is, I hope you have a good time.

Sláinte.

Ceili's Irish Pub and Restaurant (Richmond)

Flying Beaver Bar & Grill

This place is... very different from the sorts of bars I usually frequent.  That's by no means a bad thing, it's good to get outside your comfort zone.  The first, and most obvious, unusual thing about this bar it its location.  It's right next to the airport south terminal.  That tiny, itty bitty part of the airport way down on the South end of Sea Island that exists to launch float planes, and slightly larger aircraft to even smaller towns.  There's no public transit, and parking would be a pain even if I wasn't virulently ferocious about people drinking and driving (I am).  Yet, despite being a beacon of isolation, this place works.

It was absolutely packed when we checked it out; and it's not a small bar.  There's a beautiful patio overlooking the southern mouth of the Fraser, but like I said, packed, so we didn't get to try it.  It's a hard place to describe.  It's like fishing lodge meets disco, which I think is what they were going for.  Again, it sounds weird on paper, but trust me, it works.  The part that confused me a bit was the DJ.  He was running a small dance floor, but it was totally empty (the only part of the bar that was).  However, that didn't stop a few a forty year old dudes from getting their boogie on in other parts of the bar, so whatever works, I guess.

Food was good, a nicely varied menu, and a strong late night selection, too.  I hate it when bars only serve peanuts and nachos after 10.  Respectable beer list.  This isn't a place to go to try loads of new beers, it's a place to go to consume an abundance of proven beers.  I spent my evening drinking my way through a few too many pints of Blanche de Chambly, a light, Quebec beer, that I'm quite fond of.

Obviously the challenge for the Beaver is getting to and from it without driving your car up a lamppost.  The bar tries to mitigate that challenge by offering a shuttle service.  If you call them, they'll pick you up, and as long as you hit their four drink minimum, they'll drive you home again.  I THINK this services is for Richmond only, but don't quote me on that.  You can check the website for details.

Overall, The Flying Beaver is a weird and wonderful place, and I will definitely be dropping by again.

The Flying Beaver