Castaway Bar & Kitchen

As much as I love to travel for food, I'm not usually in Kits and especially the far reaches of the area.  However, with a few softball games scheduled for Canarvon Park (this was awhile ago), it gave me some opportunity to check out some spots nearby.  One of them is Castaway Bar & Kitchen in the former location of Nevermind (and before that, Fogg n' Sudds).  Something about the place screams out Margaritaville with the decor theme and some of the menu items.  We ended up visiting the place twice within a few weeks of each other.

The one thing we got both times was the Nacho Grande with four cheese blend, pickled onions, roasted corn, banana peppers, black beans, avocado cream, green onions, spicy Cheetos dust and chicken ($4.00 extra).  Served on the side was sour cream, salsa and guac ($3.00 extra).  This monstrosity was actually too much appie for 4 people (since we ordered our own food too).  There was enough cheese on top and overall, it was just a good mass of nachos.  Loved the corn on top as well as the Cheetos dust.

On my first visit, I ended up with the Cheeseburger in Paradise with house-made AAA beef patty, burger sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles on brioche.  I had it Maui style by adding fresh grilled pineapple and teriyaki sauce (extra $2.00).  Finally, I also got bacon for an extra $3.00.  This was a very good burger where the patty was thick, well-charred and moist.  Loved the use of fresh pineapple as it provided a bright tangy sweetness.  Bacon was crispy and the bun was soft, but held together.  One of the better burgers I've had of late.

We also had a couple of Cubanos at the table that consisted of pulled pork, roasted ham, Swiss, mustard and pickles on a crispy artisan bun.  Although it is hard to get an authentic Cubano in Vancouver, this was a good homage to the real deal (I've had a few in Miami).  Bread was crusty and not dense while the ingredients were good.  Even the side salad was well-done with a greens, grape tomatoes, blueberries and sunflower seeds.

In hindsight, it was probably better than we had cut this Burrito in half to show the insides, but I guess you'll just have to trust my description.  This one had chicken inside along with 3 cheese blend, black bean puree, rice and avocado cream.  This ate well and resembled our nachos to a degree due to the similar ingredients.  However, it was stuffed in a soft tortilla and had the robustness of the black bean puree and chewy rice.  Side of tater tots were yummy.

On another visit, I decided to try the Korean Chili Wings with a side of blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery.  The wings themselves were tender and moist with a crunchy batter.  Skin was somewhat rendered.  The chili sauce was a bit too sweet for me, but it did have a nice background spice.  The size of the wings were pretty large and I didn't end up finishing it because I also ordered the...

Fish n' Chips featuring 2 beer-battered cod fillets served with curly fries, pickled ginger slaw and house-made tartar sauce.  This was so massive where one piece of fish was already pretty filling.  It was also prepared perfectly where the fish was flaky and moist while the relatively thin batter was crispy, light and not-too-greasy.  I loved the crunchy curly fries and happily dunked it into the creamy tartar sauce.

Shockingly, everyone else ordered the Taco Supremo and it was pretty decent with 2 crispy corn tortilla stuffed with beans, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce & green onions wrapped in a soft flour tortilla loaded with cheese and reaper sauce.  This one in the picture featured beef.  This was a bonanza of ingredients that wasn't as impactful as it would've suggested, but there was still good spice.  Solid stuff, but the other dishes we had were better.  That is essentially the theme of the place though - good food served in large portions.  If it weren't in Kits, I'd be here more often.

The Good:
- Just solid eats
- Large portions
- Lots of spacious seating

The Bad:
- Some of the food came out slow, but it came out right, so we didn't mind (probably shortage of staff too)