Judas Goat: A Friend to My Tongue, A Traitor to My Belly

Judas Goat Taberna
Tapas Bar
27 Blood Alley
Vancouver, BC V6B
ph: (604) 681-5090

There's a little alleyway in Gastown called Blood Alley, if the name does not scare you maybe the community of crackheads shooting up or dealing drugs will make you run away to where it's bright and safe. It's history is not exactly the best either, earning its name from its slaughterhouse past, Blood Alley it's known for the blood that used to trickle down its cobblestone floor. Scary it may be, many people still venture out to Blood Alley for something almost as addictive as crack -- FOOD.

Hip, new restaurants are calling Blood Alley as their new home. The newest addition, Judas Goat Taberna, a 28-seat tapas bar inspired by French, Italian and mostly Spanish cuisine. Hearing about this place, I thought this would be a great restaurant to take my new roommate, a pastry chef and a Vancouver newbie and introduce her to Vancouver's wonderful gastronomic world.

Reservations with Judas Goat is almost a must considering its 28-seat capacity. Coming in the restaurant,I was a bit put down with the one-way mirror facade that looked almost like a dental office from the outside but when I opened the door, the semi-industrial look with its yellow metal chairs, a metal bar table and a tiny kitchen actually worked well together. There was also a decorative board filled with random, funky scribbles and a drawing of Judas Goat's head which gave the room more character. If you take one of the seats at the metal bar table, you will be entertained watching a bunch of crazies being crazy while enjoying the amazing food.

The menu for Judas Goat changes every so often and it consists of delicious small plates of food that will surely please the gourmet palate. It was hard to choose from the menu but after a lot of discussions, we opted for the Brisket Meatballs with Spiced Tomato Sauce, Braised Pork Belly on Onion Puree with Pine Nut/Orange Gremolata, Warm Lamb Cheek with Savoy Cabbage & White Truffle Oil, Foie Gras with Rhubarb Foam, Serrano Ham with Spanish Olive Oil, a small plate of olives, Chorizo, Caramelized Onion & Dark Chocolate Bruschetta and also the Piquillo Peppers with Serrano Chilli & Goats Cheese Bruschetta. We also ordered a glass of their refereshing sangria which had a good amount of floating watermelon chunks.

One by one, our orders were starting to arrive. The bruschettas were the first ones to grace our table and tasting Judas Goat's take to the Italian appetizer was phenomenal. The Pepper and Goat Cheese Bruschetta was just a step behind the Chorizo Bruschetta which was made tasty and delicious with a little bit of sweetness from the caramelized onions and chocolate. The Jamon Serrano came shortly which was good quality ham and very flavourful and the Foie Gras was rich and made even more delectable with the sweet/tart rhubarb foam. The pork belly and lamb dishes as well as the small olive plate which gave a good variety to our feast followed suit. The pork was tender and the onion puree gave a good flavour that was distinct but not overpowering. The lamb was also tender but far better than the pork that it even gave me shivers as soon as I put it in my mouth, it was that good. The white truffle oil was just perfect and gave this dish a heavenly taste. Our tiny table was filled with all these dishes that our server had to stop giving us our orders. When our plates were slowly becoming clean and were being taken away, our server finally gave us our last dish, the infamous brisket meatballs. The soft meat was well-flavoured and scrumptious especially with the tangy tomato sauce, definitely my second favourite dish of the night. My first is no doubt the lamb dish which makes my mouth water every time I think of it.

We were hoping to have a taste of their dessert but those tapas went straight to our tummies and we had to decline. It was an amazing meal although picking up the bill didn't make it that amazing anymore considering how broke I was. The meal was a bit pricey but it didn't matter cos it was worth it. I always make it a point to treat myself once in awhile anyway even if seeing my visa bill gives me a headache and Judas Goat is definitely a place for a gastronomic treat even if you scare yourself silly venturing out to one of the favourite hang-outs of Vancouver's crackhead population.