THE REEF

"WE WILL DEFINITELY BE GOING BACK FOR SECONDS..."

Location: 1018 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Telephone: 604-568-JERK
Website: THE REEF

I’ve heard about THE REEF for quite some time but have never eaten there until now. As their latest location is close to our Neighborhood, the wife and I decided to walk down to their Commercial Drive home and sample some Caribbean cookery to see if all the good things we heard were true.

We arrived, were seated promptly and then sat slack-jawed as we investigated their robust and impressive Rum list. Mixing rums, shooting rums, sipping rums plus a cavalcade of rum cocktails… THE REEF is indeed “rum paradise”. With a few cocktails on the way, I ordered some Jerked Wings while we sampled some of their devilishly delicious Johnny Cakes (their version of Bread), a sinful doughnut-type bun served with an excelled coconut butter. The Wings arrived and they lived up to their name, tender fall-off-the-bone meat coupled with the smokey tastes of Jerk spice made this chicken appetizer a winner.

For our entrees, we both dove into the sea as my wife ordered the Swordfish special and I took on the Maracas Bay Mahi Mahi. As we waited for our meal, back to the Rum list we went and two more cocktails were ordered (damn, they are good). The meals arrived! The Curry and Lime pan-seared Mahi Mahi fillet was outstanding, firm yet juicy and bursting with flavour. It was served with a jicama & apple slaw, coconut rice and seasonal veggies, a winner as far as I was concerned. My wife’s Grilled Swordfish was another homerun, topped with a fresh Strawberry Salsa and served with curried rice & seasonal veggies. We shared both meals and were completely stuffed by the end.

What they say is true, THE REEF is a great restaurant. The staff is pleasant, the drinks ample and the food is quite tasty. We will definitely be going back for seconds… and thirds… and fourths.

RATING: 9/10 FULL BELLIES