Win a $50 Doolin’s Gift Certificate
byDoolin’s Irish Pub on the corner of Granville and Nelson has become our second home on Whitecaps match days (due to it being the official base of the Southsiders supporter club) but John and I recently enjoyed a different Doolin’s experience when we stopped by after work for a flight of local brews and some dinner.
The friendly neigbhbourhood pub, situated in the heart of downtown Vancouver’s entertainment district, is known for its sporting event screenings, live music, casks nights, and beer pairing dinners. On match days, we usually enjoy the specialty menu that is offered so during our date night we sampled a wider range of offerings.
First things first, we each ordered a flight of beer ($11.50) which consists of 4 x 6oz samples of any beer they have on tap, including plenty of local options like Russell, Granville Island, Stanley Park, and brewed-for-Doolin’s features. It was a great start to the night in our cozy, wood-paneled nook near the fireplace.
We decided to split an appetizer and go for something a bit different. After consulting with our server, who said it was a good choice, we ordered the Duck Bites ($8) which are chipotle and ginger marinated duck morcels topped with spicy pickled jalepenos, wrapped in bacon and topped with a sweet sesame soy glaze. There were only a few pieces of duck on the plate but they were devoured quickly and the accompanying salad was a bright and fresh contrast to the rich, tender bites.
For dinner I stuck with pub fare and ordered the Cork County Chicken Pot Pie ($12.50), made with Rossdown free-run chicken from Abbotsford, carrots, celery, and peas in a creamy stew topped with flaky pastry. It was served with house-made mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables. When I poked my fork into the pastry it was “steaming like a locomotive,” as John put it. The pastry was very light and buttery, not too dense, and baked to a golden brown. Once the piping hot filling cooled a bit, I enjoyed the large, tender chunks of chicken in the rich stew. The only drawback was that I did not finish my potato and could have gone for one fluffy, buttery mound instead of two. Those with a heartier appetite will enjoy this helping, however.
John opted for the Wild Salmon ($17) which came topped with garlic herb butter, seasonal vegetables and rice pilaf. This is a simple dish but sometimes — served elsewhere — it can go terribly wrong without the right care and attention to fresh and local ingredients. John thoroughly enjoyed his light meal and in this case it was just right, from the glistening pink salmon to the tender pilaf.
After getting our fill of vegetables at the pub we couldn’t resist dessert. John hemmed and hawed about the third course but once I serenaded him with a chorus of “peanut butter chocolate ice cream” he was hooked. The Brownies and Ice Cream ($6) features a warm, house-made brownie with velvety peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Normally we wouldn’t mix a flight of beer and ice cream but it perfectly rounded out the entire dining experience.
Finally, another thing we like at Doolin’s is the friendly staff. No matter how jam-packed the pub might get, like on a Whitecaps match day, everyone is always helpful, courteous, and prompt.
Win a $50 Gift Certificate to Doolin’s
Now that I have shared our after work/dinner date experience, I have the chance to offer a reader their own with a $50 gift certificate from Doolin’s.
They have new menu items like Cajun Chicken Salad, Wonton Prawns, Fried Pickles, Short Rid Flatbread, Wild Salmon Sandwich, and a Fried Chicken Sandwich as well as wine on tap.
Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly. Doolin’s is located at 654 Nelson St at Granville in downtown Vancouver. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is Sarah M!
87 Comments — Comments Are Closed
This would be great to win!
the duck bites sounds delicious
Always like trying out nex places.
Pick me.
sounds delicious
brownies and ice cream!
Perfect for watching a game.
Love heading to Doolin’s before the Caps
Perfect place to enjoy with my husband 🙂
Yum!! Duckbites with bacon-wrapped jalepeno sounds amazing!! 🙂
Sounds like a good place to visit!
The Cork County Chicken Pot Pie sounds so good!
Would love to win this prize. Good luck everyone.
Would love to try a new place when we visit again
LOVE DOOLINS. SO GOOD FOR SOUTHSIDERS AND ANY OTHER SPORTS GAME ON TV.
Everything sounds delicious. Would love to test it out.
Awesome dishes 🙂
It’d be great to win this prize!
Never been there, would love to win and check out the restaurant.
Looks like elevated pub food!
I would love to take my husband to this new-to-us place! Thanks for sharing.
Would love to win – would give me a good excuse to try the restaurant out. I’ve been meaning to for a long time.
yesssss
yummy..my kinda pub food:)
That chicken pot pie looks delicious.
this would be a great place for a date night.
fried pickles – yum. would love to try them.
Would love to go here!
Cajun chicken salad yum!
Love a good Irish pub!
It all sounds so yummy! Thank you for the chance to win, twitter fan@plumerea
I’d love to try this pub!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Great prize!
Hope I win!! I love food and beer haha
This place sounds amazing! I’m moving to Vancouver next month and will definitely check it out.
fun place!
Beer tasting, yum
My Celtic Music friends often play there and I would love to win. (I’ll even bring my Spoons)
Yes please!
Yeah! Guiness!
Delicious!
Yum! Love to have a meal here.
I would love to try Doolins, The food looks great and so many great choices
Sounds like my kind of place!
Never been here before but heard about it! Fried pickles…mmmm!
Great place to fill up on food and drink before Whitecaps games!
Go Whitecaps!
mmm. new (to me) restaurants to try.
Would like to try a new place.
mmmm…those pix…
I’d love to win.
Your date night was a perfect evening to trying different foods and great pub.
I would love to have a bite to eat here to before a Whitecaps match, or to watch an away game!
Sounds tasty! Thanks for the chance to win!
Great prize!! would love to pair a pint with some delicious Doolins grub:)
it’s been ages since we had a night out at Doolins, this would be great 🙂
Would love to try the wild salmon sandwich. Yum!
the menu looks scrumptious!
Pick me! 🙂
Beer me!
This would be awesome!
You have cool contests miss604!
sounds great!
Would love this prize!
Mm, everything looks delicious!
I’d try the salmon sandwich with some local craft beer!
Have wanted to try Doolin’s for quite awhile now…looks good!
This would be great!
Time to revisit this place!
Feels like pub season is approaching,…
This would be great to use before a Whitecaps game!
Brownies and Ice Cream… oh yes please!!
Thanks for the give away, it sounds delish!
Love Doolin’s
Doolins is the best!!
have neer been
Nice! I would love this as a college student!!
You mentioned Fried Pickles…that sounds interesting and I would love to try them!! And I love places that allow you to pick your beer flights.
This would be a fun night out for sure!
this would so much fun!
Sounds like a great place- would love to try on my next visit!
DOOLINS PUB!! THIS SATURDAY NIGHT (or any night for that matter) PREPARE FOR THE TONGUE TANTALIZING EAR DAZZLING CONVERSATION INSPIRING TIME OF YOUR LIFE!! BE THERE! BE THERE! BE THERE! … and if you’re in jail …BREAK OUT!!!
Beer and ice cream! I like the sound of that.
Beer and ice cream, together at last!
Would love to try this place out!!
Yum!