Bodega on Main – a revamped first-date spot – needs a menu makeover

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When I moved to Vancouver at the turn of the millennium, in the dark ages of downtown dining, there were three basic first-date restaurants in the city centre.

If you were feeling fancy, you went to Bacchus Lounge at the Wedgewood Hotel. If you were feeling frisky, it was Bin 941 – because the seats were squeezed tight and the music was so loud you couldn't hear a word your date was saying. Neither of you were there for the small talk anyway. And if your date was frugal, you ended up at La Bodega, where $20 bought a pitcher of sangria and several mediocre tapas plates. Whoa, big spender. With its cozy collection of small rooms, the venerable Spanish restaurant (one of Vancouver's oldest and longest-running) was also a popular spot for after-work group gatherings. Journalists being the notorious cheapskates that they are, I went there quite a few times with colleagues.

See the food at Bodega on Main

After 43 years in operation, La Bodega closed in 2014. Eighteen months later, Paul Rivas, the son of co-founder Francisco Rivas and co-owner of Yaletown's Parlour Restaurant, reinvented the family legacy in an up-and-coming East Side location.

The new Bodega on Main, ensconced in a 100-year-old building next door to Campagnolo, cleans up nicely. The decor is an eclectic blend of modern Spanish revival meets shabby chic. Tall, whitewashed walls are hung with gallery displays of old photographs, gilt-framed mirrors and colourful bullfight posters. Wrought-iron chandeliers hang from soaring ceilings.

The floors are covered in patterned tiles. Deep booths are upholstered in weathered red leather. Dark wooden tables are set with red-and-white checkered napkins, repurposed from the original Bodega's tablecloths. The multipurpose mix of booths, high-top tables and a wrap-around bar offers intimate nooks, while a long row of bench seating can accommodate larger groups.

Staffed by many familiar faces from the old Bodega, the service is sweet and easygoing. Even when the restaurant is busy, as it often is, general manager Hector Medina spreads a lot of warmth around the room. He seems like the gracious type of gentleman you wouldn't mind taking home to meet mother.

While we waited at the bar for a table, the hostess took our cell number – "just in case" – and checked in on us regularly. On another night, the bartender forgot to ring in a couple of our dishes, but made up for it with genuine apologies and complimentary drinks. He really wanted to make it work for us.

Unfortunately, when it came to the food, I just didn't feel any chemistry. Chef Maritza Orellana has brought many of the old family recipes and customer favourites from the old restaurant to her extensive new menu. On the first visit, we didn't try anything that truly turned us off. But the dishes all lacked a certain sparkle.

Tortilla Espanola, a classic potato omelette, was a little too bland and soft, without any of the desired textural layering. A fennel and grapefruit salad didn't have much acidic punch. Pescaditos fritos, deep-fried small whitefish, came with some sassy green peppers on the side, but not enough salt to pop its golden fry.

The softly braised beef tongue could have used a few flickers of chili for bite. The spicy chorizo grilled in cider, which looked like little cocktail wieners, was a limply underglazed disappointment. Chocolate-dipped figs stuffed with almonds and mascarpone were cold and rigid, whereas we expected warm and gooey.

We gave it a second chance, but the next date was even worse, perhaps because Ms. Orellana wasn't working that shift. The paella mixta was just plain bad, with not a single kernel of crisped rice at the bottom of the pan. What looked like fresh spot prawns turned out to be tasteless, freezer-burned langoustines. Spiceless chorizo had the texture of pressed rubber.

Manchego with quince jelly was very good. It's hard to mess up a cheese plate. If I had to do it all over again, I'd order more cheese and cured ham, maybe with some olives and almonds. I'd keep it simple, and wash it down with a pitcher of sangria or a few glasses of albarino, and finish the night with a shot of sherry. The Spanish beverage selection is vast and varied. Next to the decor, the bar is Bodega on Main's best redeeming quality.

Go for the drinks. Enjoy the ambience. The lower lounge will be opening soon, and the prices are still very reasonable. But like any first date, – and Bodega on Main is a decent enough first-date meeting place – it would be wise to keep your expectations in check. These days, there are many more fish in the sea.