A venture several years in the making, the new bar/venue taking over the Media Club near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is just about ready to make its debut.
The Ventura Room is the result of a collaboration between Kered Hospitality Group and Browns Restaurant Group. Taking its name, and cues, from stereotypical breezy California vibes, the Ventura Room is set to open at the end of October.
Browns already has quite the hold on the hospitality concepts on the property. There’s a Browns Socialhouse next door on the QE Plaza, and customers will enter the Ventura Room from Cambie Street.
Named for the lyrics of a Tom Petty song and Kered Hospitality Group owner Derek’s childhood North Vancouver street, “Ventura Room is like going to your friends pad for cocktails…if your friend lived in a bungalow near the beach in Cali,” said representative from Browns.
The lyrics to which they’re referring, mind you, are in Petty’s hit “Free Fallin'” which talks about Ventura Boulevard. “[I]t’s one of California’s oldest and most iconic roadways,” notes Browns in an e-mail to V.I.A. This is particularly true if you consider strip malls, shopping centres and car dealerships iconic.
Now, I’d lose 23 years of hard-earned Californian cred if I didn’t note that Ventura Boulevard crosses the gaping maw of L.A. known as “the Valley” and is nowhere near the ocean, though if you cruise west on the Ventura Highway (a.k.a. the 101) immortalized in an
America song, you will end up in Ventura County and the seaside town of Ventura.
Your dose of Cali by way of Vancouver poetic licence can be experienced in Ventura Room’s 4,000-square-foot space. They have seating for 140, and the venue is licenced for a patio.
The Ventura Room has brought on board cocktail experts from around Vancouver to create a list of new feature cocktails that will showcase fresh juices, as well as spins on classic quaffs. They promise a “playful” list of B.C. and global wines, as well as a craft and international beer list.
When it comes to eats, expect an array of hand-held eats that could easily be inspired by Ventura Boulevard and its eclectic and global eateries. The Ventura Room will have things such as sushi, street tacos, and pizza on the menu, for example.
And, yes, they will operate as a live performance venue, too.
The Ventura Room will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and aims to launch at very end of October. They are located at 695 Cambie St.
