Breakbeets
Beetbox on Davie is returning to the ‘root’ of cooking with plant-based comfort food that removes the meat and focuses on the beets. Their ‘pun’ title refers to the simple but complex art of building tasty meals with base materials, like a classic beatboxer belting out vocal drum beats.
The brainchild of Justin Tisdall and Bryan Satterford, Beetbox is a sophomore album of sorts. It replaces “Little Juke”, a fried chicken eatery that just didn’t seem to work at the 1074 Davie Street location.
Their new venture features a simple menu of meatless mains, hot side dishes and cold salads. And just as beatboxing strips away the need for looping tracks, autotune and drum machines, ‘Beetbox’ has cut all the ‘filla’ and kept the ‘killa’. With only four mains, the eatery focuses on what really matters: taste, healthy ingredients and plant ’bass’ rhymes.
Dine-In
I was lucky enough to sample some of their beets last night with a small group of friends. I ordered the ‘Fried Chick-Un Sandwich’, a meatless handful of soul inspired, deep-fried goodness. The chicken was replaced with fried seitan and the mayonnaise with miso aioli. The zing, or ‘hook’ if we are sticking with the audio metaphor, came in the form of spicy pickled cucumber.
My date ordered the “Burger with Cheese,” a plant-based patty with lettuce, tomato, fried and cold onions, stacked between two buns. She was kind enough to share her beets, but I would say, of the two mains, the Chick-Un was the standout single.
The B-sides to our title tracks came in the form of hot side dishes. I had some slightly underwhelming onion rings but Jess went with the crispy fried brussel sprouts, which were incredibly tasty. Strongly recommend the latter.
To drink we both had a pint of Strange Fellows Pale Ale. Other liquid pairings included organic soda, kombucha and vegan cocktails.
Listen on Repeat
As a West End kid, I will definitely be returning to Beetbox. Their tight production makes their plant-based comfort food an ideal beach takeaway for the summer.
