Lee Bros Winery — Restaurant in Vancouver

I know many Koreans don’t write the truth about this place for national reasons but I’ll be sincere. I never expect kimpab to be frozen, defrost, and came super hot temperature. That’s disaster both look and taste. Yoh can just throw it away to garbage. Don’t even try. The kimchi pancakes portion is ridiculously tiny. It doesn’t look like a dish in real but like tiny snack. At least pork and noodles were ok. The customer service is AWFUL. I’ve ordered 1 liter regular magkoli, and asked to try other flavors of it. The staff told me that they don’t have open ones. But when I came to the fridge, there were open bottles, partly full. She suggested me to try flush. And from a HUGE bottle (maybe 15 litres) she gave me 1 ml. I’m not kidding. 1 ml - is few drops! You can imagine 1/5 of a tiny parfume sample. That was the amount. I was literally laughing. Never experienced such a tiny amount anywhere in the world. Then we asked for take away, cause had to go. And a bag. Plastic bag for boxes. She told they don’t have bags, few times. “We don’t have bags”. After paying we noticed many bags next to her and she answered - these are not plastic. They are material. lol absolutely zero level of customer service. Or just lack of brain sorry. She was too busy chatting with her friends while we were the only customers. Overall she really forgotten that there should be a present for order more than 60 dollars tho we asked about it ourselves while eating. Do we had to ask for it again. That’s absolutely unacceptable attitude to her job and to clients while they charge for “service” 12%...

Authentic Korean Rice Wine Experience at Vancouver's Lee Bros Rice Wine Brewery, VANMAK!

I was thrilled that Korean Rice Wine Brewery VANMAK open its store in DT! This hidden gem offers a unique and authentic experience for those who appreciate the art of traditional Korean rice wine, known as makgeolli. They are known for Korean and the store was in Coquitlam and it was hard to get easily due to distance. They finally open in DT by the Rogers Arena!

The Chestnut makgeolli, my fave at the VANMAK is a perfect blend of sweet and nutty flavors. The aroma of roasted chestnuts was heavenly, and the taste was smooth, refreshing, and slightly sweet, with a hint of chestnut flavor that lingered on the palate. It was a truly authentic and traditional Korean taste I missed and you never been tried from beer, wine, or other liquors!

The ambiance of the brewery was cozy and inviting, with a rustic and traditional decor that added to the overall experience. They also offered a wide selection of other makgeolli, plain and flavors to choose from, which I can't wait to try on my next visit!

If you're a fan of Korean culture or looking to try something new, I highly recommend visiting the Korean Rice Wine Brewery in Vancouver and trying their Chestnut makgeolli. It's a unique and authentic experience that will transport your taste buds to Korea. I can't wait to come back and explore more of their offerings. Cheers to VANMAK for preserving and sharing this traditional Korean craft in Vancouver!

FYI: they sell the Kimchi and it was the best I’ve...

We came here for their take-home bottles of locally brewed Makegeolli (Korean sweet rice wine), but also stopped by for a decent weekend meal deal.

Every Friday and Saturday night, they serve the ‘Happy Combo’ for a very reasonable price ($39.99 dine-in or $35.99 take-out as of late 2024). The combo easily feeds two adults with a surprisingly generous serving of meat. It was a collection of classic Korean comfort foods but we were spared the stinky stench of the tabletop BBQ grill.

What was in the combo? It served two types of fatty pork: the original flavour and the other one in a spicy marinade. Both had great chew to it and we enjoyed our leftovers in sandwiches the next few days. The Tteokbokki was oozing with umami and the fish cake soup gave us the warm fuzzies on a cold night out. The freshly made Kimbap made sure no one went home hungry. As something sweet on the side, we each had a small cup of alcoholic Makegeolli slushy - also part of the combo.

Once we finished our meal, we ordered from their selection of their namesake rice wines to take home. These make for great dessert wines at the end of any meal. Given the live cultures in each bottle, the longer you leave each drink unopened, the fizzier and more mature the flavour gets. With plenty of flavours to choose from, there is always good reason to revisit and keep a...