oom Eighteen used to be The Distillery. That's where the wife and I had our impromptu engagement party after I popped the question in a near by Frisbee zone, so you can correctly guess that the eatery/drinkery has sentimental value to an old romantic like me. However, on our second sojourn to The Distillery, the joint, sans engagement goose bumps, felt a little flat. The service took longer and the food was less appealing. What did we know? The first time around, we were on an engagement high.

Change, however, is a good thing.

Kitsilano is a young and trendy part of town, so for every high-end shop, there has to be at least one casual place to drink beer. That place is Room Eighteen. The joint has a neighborhood feel, similar in mind set to the Distillery, but with better execution.

The space here finally feels like it looks, with just enough contemporary appeal to scale up its casualness. A back banquette lines the entire wall then wraps around, making tipping back a few all the more comfortable. A fireplace and window-front seating effuse an open and intimate vibe. Drenched in deep reds and blacks, Room Eighteen is small enough to feel intimate, and large enough (with thanks to some high ceilings) to still feel spacious. It’s a clever use of the floor plan, breaking up what could be a very monotonous space.

The menu has gotten an overhaul as well. The Distillery provided a variety of up-scale, insanely priced snacks, all small enough to pinch together with your fingers. Now a small plate eatery, the tapas (ding: epicurean word of the year) available at Room Eighteen is familiar and well priced; Calamari and Spring Rolls get their appropriate due. Nothing on the card is too intimidating or oddly paired. Think of the place as pub-meets-neighborhood. It’s the kind of safety zone I search for after too many nights out with tuna-tar-tar-and-broccoli- tempura friends (really, some things just do not need to be battered and deep fried). Here, I can enjoy well-prepared, straight-up food without having to pry my arms from sticky tabletops.