Vancouver pub offers crazy Caesar garnish: Hope, Love

New pub has taken tops for greatest garnish

By Chandler Walter, Assistant Editor

While Vancouver is known for its trendy pubs, cool bars, and enticing dining experiences, nothing says “Canadian city” better than sipping on a cold Caesar.

A Caesar—the Canadian one-up of a Bloody Mary—can be garnished by various vegetables, mostly green beans, celery, or pickles. However, some pubs offering the tomatoey beverage have gotten bold in what they stick atop these salty specials.

What was once considered to be the epitome of great garnishes could be found at the Score on Davie, where they load a cheeseburger, onion rings, brownie, French fries, hotdog, and a milkshake all onto an extra-large Caesar. This garnish—known fondly as the “Checkmate Caesar”—held top spot in the unspoken competition, until Silly Caesar’s opened up next door.

“We really just want to make it a fun experience for everyone,” said Silly Caesar’s owner Brutus Eetoo. “We saw that people were getting really excited about the things that were going on top of these drinks, and we decided to get into the market.”

At Silly Caesar’s, they do not top drinks with full meals like at the Score, but instead take a different approach.

“Each Caesar is unique in its own way, just like each one of our customers,” Eetoo said. “When they order a drink here, we have a series of questions that we ask before we even begin mixing the ingredients.”

Patrons at the bar have left delighted with their garnishes, which range from treasure maps to board games to more abstract concepts, such as the feelings of hope and love.

“It was amazing,” said customer Eric Kosumer. “I had just gotten through a rough breakup, and so when my Caesar arrived with a rolled up motivational ‘You can do it!’ poster—you know, with the cat?—I was really pleased.”

Most notable of all the garnishes that have come out of Silly Caesar’s in the day and a half that they have been open was in the form of a large box placed precariously atop a bucketful of the tomato and clam cocktail.

“I had ordered the Mega Extra Super Caesar, I think it was called,” said Mary Bludie, who had gone to the bar earlier in the day. “Sitting on top was this big brown box, and I had no idea what it was until, well until it started barking.”

Bludie found much more than just a refreshing beverage, as she opened her garnish to find not one, but three corgi puppies awaiting her.

“I was so overwhelmed I didn’t even have a chance to drink my Caesar!” she said, while on a walk with her new furry friends. “Before ordering that Caesar I was lonely, sad, and a raging alcoholic. Now I’m happier than I’ve ever been!”

The Score on Davie declined to comment.