Ensemble Tap
990 Smithe St.
604-566-9770
 ensembletap.com
Price range: $12 - $18
Rating: ****1/2

At first glance, one might mistake it for a regular pub. Wings, nachos, and calamari — the usual appy suspects — top the menu.

With 15 micro-brews on tap, Dale MacKay’s new second concept is, in every respect, a sports bar.

To expect the familiar would be ignorant, however, with Canada’s Top Chef at the reigns. Ensemble Tap will no doubt attract throngs of non-sports fans when word of its unprecedented bar food gets out (if it hasn’t already).

While toiling over the menu, several staff members suggested the Chicken Burger — McKay’s gourmet take on his favourite drive-thru item: the McChicken Sandwich. Immediately intrigued, I obliged.

Like the mass-produced original, Tap’s includes shredded lettuce and breaded chicken. Similarities end here. Killer smoky paprika mayo, crushed avocado, and crispy bacon — a triple threat — lay between Terra Breads’ dense focaccia.

I was ‘lovin’ it’ so much, that this sandwich lands on my Best of 2011 Lunch Rush list.