Good Thief is a cocktail odyssey across Southeast Asia
The rain on the pavement reflects the red, green and orange of the Main Street traffic lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the dim of Good Thief. In the summertime, the windows open completely to blend the divide between inside and out, but on a wet autumn evening, Good Thief beckons the curious and adventurous into its modern yet cozy space, promising not just drinks but a journey through the flavours of Southeast Asia and cutting-edge mixology techniques.
The Good Thief concept is inspired by Nhậu, the communal culture of eating and drinking in Vietnam. Guests are greeted with complimentary bar snacks and bartender Kabir Sehgal’s winning smile. Ask him what you should order and he’ll immediately suggest the Six-Inch Yellow, a rectified starfruit and guanabana (soursop) Martini with yellow Chartreuse, salted honey, galangal, pineapple and spicy super foam made with house Thai chili tincture. The refreshing drink is a flavour explosion (we don’t say that lightly) that will make your lips tingle in the best way—but be warned that it may dye your lips and fingers orange.
Owners Amelie and Vincent Nguyễn envisioned Good Thief as a “rebellious little brother” to their Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Anh and Chi next door. Under the expert guidance of beverage director Ben Kingstone, the siblings have offered up a mischievous addition to the Mount Pleasant cocktail scene that pushes boundaries and elevates the experience for patrons. Kingstone was given free rein to develop the menu and he brings a playful yet sophisticated approach with a tremendous amount of unseen labour going into each drink.
The menu at Good Thief tells a story, tracing the journey of Trang Quynh, a trickster god sent to Earth to explore the art of cocktails. It’s as much a narrative as it is a drink list. The opening pages detail the backstory: “The gods were preparing a celestial feast to celebrate the union of heaven and earth and they realized a vital element was missing: the refined art of cocktails,” it reads. “Trang Quynh, renowned for his intellect and love of earthly delights, was sent to earth to explore culture and cocktails. Realizing he knew nothing about cocktails and afraid to let down his fellow gods, Quynh travels through Southeast Asia, where he absorbs regional flavors and techniques from master bartenders.”
At each stop along the way he discovers a unique hero ingredient and innovative technique, which in turn become a drink on the Good Thief menu. For instance, the Hero’s Hành Trình combines ceramics (the hero ingredient and an important cultural export) and amphora aging (a technique) to infuse overproof rum with red clay, giving the overall drink a note of minerality.
“Everyone can relate to feeling over their head,” says Kingstone of the concept, which he feels lends itself to infinite creative possibilities. Kingstone lives to push the boundaries of what cocktail ingredients can do so the storytelling concept isn’t just decorative; it invites guests to engage with their drinks on a deeper level.
When Good Thief was in development, Kingstone approached Vincent to tell him he planned to create a pho cocktail. “He said every bar manager has tried,” Kingston recalls, waving Sehgal over to make the must-try drink. “The OG!” says Sehgal knowingly.
Pho Dac Biet was born out of the origin story of Anh and Chi. The cocktail features pho-spiced, fat-washed bourbon made using Anh and Chi’s aromatic stock, a recipe passed down from Amelie and Vincent’s parents, Hoàng and Lý Nguyen, who arrived in Canada as refugees from Vietnam in 1980 and opened Pho Hoàng, the first and longest-standing pho specialty house in Vancouver.
The process of infusing bourbon with pho flavours captures the essence of the bar’s mission: to create drinks that resonate with culture and memory. The resulting drink is comforting and lightly sweet thanks to the Anh and Chi rice noodles that are prepared sous vide with amylase (the enzyme that breaks starch into sugar) and mixed with toasted milk powder to create a milk punch that’s then clarified to create a clear, complex sipper. “It’s the cocktail I’m most proud of in my career,” says Kingstone.
The single ice cube in the glass is ridged with a tri-pattern design that is also present on the sign welcoming you to Good Thief and on the metal grate that divides the marble bar between patrons and bartenders. Each drink is served in its own unique glassware, ensuring no two cocktails look alike. But the tri-pattern ties them all together to mirror the diversity, esthetic and ethos of Good Thief: to create a space that balances Instagram-worthy moments with authentic, refined artistry.
“The way that we’ve designed the space and the program lends itself to be technique driven,” says Kingstone. “It’s a cool environment to let our team showcase what they’re passionate about to anyone who walks in.”
—by Allie Turner
