ChowHoundDaveFalse Creek VancouverSince July 10, 20076 Reviews
(3.3)- Food
(3.2) - Service
(3.7) - Value
(2) - Ambiance (3.2)
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(3.3) (3.2) (3.7) (2) (3.2)I used to love eating here 10 years or so ago, but the last three times both my dinner companions and I had absolutely terrible meals. Fish that tasted like cardboard, uninspired sauces and more. Shame, because the place is very nice inside and used to be great. That is why I kept going back, thinking somehow they were just off or had a new chef. Sadly, I have to admit I'll never go back.
As stated previously, it IS small & loud. Servers were very good and knowledgeable. Even though I know it is a tapas restaurant, I found the small sized portions priced way too high.
The humus and pita were among the best I've ever had.The grilled portabella with accompanying salad was quite tasty, but such a small plate for a meat-sized price of $16! The crab cakes uninspired, and again tiny and expensive. My dinner companions loved the mussels in Thai sauce, and for a change there seemed to be a decent amount.
Four of us ended up with a pretty high bill, and left hungry. I know the place is popular and my opinion is in the minority, but I'll never go there again. Too many other great places in this city where I can get a lot more excellent food and ambiance for my buck.
Fairly priced, solid food with a few dishes a wee bit out of the ordinary for breakfast. I love the huevos rancheros, veggie scramble (eggs, potatoes, roasted corn, onions, zuchini, cheddar and edam cheeses) and turkey sausage. The standard breakfast fare is here as well.
I also like the fact they open 7am, 7 days a week while many other places open at 8am, a bit late for me when I want to get an earlier start on the day.
One thing I don't like, and it is a shame for a place serving breakfast, is the weak coffee.
After seeing the eye-popping prices (my appetizer was $19 and entree $38) I was hoping I would not be disappointed. I wasn't. The side-striped prawn stuffed morels were the perfect appetizer, and a generous sized one at that. It could have been my meal. I opted for the roasted chicken for an entree, as I do not eat meat and the wonderful-sounding halibut dish had fois gras in it (non meat-eater's beware!).
My dining companion had the cod, and it was absolutely superb. We finished things off with the chocolate desert (done three ways), which was also wonderful. We didn't drink, as we saved our money for the food instead. Their wine list looked amazing, though very pricey.
Service was top notch - very friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Truly a five star experience all around.
I love the food in this place, though it is very small, cramped and noisy. Still, if you can put up with this, head on in. Be sure to try the tacos, which are so unlike anything esle I've ever had named a taco I hate to even use the word. You get your choice of a couple different types, and I loved the halibut and chicken versions. I also love the chicken tortilla soup, though it might have a little too much of a bite for some tastes. They also have excellent specials.
A far cry from the "refried beans and vinyl-like cheese glop" that dominates so many other Mexican restaurants!
I'm not sure what appeals to people about this restaurant, though it does have a cool, funky atmosphere and the prices are very good. Service was excellent as well. Still, I found almost everything quite bland - the potatoes and rice were very plain, with no lemon flavor and no sign of any seasoning at all. The halibut soulvakia consisted of nice, fresh fish properly cooked, but yet again with very little flavoring and definitely not marinated at all. My friend's lamb was excellent, very tender and tasty. Too bad the sides were so plain.
I also had the artichoke pizza, and like everything else I had here, it too was very bland. The thin crust was no big deal. I prefer Apollonia on Fir Street, by the way.
