cocoeatervancouverSince February 16, 2007288 Reviews
(2.9)- Food
(3) - Service (3.1)
- Value
(2.6) - Ambiance (2.7)
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(2.9) (3) (3.1) (2.6) (2.7)Checked out their new Kits location during the week. Restaurant is quite large with upstairs and a back area. On this weeknight, the front area was full but the remainder of the restaurant was empty. Tried their grand fest which is a few grilled items such as prawns - good, lamb - good and chicken - avg. Also Najib's special - great and a some dips - pretty standard. Then ordered off the menu and tried the lamb belly - very good with lentils, grilled octopus - good but a bit on the small side and their mince lamb - just all right. The only sub par item was actually their pita bread, it was very had and seemed almost day old. You would think they can get or make better bread. Grand fest was $50 which should feed 2-3 people, other mains in the teens. They added the standard tip which I don't like as we had 8 people. Service was good and also a good selection of wine. Overall, a great addtion to the area. Would return.
Went to have some food and drinks on the patio on a weeknight. Very busy but able to get a table outside, probably one of better patios in Vancouver. A review of the menu indicates they have changed some if the items. The fish tacos now come a la carte at $4 per order versus the previous 3 tacos with rice and beans. They also changed the tacos by replacing the corn tortillas with flour. The breading on the fish was also a bit thicker. Overall not as good. The tuna poke (cost in the low teens) was also a failure, small portion with unripe avocado. Chips were served in a big pasta bowl, unappealing. Service was solid but overall the food has gone downhill.
This restaurant is located across from the Price Smart in the same strip mall as Nandos. Lots of parking so ideal versus many other richmond restaurant locactions. Nice ambiance with table cloths and a more quiet setting versus your typical dim sum restaurant. Had the XLB's and they were very good, spicy wontons - good, daikon pastry - not as flacky as Shanghai River, steamed veggies dumplinig - very good but big, chive and shrimp dumpling - nice with some egg inside. Overall a great experience with good service. Value is about the same at about $12-$15 per person for dim sum. Would return.
Went out on a friday night to visit this greek restaurant and seems like your good neighbourhood family run greek restaurant. Most areas need a place like this. Was very busy with locals but made reservations so seated right away. The restaurant is in your typical surrey strip mall, nothing exciting and the decor matches. Doesn't look like they have had any renos in a decade or more, typicaly 90's style. Started off with the calamari and very good. Then had the roasted lamb shoulder. Very good, tender and a bit on the fatty side but expected wtih the shoulder. Came with your normal greek salad, rice and potato. Tried some of their desserts, cheesecake - average and tiramsasu - a a bit bland. Service was excellent with a waitress that really seemed to enjoy her job. Prices were in the low teens for the appyes and high teens for the entrees. Would return.
Been to the Nuba in DT a few times so wanted to try this location on Hastings in the Waldorf Hotel. Seems like each place has their own vibe as this location is nice and bright/open. Seating is mostly in the front area as the tables in the back were not set up for dinner service. The menu is a bit different than the one DT and had a special Argentine menu as well due to a visiting chef. Tried the little feast which had a few dips including hummus - good but a bit on the bland side, eggplant dip - very good. Had the fried califlower (najib's special) - very good, lamb stew - very good over brown rice, sable fish - very nice over quinoa. Overall a good food and service was very good. Great place for lunch but for a special dinner, would rather go downtown as it's a bit more intimate and the menu a bit more extensive. Prices were fair with the dip platter in the mid teens and the entrees in the high teens, low $20's.
Visited Novo on a Friday night and it was busy with people having dinner before going to see a movie next door. Res made so not a problem getting a table. Great space, open and bright. Tried the meatballs and Caprese salad, both pretty good. They are suppose to be known for their pizzas and ordered a few including the italian ham and arugula - just average as they were light on the toppings, a plain cheese pizza and a artichoke pizza. Thin crust in the middle but very thick and chewy near the edges. They are a bit behind many of the other newer pizza places in terms of crust. Service was very good. Prices are are on the high side considering it's just pizza. Would come back to try the pastas, but go somewhere else for pizza.
Came here on a Friday before 6pm and still had to wait an hour. Good thing it was not raining but I think the place is a victim of it's own success since opening in late March. The restaurant is small so capacity is reached quickly. With the line up outside, service and food is a bit rushed. Tried the mozza and tomato salad, was all right but could easily been made at home with store bought ingredients. Tried the arugula and ham pizza which is good, a bit on the wet side which I don't mind. Also the sausage pizza, a bit on the salty side. You had to cut the pizzas yourself which is a bit of a hassle, they explained some sort of reason. Prices are around $15 for the pizzas which is a bit on the high side. Overall, many other new pizza places, going to try so no need to come back and wait in line.
Came early on a Sat night and they were not that full, only a few tables. Tried 2 of their dips with Pita and the Hummus was really good. They have the usual Greek fare but tried their special that night, lamb shank. Pretty standard which is good and came with usual sides. Tried a piece of the souvlaki and it was good as well. Service was quick and efficient, place is fairly bright and understand they have greek nights with music and dancing once a month. Overall, not bad.
Went here on a Canucks game night and they have 2 TV's that can be viewed from the bar and lounge area. Not big screens but does the job. Sat in a comfy booth which faces the bar/TV's. Nice selection of mixed drinks and about 2 dozen wine selection. Most wines were priced fair in the $30-50 range. Tried the calamari - very good, pizza - the mushroom was good but the sausage pizza was a bit undercooked with the dough not fully cooked, roast pork - very good, bison - a bit overdone. Prices seem pretty fair at the high teens for the mains. Service was excellent with plate changes and clearing. Would come back.
Walked by looking for a place for breakfast and saw they open early at 7am. Used to be a Mexican restaurant on the coner of Comm and 5th. Now it's more of a diner like restaurant with live music at night. Sat at the bar as the place was pretty full at 11am, ignored at first as it seems like the bar is nobody's area. They have half and full bennies which is a good option plus you can mix and match for the same price. Full bennies are $11. Had the shrimp and avocado, which was good but I think Zen makes it better. Also the spinach and ham which was good. Great coffee, surprised as normally I expect diners to have watered down coffee, but this was really good. Diner like so ambiance is just OK, overall would come back for breakfast.
Seen it on DDD (Food Network) and had to try the Porchetta sandwich. It's only open for lunch and across the street from Victory Square on Hastings. Simple menu with 3-4 sandwiches, soup and salad. You line up at the far end of the counter and sandwiches are made to order. The Porchetta is sliced from a large rolled up roast and mixed with some coarse salt along with some of the crackling. On a Ciabatta bun. It was great, nice and juicy with a bit of a crunch due to the skin. Cost is $8. Had the chick pea salad ($4) and it was really good as well. Great old meat/deli atmosphere but get here before noon or the line up is out the door with no seating. Great speedy service when the line up is not too long. Will be back.
I guess trying to move Hapa upscale with the Umi concept did not work as this has changed to a format similar to the other Hapa's. Not the same as the menu is scaled back and does not have the sampler menu as the Yaletown location where you can pick 3 items for $12. Also they do not have the $3 beer specials during Canuck game nights. Sat at the lounge to watch the Canucks game and they were good enough to have the audio on. Tried the salmon and tuna sashimi and it was very good, yaki soba - very good, cali negitoro and real crab rolls were also very good, seafood rissotto - good. The only failed dish was the ebi mayo as the mayo was already mixed on the prawns making them very soggy. Nice mixed cocktails with their versions of many classics including the mojito and ceasars. Pricing for the sashimi is in fair at $8-$10 with the rolls being from $4 - $12 depending on the ingredients. Hot dishes were in the mid teens. Service was very good with plate changes and drinks replaced quickly. Lounge is a great place to have a drink and watch a game. Can't comment on the table area, nice wraparound bar. Would probably go to the Yaletown location to watch a game as it seems to be a bit more game friendly.
Went to the Yaletown Hapa for some food before the Canucks game. They open at 5pm so lots of time. The menu included a sampler where you chose 3 items from a list of approx. a dozen. Actually tried 6 items including - beef sashimi - very good, tuna carpaccio - good, ebi mayo - bad as it was not crispy, gyoza - good twist on this, crab cake - very good. Then tried their spicy scallop roll which was not very good. On the outside of the rice, they put some sort of puffed wheat or rice which had a stale taste to it. Also tried their Isiyaki Ramen which is a dry ramen cooked in their stone bowl and tossed with some Korean style sauce. It tasted like a Mr. Noodles in some spicy sauce, we did not finish this. Service was good as there were not too many people and place is very nice. Would return but not order those items. Price is reasonable with the appy taster at $12.
This place is located in the Int'l Marketplace, the mall across from T&T where the Theatres are. Quite a small pub with some limited outdoor seating. Came in a bit after 5pm before a Canucks game and they were almost full. Daily drink specials which were quite good, but limited numbers of beers on tap (2). Tried the soft tacos (short ribs) - comes in 3's and good but maybe should have some lime wedges on the side, nachos with pulled pork - good amount of pork, chicken wings - nice and spicy. Prices were in the teens so a bit on the high side but food was good overall. Service was great with quick food turnaround and glasses were never empty. Lots of TV's so a good place to catch a game as well if you can get a table. Would return.
Newly opened (about 2 months) Oyster Bar in Kits, on Yew, 2-3 blocks up from Kits Beach. Went here on a weekend and arrived early as they have a daily oyster special from 4-7pm. Good thing as the bigger tables fill up fast. They had the Fanny Bays for $1.50 and it was very good. Comes with 3 types of sauces plus your usual hot sauce. The restaurant has a nice open feel about it and divided into the lower area where the open kitchen is and the upper area where the bar and oyster bar is. Bar seating is available and probably for 2 people, the preferred spots. The waiters/managers running the place seemed familiar as they all worked at Rodney's. Also tried the pan fried oysters - very good, fried okra - good, steamed mussels with andouille sausage - very good, grits - just Ok, fried chicken - very juicy and a bit on the sweet side, and jambalaya - average. Overaall the appies/mains/sides were very good, a nice selection done very well. We then tried all 3 desserts, bread pudding - good, chocolate cake - good but the best were the beinets (creole style donuts) which came with a caramel/coffee sauce. They were the best. Service was very friendly but at times hectic as the restaurant is very busy. Prices are resonable with the mains in the mid to high teens, oysters (non special) at $3 each, desserts at about $6-7. Would come back for sure.
Tried this place when it was the Transcontinental but first time at the revamped Rogue. Nice and more comfortable setting, less stuffy. Sat at the lounge which was very nice with high top tables and comfy chairs. Started with the calamari, pretty average with a smaller than expected portion size. Then went for the Grilled Tuna salad, very good with a soft boiled egg and nice caper dressing. A nice portion. Service was quick and friendly which is what you want during lunch. Great room with high ceilings and would come back to check out the dinner atmosphere.
Went by this place before a Canucks game. Located just by BC Place on the Yaletown side. No other restaurants in the immediate area so gave it a try. Ordered the tuna and salmon sashimi. Tuna was cut pretty big and was very good. Salmon (farmed) was cut in long slices and was just average. Had the sunomono salad and was good but could be a bit more vinegary. The chopped scallop roll was very good as well as the Alaska roll. Overall a half decent place with average prices (about $5 for regular rolls and $8+ for their special rolls). Service was fast and efficient. Small place with just basic decoration. Would come back.
Came here to try their famous brunch on the weekend and ended up at the counter as the restaurant was pretty full just before noon. The restaurant is long and narrow and seems like a very busy spot for brunch as there was a constant line up. Had the turkey sandwich which was just average, liked the guac in it but could of used bacon. Tried the soup (celery) and it was bland and over peppery. Prices were in the $10 range. Service was pretty good but they were a bit understaffed. Overall, wouldn't come back if I had to wait.
Went here last Friday for a group X-mas lunch, first time. It's on the 2nd floor, just above the Cactus Club on Robson St. The place was full due to many X-mas lunch parties. First thing I noticed was how loud it was, where you can't even hear the person sitting across from you. My ears were actually hurting and I would say it's much louder than at a popular Chinese restaurant during Dim Sum on Saturdays. The server did not mention the daily specials or maybe she did and I didn't hear her. I shared the cold appy platter - nice with several different veggies, mussels etc. Then the veal for the main dish - just average and not well put together. Came with risotto which was pretty bad, was not very creamy and was more like a bad rice pilaf at a greek restaurant. Price was a bit high, just under $20. My companions had the pasta and they looked good and they were large portions. Many couldn't finish so why don't they cut the size a bit and also the price as they were approx. $16. Overall I may try again to give them another chance but first experience was not good.
Tried this place for lunch and at first the restaurant looks pretty good with new carpets, TV's and very bright. Upon further inspection, the place is not well kept as the tableclothes have old food stuck on it as they don't seem to change them after meal or even after a day. Extensive menu mainly of greek food plus your pasta and pizza. Had the lamb souvlaki which was just Ok, the skewer of meat was quite small, meat was average, good greek salad and average rice. Not a bad price for $9 but would rather go across the street and have the kabobs at the Persian restaurant (twice the meat at about he same price). Companion had the french onion soup and said it was bad, too salty and not warm enough, also the mixed salad was pretty plain. Servcie was average but the wait time was a bit long for lunch. Overall, don't come here.
