(2.9)- Food
(2.9) - Service
(2.7) - Ambiance (2.6)
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(2.9) (2.9) (2.7) (2.6)Perhaps I went on an off night. My party ordered a platter which offered a sampling of several dishes. Meat was dry and the deep fried taters encircling the plate were greasy. I recall looking out the window and thinking dang, if only I'd gone to Kalamata across the street, all would be right in the universe. I have to admit though, the other diners seemed to be enthusiastically enjoying sitting on the floor. Cushions on the floor are fine in my books but they didn't make up for bad food.
This is one of the only places to get a bowl of pho in the downtown core. The rub is that they only server chicken pho in strip and ball formats. On my first visit I was not overly impressed with the chicken but appreciated the broth which didn't seem to be so msg intensive as pho customarily is. This last visit sidelined me for 45 minutes as I had to wait for the storm in my stomach to calm. Needless to say, there will not be a return trip to try their sandwiches.
I had the BeeBeem Bab, a bowl of rice with assorted vegetables, beef, and Korean chili paste. It appears they make their chili paste from scratch as it has a whipped texture unlike the bottled variety. They definitely give you a fair amount of it too. Although this dish was good I found it to be a little insufficient for a large appetite. Will definitely be back to try the fried chicken, soups, and dumplings.
Not a whole lot of shredded pork on my sandwich at Dix the other night. Disappointedly realised that most of what appeared to be meat was in fact onions covered in goupy bbq sauce. This state of affairs was worsened by a huge bun most disproportionate for such a quantity of meat.
Visited the Tomato Cafe twice in the last couple weeks.
First occasion was lunch. Enjoyed their rotisserie chicken sandwich served on a fresh baguette. Portion was large and ingredients top notch. Dill potato salad on the side a worthy accompaniment. Service was excellent. Our waiter knew how to work an eclectic group and lubed our wallets with fresh baked cookies on the house.
Unfortunately the return trip would not equal the first. Experienced indifferent service and was left totally unsatiated with the ridiculously skimpy portion of their belgian waffles. Thankfully i was able to play garbeurator on a fellow diner's leftovers.
Japanese proprietors, home-made wasabi, fresh fish, slightly warm rice, excellent cones. Worth snaking your way into cramped quarters anyday. A definite repeat offender.
Food was standard pub junk that suited our lowered culinary expectations. How could you expect anything less? Unexpected was our waitress, who despite her efficiency, left the foul taste of bitchiness on our palates. Why she insisted on maintaining the restaurant didn't have wings on the menu and never did, when it was the only snack we ate in the establishment during our previous visit was odd. Adding unordered drinks to our bill was stranger yet. Sure we were all a little inebriated, but when we brought the issue up in a polite, respectful manner, she disparagingly said, " well, yeah, you drank a lot" and walked away. Apparently dealing with any inquiries into a possible mistake on our bill was beyond her capabilities.
Opportune time to let $$$ do the talking. !No teep [sic] for you!
I had the Harlo burger which sports a beef pork combo patty. Burger was tender n' juicy, just like it should be for 13 benjamins. Fries were just right. Harlo's relaxing cozy atmosphere is a delightful spot to focus on your platter. it's is the white spot for yuppies.
In the old country some still use stone as a unit of weight in lieu of pounds and kilograms. I wonder how many stone my mushroom burger would have weighed in at. Speaking of stones... it was the hardest, dryest piece of flesh between a bun I have ever experienced.
I'm sure other items on the menu are worthwhile, but the value seems to be low. The Heroic Stout and natural coal harbour light shiining through the window helped salvage the visit somewhat.
Garlic and regular naan were toasted to perfection, basmati rice fluffly and light. Enjoyed the beef curry and saag lamb. Was there on a quiet Monday night. Apparently this place goes off late week and weekends. Not much ambiance in their small dining room, but I love the view of the urban motel across the street.
Tanpopo was one of the city's first Japanese restaurants to jump on the all you can eat bandwagon. I have decade old memories of wrapping uneaten maki in napkins, smuggling it into the bathroom and returning what came from the sea back to the sea via the vancouver sewer system. What can I say. Wasteful youths we were. Eventually I grew older and perhaps wiser and stopped frquenting the joint as quality eventually took a nosedive. My interest in Tanpopo has been renewed after a recent lunch. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this has to be the only all you can eat sushi joint that not only has no limits on the amount of sashimi you order, but actually serves up wild salmon. If you're sick of the jelly pudding jiggly, striated fat wearing, flavour, deficient distant mutated relative that is farmed salmon, I recommend you give T-popo a try. Lunch is only 12 bucks. Hot Dang!
Snnnnzzzzzz...oh....PTL's broth is a departure from most in town giving their pho a distinctive taste advantage. Their beef and other assorted innards are more tender as well. Now if only I didn't knock me out for the count, I would visit more often. MSG being primo suspecto numero uno.
Our party of 5 thoroughly enjoyed our visit to one of the city's newest izakaya restaurants. We went 360 degrees around the wheel of protein on this occasion. Everything from tofu, heart, gizzard, tongue, and pork jowls were enthusiastically consumed.
The service on a rather slow Tuesday was superb. Our waiter was surprisingly attentive, bringing water on multiple occasions as soon as we bowed out of alcoholic indulgences one by one. Nice work. Even broke with routine and had dessert. Sesame seed creme brule and macha cheesecake capped the meal proper.
Ordered chef Tojo's special combo. You don't choose the items, just a price point and off you go. I've never eaten cooked fish as perfect as the black cod that arrived at our table.
My only complaint with the dining experience was that I expected a sampling of many different flavors. Most cooked dishes we recieved came with savory mushrooms, however, they lost their lustre round after round. The overall quality is exceptional however. Next time I will order a la carte.
$2.75 a dish for hot chinese snacks. Whadda bargain. Will return.
Lunch specials hover around the 7- 10 dollar range and come with a salad to boot. It's a fantastic deal for lunch in the robson zone. Will be back to quell green curry cravings soon.
Dumpling lovers should unite and hit Long's for pork dumplings (tsui lam baus) that explode savory broth shrapnel in your mouth. Good times indeed. I recommend trying the drunken chicken, tan tan noodles, and spicy soy soup with chinese donuts.
Anyone who gives Vera's 5 starts is on crack.
People who have slammed it have obviously had a shitty experience there. Fair enough. That's the whole concept. People shouldn't have to have visited an establishment multiple times to leave a review here. Whether someone has a great experience or a nightmare, I want to read about it. We're not pro critics. Personally, I've had maybe 4 burgers there. Three were okay, fairly tasty in fact. Unfortunately the last burger I had was so lacklustre that I've lost the desire to return. That's just the way my taste buds operate.
Cafe D'lite offers up some savory malaysian treats on the west side in a serious hole in the wall setting. Try their Hainanese Chicken Rice for $6.50 with soup on the side. The chicken is free range. Curry beef brisket and laksa are tasty too.
On weekends the Tsui Hang transforms into a Vegas style shit show, replete with reality show dating candidates, post clubbing chauchis and their trollops, cops, and gangsters. The service staff is trained to remain calm and are unable to react in a negative fashion to obnoxious, ethanol-fuelled behavior. Most zen-like if you ask me. They serve up Whitey's favorite classic 'chinese' dishes. Sweet n' sour pork, lemon chicken, beef and broccoli. The pork is quite tasty actually...not breaded and the sauce will leave it sticking to your ribs just like grandma's oatmeal. Try the cold tea to get even more sloshed after a night out on the pish. It came in 2 varieties last time I checked. And you just gotta love how they ring it up on the bill: Tea (Hein) for Heineken and Tea (KOK) for Kokanee. If you're ever in a jam for a 6 pack late-night, roll by their side window and order the cold tea to go. Impresses the ladies every time.
