NormanVancouver EastSince December 23, 200566 Reviews
(2.7)- Food
(2.7) - Service
(2.8) - Value (3.2)
- Ambiance (2.7)
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(2.7) (2.7) (2.8) (3.2) (2.7)Are they called buspersons now? Anyway, I see no reason to pay $75.00 per person for a meal and sit with an empty water glass. They came and asked for drink orders frequently, but apparently didn't think to bring a pitcher of water with them. (I'm saying "them" in order not to identify the server.) I had the prime rib, which was very good as usual, but I have never had it served with no jus before. It seemed a little dry as a result. I find the various Keg restaurants are not consistent in service, which is odd, because I understand that the owner is concerned about these things.
I went there again recently to find that the sandwich prices have gone up, but the sandwiches have gone down. $6.10 for a "bacon and brie" sandwich that had no discernable brie and very little bacon. The bread was good. Apparently they no longer make sandwiches to order, but will put one on the grill. The drink cooler is gone. So now it's basically a semi-cafeteria, I guess. I'm not faulting the baked goods, just the cafe aspect.
I hadn't been there for quite a while, so when I did go, I was afraid they might have lowered their standards. I am happy to report they have not. Certain other bakeries I buy from have started to substitute oil-based products for real butter, probably thinking the customers won't notice. Believe me, we notice. The Bon Ton has the best, most buttery confections in the city. I congratulate them for putting taste first. No, I wouldn't go there every day, but when i want somehting special, this is the place.
I agree that the music is too loud. I don't see why, it's not a pub. The food: I had the onion soup, which was rather bland. There was lots of bread and very little cheese, which tasted "Canadian". Not good value for $10.00. After that I had the bratwurst, which was tasty, but $20.00 for bratwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes? The service was adequate, but not what I would call attentive. This place is a solid 3 stars, no more.
Because this place is brand new, I don't want to be unkind, but I do want to be honest. It's bright, almost harsh, with white tables and light walls, but that has the effect of looking really clean. They have linen napkins, a nice touch, and the staff are very nicely dressed and very friendly. The menu is simple, appetizers and pizza, no pasta. The wines are marked up somewhat excessively in my opinion. I'd like to see an honest red house wine served in carafes. There were actually more staff than needed, which means very attentive service. It wouldn't hurt to teach them how to pronounce the Italian names of the pizzas, though. Now to the pizzas - the toppings were delicious, the sauce is delicious, but the crust was tough and in my opinion, the pizza should have been left in the oven just a little longer. The edges of a pizza cooked in a wood oven should be crisp, with just a hint of char. These were slightly undercooked. The prices of the pizzas, mostly in the $17+ range, should guarantee a superior product. Overall, a very nice addition to the neighbourhood, with a few details to be worked on.
This was my favourite place for shwarma, but since the older people have left, it seems that portion control has taken over. There is less chicken and less taste. They used to have a really tangy taste I couldn't find anywhere else, but now they taste just like everbody else's. Lots more lettuce it seems, and less of everthing else. It's still OK, just not like it was.
I was taken for my birthday, so I wasn't paying the bill, but I will go back when I am paying. The meal was excellent, the service was very good and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. You must bear in mind that it is relatively small and crowded and somewhat noisy, but it is a bistro. It is hard to believe that it is so busy on any weeknight. It goes to show that Vancouverites do appreciate good food at a fair price.
I went with some friends out of the blue. I had never heard of this place before, but the sign said salmon, so we went in. The service was prompt and friendly, the meals were absolutely perfect - salmon and vegetables done just right, and the price was right. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I will go back anytime.
THis pla is busy, at least at lunch. I had a burger combo, very fairly priced at around $11.00. It came ith chips (real one, done right) and a drink, and I have no complaints whatsoever. There were three of us, we all had different things, and we all said we would go back anytime. The service style is a bit unusual - there's a big notice at the cashier saying if you don't want BBQ sauce, tell us, so I guess it's automatically put on if you don't. You pay at the cash, wait a bit until they call your name, then go up and tell them what you want (tomatoes, pickes, sauce,etc.) then they call you when it's ready. It was a bit hard to figure out, so I askd the cashier how it works. I had a very good time.
Because it's in Yaletown I thought there might be something a little more special about the place. Our table was along a row of tables, no view, no real decor or special touches to notice, The place is not quite as "classy" as I expected. The food and drinks were very good, large portions, but the server apparently had no training. She kept reaching in front of us to pick up and put things down, although there was certainly room for her to do it properly. I don't know about other people, but that really annoys me when I'm trying to have a conversation. We have a waiter/waitress course here at VCC, so maybe management at the Keg should hire from there or "audition" the staff before they are hired.
I've been here several times, so the consistently slow service is just something I expect. The food, though, is variable. It really depends on who is cooking. Right now they have a cook who frankly isn't very good. In the past, they have had some who know what they are doing and you get a good meal. I had a dish there not long ago that was so salty I thought they might be trying to make the customers thirsty to sell more drinks. The crowd can be iffy, but that's the Drive. Last time there was someone who made so many negative comments about what I was eating she is lucky I didn't let her have a sample by air mail.
First, the negative, just to get it out of the way: This is a rough neighbourhood, and you will probably meet some interesting characters on the way. I spend quite a bit of time in the area, and I can say I have never felt uncomfortable, much less in any danger. Now the positive: The barbeque here is excellent, they do charcoal grilling just outside. Yes, real charcoal. Staff from some places that call themselves barbeque specialists should come here to see how it is done. They also brew beer on the premises, and it is very good, indeed. The prices are very very good. I have eaten here twice, and I plan to bring friends who think that they know BBQ.
Given that there aren't many places to go in Edgemont, it's pretty good. Pluses: food is good, well presented and fairly priced. Minuses: the winelist is wierd, with a lot of wines I have never even heard of, and I am fairly experienced. The markup on the wine is WAY too high for a neighbourhood restaurant. It might be a good idea to mention the prices when listing the specials. We were a little surprised when the bill came. I would skip dessert, I doubt they are made in-house.
I agree with the other review. I have found that very occasionally the pastries are not fresh. When they are, they are excellent. I love the gateau basque, the napoleon et josephine, the eclairs, but I want them fresh. Obviously everything is made on the premises, you can see them working. They make some very elaborate and rich pastries.
I am guessing that the servers get a commission on the drinks. Before we had even taken off our jackets, there she was asking for drink orders. I said not right now, but less than a minute later there she was again with "I saw you looking at the wine menu". Yes, I was, and I was not delighted with the prices. The food was exactly what we ordered. By that I mean exactly, and no more. Don't expect any garnish or extras of any kind. And this may sound politically incorrect, but isn't it kind of demeaning to have your female wait staff act like bimbos? I thought we had gotten past that.
I was very impressed by the freshness and quality of the food here. I would have been happy if I had just ordered the chowder, it was so good. I had a burger, and I have nothing to criticize there, either. The server was friendly and efficient as well. I will go again the next time I'm in North Vancouver.
I had just discovered this place and ate there twice before it was featured in the West Ender. Now I'll have to fight may way through the crowd, I guess. Everything in that review was accurate. This is a place that does a very good diner-type of food very well. The value is unbelievable. You will definitely not leave hungry, and you won't be fed frozen anything.
I went back recently, and it will be my last expensive meal there. I had the "tower" of crab, avocado and tuna. It had an extremely hot sauce drizzled around it (I am thankful it wasn't mixed in) that is absolutely inappropriate for a delicately-flavoured dish. My main, scallops and prawns, had awful vegetables. Tough green beans and cauliflower (one floweret) that was also undercooked, and mashed potatoes! Can't they find the time to steam some small whole potatoes or do something with a little more style? They do the seafood well, but the value is not there. I also want to point out that their "open" wines by the glass or carafe is a dreadful selection of 5 or 6. I had a nasty Sauvignon blanc that I would not serve at home. The cost for an appetized, a main and a half litre of domestic plonk (for one person) was $70.00. In addition, the racket coming from the kitchen was really loud. It isn't a diner, guys.
I finally went after hearing so much. It was COLD being right on the water. The lineup wasn't too long, but it still took a while to get to the counter. The prices are quite high, especially considering they have almost no overhead (it's basically a kind of shack with some deep fryers). The fish was excellent, cooked perfectly and a good-sized portion. The chips, opn the other hand, were overcooked and small. There were lots of them, but that doesn't make up for being overcooked.
I guess I must have been wearing my cloak of invisiblity and didn't know it. Usually I only have it on when I'm trying to get service in department stores. I went to The Keg on Thurlow at 5:30PM July 20 for an early dinner. I don't usually eat so early, but I was hungry and I felt like a nice meal. I went in and there was no-one at the desk, so I waited. A young woman came to the area and wrote something on a blackboard(?) near the desk, walked around to the desk, but said absolutely nothing. What am I supposed to do, wave at her? It wasn't as if I wasn't dressed appropriately or hadn't bathed. I waited to be acknowledged, but nothing. I was the only person there, so it couldn't be that I didn't stand out from the crowd. So I left. Maybe they should put a bell on the counter. I'm not going to beg for attention so I can buy a thirty dollar steak, people.
