nyoungVancouverSince May 21, 200820 Reviews
(2.9)- Food
(3.2) - Service (3.2)
- Value
(2.6) - Ambiance (2.8)
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(2.9) (3.2) (3.2) (2.6) (2.8)Good, solid food. Not any more expensive or cheaper than Sushi Town or Sushi Garden. Food is of similar fare, though their alaska roll cannot compare to Sushi Town's. They have a couple more interesting like their Firecracker Roll...quite tasty.
What really sets it apart from Sushi Town/Garden is the service - girls speak english well and are very attentive and friendly. Can't say that about Sushi Town at all... Nice little place to go to but unfortunately I will have to go back to ST for their alaska roll.
After hearing someone in the family of the famed Phnom Penh opened up this place, we had to go try it.
A couple dishes from PP are also available here. We had the beef carpaccio and the chicken wings - both great as usual. Also had the Singaporean teriyaki on rice - delicious! Food is tapas style but the portions are still enough to make you full without having to order 10 dishes. Price isn't particularly expensive or cheap.
Good atmosphere - well designed interiors with tons of TVs. Service was friendly and quick but maybe that's because we sat at the bar. It was packed for a hockey game so not sure if the other tables got the same quick service.
Will return another day!
Food - had calamari to start which was very unimpressive. I prefer my calamari in small chunks, battered and fried - this was long chunks, very very lightly battered and fried. It got soggy quickly and I didn't enjoy chewing through large rubbery chunks of squid. He had the rigatoni vitello (veal cheeks) which was very tasty and light, though a touch salty. I had the lobster tagliatelle which came in a larger-than-normal portion. Was also quite flavourful, liberal with the lobster, but a bit heavy with the cream sauce.
Service - very sweet girl who was very attentive and knowledgeable. Very friendly and talkative.
Value - wasn't bad. The pasta was good value but the calamari was not. Next time will try the share platter which, at $20 pp, is very popular as people all around us were ordering it.
Ambiance - absolutely did not enjoy how crowded it was. We were literally 6 inches from the table on the right, and 1 foot from the table on the left. Hated it! Couldn't hear half of what he was saying and just felt like I was sharing my dining experience with two other couples.
Went here for dessert last night - absolutely wonderful time!
Had the apricot panna cotta (with honey gratin, and pistachio macaron) and fondant cake (pumpkin chocolate cake with a caramel? ice cream and toffee bits & brittle). SO delicious. For the panna cotta, it was perfectly sweet, because of natural flavours like the fruit and the honey. The macaron was melt-in-your-mouth! For the fondant, the pumpkin was very subtle and not overpowering, which I was afraid of. All the elements just worked together very well in one spoonful.
The service was top-notch, very attentive, friendly, and he felt like he was pleasant because he is naturally, not because he was doing it for the job.
Value - a bit more expensive than I'd like but I didn't mind because there was so much care and attention in the food flavours and then also the service.
Ambiance was warm and cozy, tables set not too close together.
I've always enjoyed Ethiopian food but my last experience at a certain restaurant had me disappointed. My sister found this place and my family went there for Christmas Eve dinner, which the owners very nicely stayed open just for us. The food was DELICIOUS and tasty, and very memorable. The prices were reasonable and the owners (seems like husband and wife team) were friendly and chatted to us about the food. Will definitely go back one day.
Used a groupon - maybe that was my first mistake. They obviously couldn't handle the wave of new business. I bought the coupon because I had a good experience before... but not this time.
Right from the start the service was slow and confusing. We stood at the door waiting to be seated but could see the servers delivering orders instead of acknowledging us. I finally asked, "Do we sit down wherever we want?" because I saw an empty table and she said "...No..." so we continued to stand there.
We ordered and started the waiting process. We could see other tables that were without food and the people looking bored, implying they'd been waiting a while. It took more than half an hour to get our main entrees (we didn't order any appies, but we did get a starter lentil salad) and my boyfriend's eyes bulged at how small the portions were, especially for that price. Meat was very very overcooked. My boyfriend wanted to dig in but I told him to wait for the wraps/bread... we waited and waited and watched our plate of wraps go to another table.
The bill was the real kicker. I was only planning on tipping MINIMAL for their slow and clueless service but they had already INCLUDED 15% tip, for TWO people - is that even allowed?? I was peeved but didn't want to waste my breath arguing - their english isn't very good. How can you charge so much tip when your service was terrible and the food only mediocre??
Went for a group lunch on a Sunday. Somewhat sparse considering they have a brunch offering.
Food - their food wasn't amazing but just okay for such a nice restaurant. Ahi tuna appy was super yummy but everything else wasn't memorable at all. Miso-crusted halibut had potato wedges so overcooked they were actually pointy in my mouth. Fish itself was also overcooked.
Service - great from our servers, but had long wait times for our food.
Value - seems pretty expensive.
Ambiance - pretty nice place, location, decor.
Food:
Pad thai was good - noodles weren't mushy and held together nicely. Chicken in peanut butter sauce was good. Beef in sauteed basil wasn't though, and beef was horribly overcooked.
Service:
Had a trainee who was really quite green, but I guess that can't be blamed. Was a bit confusing because we were served by three different servers.
Value:
While I had a groupon, the value of their regular price was not very good. Similar fare can be found at other Thai restaurants for less. Many of their dishes were really up there in price. The pad thai and chicken dishes were fair portions but the beef wasn't that big.
Ambiance:
TERRIBLY crowded, I'm surprised the waiters can get around without spilling anything. Our table was literally RIGHT next to the door - so cold.
I'm basing this only on DOV experience.
Value for $18 is great - I've had similar fare from $28 and $38 places. The food is, for the most part, of good quality and well prepared. The desserts definitely could be improved, but appy and main were good. I looked at the regular menu and the prices seemed a bit steep but it is a golf club at UBC.
Our particular waitress was really friendly and nice, but the other random people who would bring us food or take plates were not as experienced/nice.
We've been here twice for DOV as it really is good value for $18. Otherwise, can't say.
They have a variety of dishes that are meant for sharing, and all are fairly interesting combinations. Tempura bacon with aioli; watermelon salad with goat cheese, olives, & mint; buttermilk battered chicken with cheese waffles were the memorable ones.
The chicken was a deep fried drumstick and thigh, but it looked pink inside. The waitress (not even our server) took it back immediately and apologized profusely. She came back to say they would fix it. Our actual server came by to apologize too and say that we'd be getting a new one + more. The MANAGER even came by to say how he was embarrassed, and explain that it can happen when cooking chicken on bone, but he wasn't trying to make excuses. To be honest, I think it was actually safe to eat and he probably knew that too, but they bent over backwards to make it up to us.
They sent it back out but with BIGGER pieces and instead of drum/thigh, they gave us two breasts, and extra waffles. Not to mention they ended up putting three of our most expensive dishes ON THE HOUSE! leaving us with very little to pay.
In that sense, value was incredible for what we paid, but otherwise, the portions were a tad small. Still, it is a lounge in a fancy hotel, so it's expected. We'll be going back for the service and unique flavours and combinations.
Saw that for DOV you could order anything off their regular menu, and after looking through their delicious menu on their website, it seemed like a good deal. After arriving, I found their menu to be different AND limited. Normally, a $38 DOV means you get a deal, but here we'd only be saving about $5 at most.
After getting over that disappointment, we opted for just getting an entree each. Granted, the food was good (interesting combinations, well prepared), but just extremely small portions. EXTREMELY small! We were just further disappointed.
The place is so run-down looking I don't know how they think they're worthy of a $38 DOV. The people were very very nice, but that can't make up for the rest of the experience. We spent the rest of our money that was going to go towards the DOV on bowling and bubble tea.
Went for V-day with the bf. I had decently high expectations of it since it was such a fancy restaurant and had good reviews, but it was really only standard. I had a NY steak for $27 - I felt the sides were lacking and that I could've had the same meal at another restaurant for $18.
Bf had the mango halibut which didn't seem to meld the flavours together very well. Halibut was like a soggy fried fish filet, not much flavour. I was really disappointed with the herb & mushroom "risotto". Maybe I'm wrong, but it was way more like rice than risotto (I've had risotto before).
The carrot ginger soup starter was pretty interesting, but not for the $7 price tag for the amount given. I'm not trying to be cheap, I'm not expecting the best deal in town, but it was practically only 2/3 of a cup.
Won't be going again. Not to mention it was nighttime when we went so there was no view (I guess that's our own fault).
Food: We loved the (free) focaccia bread... we tend to enjoy restaurants a lot more if their bread is delicious! Chicken linguine was sizable and tasty. Mushroom risotto a bit on the small side, but had good flavours. Dessert bar included, and not the BEST desserts in the world, still pretty good.
Service: Very prompt and friendly. When he packed up our food, he forgot to put in my garlic bread, and I didn't even notice until he came back with it in a bowl to put back into my box. How nice!
Value: $24 is a bit steep for chicken linguine (unfortunately most prices were 20-40, so $24 seemed okay). Even though it was a bigger portion, you would probably get the same for $17-18 at other restaurants. I guess it's just because of the dessert bar being included, which I enjoyed. I love to eat more than one dessert in sample sizes, so this was perfect. Ate about 6 different desserts (about 10 different ones available).
Ambiance: I always wondered about this cafeteria looking restaurant in one of the richest hotels in Vancouver. Didn't really fit with the steep prices! Also, dessert bar could've been presented a bit nicer.
We went here hoping things improved after replacing Taisho, but we were disappointed. AYCE is 10.95 weekdays, 12.95 weekends. We got AYCE since we thought it would be cheaper than ordering a la carte which was avg - expensive prices.
Food: Gross. Just not very good at all. Beef & Chicken teriyaki both extremely fatty. Seafood fried rice extremely dry. Gyozas (reg & deep fried) came with sauce on TOP instead of separate, both soggy. Takoyaki nothing like what you get at Night Market, just a regular frozen octopus ball deep fried. Chicken "karaage" was deep fried chicken wing that tasted awful! No idea you could screw up chicken wings. Yaki soba was mushy. And so on...
Service: Very quick, even though it was lunch time. However, their menu states there is ice cream (it's in Chinese) but all they had was fresh fruit - oranges.
Value: Poor value because the food isn't good.
Ambiance: Nicely renovated.
My family loves going here. It's a bit far (we live in Burnaby) but still, it's worth it. Especially with the entertainment coupon! Their calamari is the best in town - the most unique and flavourful for sure! I seem to always have the same dish.. I can't remember the name but it's chicken with these delicious handmade little dough dumplings. My parents always have the osso bucco, and my sister the shrimp pasta. Great place. Servers feel very family oriented and we always see the same group, makes it feel like they value what they are doing and serving.
This is my favourite Italian place, though I don't frequent it as often as I'd like. I have a strange love of bread, and this place has really good bread!!!! The dishes have always been really good, and I went here for my last birthday. I've never seen it super busy, which is just the way I like it. I enjoy having some space and quiet, and the servers have always been pretty friendly. The decor could use a little improving, but oh well. The food is still amazing! My friends loved it too.
Went with a friend for DineOut Vancouver.
Food: Fairly good. Deal for $18. Everything was decent but not amazing. Expected more from the poutine and the tiramisu, which lacked the "soaked in coffee & liquer" part.
Service: Wow. Forgetful much? Way too many new hands. Everyone was nice, but so many mistakes. Online reservation didnt go through since I made it yesterday (although Open Table claims it's "instant"!) Appetizers were wrong, so the waitress said the kitchen had lost our bill, and she asked if what we ordered again, for the main course as well. (There are only three options...)
After we were done with our pizzas, she packed them up and brought us our bill. We asked, "Is there no dessert?"
A guy from the kitchen brought us our desserts, Creme Brulee and Choc Mousse, and we corrected him no, we ordered Tiramisu, not the mousse. He said "oh yes, I get them mixed up, this is the Tiramisu." No, it wasn't.
Was planning on going with other friends again, but not anymore, especially since groups 5+ cannot have the Dine Out menu, even though their Open Table page says 7+. It was a confusing night overall.
This is my boyfriend's favourite place to go for lunch whenever we're downtown. Great alternative to fast food, and cheaper and faster than an actual restaurant like White Spot. A great deal with the Entertainment coupon too! Food is very good, tasty, filling. I wish it was a little cheaper, but it's not too bad.
Nice decor, nice interiors. Crappy acoustics though.
Not so delicious food. Compared to other Thai restaurants, this place is a bit expensive. The meat curry was lacking and a small portion. The pad thai and pineapple fried rice were decent. I really can't get over the stir-fried vegetable dish we ordered, though. It was like a plate of raw vegetables with thai peanut sauce poured over it. And the main vegetable? Celery. Really not that good.
Not having been here in a while, and remembering a decent deal of a $10 lunch, my boyfriend and I decided to try it again. Bad idea. The hostess informed us right away there would be tip included (which, as other people mentioned, is unfair as a tip should be given at my discretion). The air conditioning was on way too high, making my food cold before I was halfway done. My beef short ribs were unbelievably dry, salty, and fatty. My boyfriend's chicken (teriyaki) was even drier. His udon was soggy and disintegrating in the soup. The california roll, green salad, and tempura were of normal standard (but who can go wrong with that??) and the service wasn't horrible. Anyway, we ate lunch maybe 5 hours ago, and our stomachs are still complaining. NEVER, EVER going there again.
