Get dining news including restaurant closures and qualify for giveaways.
(2.8)
(3.2)
(2.5) (3.1) (2.3)Recently a small group of us went out for a Prime Rib special at a local pub. Upon arrival it was a Canucks game day and the place was packed with no where to sit. Luckily, I remembered the Paddlewheeler Pub at the Quay also has a Prime Rib Special on Friday so off we went.
We all agreed the meal was an outstanding value for 13 dollars. The portion of Prime Rib was very acceptable and the beef was succulent and tender. Garlic mashed potatoes complimented our meal along with fresh string beans. Everything was great and for pub fare and it was a nice experience. The beans were a bit greasy covered in something that did not do them justice but it was not terrible. All in all one of the best value/quality meals I have had in sometime.
I sometimes attend the Pub on Saturday afternoons as well. The Pub is generally well kept although can be a little under staffed at times lately. The servers have a hard time to keep up and clients have to wait too long to wet their whistle.
If it's Friday and your looking for a decent Prime Rib dinner, pub style then the Paddlewheeler has it waiting for you.
I had lunch here a few days ago. I have wanted to for awhile given the good reviews. I had the House Special Pho and some Spring Rolls. The ambiance is extremely plain but I did appreciate they had the electric heaters trying to compensate for a very old and drafty building.
The Pho was good although a bit too salty. The noodles were cooked just right so they are still a bit chewy the way they should be. I noticed an MSG factor here as well. As a society we really need to use quality ingredients instead of expecting MSG to give that flavour "wow" on the palate.
The spring rolls on the other hand were probably the worst I have seen in a Vietnamese restaurant. Wonton wrappers are not what Vietnamese Spring Rolls are wrapped in. It should be rice paper and the contents should have some Taro, Mushroom, Pork and Shrimp etc. The spring rolls here were mostly cabbage with a bit of pork and some of the most expensive I have ever seen in a Vietnamese Restaurant at just 2 for $5. They were very Chinese in composition. Not what I want if I go to a Vietnamese restaurant.
Pho Maxima is a miss for me. A few blocks more and Kingsway brings some very good Vietnamese Restaurants.
We went to Gino's last night. Being Thursday all Greek dishes were on for 10.95. An excellent value! Our waitress let us know how to order our wine to save a few dollars as well and this was appreciated.
We started with Mozza sticks and Houmous. The Mozza sticks were pretty run of the mill but the Houmous was excellent with lots of lemon, garlic and parsley flavour through out.
We each had the roast lamb and this was quite tender. I am not sure about the gravy served on it as it was a bit salty. I was very thirsty after this. This is the only time I have seen a gravy on top of the roast lamb in a Greek restaurant.
All in all Gino's proved to be a solid reliable place to dine. Nothing ground breaking here but it is a dependable place to dine.
I wandered in to this place thinking there was an incredible special on including a glass of wine for 12 bucks at about 6:30 PM. Turns out that is the lunch special they leave outside on the sandwich board standing on the sidewalk. I was the only table in the place. I felt a bit duped and almost left but thought what the heck "might as well try it".
I am glad I did. I had homemade Angolotti pasta stuffed with real crab meat and served in a shrimp alfredo sauce. This dish was lovely. The sauce was just right not too heavy and made with real cream and little baby shrimp. A small loaf of hot hot bread was whisked to my table with plenty of butter as well. The price was only 15.99 which still made it very affordable to order a glass of the house red which was just "ok" but adequate.
The service was good and the waiter polite. This was one of the best meals I have enjoyed out in recent memory. I recommend Aldo's for a pasta dinner if you want one. Don't let the "pasta bar" they advertise fool you into thinking it is one of those fast food places. I think they should drop the term as it does not do them justice and it held me back from going for awhile. A great place to go and enjoy and nice Italian dinner. Kudo's to Aldo!
I have eaten here probably 10 or 15 times. The variety is great but be ware of the MSG. The Pho is good but loaded with it. I have had several unproductive afternoons after eating this soup recently there. Way too much MSG. I have not gone back for awhile now and will try Pho Maxima as mentioned on here. If you suffer form MSG reaction I would stay away.
I went there for lunch today with a colleague. I must say I am quite pleased with the food.
The complimentary. chips and salsa whisked to our table as soon as we sat down were very good.
My tacos were excellent! I tried the lamb, the flank steak, marinated pork and the grilled prime beef tacos. So so good and each one distinctly different. I know you won't find those tacos on Olas Altas street in PV but who cares. This was good food and decent value for Robson Street and fairly authentic.
My friend had a Chicken Burrito and it was a ridiculous size. We had a good laugh when it was plopped down in front of her. I was beginning to wonder if we had a secret guest coming to lunch! Too much rice and lettuce to be practical but she said it was very tasty.
I would go back to Don Guacamoles again in a heartbeat. Very nice surprise!
I went in very soon after they opened this past summer. I really wanted this restaurant to be good. We need another good Chinese Restaurant that is authentic in New West. Enough of the old deep fried this and that, Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork Fat and dishes laced with too much MSG. New West is full of that however things are slowly changing. That is not really Chinese food.
The portion of food was fine and the dining room staff were very friendly and could have been more helpful if they did not "assume" what you may like by your nationality however they were very friendly and the service was excellent.
The food that arrived unfortunately was not very good. The pork was bland and layed there in submission. The dishes had very little life in them.
I have a reasonably educated palate in this Cuisine. None the less knowing there are usually different chefs for dinner and Dim Sum I decided to return for Dim Sum and went in twice more. I really enjoy good Dim Sum. The Dim Sum I had both times was sub-par and about the worst I have had for sometime.
Dim Sum is about the flavours created by the chef. Good ingredients and the sauces and steam. There was steam but that was about it. I really had hoped this was going to be a local favourite restaurant. After 3 attempts I have called it quits for Lucky king. Perhaps this would explain why it is always so empty.
Too bad as this could be a real money maker with the right ingredients and a real asset to the neighbourhood in this location.
I have been here twice since the location changed ownership. The first time great food service to be desired. Second time they nailed it! The Dim Sum is very good. I am always wary of MSG and it is present here but not in the amounts found elsewhere. I really like the food here it is a good value. Wish the would bring back the bean curd roll though. It is a staple sorely missed. Lots of good food here to choose from even with out it. I will be back.
Ever since Royal King on Fraser closed down I have been on a quest for good Dim Sum for reasonable value. The food here is good however for the price it should be. Starting at 4.75 per dish and up the food should be impeccable. This was satisfactory but the service was very poor and my request for hot sauce seemed like an imposition. Victoria Chinese claimed to only have one kind of hot sauce. This would be a first for me in any chinese restuarant. Additionally our teapot was so full of tealeaves and flowers there was no room for water. Makes you think you have the leftovers from last night. I do not think they wanted to make the effort. We never did recieve a bill and had ot pay up front. I would not go back not because of the service and effort were so poor performed.
I went to cassis with several dining companions quite excited after reading the reviews. We arrived and were seated at a temporary table and they moved us to a booth near the rear of the restaurant.
All of our meals were good. Very good.The food is very nice with value that would be hard to match in Vancouver. Quality is excellent when you consider the price point of this restaurant.
One very puzzling thing is the environment they create for a restuarant that provides French food. A DJ was at the back of the restaurant and he played Hip Hop and various other "club or house" music. Not what one would typically expect for this type of restaurant. In my opinion it did not work. It was inappropriate and he looked better at home in the Lotus Hotel or Malones.Then a gaggle of DJ groupies kept wafting in and milling aorund the DJ became a bit loud. Very unprofessional for a French Bistro. Disrypting clients conversations. It was like having dinner in a bar.
The music crept up in volume and a couple of other diners requested it be turned down. The music was far too loud for the entire evening and we could not hear each other or the staff very well. The entire dinner became a stressful event that I would not repeat depsite the value and quality. Cassis must decide what they want to be, a French Bistro, or a loud Hip Hop club as both entities do not co-exist peacefully together.
