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I had a very good meal the first time I went to this restaurant not long after they opened. And the price was reasonable. Since then, each time I go back, I am disappointed by either the quality or the quantity offered (sometimes both) for the price paid. The food is still generally good and the service fine but this place has lost the edge it once had over its competitors by cutting dangerous corners.
I have seen that happening so many times in Vancouver: new restaurants attracting a client base with great food at good value for the first 6 months then switching to a more profitable scheme, i.e. decreasing quality/quantity while raising prices. A bizarre business model. Does it really work? Maybe over 1 or 2 years... then people move out and they are lost in the competition. May explain the huge turn over in this sector.
Ive been here many many times. We come with my MIL and FIL once every month or two on Sundays for dinner. I used to love it and find it huge value and totally yum. As with all great places it sees fantastic success and then decides to change and cheap out till it's gone I guess.
Ive noticed a steady increase in prices, decrease in quality and value, continued lack lustre service and WHAT restaurant has never accepted debit these days?
The food is still good and the daily chalk board of specials is interesting. However I have had a few dishes poorly seasoned or seasoned incorrectly, items missing that were described on the board, and exepnsive ones too like seafood. The portions are starting to get smaller but are still good. Worst of all is the desserts. Some are realy good but the specials are often so puny I'd be embarrassed to serve it to a child never mind charge a ton for it. Booo boo boo. I hope the owners read this because we your loyal customers are hip to your ways and will soo be gone. Wake up! Turn the clock back a few years and start again.
Came here on a weeknight and it was very busy, all tables had a reserved sign, good thing we had reservations. They have a menu with some salads, dips/meats, and pizzas. The main dishes are written on the black board in a daily special type of menu. Had the 3 course menu for $30. This included the carnivore plate of various cured meats/spreads. Very good a nice portion. Chose the lamb for the main and it was done medium rare and tasted fantastic. Cummin flavour and came along with chick peas, peas and panneer in a mild curry saucce. Pretty big portion. Had a bite of the beef tenderloin and it was great as well. All of the mains, if ordered separately would be $19 which is a great deal. Dessert was a chocolate torte which was very good. Some vegan dishes as well. Ambiance is mediocre. The restaurant is very small with the bar taking up a large portion of the back and one side. This causes some tables to be squeezed in to allow servers to pass, many a kicked chair was experienced. There is a bench type of seating on one side of the restaurant and it was very uncomfortable, as you basically sat straight up. Tables are very close together. Service was good and helpful in menu selections. Would return.
We have gone here many times and have never been disappointed with the food. However, the service staff does not seem happy to be there and in turn makes the experience not as desirable. We will continue to go as the value for your food is incredible and it is delicious. We love the back little patio - very quaint and comfortable.
I came here for dinner with my friend last nite. I've wanted to try this place for a long time now, especially reading all the good reviews here and my cousin also said she had a good experience here. Anyways we got there about 7:30 and the restaurant which is quite small was just under half full. For a starter, we shared the pescitarian plate (a cold seafood platter) it was okay nothing special. For mains, my friend had the salmon pizza which was okay and I had the seared halibut which was decent I guess. It wasn't the freshest piece of halibut I've had and it came with a crab canneloni which was pretty bland and there wasn't much of a sear on the halibut either. The service was pretty good. Considering the prices (I think everything was under 19) it's pretty hard to complain. That said though with so many restaurants in the city I'll probably try somewhere else before coming back here.
I've eaten here a couple times and the food is very good. They have a constantly changing menu that is written up on a couple blackboards with daily features. Their prices are very reasonable with most, if not all, dishes being under $20. The portions are very good. Most of the dishes are comfort oriented with a lot of braised meats and a nice variety of other options including meats, seafood and vegetarian.
The space is a little cramped and small but the turnover is fast as the kitchen seems to get the food out pretty quickly. My only gripe about this place is that the service is a little awkward and slow. Both times I have been there I have witnessed one or more servers (there are usually two) eating at the small bar. Also, the blackboards are a little difficult to read with all their dishes because of the dim lighting and the server seemed reluctant to tell us about it which wasn't that big of a deal. Overall, its a nice, local, value oriented, comfort food joint that I will definitely go back to on a regular basis.
I love this place! The food is always like gourmet comfort food. So many interesting and amazing flavours and textures that compliment each other so well. And not some West Coast minimalist type of meal where you leave hungry - the meals are filling and satisfying. I've been very pleased with every dish I've ordered off the daily fresh choices list on the board. And I really like that there are vegan choices for my vegan spouse. We always share the vegan dessert and they are usually fantastic! Wish I lived closer, I would go there more often.
I love this place! I've been here at least 10 times and never have I been disapointed. They have a small regular menu and great daily specials. I do not always like everything on the special board but everytime I go one thing just jumps out at me and is exactly to my taste. If you make reservations they will give you the best table they have. The food to me tastes like Lumiere food for $20 a plate. Spectacular. Desserts are their weak point in my opinion, but the stilton plate is amazing if you're in the right mood. Go there right away, just don't take my table and keep your mouth shut so it doesn't get too busy! Everytime I go there I feel like I'm at my friend's house after they've returned from a fancy cooking school sabbatical.
This tiny place on Main street is one of Vancouver's best kept secrets. We have eaten here at least a dozen times over the past year and it is our go to dependable favorite place. We know we will always enjoy something on their specials board and usually go with the table d'hôte which is a fantastic deal. The staff seem like they genuinely enjoy working there and are always friendly. The decor is basic but the food is fabulously tasty with a good basic selection of affordable wines. Portions are generous and it is a wonderful place for a dinner out. I cannot say enough good things about this place.. we have been to many fancier places but rarely enjoy them as much as Grub. For desert forgo the vegan selection it may have a weird texture ( unless your vegan obviously) try the pear strudel it is wonderful. Grub I heart you!
Had a nice dinner here a couple nights ago with my partner. We went for the very tempting main course items from their daily 'fresh sheet'. Osso Bucco with Saffron Risotto and Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin ($17) was stick-to-your-ribs good. Grilled Marlin, medium rare, with a Jalapeno crust, citrusy Three Bean Salad and BlueBerry and Pineapple salsa ($17) was intense in flavor and appropos for the summer season. Ingredients in all dishes were fresh and of high quality. Decor is whimsical and boutiquey - LOVE the yellow banquet seats. Locals that frequent the Locus and the Reef nearby should definitely check this place out
We decided to visit this restaurant tonite (Friday night) after seeing all the great reviews. This is a tiny restaurant located on Main Street near 29th. The food is pretty good. My husband had the roast lamb with chick peas and it had an Indian flavor to it. It was quite good. I ordered a steak and my daughter had a pizza. It was a thin crust pizza with lamb sausage and chili flakes. Quite good but it came out on the colder side. The steak was cooked to perfection. And the lamb was excellent! We also shared an upside down banana cake (vegan) for dessert which had a nice flavor. All in all, I give this place a solid 3 for ambiance, service and food. I will definitely go back because I see a lot of potential with this place and given they change their menu quite frequently I'd definitely like to go back and sample a few more dishes.
Last thing, the ingredients were definitely fresh and were not greasy. I look forward to visiting again.
Food: we shared lamb risotto (spiced excellently), duck breast salad (again, spiced well and lean), plus the ratatouille pizza (thin crust, good consistency). portions were generous for the price.
Service: friendly, non-intrusive. solid.
Value: excellent for the price
Ambiance: small place, no AC, Main Street
Overall: perfect for a quiet dinner date away from the downtown core
With all the marvelous press, we had to try this place. This restaurant was small, but comfortable. We had reservations and were seated promptly in the Main Street casual way. We found the menu selection slightly confusing--most of the entrees were written on the chalkboard on the wall instead of the menu handed to us. Looking at the paper menu first, not knowing there was another place to select from, my husband muttered quietly, "Is this all they're serving?" This confusion could have been eliminated if the hostess/server who seated us had pointed out the "specials" on the wall behind my husband. The menu items looked fairly ambitious for the for the price.
We all had drinks; a couple plus beers for the adults, and juice for the child. We ordered the stuffed chicken, the halibut, and the tomato
basil pizza. We sipped on our drinks for more than half an hour before our meals came. To our surprise, the food was delicious! The food presentation was simple, but lovely, and a decent portion size, not huge. All of the food was nicely seasoned, cooked just till done, moist with no dry crusty parts on the surface, except a bit on the pizza crust as expected. We never felt rushed by our pleasant servers, nor neglected, and were able to enjoy our meal and each other--we were appreciative of that since so many restaurants just want to turn over their tables as quickly as possible by telling you when they want their table back during reservations, suggestive selling, servers rushing about to indicate speed eating is necessary--this did not happen here--what a surprise and how lovely! Because the food was so good, and we felt relaxed to enjoy our meal, we ordered dessert, which we usually skip. The "iced glacee" from their chalkboard came prettily dressed with caramelized bananas, some berries, and ample rum sauce--it was good, and definitely enough to share with others at the table after the entree. In the hour and a half we were here, we had a lovely dining experience--there was no loud music to prevent us from hearing each other, there was no fancy decor to keep us distracted, although you may want to check out the wall paper, and there were no server clones in short skirts. But, we were able to focus on what was most important when sitting down for a meal: great food and the people we share our time with. We will definitely return to this place.
We go to Grub often and have since they opened. I've had so many different menu items over the past 10 months and I've never been disappointed.
The appie plates are delicious, love the pate on the carnivore plate, the pickled cabbage is tangy and great. The commie punch is always a good beat for a pre-dinner drink with friends. All the cocktails I've had are delicious and easy to drink. I prefer their drinks over Cascade's.
My favourite dishes are generally the meat specials. I've had brined pork chops that were juicy and more flavourful than any other pork I've had. Ribs, beef, lamb are always solid tasty choices. The vegetarian options are always interesting and varied, I'm not vegetarian but have ordered the veg option many times case it just sounded too good to skip, never been let down. Only dish I didn't love was cod with a fruit salsa, something in the combination just didn't work.
The value is great, ya, the prices aren't cheap, but you get a big serving of high quality delicious and inventive combinations.
They've started serving brunch and I've heard great things, very interested to try.
In terms of service, the 2 that run the front of the house are great, fun and on it. They have another staff member who serves and she maybe isn't the best fit. I like a server in a small restaurant to be a bit more enthusiastic and interested in the experience, this girl just doesn't seem to care.
All in all, Grub is one of my favourite restaurants in the city and I recommend.
I have the food a 3 (solid) vs. 4 (outstanding) but I did really enjoy my dinner here. We had the salmon which was moist but a bit salty and the duck salad which was delicious. We also started with the bread plate and which is enough for at least 3 people to share. There's a really nice cozy feel to this restaurant and the location is great. I like the idea that they have fresh plates daily so I would definitely go back to try more!
We decided to try out Grub after hearing a few positive reviews from friends, and are certainly glad that we did. We called at the last minute, and almost backed out of going when the server said how completely open the restaurant was (nobody likes an empty place, do they?). We were seated promptly at two tables pulled together in the window area. I guess they like for people walking/driving by to see bodies inside, but the area was extremely drafty. There was only one other table there, but they were rambunctious & made it seem busier than it was. The menu is teeny tiny, but there are two accompanying blackboards with features - 1/2 vegetarian & 1/2 meat. We all shared a pizza to start - tasty & thin but still crisp, but the dough needed more salt. Two of us went with the artichoke & cheese canneloni, and the other two had the halibut feature and all 4 of us loved our dishes. The fish was perfectly seasoned & cooked, and the canneloni was perfect comfort food on a rainy day. A good third of their limited menu is dedicated to salads - too many in my view. I'd rather have some other choices for actual entrees. The wine list could use some tweaking, no gems to be found there. Went for beer instead which was very reasonably priced.
The room itself is fantastic - simple & contemporary. The music seemed a little out of place - Neil Young, etc.
Our server could use a bit more polishing. He didn't seem to know much about the food, or it's preparation. He really didn't seem like he cared too much about being there, in his demeanor or his attire. It's always too bad when a place that seems to care about food has servers who don't.
Regardless, I will be back. My husband & my portion came to $70 all in - great value.
All in all, had a really good night at this local spot. For three people the price was just over $100 with tax and tip but we did share an appetizer plate and dessert, so it wasn't a traditional three course meal. Most menu items are found on the blackboard and the selection is well balanced and fairly accessible. Many dishes appealed and most everything ordered was well executed. Service was good enough and this place fills a niche in the city as a place to go for a tasty, reliable meal. Not a lot of seats but it looks like they take reservations now.
Dined at Grub tonight - what a terrific find! We had the organic stuffed chicken breast and the pork tenderloin - both dishes were outstanding! The only very minor criticism was that the "mac and cheese" that accompanied the chicken was a bit bland (for our taste), but we didn't want to insult the chef by asking for salt. The rest of our meal was savoury and well-seasoned. We watched other dishes being served and they all looked great. The table next to us raved about the yam, coconut and kaffir lime soup. However, they said that the marlin (? - can't remember the name of the fish that was served tonight) was their least favourite out of the 3 dishes they had ordered - it looked a tad overcooked. To end our meal, we ordered the lemon brulee tart that was mentioned in previous reviews - definitely one of the best I have ever tasted. Prices are a bargain for the quality of food being offered here. If only more restaurants could offer the same value!
4 stars go to Grub's main dishes which were interesting enough on the palate without being over kill. The braised pork shoulder in cardamon black molasses was tender and flavourful, balanced off perfectly with sour roasted red plums. I asked to take out the butter mashed potatoes side and it was generously replaced by a large bed of risotto when I mentioned that anything was better than potatoes. Smart move, because that's good service and now I'll go back as well as recommend them to others.
Other mains such as the wild candied salmon and lamb sirloin was solid and very fresh with quality ingredients. Appys were not particularly inspiring so splurge on their lively drinks. The Stilton Creme dessert is understandable good, but I just prefer my blue cheese in its full strength with port and crackers.
Ambiance is whimsical, perhaps a reflection of owner/chef Ling Zheng's inventive and daring flair which are clear in her worldly dishes.
There are only 26 seats excluding the bar, so reserve early to avoid disappointment.
Just came back from a Friday diner at this little east-side gem. We ate two LARGE appies, 4 glasses of cava and a huge shared entree all for way under $100. That's pretty fabulous.
The food was most certainly the highlight of this Main St. excursion. We ate a shared seafood platter, duck salad and the pork dinner. Each was fantastic in its own way. The pork was just out of this world. The duck salad was super-fan-tabulous. Maybe a dessert next time.
The service was alright. The two girls were efficient if not a little uninterseted. I guess I like a little banter...whatevs. There seemed to be an overall lack of order. No serious complaints.
Like I said...diner for two + a good bubbly buzz all for well under $100. Yep.
Ambiance - This restaurant has none. Go with people who make you happy.
Overall - Loved the food. Service was OK. Value was great. No ambiance. The wine list in this place is pretty basic. If you like pairing fab food with fab wine you will be very disappointed. Lame wine list. Until it improves bubbles will do fine.
Do it.
| 1. | Heaven's Angels (9 m) |  |
| 2. | Olive Cafe (10 m) | |
| 3. | Simply Delicious Galleria + Sushi Lounge (10 m) |  |
| 4. | Trilussa Pizza and Pane (18 m) |  |
| 5. | Ogenki Sushi (23 m) | |
| 6. | Accord Seafood Restaurant (25 m) |  |
| 7. | Fresh Slice (31 m) | |
| 8. | Honolulu Cafe (34 m) | |
| 9. | Cafe Montmartre (40 m) | |
| 10. | Solly's Bagelry (56 m) | |
