Nancy H.
Yelp
This is a really difficult review for me to write. My meal here was negative. Like, comically bad. HOWEVER... the hostess was super nice. Our server, Kirsten, was super nice. The ambiance of the restaurant was lovely. Kirsten recognized how bad my experience was, so she comped me my meal (even though I repeatedly told her that this wasn't necessary). And, I acknowledge, part of the issues may have been my fault, to some degree (albeit a small degree).
Let me elaborate.
A fellow Yelp Eliter from Edmonton was visiting town and we decided to dine out in Yaletown. I checked online for casual, reasonably priced places and this restaurant had decent reviews and looked perfect for our needs. The menu featured lots of salads and burgers and various "bowls", and we figured we'd easily find dishes to our liking here. I commented that I hadn't had a burger in ages and was definitely in the mood for one, and she, being from AB, was also in a carnivorous mood.
We were seated promptly when we arrived. The hostess and Kirsten were lovely. My friend and I ordered drinks, and I commented, apologetically, that I was a "lightweight" and needed a sweet cocktail, that I can't do spiciness or bitterness. I told Kirsten to "surprise me" with a sweet cocktail, and maybe to even bring a bit of pineapple juice on the side, in case I need to tweak the drink. (I've learned this trick long ago and every bar has been happy to oblige me). Kirsten brought our drinks soon after, no juice on the side, and mine looked like club soda in a tall glass with a sliced lime garnish. I was skeptical. Kirsten said she requested it "extra sweet" and the bartender put in extra elderberry juice and some simple syrup too. I thanked her so much and again apologized. My friend and I toasted the holidays, I took a sip and I nearly spit it out. It was SO SO bitter. Like, zero on the sweetness scale. My friend took a sip and she too nearly spit it out, saying it was "really tart". When Kirsten passed by, I told her, sorry, something's wrong and I couldn't drink this drink. She felt bad, saying the bartender must've misread her notes and didn't put ANY juice or syrup in the drink. I opted to forego any drink.
We ordered our foods. I opted for the Main Burger, saying I was really in the mood for a hamburger. My friend ordered the gnocchi. The dishes came out promptly and looked great! (I'm attaching a photo). I took a bite. It tasted....weird. The texture was good and the patty was moist, but the taste and the seasonings were...off. Like, really off. I asked my friend (again) to taste it. She said it was "weird". (So I knew it wasn't just me!). When Kirsten passed by and asked how we were doing, I had to ask, what's up with the burger? She then told me that this was a non-meat burger. And it was then that we found out that this was a vegetarian restaurant and there were no meats at all on the menu.
So...I guess it's my error, not knowing this, but I read the menu online prior to dining here, and I read about the restaurant on its website, and it talks about its "comfort foods" and "classic brunch favorites" and all its "burgers" and even its "bacon-double cheez burger" and nowhere, nowhere, does it say that these are plant-based patties, or non-meat dishes. It does mention in its "ABOUT US" section that they are plant-forward and believe in mainstreaming diets towards vegetarian-focused diets. But nowhere else on the website or menu or dish descriptions does it mention that this is a non-meat, 100% vegetarian restaurant. My friend had also read the menu online prior to visiting and she too had no idea. We both said, it was darn lucky we didn't bring our parents here as it would NOT be a pleasant outting with our elderly, meat-eating fathers, especially. As for me, I told Kirsten, no worry, the fries that came with the "burger" were delicious, and the side salad looked great, too.
So I started to eat the salad. I love salads and make one for lunch daily, along with my own salad dressings. This salad was inedible. I kid you not. It looked SO good, but the "dressing" was like a dousing of pure lemon on it. It was SO SO bitter and sour, it was comical at this point. I asked my poor friend to again taste the salad and she tried some and spit it out, too. And we laughed and laughed because, well, how could you not?
Poor Kirsten came by again to see how we were doing and we laughing told her, the salad is inedible due to the acidic "dressing". She apologized, saying it usually is quite "citrus-y". (Even my friend said, no, it's beyond "citrus-y"! lol). Kirsten said she'd comp my meal and I said no, it's totally ok, I ate all the fries (which were really delicious!), and it's partially my fault for not knowing this was a vegetarian restaurant. She comped my meal anyhow (which was super nice of her). I left a nice tip, as she was so nice.
So there you have it. My friend's gnocchi was good, she said. Just know that this is a vegetarian place, period!