Hey guys,
Over the last little while, I realized that I am out of town a lot, which means I eat out a lot. Since most of the time when I am away from home I am bored as anything, im going to start journaling my restaurant adventures.
I am not by any means a foodie, but I do enjoy good food. So my "reviews" are just going to be from the perspective of any normal person. Unfortunately I can't go back in time to remember all those other places I ate at, so I will start from this trip of mine.
Vernon:
November 7 2012 - Bamboo Beach Fusion Grille (DINNER RESTAURANT) Downtown Vernon Dinner
Bamboo Beach Fusion Grille is a contemporary restaurant which delivers a twist on tradition Japanese cuisine.
Atmosphere
When approaching the restaurant, the window display is a huge attraction which really highlights the restaurants theme. Entering the restaurant the first thing you notice is the contemporary layout. The interior is well lit and is refreshingly decorated subtly with Japanese artwork, paper lanterns and other Japanese trinkets. The interior decor allows for plenty of seats and plenty of space to walk around without rubbing elbows (one of my restaurant peeves).
Service
As soon as I walked through the door, I was greeted by the servers. They weren't so excited to see me walk though as other restaurant servers are, however it seems as though their non chalant attitudes went with the contemporary theme of the restaurant. There were a lot of diners in the restaurant however there was still a lot of space available and I was allowed to seat myself which was nice. My server was really knowledgeable about the menu items. The server also surprised me by not having to go back to the kitchen when I asked him to identify a side item on my main dish. Both servers were very attentative during the meal as well, refilling my Sprite without having to ask, and asking me if everything was fine with my dish at a proper time (not while I had food in my mouth).
Food 
I would definitely return, and recommend everyone to try this restaurant. Overall - 9/10 Food - 10/10 Service - 9/10
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Kelowna:
October 18 2012 - RauDZ Regional Table (DINNER RESTAURANT & BAR) Kelowna Dinner
RauDZ is an eatery that prides itself on utilizing locally grown produce for a fresh and comfortable dining experience. This is very apparent on their extensive local (Okanagan) wine selection and their food menu containing local sustainable seafood. In a short two page menu, RauDZ is able to create many dishes that apeal to different pallets. I was especially surprised at the number of dishes I was able to select from, due to my dietary restrictions (in this case Vege and Seafood only). It was also really refreshing to know that the "daily special" is not just a discounted menu item, it was actually a dish the chef prepared that is not available on the menu.
Atmosphere
RauDZ is very inconspicuous from the outside, with just a simple sign that states the restaurants name. Walking in to the dining room the first thing that caught my eye was the 30 chair solid one piece long table, it would be great for a party! The music was quiet which allowed for great conversations within groups without having to try to shout over to get your voice across. The lighting was great! It was not dark like other restaurants I have been to. The overall feeling while in the dining room was very comforting and relaxing. There was not a lot of patrons walking around and bumping shoulders all around the restaurant either, this could be due to the amazing design work and placement of the booths.
Service
When I walked into the dining room, I was greeted immediately by a pair of smiling hostesses. Due to the fact that I was alone, I had to wait for a spot at the bar for about 10 minutes. There were a lot of guests and hostesses did a great job in reassuring the waiting guests when their tables will be available. They kept eye contact and came up to me twice while I was waiting to apologize for the wait and thank me for my patience.
When I got my spot at the bar the bartender was great in helping me select my meal. I only waited less than 5 minutes for my appetizer to come out, then after only 3 minutes for my meal to arrive. The servers were very knowledgable on the dishes they served as they explained every item on the dish in detail. This was great because it made me confident that they are proud to serve these dishes.
Food
For my appetizer it was a tossup between the Crab Cake or the Gnocci, I chose the Hand Made Gnocci. It was topped with house made pesto, maple nuts, shaved parmasean and my favorite, cherry tomatos. It was great is all I can say, the portion size was great. The dish came with a lot of gnocci pieces and im sure if I brought a friend, it would have been enough to share between two people. The flavors worked very well together, the shaved parmasean gave the dish an extra kick of flavor.
As you can see below the presentation of the dishes shows a lot of care and attention.
For my dinner I selected the Haida Gwaii Halibut. This dish was amazing and came with delicious sides. The sides were potato and pea spring roll, summer green beans, and cured striped shrimp. The halibut was topped with fruit chutney which worked well with the sides as well. The fish was cooked perfectly, moist and delicious. The fruit topping did not take away from the flavor of the fish, it enhanced it.
With the great food, service and atmosphere of the restaurant, I really wish I had friends to share in the experience. Almost no wait for the food shows the kitchen and staff were well prepared. The bartenders provided great service and conversation without being intruding. They also took the time to learn names to give a more personal touch. The bill came up to
a little over $50 including a sprite and tip.
I would definitely return with friends. Overall - 9/10 Food - 9/10 Service - 9/10
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Nanaimo (August 22 - 25):
August 22 2012 - Courts (BAR) DT Nanaimo Harborside Late Night Dinner
I arrived in Nanaimo at around 10PM. I was really hungry as I left my house at 5PM trying to catch the 7:30 ferry. Nothing was open and I asked the hotel concierge to recommend me a place to eat that was walking distance, she pointed me in the directed of Courts.
Conveniently located next to the courthouse, it was easy to find. I could hear drunken singing from the block before and was hoping this was not the bar I was going to. It was. I walked in and just as most bars, I seated myself. The music was very loud but I didn't mind it too much as everyone else was enjoying themselves. The server was very attentative as she brought me a menu and took my drink order right away. I got a coke and looked through the menu.
The macaroni and cheese from the menu caught my eye so that is what I ordered. The food came out in a matter of 10 minutes, it looked great, to my surprise they also placed thinly sliced onion rings all over the top. The onion rings were great, I really loved them. The mac and cheese on the other hand was very bland. Had no taste, and felt a little clumpy. I know not to expect much from bar food but it wasn't even the least bit appetising, so much so that I only ate half just to fill my starving stomach.
Overall - 6/10(Blaring loud drunken music is not my thing)
Food - 5/10 Service - 9/10
I would not go again.
August 23 2012 - Acme Food Co. in Downtown Nanaimo Harborside Dinner
I walked in and got greeted right away, they took my name down and called me up in less than 5 minutes.
Sat down ordered my sprite, my appy and my entree.
the sprite came right away, the appy came 30 minutes later, and then the entree came at least 60 minutes after that.
I had the Brocolli and Cheddar soup for my appy, it was really really good, wish i ordered the bowl instead of the cup. I would have had I known how long I was going to wait for my entree.
After a 60 minute wait.. i was patient, and I also patiently asked the server if it was coming out soon. Apparently the kitchen messed it up, she was very pissed off so I am guessing some drama ensued in the kitchen. After another 5 minutes I got my dish.
For my entree I had the Thai Coconut Rice Bowl with Tiger Prawns (other choice was chicken). Again the food was really good, if it wasn't for the wait I wouldn't have gulped it down rather slowly enjoyed it.
I had never waited so long for my food before I was slightly annoyed but at the same time I had no where to go afterwards, basically my annoyance was just due to the fact that I was hungry. I was looking around and people who came in after me received their food already. The servers were really nice, smiling all the time, refilled my sprite a couple times without me asking.
The restaurant took it upon themselves to comp the entire meal because of the wait time, I was grateful for that. Even though the meal was comped, it wasn't the server's fault that the food came out so late. I left a $5 tip, I just thought if I was in her position what would I be thinking.
Overall rating would be a 7/10 Food would be a 8/10 unfortunately due to the wait the Service would be a 4/10 unacceptable
Would go again to give them a second chance at service... pics below.
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