Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Back to Red Robin! Again! This time for my friend's birthday. She's got a soft spot for Red Robin even though her last burger on my birthday burger outing wasn't that great. In fact she said her cheeseburger this time was strangely very salty but because it was a free birthday burger, she didn't say anything about it at all. This time since I wasn't choosing a birthday burger, I decided to order Fish and Chips. Yeah, who goes to Red Robin for fish and chips right?  But that's why I ordered it. For science! Arctic Cod Fish & Chips ($15.99) Premium hand-battered cod fillets, fried to crispy perfection, with our Bottomless Steak Fries. Served with Dill'd & Pickl'd tartar sauce. Terrible. Do not order this. Price for fish portion is atrocious plus it's pretty basic. A bit overcooked so it came out on the dry side, sadly. Came piping hot and definitely nicely crunchy-crispy on the outside. There was some issue with their usual tempura batte...

Back to Red Robin for yet another free Birthday Burger! Easy peasy this time -- our waitress said any burger would qualify. She even steered us away from the Tavern Burgers because they were "cheap". For a change, instead of plain bottomless fries I went with the garlic fries upgrade. My friend who came out with me got a Madlove Burger on her own dime. The Southern Charm Burger ($16.99) brown sugar glaze, candied bacon, Whiskey River BBQ Sauce, cheddar, caramelized onions, shredded romaine and mayo on a toasted brioche bun Bun was good. Soft, slightly sweet. It compresses very easily, but there's no so much bread to get in the way of tasting the actual burger. The light toasting also added a little something to the overall flavour. Had to review my pictures to find the caramelized onion. Oh look! There's a small ring. Needless to say the flavour didn't come through at all. Candied bacon not very sweet and not very bacon salty either. As burgers go, thi...

For being a part of the Red Robin Royalty program, every year Red Robin gives me a free birthday burger! I usually go with a friend who likes Red Robin burgers, and this year she ate my burger while I got a non-burger menu item from Red Robin. Last year my friend got a veggie fajita at the Red Robin downtown location and was quite pleased with it, so I gave it a go. Veggie Fajitas ($14.99) Seasoned vegetables, black beans, mushrooms, cabbage and carrots. Served with Cheddar, salsa, sour cream and warm flour tortillas. Tortilla filling come literally steaming hot to your table in a hot dish to help keep it hot. You assemble your own tortillas and when you run out you can ask for more. The kitchen does them in batches so you can't really ask for, say, exactly two more tortillas. Did they forget the seasoning? Tasted horrible and with a bitter aftertaste, probably from the bell peppers. Fortunately made palatable by the salsa, sour cream, cabbage, and cheddar cheese. Shr...

I really can't recommend the Red Robin Royalty program enough. In addition to getting a free Birthday Burger , you get "Exclusive Surprises" throughout the year ( had one earlier in April of this year ). The latest promotion was basically a 2-for-1 burger deal. Sure, their burgers aren't necessarily 5/5 prettiest or best-composed, but they make a good effort. And if you remember that their burgers come with unlimited fries or salad, you are basically guaranteed a filling meal with every burger. At 2-for-1, two can dine for easily much less than $20. (After tax and tip, we were only $15.) Red Robin is about decent tasting burger and excellent bang for your buck (and non-alcoholic drinks are cheap cheap cheap!) Pig Out Tavern Double ($10.29) hardwood-smoked bacon with creamy bacon-crumble aioli, tomato and lettuce. "Double" meaning two patties. Broad but thin patties, so it's nice to get two. Good smoky flavour in this burger elevates it abov...

You may have gotten 2-for-1 buffet coupons in the mail from Gateway Casinos, good for either the Grand Villa in Burnaby or Starlight in New Westminster. The mailout I received had three coupons for three different periods between July and August. If you can eat a heaping plate (or skip breakfast and dinner), then the lunch buffet is for you. Two can dine for $13 ($13.65 after GST) -- that's less than $7 each. Buffet food is of course so-so, but here are some tips: Go easy on the portions, especially if one of the hot items are running out because they'll restock with freshly cooked ones soon. Desserts are usually lame and have sat around too long -- probably because people over-eat on mains. This said, if OK food for a great price appeals, then those two-for-one coupons are gold. And to be honest, fancier food at many places at a higher price isn't that much better. Considering you can eat three meals in one, $7 per person is a super deal (or if you need to sav...

All this week, Red Robin Royalty members got a promotion every day -- Tuesday was a free Tavern Burger (your choice from their Tavern Burger lineup, comes with bottomless fries as usual) with $10 purchase. Didn't want to overeat, so I dragged my burger buddy along! For our purchase, their limited time Bee's Knees Finest Chicken caught my eye and of course I had to try a burger made with Belgian Waffles! The Bee's Knees ($14.69, served with bottomless steak fries) all-natural, crispy, tempura-fried chicken breast glazed in Angry Orchard® honey, spicy jalapeño relish, citrus-marinated tomatoes and onions with shredded romaine on a Belgian waffle bun Smallish looking burger but stacked tall -- watch out as it may be tricky to actually pick up and eat. Generously thick chicken breast was nicely done, came hot and meat was moist. Jalapeno is actually spicy-hot but doesn't linger on the tongue, so take a chance on it. If you don't like it, you probably just...

If you haven't signed up for Royalty rewards with Red Robin you really should. I just got another free birthday burger! Still feeling meat-guilty I went with their vegetarian Garden Burger although our server told me I could get any burger--which is actually not correct because their line of "Finest" burgers is actually not part of the promotion. These burgers use the special Angus beef patties and are have a special theme. Plus they among the priciest burgers. Garden Burger ($10.99) An amazingly delicious blend of vegetables, grains, and spices with a touch of cheese, topped with tomatoes, fresh lettice, pickles and Country Dijon sauce on our whole wheat bun. The patty here is a bit on the thinner side but taste is not bad. Otherwise burger construction is very basic. TIP: Immediately remove the pickles hiding underneath the patty unless all you  want to taste is pickle. Where this burger gets more than merely a passing grade is the bottomless fries. With t...

I'm a big believer in the idea that every restaurant does something good and something bad. And if you happen to order a dud, you shouldn't necessarily condemn the whole restaurant.Angie's Malaysian Eatery really exemplifies this. We went tonight and fortunately I had researched online on Yelp and knew to order the K.K. Buttermilk Tiger Prawns. The other stuff my friends ordered were duds. Cheap duds at around $8.95, but still duds. Roti Canai ($2.50 for 1 piece, $4.50 for 2 pieces) I thought this was a really, really, decent roti canai. Very tender and light on the inside, nicely flaky on the outside, and definitely made fresh to order as it can come out piping hot. The curry, unfortunately, wasn't as flavourful as some other places. It looks like very little curry, but for dipping, it's enough. Their "two pieces" isn't quite as large as other places like Banana Leaf or Kaya Malay Bistro , but they charge $7 and here it's only $4.50. ...

Since the last time I was at Days Thai mid last year , lunch prices have gone up by $1 to 8.95 for every item. Food and portions are still really decent for price, and you can still get a filling lunch plate for around $10 after tax and tip.

Back to Anatolia's Gate -- because there was a Meetup there tonight and my friend was interested in Turkish food, so I went with her. If you are in a group, the lavash bread that comes with your meal will also be communal! Meat Lovers Pide ($11.95) Anatolia's Ground Meat, Turkish Pastrami, tomatoes, cheese, egg Quite small. Rather thin film of mixed meat. Either some spicing to the meat or it was the influence of the Turkish Pastrami. Not that tasty to me, maybe because there was too little meat. Meat portion is basically around $8 since the bread portion is probably about the same as a medium lavash bread. Overpriced. If you don't need the cheese, consider getting the lahmajun instead -- more meat spread over a thin crust, $11.45 Chicken Curry ($14.95) chicken breast chunks with curry sauce, rice, and salads; served with a freshly baked lavash bread and yogurt sauce The curry here is strong and has some heat, but not too much. Very much not like an Indian c...