Sherman's Food Adventures: The Revel Room

The Revel Room

Okay, I couldn't resist.  Really, I couldn't.  There it was staring at me - enticing and cheap.  Before you (and especially Viv) think I was making a bad decision, what I was staring at was a Travel Zoo deal that would give me the choice of 2 appies, 2 entrees and 2 desserts at the Revel Room for $45.00.  Hence, I didn't pass up the deal and bought it.  So unlike my other expired coupons, Viv and I decided to strike when the coal was still hot.  We went the very next day.

Viv started with the Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad which looked legit.  As much as the tuna was still rare in the middle, the sear was probably 30 seconds too long as the exterior cooked portion was too thick.  However, it wasn't that bad when we ate it and in fact, could've been somewhat alleviated by a thinner slice.  In terms of the other items on the plate, we liked the deviled egg as it provided something different than the usual with a creaminess and slight spice.  The beans were crisp and vibrant while the potatoes were soft, yet not mushy.  There was a good amount of vinaigrette which ensured that the salad was not bland.  For myself, I had the Duck Confit, Pear & Brie Quesadila with red onion compote.  The duck itself was sufficiently moist where the rest of the ingredients afforded a certain mildness.  However, with a dab of the compote, the flavours were much more balanced with an acidity and sweetness.

For our mains, Viv had the Jambalaya of shrimp, andouille sausage and smoked chicken with creole rice, red & green peppers.  It was served with herbed corn bread.  This was a fairly large portion which featured a low rumbling of spice and not an over-reliance of salt.  The sausage was meaty and not dry while the shrimp were cooked just right.  A decent jambalaya which was somewhat marred by the serving temperature as it was luke warm.  What a shame.  I decided on the Ribs with White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese.  The ribs were fall off-the-bone, yet the meat was almost dehydrated in texture.  On the other hand, the plethora of sauce helped matters.  It was smoky, zesty and plenty tart.  I really liked the side of sauteed kale (in place of collard greens) as it was still toothsome and loaded with lemon and seasoning.  As for the mac n' cheese, it was flavourful especially from the Applewood smoked bacon.

For dessert, Viv had the Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake with Chantilly Cream and fruit coulis.  I liked the overall flavour of the cheesecake as it had this background savoury element to it while still be plenty cream-cheesy.  However, there were bits of cream cheese throughout the slice which I didn't mind, but is a clear indication it wasn't blended enough.  Lastly, I settled on the Dessert Sampler with lemon square, pecan square and dark chocolate torte.  For lack of a better work, all three were average at best.  I found the lemon square to be overly dense and sweet while the chocolate torte to be the best of bunch being only semi-sweet and with a decent texture.  Overall, we couldn't really complain about the price (due to the coupon).  The food in general was okay with dessert being the weak point.

The Good:
- Nice Gastown vibe
- We got friendly service
- Drinks were good

The Bad:
- Food is so-so

Revel Room on Urbanspoon

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