Rendezvous Pub

It's not often I head to the pub for a tasting, let alone an ol' skool pub out in Langley.  But hang on here, there is a twist to this visit though.  You see, the ownership has changed and they are in the process of altering the look of the place as well as the menu.  So I accompanied Roanna and Eileen to see for ourselves.  Now the outside doesn't look much different, but there have been subtle changes to the interior without taking about the "pub" vibe.

As for the menu, I'll get to that in a bit, but I'll talk about some of the drinks first.  From left-to-right, we had the Jolly Rancher, Mango Daiquiri, Rendezvous Fishbowl and the CoronaRita.  My favourite was the CoronaRita as the sweetness and tanginess helped balance the Corona.  Also enjoyed the mango daiquiri as it was balanced, where the rum wasn't overpowering.  The Jolly Rancher was sweet as expected, but did have quite a boozy kick.

Onto the food, we started with a pub classic with the Salt & Pepper Dry Ribs.  I liked how these were in fairly large pieces, which allowed them to be juicy inside despite deep-fried to crispy goodness on the outside.  There was enough seasoning for them to stand on their own, but the ribs were extra tasty when dipped into the soy chili.  A second option was the garlic lime spinach-infused mayo.  Personally, I enjoyed the soy dip more.

Next up was the Garlic Prawns sauteed in white wine with garlic, tomatoes and green onions.  This was pretty good where the prawns were delicate with a snap texture.  Lots of buttery garlic goodness where the garlic bread was the perfect vessel to soak it all up.  Personally, I could've done without the green onions as I believe they obscure the delicate flavour of the prawns.  But I get it, the green looks nice.

So I had mixed emotions with RP's Wonton Soup.    It is because they were just too generous with the components.  I mean, look at it, you can't even see the soup.  There was a bevy of cabbage, carrots and red/green peppers.  I thought the peppers dominated the flavour profile just a bit too much.  On the other hand, the wontons were pretty good with a juicy pork filling.  Hidden within, large tiger prawns were to be found as well.

Off their happy hour menu, we got Butter Me Up, which was naan topped with house-made butter chicken covered with melted cheese.  This ate a bit like pizza bread as the naan was on the thicker side and quite fluffy.  I found the butter chicken to be partially obscured by the considerable amount of cheese.  I did get the tangy creaminess though with a bit of spice.

Onto the mains, we started with the Route 56 Burger with bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos, LTOP and mayo on toasted brioche.  This was a solid burger despite the premade burger patty.  It was nicely seared while still being moist.  The bacon was crispy and the produce was fresh.  I liked how the bun was toasted properly as it crispy with a soft and warm interior.  Fries were the typical starch-covered variety, but were prepared properly.

Coming from one pub classic to another, we had to order the 2 piece Fish & Chips featuring Pacific cod.  I found this to be very good where the fish was coated with a thin crispy batter.  It wasn't greasy and the large pieces of fish were flaky and moist.  The batter was properly seasoned too.  On the side, the tartar was typical and did the job.  Same with the fries, just like with the burger.

Hey, pub food usually includes some type of steak, and this one happened to be the 7 oz New York Striploin served with fries, garlic bread and Caesar salad.  We requested it to be prepared medium-rare and it was exactly that.  Considering it was only $21.00, this was a surprisingly tender and nicely charred on the outside.  The side of Caesar was quite good with crisp romaine and just enough dressing.

To get a sense of all the types of dishes, we got a pasta as well.  Our choice was the Parmesan Chicken Fettuccine.  So this was essentially an Alfredo with a chicken parm on top.  Both components of this dish was solid as the pasta was al dente and the sauce was creamy.  The chicken was tender while coated in a medium-thick breading.  There was a tangy marinara on top with melted parmesan.

Probably the sneakiest item was the Creole Chicken with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.  Why?  Because it was sneaky good!  The chicken breast was charred and caramelized on the outside but moist and tender on the inside.  The creole butter was nicely spiced and slightly sweet while the mash was homestyle.  Loved how the veggies were cooked just enough to be still vibrant and crunchy.

So we already had fish & chips, burger and steak, so why not a Hot Dog & Kettle Chips too?  Nothing much out of the ordinary except some pretty tasty caramelized onions atop a jumbo dog.  This elevated a simple item with intense sweetness.  Those housemade chips were super light and crispy while not greasy nor over-salted.  Lots of mustard on the side for the hot dog and if you wanted to dunk the chips into it.

We also had the Mac & Cheese that featured a creamy "Velveeta"-type sauce.  Hence, it was saucy and didn't yearn for more saltiness. The noodles were not too soft, which added texture.  This came with some garlic bread.  For our dessert, we had the Chocolate Lava Cake with a side of vanilla ice cream.  This was pretty textbook with fluffy cake and a molten sweet centre.  In the end, the food at Rendezvous Pub did the trick with some surprises.  Considering the price point, the food is a good value.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Well-priced
- Adequate portion sizes

The Bad:
- May need further renovations
- Wonton soup needs work