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

The Blarney Stone

 

Oh here is an ol' favourite, all the way back to my University days!  I remember the live music, but not really anything about the food.  Well, the food wasn't really the draw here, but more recently, they have began to focus on that by revamping the menu.  As such, we were invited to try some of those new dishes and to see for ourselves if The Blarney Stone can be known for its food in addition to its reputation in being a fun place for some beverages.

So of course we had a few pints of Guinness, but also something related in the Jameson-Glazed Wings.  These were really good with a delicious whiskey glaze which was not too boozy, but at the same time, we could taste it.  It was well-balanced due to the good amount of sweetness.  As for the wings, they were fried enough so that the skin was crispy and rendered.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender.

I loved the play on words with the Shephard's Fries where the ingredients of a shepherd's pie topped the "potato" of the dish.  This was super addictive and paid homage to the classic poutine, but with a Guinness gravy, potted beef and legit cheese curds.  Loved the taste of the meat mixture as there was depth and plenty of savouriness.  Despite the wet ingredients, the fries were still crispy on the edges.

The fries were pretty solid, but the Irish Hand Pies were off the hook!  The beautifully browned puff pastry was crispy on the outside, but buttery and layered on the inside.  About the inside, the filling consisted of 63 Acres beef, peas, mashed potatoes and potted beef onion gravy.  So you can imagine a pot pie but in your hand!  The rich beef flavour was evident as well as the sweetness from the onions. 

The most-appealing-to-look-at-dish was the Crispy Fishwich Sliders.  The large piece of fried haddock was flaky and moist while the beer-batter was crunchy and airy. Adding in American cheese and tartar sauce, this had serious Filet-O-Fish vibes.  However, this was more interesting with a crunchy and tangy slaw on the bottom.  Furthermore, the bun was soft, but benefited from a nice toasting.

Our last appie was the Roast Beef Sliders with potted beef and horseradish mayo on the same toasted brioche bun.  There was some real au jus on the side for dipping.  So instead of packet jus, this was actual roast beef drippings.  Hence, there was plenty of meatiness and less saltiness.  The shredded roast beef was fairly tender and had plenty of meat texture.  Loved the horseradish cream as it had just enough bite.

Onto the mains, we had the classic Bangers & Mash featuring Spolombo sausages, roasted root veggies, mashed potato and Guinness & onion gravy.  As simple as this dish appeared, it was actually very delicious.  First off, the sausages had a nice sear on the outside while beyond the snap casing, the meat was lean and well-seasoned.  The mash was super smooth and that gravy was so rich and flavourful.  Lastly, the veggies were barely cooked through, retaining a fresh crunch.

Continuing on with the comfort food, we had the Irish Stew with slow-cooked lamb, potato, celery, carrot and onion.  This was a hearty and rich stew that was natural-tasting without too much salt.  It was still flavourful from the sweetness of the veggies as well as the unmistakable taste of lamb.  About that lamb, it was super tender and plentiful.  The side of garlic toast was so crunchy and buttery.

Lastly, we had the Cottage Pie with 63 Acres ground beef, mixed veggies, buttered mashed potatoes and house-made tomato gravy.  Oh this hit the spot!  The tomato gravy was rich and had a muted tanginess.  The meatiness of the mixture was evident while the creamy mashed potatoes enveloped the ground beef like a warm hug.  The comfort food here at The Blarney Stone was on point and very reasonably-priced.  I would come back in a heartbeat for the eats, brews and of course, the live music!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Solid comfort food
- Reasonable pricing
- Still has that Blarney Stone vibe

The Bad:
- Parking isn't the easiest to find nearby
- Neighbourhood is a bit sketchy

Fort Pub & Grill

As of late, I haven't been heading out to Langley for eats for some reason or another.  Yes, I do not live in Langley and in fact, I'm on the other side of the Port Mann.  A more important factor is that I haven't made it out to visit friends out that way either.  They are still my friends...  I hope...  Whatever the case, I made it a point to meet up with Hot Mama and some friends at the Fort Pub & Grill located near the train tracks in historic Fort Langley.  Yah, we really went that far to meet up with Hot Mama...  She'd better appreciate this!

I decided to get a the classic Salt & Pepper Wings which ranged from small pieces to really large ones.  Despite the variance in size, they did a good job with the deep-fry as the exterior was uniformly crispy while the inside was still juicy.  This was rather impressive since the wings didn't seemed to be the beneficiary of any brine.  All the flavour was from the toss of salt and pepper after-the-fact.  For my main, I had the Bedford Burger with an Angus beef patty, sunny side fried egg, sauteed mushrooms, onions, smoky bacon, apple wood smoked cheddar, house mayo, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles.  This was definitely a 6-napkin burger if not more.  The egg was perfectly runny while the meat was moist and well-charred.  I loved the soft brioche bun that was still able to hold in all of the ingredients.  The side of fries were crispy and well-salted.

Miss Y had the Steamed Mussels in a creamy white wine broth.  They were fairly large and plump while cooked just enough. The modest amount of sauce was impactful where it was well-seasoned and lightly creamy. The wine was rather mild and had been completely cooked down.  For a pub, this was completely unexpected, but impressive nonetheless.

On another visit (also meeting up with Hot Mama), I decided to start with the Poutine.  It was a rather large portion doused in a considerable amount of thick, meaty gravy.  It didn't taste particularly typical, rather it was more like a gravy one would find with a veal cutlet.  No matter, I liked it as well as the legit cheese curds.  The fries were pretty pedestrian though being thin, not crispy enough and dry.  But the gravy solved that problem.  I also had the Cottage Pie which was also well-portioned.  The beef, carrot, peas and onion mixture was pretty tasty with tender meat and well-developed flavours.  I found the mash potato topping to be a bit plain where some more cream and/or butter would've made it fluffier.

CeeCee (formerly known as DeeDee...) went for the Roast Poblano & Crab Dip featuring roasted poblano pepper, mascarpone cheese and crab served warm with fresh baguette and Parmesan crusted naan bread.  We found the dip to be thick, creamy and a bit salty.   The lemon wedge on top was really necessary in brightening up the heaviness.  Although hardly a real naan bread, it was cheesy and soft though. It was a Bacon Cheeseburger for Zamboni Guy as he has doesn't venture far from the regular.  Unlike my Bedford Burger, this one was overdone and dry.  Bacon was crispy though.  From these 2 visits, it appears that consistency might be an issue, but if you hit it on the right day, Fort Pub offers up decent eats in Fort Langley.

The Good:
- The solarium portion of the restaurant is great for a sunny day
- Food is decent
- Service is not bad

The Bad:
- Inconsistency
- Lack of parking  

Romer's Craft Bowl (Red Truck Brewmaster Dinner)

Even since I attended my first Long-Table Series Dinner at The Irish Heather, it has become commonplace where restaurants have partnered up with craft breweries in offering up similar meals.  It is a win-win-win proposition where the restaurant benefits as well as the breweries.  Oh yeah, the customer wins too by getting a reasonably-priced meal with beer pairings.  So with that in mind, Emily and I attended the Red Truck Brewmaster's Dinner at Romer's in Yaletown.  It is a take on the Super Bowl, except with different breweries facing off to see who is the winner.

We began with a Red Truck IPA Organic Beet Salad which was pleasant enough.  It featured a good amount of tender beets that were sweet with only a hint of Earthiness.  Intermingled with them was goat cheese, wild baby arugula and sweet onion dressed with a Red Truck IPA mustard vinaigrette.  On the tenderness spectrum, there were more on the softer side.  For each course, we were served a beer pairing, so with 3 small glasses, it amounted to a flight of beer.  This was paired with the Red Truck Lager where thit was crisp and clean.  Hence, it didn't take away from the ingredients nor subtle flavours of the salad.

Next was our main that consisted of a Red Truck Lager Braised Rib Duo. Although the ribs appeared to be dry and stiff, they ate a whole lot better than they looked.  I found the beef short rib to be seasoned enough with a fairly rich meat flavour (not much in the way of any hints of beer though).  It was soft enough with a touch of stringiness.  The Maui pork ribs were more tender and moist than then short rib where the meat fell off the bone.  Underneath, the wild mushroom risotto was a tad soft, but did taste okay.  This was paired with the Red Truck IPA which was hoppy enough to stand up to the meats.

For dessert, we were served a variation of their ever-popular donuts.  These Maple Bacon Donuts were crispy, yet a bit oil-soaked.  Despite this, they were still soft and warm.  I had to ditch the maple frosting as it was very sweet.  Even the crispy bacon couldn't balance it off.  Although, the Red Truck caramel sauce wasn't over the top. This was paired with Red Truck Ale where the bitterness really help tone down the sweet factor of this dessert.  So remember when I said it was a win for the customer?  Well all this cost only $25.00.  Therefore, it is easy to overlook any deficiencies when you have 3 courses and a flight of beer for that price.

*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well-priced
- As much as it wasn't wow food, it was decent
- There's beer!

The Bad:
- I personally would've preferred one of their burgers, which is their specialty

One20 Public House

More often than not, the ol' dingy pub is a thing of the past.  Sure, they still exist and believe me, I've been to some...  never to return.  In this day and age, most watering holes have transformed themselves into gastropubs and social houses.  Case in point, the ol' Whaler on Scott Road became the One20 roughly a decade ago.  I've been there on several occasions in the past, but not recently.  It was about time to return as they have rejigged their menu and the overall feel of the place.

To go with my brew, I had to get the obligatory Salt & Pepper Wings (it's like going for Dim Sum and not ordering the Shrimp Dumplings).  These were indeed pretty large in size as advertised on the menu.  They were cooked a bit longer than I would've preferred though, yet they weren't too dry.  There was enough salt and pepper coating the crispy exterior though.  Inexplicably, Hot Mama had the One20 Two-Egger (breakfast???).  Well, it wasn't a bad choice though because it was well-prepared with 2 runny poached eggs and crispy hashbrowns.  The bacon could've been crispier though.

For myself, I had the Short Rib Beef Dip dressed with crispy onions, pickles and cheese on a soft ciabatta bun.  This in itself was a hearty enough sandwich which didn't require the dip.  The meat was melt-in-my-mouth tender with a noted braised essence.  As for the side of fries, they were fresh-cut and fried crispy.  Zamboni Guy went for the standby being the Classic Bacon Cheddar Burger served with the same crispy fries.  Interestingly, the burger was better the second time we visited.  This particular one was a bit dry in terms of the patty and the overall burger.  The bun was toasted up nicely though.

Moving away from beef, the Asiago Chicken Club looked to be just as hearty with grilled chicken breast, avocado, lettuce cheese and crispy bacon on a crusty roll.  Although the chicken wasn't juicy, it wasn't dry either.  Combined with all of the other ingredients, the sandwich was flavourful with different textures.  The Buffalo Chicken Wrap was pretty standard, yet well-executed in general.  It wasn't exactly spicy, but did feature plenty of crispy chicken with onions, cheese, lettuce and tomato.  Again, this was study of different textures.

As mentioned, I had returned shortly after to try the Braised Lamb Shank with mashed potatoes and peas.  The meat itself was quite nice being tender while still a touch firm.  The accompanying braising liquid was rather thin and too mild-tasting though.  The mash could've been creamier, but the pop of the sweet peas made me forget about it.  Overall, I rather enjoyed my 2 visits to the recently revamped and rebranded One20 Public House.  With the new menu and new chef, the food may not be perfect, but it is more than acceptable for this type of restaurant.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Decent portions
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but don't expect Cactus Club quality