After a long day of work my guy and I decided to head to The Rumpus room based on my roommates recommendation. As soon as we got inside I knew this place was just a casual good time. It was dark and decorated like a garage converted into a bachelor pad from the 70s. A guy came by and told us to sit anywhere but the only space left was a old couch by the windows. We immediately noticed under the coffee table in front of us were a bunch of cool games and toys ranging from jenga to an old etch-a-sketch with the coolest picture ever.

We got around to ordering from the decently sized menu. Most of it was comfort food like Mac and cheese, sandwiches and pasta. There was even a create your own hot dog section with a bunch of toppings. One interesting option was the deep fried pickle. We decided to get honey garlic wings and the LGBT (lettuce guag bacon and tomato I believe). I also scanned the drinks menu and found a nice choice of cocktails, wines and beer. I settled on one of my favorites, the Phillips Blue Buck beer. The highlight of the drinks was probably the famous pickleback. Its a shot of Jameson with a chaser of pickle juice. Sure sounds like they have a thing for pickles doesn't it?

Our food arrived quickly and I found out that the wings were boneless, which was slightly weird but they turned out to still be juice and tasty. They were more like chicken fingering the end. The fries that came with the sandwich were amazing, I'm not to sure if they were potatoes or not but they were better than the average house fries.

After our mains were decided to get dessert and went for the deep fried Reese peanut butter cups. It arrived with three pieces and a glob of ice cream served in a bucket. Super sweet, filling and painfully delicious.

It's a great little place to go for a relaxed atmosphere and not overly complicated. I'd definitely like to go back and try their bunch.

The Rumpus Room
rumpusroom.ca
2689 Main Street
604-839-5780

Cafeteria opened on main a while ago and one of my friends kept telling me about how she loves it so much. Deciding on dinner I headed down there on a Wednesday night with a few other people. On the corner on Main and 11th its on an unsuspecting corner just close to Cascade Room. We got a seat right away and there was probably only 10 tables at max. Their menu is cleverly posted on wall just like it used to be in high school with the little white letters that were switched daily for different meals. After asking the waitress I found out they change their menu up quite frequently to keep things fresh, usually about once a week or so but dishes come and go from their menu quite often.

I was looking for a place to eat last weekend when I stumbled across Heron Rock Bistro. Its categorized under "affordable fine-dining" and I think that describes the place perfectly. If you're looking for a nicer place to eat without breaking the bank this is could be a good option. It was a satisfying meal but wasn't superb beyond belief.

The small bistro is located right in the heart of James Bay. They were very accommodating when we made reservations for a large group and added several more people last minute. The restaurant atmosphere was alright. They're aiming for that fine dining/romantic atmosphere with candles and low lighting. I can't stand low lighting in restaurants. Honestly, I would appreciate it if I could see my food thank you very much. I did like the works of art that featured local artists.

The menu isn't very extensive but each item sounds delicious.
I decided to go with the Fraser Valley Duck (as seen in the picture). The portion was just enough to satisfy me without making me feel overfull. The Gnocchi was soft but not as chewy as I'd have liked it to be. The apricots definitely added a special flavor to the overall meal. The duck was tender and juicy and was a lot like turkey. I liked the dish, I'm just not sure it was worth $22.

The pasta special was pretty good that night. You had a dish of pasta and a glass of wine for about $20. Maybe I should have gone with that instead.

Heron Rock Bistro
http://heronrockbistro.ca/web/index.htm

Firstly Happy New Year. Hopefully this year I'll be able to add more to this blog, considering I only have classes one day a week. Back to the reviews...

Hidden off of Alexandra road in Richmond B.C., Bonqula (pronounced Bon-ku-la) is a refreshing Japanese restaurant that should be tried. I went during the winter break after reading about it on dineout.ca

Prices are a little bit above average but well worth what is served. The restaurant isn't a typical Japanese one and very different from the typical asian

I actually got to the restaurant pretty late and it was very empty. This worried me cause empty places tell me that they aren't great. I think because of its location a lot of people don't see and know about it.

The waiter gave us a small appetizer of sliced bread that was made in store by the chef. Apparently she makes a batch everyday. It reminded me of pound cake and was quite savory.

I tried the chicken curry nabe noodle dish, which was served with rice. The portions didn't seem huge but ended up being quite filling. It was about $15 if i remember correctly. The curry flavor was very light and didn't overwhelm the other tastes and wasn't super spicy either. The chicken was not too bad as well. The dish was quite tasty, not anything super special but satisfying all the same.

Bonqula
http://s1.shard.jp/bonqula/
#165-8460 Alexandra Road Richmond,BC