November 12th, 2016
This is a place i used to work at roughly 7 years ago and have not returned since then. It used to be one of my favorite places to work at and eat at.
Apart of the Cactus Club Cafe group and a one off concept with menu designed by Iron Chef Rob Feenie when I was employed there I thought I would return and see where they have progressed in the years since my days in the kitchen.
Over the years there have been some minor modifications as expected, a few new tables and chairs, some new signage and definitely some new staff. the energy and friendliness was still the same though; upbeat, friendly, and disarmingly comfortable much like hanging out with an old friend.
My wife and I sat in a booth where we could take in all that was and reminise of days gone by and the memories made, hoping that the standards once set were still upheld and that the days of Chef Feenie tweaked menu were still present. We noticed that the menu had changed but some of the menu that was familiar in my days were still there all be it slightly changed.
We ordered some salt and pepper chicken wings with celery, ranch and blue cheese dip to start from our lovely waitress. I reminiced with her on how I used to work there and how it was our favorite place to go for a relaxing time. She was familiar with some of the changes and had been there for a few years but not long enough where our paths had crossed.
Our wings arrived promptly, neatly stacked the wings were a bit small yet nice and evenly seasoned. The celery that the wings came with were fresh out of the water bath they were in and should have been drained better, the ranch dressing was generic and the blue cheese dressing was unremarkable.
For our second course to our lunch we each had the "Mac and Cheese" with a burger patty added to it. The burgers used to be Chef Feenie's recipe and bold in flavor but have since changed to just a plain patty but he opted for the ground beef anyways as it was so much apart of our memories. The Mac n Cheese came in its signature mini cast iron fry pan with a few noted changes, the once cavatappi noodles (Scoobi-doo noodles) now rigatoni, the double smoked back bacon switched out for regular bacon. the sauce remained rich but now the flavorful taste it once had. Minor things to some clearly to save on some costs and minimize differences in previous version but for a refined pallette who remembers what it once was it was a slight let down. The cast iron pan needed to be in the oven a bit longer to truly help the pasta stay warmer longer and the topping needs to less pre toasted and have it properly finish in the oven making all the ingredients come together. When you cut corners to save time and money sometimes you just get a lesser quality.
The Before
The after:
Looking back at the menu I see different variations of the same stuff, not just the stuff that they had in the past but what everyone in the Vancouver area does, the only difference is that The Village Taphouse does it better.
I give The Village Taphouse a solid 3.5 / 5
The Village Taphouse is located at Park Royal Mall in West Vancouver
900 Main Street, Village @ Park Royal
West Vancouver BC
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