The Factory: Great quality for $4.95!

Planned to go somewhere for dinner before a movie, turned out they didn't have their specials anymore and The Factory was closer than The Famous Warehouse, so I walked in to grab seats!

Restaurant: The Factory

Location: 1017 Granville Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Pub food, international, tapas
Price range: $10-15





Date of visit: October 28, 2014
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

Not very busy for 5pm on a Tuesday night but the staff were attentive and helpful. I remember they used to have all food items for $5.95, guess they changed it? It's now $4.95! I sat alone eating three dishes (thinking others would arrive earlier), looked like a girl who just got dumped and was binge eating haha =P Anyhow! I got their Pesto Linguine ($4.95) which was quite large. I enjoyed the creamy pesto they chose to use topped with some fresh tomatoes, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. It was nice and herby but didn't feel oily. Pasta was al dente too!

Next on my table was their Poutine ($4.95). Basically a lot of fries topped with gravy, cheese, and bacon (bacon makes everything better). The fries were crispy and hot, moist on the inside. Cheese was softer than I like (not the squeaky eraser cheese in traditional poutines) and the bacon was just there. However the gravy was nice and light, complimented the dish well.

Finally, as I continued to eat alone with my table of food, their Factory Burger ($4.95) arrived. Waiter was totally understanding and actually informed me I could get them to reheat the food when others arrived and didn't discriminate that loner girl in the corner was binging on three dishes. The burger patty was all beef, thickness of a quarter-pounder at McDonald's. Typical burger with lettuce, cheese, bun, and tomato (plus sauce), it was quite wholesome. Came with a side of fries.




Overall I enjoyed my visit, I feel the food is at par or even better than The Famous Warehouse down the street, more variety and yummier fries =P So if you're looking for cheap eats, this is a good option!

Naam, Vancouver: Vegetarian 24/7!! =D

First time ever hearing of this restaurant, and I've passed by it myriads of times! Can't believe it =O Either way, NC recommended it and hence, dinner was served!

Restaurant: Naam (visit their website here)

Location: 2724 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: Vegetarian, International, Mexican, Organic
Price range: $10-20 per person




Date of visit: August 12, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.75/5
Buck worthy? 3.75/5

I found the interior a bit dark, which isn't what I prefer (they dimmed it down further later in the evening). The servers were all very friendly and helpful, especially when Adorables asked a waitress where their water comes from (who would've thought they actually use a special purification system?!). Anyhow, onto the food =) NC ordered what I believe is a Santa Fe Enchilada ($12.25). Besides the main baked entree, there was a giant salad, and contained loads of goodies (not your typical iceberg lettuce). There was romaine, sprouts, beats, carrots, tomato, seeds, etc. I tried the tofu and it was pretty amazing!

Adorables ordered a Tempeh Reuben Platter ($14.50). It was really big! I tried part of the burger and found it a bit bland and dry. It tasted so... HEALTHY (not that it's a bad thing to be healthy of course). With the different dipping sauces, I found I liked the poppyseed one best. The sesame fries were oddly like potato wedges sprinkled with sesame seeds but good. Crispy on the outside with soft and mushy potato on the inside. Again, super colorful salad.

Finally myself! I didn't have a huge appetite, so I ordered a safe Naam Quesdilla ($8.95), and it was delicious. The cheese just was the perfect chewy and the jalepeno balanced out the oiliness well. The salsa was a bit spicy for me, and nothing special.

The three of us shared a slice of Noh Pie ($6.75) which was supposed to have "no sweet, no eggs, no dairy, no wheat banana-date-nut cream pie". Our waiter offered us whipping cream though. I found it to be too sweet on its own, the whipping cream actually made it less sweet and made it much easier to down and more enjoyable. A bit expensive in my opinion.

Either way, if you're craving some vegetarian, this isn't a bad choice for a restaurant open 24/7 and isn't fast food =P A healthy alternative for sure!