Westwood Pub

2 Reviews on “Westwood Pub”

• Cindy Jackson

  Food was great! Prices were really good too. But the waitresses seemed like they wanted to be there and they way they were dressed made me and my friend not want to go back there. It isn’t hooters. They served the men before we were served. I realize they work for tips, but please…women leave tips too. Have some respect for yourselves.

  June 15, 2019, 9:35 am

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• Prince Gastronome

  Ill begin this review, a strangely positive one concerning a pub, with an irrefutable claim comparing Japanese tamagoyaki to Canadian poutine. No, Im not having a stroke. Tamagoyaki is a Japanese omelet, very often presented alongside sushi and in the same manner. Customers often look down on tamago, a way substituting expensive fish with something of lower quality. And in some restaurants, thats exactly the casewhich is why tamago is also considered the baseline in which restaurants are judged. There are competitions in Japan where the premiere itamaes compete by making nothing but tamago.Its interesting that in North America, sushi is elevated to a culinary stratum, the epoch of all foodies. Yet, over there, its often measured on the same level as our local pubs. In a way, nachos and pierogis can be considered the Canadian sushi. Yes, thats the metaphor Im making in my case for the quality of Westwood Pub. If you make something amazing from the mundane, thats worthy of praise.It had been a while since my last visit. I remembered praising the food but not the dcor, with beer logos raping your vision at every turn like a blip-vert from Max Headroomyeah, that reference felt pass then to. I remember having a simple sandwich but enjoying freshness of the ingredients. This return visit was during a dinner service, which admittedly was a test of the clientele as much as anything else. Ive been to pubs with good food but honestly feared for my safety. Approaching the entrance, the three of us had to navigate around someone enjoying a drag inches from the door, technically illegal in BC. Past the doors, we found unavoidable glares from an occupied pool table. Thankfully, once we took our seats, the situation improved. It had been a few years, and Im certain there had been an intervening renovation; the lackluster layout from before looked improved, although the number of TV screens had not. Seriously, there are five mounted side-by-side down one wall. Five screens in a row. Unless they were linked to create one giant video, that wouldve been cool. Other elements are better, like the spacing between the tables and the reserved music. People could actually hear each other. The bar was unobtrusive, and the stained glass was a nice touch, especially those featuring the shield crest of the pub. Thats correct, a shield crest. And yes, thats awesome. Maybe its my roots in Dungeons & Dragons, but being welcomed by a golden lion regalia harkens back to five warriors gathering at a tavern to discuss the upcoming dungeon adventurer. Im a nerd, and this works for me. The menu was simple with some strange inclusions, not the least of which was an entire sub-section dedicated to varieties of poutine. I figured what the hell and ordered the basic, costing less than $10. I followed that up with the pierogis and sausage on special. My friend took in the taco salad while the girlfriend played it safe with Irish Nachos. Irish NachosIrish Nachosyou know, it really makes me question the potential stereotyping of an ethnicity where you can swap an ingredient for potatoes and slap the name Irish on it. Plus, the potatoes have a very familiar cross-cut waffle appearance. Its like they are not even trying to conceal the fact its a rip-off. But you know what, dont care, I love pacherrr, I mean Irish nachos. I felt like the subject of a miniaturization experiment when the food arrived, like Ant-Man tossed one of his blue Pym particle disks onto the food (yes, I fact-checked that). The poutine was massive for the price, the Irish nachos doubly so. The taco salad was basically a forest topped with meat. For the prices, each of these appetizers were share platesfor a bowling team. We were almost full when the mains arrived. The poutine was also very well made, with high quality Guinness gravy, crispy frees and melted cheese. I was shocked at how good this was. Even the nachos were memorable. My pierogis looked homemade, and the flanked sausage was incredible (despite being obviously store bought). The food was simple, no doubt about it, but the quality was surprising. This could be the first pub I may want to return to, and another nail in the coffin against the popular competition people seem to still flock to. Westwood Pub is a shocka pub that doesnt disappoint me like all of the Divergent movies do. The environment doesnt frighten methe dcor doesnt insult me, and the food, despite the simplicity, is accomplished with considerable gusto. I may actually want to come back, which is high praise indeed.Food: 3.5/5Service: 3.5/5Presentation: 3/5Value: 5/5Recommendation: 4/5

  October 4, 2016, 11:33 am

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