Dine Out Vancouver – The New Bohemian

When it comes to writing dining reviews, my first thought is, who am I to judge a flavor of food when I am often biased by my own preferences and notorious picky-ness? That being said, I often find myself debriefing the general vibe and atmosphere of a restaurant venue, and only listing out the menu items instead of commenting on their taste. However, every so often, the food is so terrible that anyone sitting in my place would have thought the same thing.

The New Bohemian (3162 West Broadway) is taglined as a local restaurant and social lounge. The venue is undeniably chic with lush decor and damask patterned wallpaper. Reminiscent of trendy downtown lounges on the Granville Strip, there is an emphasis on the full service bar, a DJ platform near the back, and a variety of seating.

I came here for my first Dine Out Vancouver of the year. Priced at the moderate menu of $28, The New Bohemian’s dine out choices consists of four courses. Being adventurous and wanting to try as many dishes as possible, my friend and I ordered a different selection for each course.

The Split-Pea Soup and Tomato Bocconcini as pre-course appetizers were nothing out of the ordinary. A broth of pureed peas and a meager slice of bread. The fresh tomatoes tasted healthy. Nothing special. For the next course, the oversized Tortellini, stuffed with minced beef and mushrooms, was cold on the inside! Definitely undercooked, with a chewy pasta exterior. As my friend politely asked if the stuffing was supposed to be cold, the dish was replaced fairly quickly by our apologetic server. Meanwhile, my Macadamia & Coconut Prawns reminded me of the “Popplers” on Futurama and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were going to start talking to me and cry for help…

For our entree, I had the Seafood Risotto while my friend had the Bone-in Organic pork chop. When the food came, I was eying my friend’s plat. The perfect “criss-cross” pattern charred onto the pork chop. A bone jutting out at the perfect angle of the meat. A colorful medley of vegetables. Meanwhile, there were literally only two prawns in my entire dish, covered by an oily mess of risotto. Pools of orange oil emitted under my mush of rice. I was told it was chile oil drizzled on top and on the side, but the question remains: why douse an already rich, heavy, carbohydrate dish with more oil?

All that being said, I am so glad I did not order the pork chop. When he cut me a piece, I distinctly remember remarking that he had cut me a piece of fat. Mid-bite and halfway through the consumption of his pork chop and after some quick Blackberry research – we discovered that the pork was not supposed to be rare. Turns out what I ate wasn’t pig fat – just raw meat!! Holding up the candlelight to the rest of the meat, there was a distinct, fleshy pinkness on the inside of the pork, with texture reminiscent of raw chicken breast. With more profuse apologies, that dish was also quickly whisked away and replaced (at my friend’s request) with the halibut instead. “Can’t screw fish up, right?” followed by a “Can you tastes this for me? – I can’t tell anymore!”

Dessert was fine – a Chocolate Torte with vanilla ice cream and a Fresh fruit Napoleon with layers of pastry with fresh fruit. But by that time, my mind was already made up about The New Bohemian. And with some further blog research, I discovered that the restaurant was getting less-than-stellar reviews from other sites too: here, here, here and here (Globe and Mail).

In conclusion, if you were thinking of dining out at The New Bohemian, you should reconsider staying in.

The New Bohemian on Urbanspoon

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12 Responses

  1. To be frank, its dine out. I hate dine out for this reason. It over packs restaurants to a capacity and turnover that none of them can handle, thus the food quality falls drastically.

    I hate to say it, but dine out is for cheap people who can’t afford the real thing. If you wanted to real restaurant experience, i’d suggest going to these restaurants when its not dine out.

  2. The raw pork story brings up bad memories of food poisoning. Reading this has made me throw up a little in my mouth. 🙁 I think I’ll be heeding your warning.

  3. I told you it was horrible already! The food is nothing special and the service is sub-par at best. It’s got to go.

  4. I’ve always loved the New Bohemian every time I’ve been there in the past year.
    Try it for yourselves and make the decision!!

  5. Funny , my friends and I have been there on numerous occasions and the food is realy good. I was there a week ago for dine out and my friend had the pork chop and we both thought it was phenomenal! As to the portions you need to remember you are paying $28.00 for a 4 course meal and if you think you need to have a full size order then have one when it is not “Dine out” also just like anything, people and restaurants have good and bad days and mistakes happen that is life get over it and move on no need to be such a jerk.

  6. we all had a very good time at the new bohemian,the food was anything but bad, very good and and great value, 28 dollars for four course.wow as for pork being raw or even rare? what century are we in tric hasnt happened for a while now, so mine was cooked but i eat medium pork all the time so whats the problem? baby, suck it up butter cup? I like your site by the way but you are wayyyy wrong this time.

  7. “people and restaurants have good and bad days and mistakes happen that is life get over it and move on no need to be such a jerk”

    First of all, yes, I acknowledge that there are good and bad days and mistakes (Here comes the cliche line: “We are all human.”). That said, if you are opening a restaurant and you don’t produce consistent results, why would anyone bother coming? A spectacular restaurant should produce phenomenal food every time, no matter the occasion.

    “i eat medium pork all the time so whats the problem?” Well, I don’t know about you but I’d like my food cooked well thank you. If I want raw food I’d go for sashimi somewhere else instead.

    “baby, suck it up butter cup?” The whole point is to review restaurants and share your experiences. If you’re paying for a service or something like a meal, do you not expect the most value for your money? Why have standards at all then? Why even bother writing restaurant reviews?

    Now, I’d like to share my personal experience at The New Bohemian. I’ve went with as a party of 5 on a Monday night (this was back in late October and not for Dine Out). We went early, around 5 or 6pm, and there were only 2 other tables. I forgive the service because the server made it clear it was her first shift. We were hoping for at least a decent meal to make up for that, but no, not only did the food take forever to come, the 5 drinks we ordered took at least 45 minutes. The food was only lukewarm when it arrived, and also small in portion size.

    Take my word for it, avoid this place.

  8. Well I guess you are the expert I mean what am I but a lowly consumer . I have eaten there 6 or 7 times in the last 2 months including dine out , never had bad food , slow service but nope the food has been great. I have sent friends to the restaurant also and they also had great meals . I have eaten at some top rated restaurants in this city and have had to send food back so yeah you know what shit happens and you are being a jerk, 1 undercooked pork chop does not a bad restaurant make. I think you are harsh and come on ….freakin Dine out! what the hell do you expect give a review on a night with a regular menu.. oh yeah you are probably too cheap to do that. Me I will be back it is a great room and the food is good .

  9. oh and by the way Adam , sounds like sour grapes . Do youhave a hate on for some restaurants in this town , are you perhaps a disgruntled ex employee or a frustrated chef ?

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