After circling around West Point Grey and Kitsilano, we decided to head Downtown to find a restaurant for dinner. As another hour passed of circling around, we decided to play it safe (and boring) and chose The Keg. Actually, the Downtown Keg locations may not really be "safe" as in the restaurants are consistent because I never had a good experience at the Alberni Street location! On at least three occasions at The Keg on Alberni, the staff were not friendly and the food was subpar. At a Chain restaurant? Beats me…
We decided to try the location on Dunsmuir Street because neither of us have been here before and I was pretty excited to try the new menu. When we walked in, the both of us were surprised at how large the restaurant is because The Keg does not even look that big from outside of the building. The lounge is located on the first floor and the dining room is up a spiral staircase.
Similar to the other locations, The Keg's interior has a casual atmosphere. The seating arrangements are not too cramped (if you get a booth seat) and The Keg can always accommodate large parties.
Usually the bread at The Keg tastes good and the only disappointment is when it is not served warm. However, the bread oddly tastes rock hard! I had to pry the bread apart which was very hard to do, and bits of crust got everywhere lol. I usually love the crust too but could only eat the crumb. As our server came by to take the remaining crust away later, she also asked if we needed more bread. BF mentioned the bread was oddly very hard and our friendly server apologized, while also mentioning usually it is very good and offered to bring us a new order.
TUNA TACOS, "Ahi tuna on warm tortillas with cabbage slaw and cilantro. Served with jalapeño maple aioli" ($13.00).
The ahi tuna is the only reason for why I have been wanting to try The Keg's new menu! I believe Joey's is the only chain restaurant that offers ahi tuna too. Also without reading the menu description until now, I had no idea the tortilla is supposed to be served warm. At the restaurant, the tortillas were cold and I was surprised that a Chain restaurant did not bother heating them up.
Asides from the cold tortilla which also tastes doughy, there is too much coleslaw so we ate the tuna separately. The tuna tastes fresh, is evenly seared, and has a mild spiciness. As for the jalapeño maple aioli, the sauce provides some moisture and when doused on the dry coleslaw, it resulted in a nice refreshing zing.
SHRIMP COCKTAIL, "Chilled black tiger shrimp with a zesty martini cocktail sauce" (12.00).
The butterflied tiger prawns taste bouncy and have a nice snap. The natural sweetness is there and the prawns taste great when paired with the tangy cocktail sauce. I always make sure to order the shrimp cocktail at The Keg because the price is very reasonable compared to Gotham's or Hy's.
Trying the Manhattan Cut at The Keg for the first time, the steak is pretty good. The steak is prepared to a medium rare as requested, tastes juicy, tender and full of beefy flavour. There is a nice crust too but I could have used a touch more seasoning.
As for the accompaniments, the selection of vegetables include green beans along with a slice of red pepper, and I chose the twice baked potato. The twice baked potato tastes creamy and there are bits of chive and bacon.
I have tried The Keg's rib steak before at the Coquitlam location and because of the dry, tough and chewiness, I insisted BF not to order it. The Keg was sold out of prime rib however, so there was no other choice. Fortunately though, the rib steak tastes so good!
The steak is cooked to a medium rare as requested, resulting in a very juicy, rich and fatty piece of meat. The steak is also full of flavour and even tastes tender, much better than the location in Coquitlam. Heck, much better than some fine dining restaurants' we have been to lately! If anything, I would have preferred a better crust but he did not mind it. As for the sides, the sautéed mushrooms taste juicy and the natural flavour is there. He also chose the baked potato with sour cream and bacon.
BILLY MINER PIE, "Mocha ice cream on a chocolate crust with hot fudge, caramel and almonds" ($6.00).
The Billy Miner is loaded with almonds and the ice cream tastes "hard" as well as creamy, and has a light mocha flavour. This is my favourite dessert at The Keg and I am surprised it is the cheapest one too. As for the crust, the bottom crumbled too much but I do not care since I order this for the ice cream and almonds.
TOTAL: $96.60 + TIP $18.40 = $115.00.
The Keg on Dunsmuir Street is one of the better locations I have been to, food and service wise. Our server was friendly, genuine and attentive. As for the food, the steaks are well prepared and taste juicy. I hope this location can stay consistent! We also celebrated my late birthday and the ice cream cake was on the house.
POSITIVES
- Great steaks
- Affordable prices
- Genuine and friendly server
NEGATIVES
- Tuna tacos need improvement (2/5)
LITTLE THINGS
- I would not hesitant to order a side of lobster tail next time at this location, but hopefully it will not taste rubbery like most of The Keg locations
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Next time you're at the Keg, order their secret 'three cheese butter' with your bread! It's amazingg and doesn't cost extra. Also, if you prefer a better crust on the bone in rib steak, get it "Chicago Style" because it will be slightly charred (not in a bad way) and that's the BEST way to eat bone in rib eye in my opinion. :P My bf works at the keg head office so he knows little tricks here and there.
ReplyDeleteA few people have told me about the butter options! But I didn't want to seem greedy because I also got the ice cream cake… lol. I'm a bit traumatized from getting Chicago style steaks from The Keg because on two occasions, it was too burnt and tasted so salty :(
Delete