I cannot think of many above average restaurants in New Westminster off the top of my head and when trying to find a restaurant for dinner that is neither a pub or chain establishment around 8:00p.m., it is a pretty tough choice. So after circling around the city we decided to try the Old Spaghetti Factory on pure nostalgia.
Rating: 1/5
When the bread arrived, my face literally dropped. What happened to the sourdough?! Obviously I inquired about it and apparently the supplier of the amazing sourdough went out of business!! I was so disappointed! Jaw dropped and all. As for the table bread, this was more like a ciabatta than sourdough. The bread was fresh, soft crumb and exhibited a light crisp exterior, but it was nothing compared to the sourdough before.
Rating: 2.5
For the Old Spaghetti Factory, the bellini was not too bad. Asides from the drink being a touch icier than usual, it was not too sweet and you could taste the alcohol.
Rating: 3.5/5
The hot sauce on these wings tasted great, practically perfect! A Southern hot sauce that exhibited a lot of tang, vinegar, flavour and the level of spiciness did not overwhelm. The wings tasted juicy as well despite that they were a touch soggy in certain areas.
Rating 2/5
The steamed mussels were not as good as the wings since they were overcooked, chewy and rubbery. The mussels were on the smaller side too. The broth on the other hand tasted great and flavourful, where you could taste the brininess and the tomato did to overwhelm.
Rating: 3/5
Included with every entree is a choice of salad or chowder and of course I selected the chowder, which was a splendid decision. The creamy and hearty chowder had a nice consistency, a mild clam flavour and you could even taste the bacon in the broth.
Rating 3.5/5
Another appetizer we ordered is the calamari, which exhibited a light crispy batter that was not greasy one bit. Moreover, the squid tasted tender and the buttermilk batter was well seasoned. The tzatziki could have used more tang and pickle however as it tasted fairly average.
BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP ($2.50)
Rating: 2.5/5
A must order for a friend of mine is always the french onion soup whenever it is available, and as for myself I find them only average. Perhaps I have never had a really good one yet? The soup had a mild onion flavour and a light, but yet rich soup base and it tasted neither salty nor overwhelming. I personally prefer a lighter onion flavour, which do not mistaken for bland! In addition to the soup base, there was a generous topping of mozzarella despite that it tasted rubbery.
Rating: 1/5
Fortunately this was not my entree as the steak and spaghetti was very disappointing.
In regards the spaghetti, the noodles were overcooked and not properly drained which explained the excess amount of liquid. On top of that, the tomato sauce tasted like a simple classic red sauce, but there was no flavour and it tasted very bland. Honestly no different than what you would get at a Hong Kong style cafe restaurant.
When the new steak arrived, the restaurant definitely made up for it. The steak tasted juicy and exhibited lots of char. In fact, the steak was executed better than what I have had at Joey or Milestones, but only because of the well charred exterior. However despite the juicy steak and char, the steak itself tasted powdery and had a dry finish. Perhaps due to low turn over?
Rating: 4/5
Of course my entree was THE best even though the ravioli was a bit past al dente. The ravioli had a rich mushroom and earthy filling while the creamy and butter sauce tasted delicious!
In addition, the white chicken tasted tender and complimented this rich and heavy (in a good way) ravioli. The bacon just topped off this pasta dish overall. Just writing about this right now makes me crave it so bad... but damn, why that bread supplier have to go out of business?!
To end this carb loaded (actually it was not even carb loaded!) meal, spumoni ice cream is served with every pasta or entree dish. If only the ice cream tasted just as good as some of dishes though.. because the ice cream was not edible. The ice cream was practically all ice and it was not appealing to finish.
Overall the Old Spaghetti Factory exceeded my expectations from the wings, chowder, calamari and ravioli to our friendly server. I am still disappointed about the "sourdough" bread that honestly resembled ciabatta however. But if I am ever craving the aforementioned dishes, I would revisit whenever I am in the area. In regards to the service, our server was extremely friendly and honest about what to order or pass on. He was also attentive.
POSITIVES
- Large selection
- Delicious ravioli
- Mostly above average food
- Friendly and personable server
NEGATIVES
- No more sourdough bread!
- Lots of frostbite on the ice cream
- Spaghetti and steak was not good
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY : NEW WESTMINSTER
50 8th St, New Westminster, BC V3M 3N8
TELEPHONE (604) 524-9788
www.oldspaghettifactory.ca
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