Apparently a Tim Horton’s in New Brunswick owned by Edwin Dow has banned a guy from ever going into their store again because he has gotten Burnt Decaf coffee and complained three times about it.

Now, I can understand pain in the ass customers, and stuff. I’ve complained about lots of stores in the past, and while I think that many customers can be a pain, I think a lot of stores now feel like they have the right to treat customers any way they want, which is fine I guess if they don’t want the customer any more. However, they should be ready to accept the fact that they will get flack for it, and there will be fallout in some cases. I highly doubt all this bad press for Edwin Dow was worth three cups of coffee. If even two customers skip out on coffee now he will have lost money.

No, the customer is not always right, but when I go to Starbucks, and they screw up a drink, even a LITTLE bit, they give me a free drink! Virtually every time! When they screw up my free syrups in my drink and charged me for them, they gave me 2 free drink coupons. While its a bit annoying having to deal with stuff that they tell you that you are supposed to get, they make up for it, and it keeps me coming back. They make me feel like they want me as a customer, and I don’t mind paying a premium for a coffee that I enjoy drinking and a brand I enjoy associating with.

Reference article:
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Patron+makes+double+double+take+over+Hortons/2537021/story.html

Common fish swaps include:
Wild Salmon that’s really Farmed Salmon
Red Sanpper that’s really Tilapia
Crab that’s really Hake
Flounder as Halibut
Pollock as Cod

Restaurants Busted:
Coney Island Seafood on Marine Drive
Speeds Pub in Ladner
Takumi Japanese Restaurant in West Vancouver
Bon Sushi in Surrey

It’s a shame that there is so much fraud going on in day to day lives, when you go out to try and enjoy a nice cod fish and chips you might get catfish and chips… halibut sashimi turns out to be flounder sashimi.

The restaurant is laid out well, with a sushi bar on one site and high, open ceilings with large floor-to-ceiling windows. The menu leans towards the expensive side at dinner but lunch is quite affordable.

The Aburi-Sushi is extraordinary and quite unique. Give it a shot if you’ve never been!

Miku
#2 – 1055 West Hastings Street
Guinness Tower
Vancouver, BC,
V6E 2E9

Nanaimo has some really great small restaurants that serve great food, maybe not in the league of the restaurants in Vancouver overall, but there are a few gems, that in addition to the good food, they have a great atmosphere with staff and servers that make the experience a memorable one. Armani’s is one of these places. If you’ve never been to Armani’s Grill in Nanaimo and tried some of Gordo’s fantastic Burgers, Fries and Rice bowls, you are missing out!

I really wish I had taken some photos of the great food that Gordo serves there, but I did not, but might try to get some shots next time I am there.

Here are some recommendations:

French Fries
Gordo makes the BEST french fries I have had. They are chipped fresh, sprinkled with lemon juice, and left to soak overnight. Then they are deep fried straight from raw, which takes a bit longer than most fries that are cooked before they are deep fried. This gives his fries a very unique flavour to them that are bursting with potato flavour and a somewhat more robust texture. He also happens to pile about 2 lbs of fries on the burgers too.

King of Shrooms Burger
His burgers are huge, like half a pound. Not only that, the mushroom burger comes with a pound of slices and sauteed mushrooms that literally is piled as high as the burger is. These shrooms try to stay inside the bun, but they definately do not! There are so many mushrooms that its almost ridiculous… but that’s kind of why I like this place.

Gordo’s Bowl
In my opinion, this is his best rice bowl. He chops up the vegetables to the perfect size, with a large variety of them, and then you get some battered and deep fried pork bits which are covered with something he calls “Gordo Sauce”. It tastes something like chipotle mayo, and goes fantastic with the rice and pork.

Gordo the man himself. Gordo’s one of the other reasons I like to come here. He usually takes the time to come over to the table and chat with us, and he’s got a good sense of humour.. I really enjoy the food, and meeting the chef is always a bonus. Makes the place feel closer to home, and the food that much better.

The portions are about double what most people can eat, so you are bound to have left overs that you can take home with you. Most of the rice bowls range $12-15, and the burgers are about the same. I sure do miss Armani’s Grill..

Low Price:

Vera’s Burger Shack

http://www.verasburgershack.com/

Hiroshi’s Creations
21st and Oak
Pho Hua

http://www.phohoa.com/

Medium Price:

Jade Seafood Restaurant

http://jaderestaurant.ca/

Joey’s

http://www.joeysmedgrill.com/

Moxies

http://www.moxies.ca/

Thai House

http://www.thaihouse.com/

Tropika

http://www.tropika-canada.com/

Banana Leaf

http://bananaleaf-vancouver.com/

Guu (Thurlow Only)

http://www.guu-izakaya.com/

Higher Price:

Nu

http://whatisnu.com/

Blue Water

http://www.bluewatercafe.net/

Glowbal

http://www.glowbalgrill.com/

La Crocodile

http://www.lecrocodilerestaurant.com/home.cfm