Restaurant Review: The Wallflower
THE WALLFLOWER MODERN DINER
2420 Main Street ~ thewallflowermoderndiner.com Twitter: @wallflowerdiner ~ Instagram: @wallflowervancouver Co-Diner: Tim Golem
Mount Pleasant is a super hip and happening area and Wallflower Diner contributes well to the entire scene. Once again, I had heard about them on You Gotta Eat Here! and have been looking forward to trying them out ever since. We visited early on a Friday evening and the place wasn’t too busy. Their purple neon sign makes them unmistakable to find! The space is simple and cool with a neat black and white floral mural on one side. Our server was friendly and the overall vibe of the restaurant is that it’s a casual spot that is welcoming to everyone. (By “everyone” they mean omnivores, carnivores, vegans, vegetarians, and celiacs - there is delicious, edible food for everyone!) It’s a great place to keep note of if you have friends of varying diets. We sat near the front in a booth by the window and began to look over the appetizing menu. I noticed right away that the music was really, really good. It was all upbeat and fun stuff from the 80s and 90s. I started with a Caesar ($6.00) to drink.
Vodka, clamato, worcestershire and tobasco.
This was a really good straight forward caesar. It tasted great and had a nice kick to it. I liked the seasoning on the glass rim and I loved the garnish of two giant olives. They also offer a vegan version made with tomato juice instead of clamato. On the show I saw them make the Meatloaf Wellington ($16.00) and was instantly sold on trying it. However, there is a bunch of stuff on the menu that I would be very interested in ordering in the future; such as the Beef Stroganoff and Grandma’s Fried Chicken. Plus they serve brunch every day until 4pm and I am totally down for that!
Meatloaf, bacon, puff pastry, vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy.
Meatloaf wrapped in bacon wrapped in pastry can only be a good thing. They make the meatloaf with ground beef and pork, ketchup, pickles (yes!), hot sauce, coffee, and pickle juice (double yes!), among other things. Then they wrap the loaf in bacon and wrap that in pastry... And I can’t think of much else that sounds more delicious than that. Thankfully, it tasted just as good as TV made it sound. The meatloaf itself was tender and super flavourful. The pickle flavour completely came through in a delightful but not overpowering way (although let’s face it, there would have been no such thing as “too much” for me). It was all balanced so well between the meats, vegetables and sauces involved in this creation. The bacon was crisp and so was the light golden pastry. The textures were so excellent and I would absolutely order this again. Plus the sides that were included were fresh and tasty as well. Loved! In the mood for dessert, we chose the Waffle Banana Split ($10.00). I also really liked the sound of the Ice Cream Sandwich (made with a peanut butter chocolate cookie) and will probably try that next time.
Gluten free waffle, fried banana, peanut butter syrup and 2 scoops of Say Hello Sweets coconut ice cream.
All I needed to hear was “fried banana.” And “peanut butter syrup” didn’t hurt either. The best part was the fried banana for sure, all warm and caramelized. The ice cream was very nice and certainly didn’t seem to be missing anything in the dairy department (even though it’s dairy-free). I found the waffle a little dry and lackluster, but the sauce punched things up a lot. A good dessert to share. I really liked this place. It’s a cool and cozy neighbourhood joint. The use of pickles in this place is A+. I like their interesting food ideas and the prices are reasonable as well. It’ll certainly be at the top of my list when I need a place that is accommodating to various types of diets. No bland food in sight here!