The New Bohemian

Returned a couple of times within the last month. Each time it seemed to be worse. The mussels are now overcooked. The service is indifferent. Worse of all, the Fries were oily and soggy. I am very disappointed.
A further update: thankfully, this restaurant is now closed.

My new favorite place! It’s the perfect combination of everything I like in a good restaurant. Really nice staff, a cozy atmosphere with good taste in music. Our meals were excellent! Spanish Paella and their salmon dish i would go back for. Ended with an amazing vanilla bean cheesecake.

Great service, very good food and good drinks… all in all a very nice place. We’ll go there again for sure!
Keep up the good job guys!

Pro: exceedingly friendly staff, especially since we were a very disorganized group. Serving us involved putting two separate parties together, not knowing how many people there were going to be in total, people arriving at different times, and none of us had bothered to make a reservation — but they were very accommodating.
Also pro: $ 7 for mussels and fries, and $ 2.99 for a pint of Red Truck lager (their Wednesday special). A good amount of food, and it was delicious (I had the chorizo sauce for the mussels), and the beer was an actual pint, not a sleeve disguised as a pint. All for $ 12.88 incl tax and tip (they automatically added 17% tip since we were a group of 8 people. I guess this is standard).
Con: they had us sitting in leather lounge-​style chairs, with a very low coffee table as our eating surface. This made it awkward to eat my food. I realize we were a big group and there wasn’t anywhere else to put us, but why have this kind of seating in a place that serves food in the first place?

Love:
1) The décor — super cool and modern. I love the lighting, the couch by the fireplace, everything!
2) The music — DJ spins good tunes!
3) The food — the meatballs are nice and the mussels are delicious (esp when they are ½ off on Wednesday nights!). The nachos are kind of boring though.
Not love:
1) Service — Overall, it is okay. But there has been a couple of incidents that I’ve been unhappy with. One server seem overly stressed out about the size of our party and reprimanded us for not making a reservation. We told the server that we didn’t need to sit together and we could see there were still plenty of open tables but that did not remedy the situation. She claimed that they were expecting a lot of people… well, here we are –the people you are expecting! So please sit us!
Then, another server took one of our chairs away (while that person was in the washroom) to put the chair in a large empty table reserved for another party. She was unapologetic and claimed there were no more chairs left in the restaurant (however, there were about 3 small empty tables at the back). This same server treated us poorly on another occassion when my friend surprised us by getting us a round of shots at the bar. I understand that she was probably not happy about this because she wants her tip, but being an angry server will not get her a better tip!
That said, I will probably go back because I do like the décor, ambiance, and the food.

Very chic and modern — although playing ‘Lost in Translation’ in black and white was a bit pretentious. Part of me wished Suntory was on the menu. Bill Murray: the ORIGINAL most interesting man in the world.
But comfortable seating, $ 3.99 Red Truck lager on Mondays, quick service, low-​key, quiet feel and a soothing fireplace on a chilly night — nothing wrong with that.

It’s a cute little joint on West Broadway that a friend and I went to for after work drinks and appies.
We enjoyed some white wine on the patio, along with a ginormous plate of nachos (wow! their portions are big!). The nachos were pretty delectable and the service was alright too… it’s not anything I would write home about, but I’m happy that I tried it out.

I had heard of «The New Bohemian» in the background of many social conversations with friends recently and luckily a friend finally invited me to join her at this fine establishment on a thursday night for drinks and appies.
When I arrived I was wowed at the décor and vibe of the restaurant. It was welcome, warm and really exciting.
Its a really great place to come after work and have a few drinks, a few appies and good conversation.
Their weekly specials are very competitive. $ 3 beers or mussels and a beer for 10 bux. Can we say awesome?!
Had a fantastic time here. I will be back

As a vegetarian and lover of real, whole foods, I fell in love with their menu. A large portion of the menu were vegetarian & vegan dishes that were far beyond just salads (which were also decked out — not like wimpy caesar salads with just some lettuce and tomatoes that some restaurants offer). I loved their use of familiar veg protein in things like chickpea salads, hummus, and quinoa. I have never, ever seen quinoa on a menu anywhere before so I was pleasantly surprised! I also like the fact that they use free-​range meats wherever possible.
We ordered the breads & spreads to start which were 3 types of breads: flatbread, foccacia, & baguette with 3 types of spreads: pesto, olive tapenade, and chipotle. The flatbreads were really good and the chipotle spread was my favourite. I didn’t find that the pesto was very flavorful but I don’t normally have an affinity for pesto anyway.
Then I got the quinoa salad. It was a pretty small portion and I was still pretty hungry after it, to be honest. It was kind of bland and I wished there were more veggies in it to fill it out.
My boyfriend got the nacho plate which we both thought was awesome! It was a HUGE platter and had all sorts of fun stuff in it. He couldn’t even finish it and had to get it packed away to go.
I got a seasonal summer dessert that was a berry napoleon. Nothing that blew my mind though.
So although some of the food was a little bit bland-​tasting and slow to come out, I enjoyed the menu choices greatly as well as the atmostphere of the place. I can’t wait to return to try some other things on the menu to see if I have some better luck!

Reviewing brunch:
Overall: *****
Food: *****
Service: *****
Atmosphere: *****
Price: *****
I’m surprised by the low scores people have been giving the New Bohemian, and thought I’d better chime in with a 5 star to bring up the average.
I’ve been here two or three times for brunch and they’ve exceeded my expectations in all areas at all times (and that means 5 stars to me!)
First the critical point: the food. Completely blew me away the first time I went there. I mean, there are only so many ways to make bennies and french toast, right? I eat french toast wherever I go, so I was anticipating the standard bread-​in-​egg meal, but was pleasantly surprised by a huge chunk of fresh-​baked french bread, filled with figs and other goodies, dipped in egg batter and cooked to perfection. Threw in a side of crispy bacon and a nice coffee and I was good to go. The presentation was beautiful, and everything was just as it should be. My dining partners had standard fried eggs and benny’s, but each were very nicely presented, came with delicious homestyle hash browns and delicious fresh fruit.
Service: It was spot on. Prompt, friendly and accurate. Can’t ask for more, especially in Vancouver.
Atmosphere: very chilled out lounge-​type place with neat decorations and cool feel. I’ve been both inside and out. Whereas the patio is a little cramped for me, and we did wind up banging our knees on the low tables, the chill feel of Kitsilano went very nicely with the lounge and food. Indoors was great — plenty of space and comfort.
Price: this was the best part. Three of us ate a filling meal complete with beverages for $ 50 incl. tip. And it was a nice meal. I know I can get meals for $ 10 per person in my neighbourhood, but it doesn’t come with the presentation or taste that the New Bohemian offers.
Interesting note:
Wikipedia define Bohemian as: «Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-​minded people, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits, with few permanent ties. Bohemians can be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.»
The New Bohemian is a little too trendy to qualify as Bohemian; however, based on the ratings given here, it appears that it does appeal to like-​minded people.
Roamer, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will…
but I loved the place!

The food was excellent! Super tasty. They definitely had someone who knew what they were doing in the kitchen. Unfortunately the portions were pretty small and it took a ridiculous amount of time to get our food, didn’t have our empty water glasses refilled even once, and had to go find the hostess to request the bill from our waitress, since she seemed to have disappeared.
We checked this place out since they appear to be into organically grown food and sustainability, but after going there, it seems it might be more about green-​washing than anything.

I went here for brunch on a Saturday.
The place was completely empty, so much that the staff were out back doing their own thing. I saw two people come in, seeing no staff, just kept going.
My friends and I wanted to sit outside but the sitting spots were too small. Imagine cushions for kids. Four seats seat two in reality.
The breakfast was good but I thought the mimosa was a bit small, but the prices were reasonable for the area.

The only thing better than French toast, I now know, is French toast with melted cheese and figs in the middle.
I know that because I had brunch at The New Bohemian on West Broadway this past Sunday — a new-​ish place that seems to be getting lukewarm reviews.
Obviously these people didn’t try the French toast with melted mascarpone and figs. This loaf-​like twist on the breakfast staple was brilliant, while A.‘s smoked-​salmon latke was equally inspired.
The service was attentive, if a bit disorganized, and the décor was much more sophisticated than most places that will serve you Sunday morning comfort food.
The slagging, then, must stem from the fact that this place is funky bistro by day and loungy club by night. And while I have yet to experience the latter, I’d just as soon come here after a night of drinking rather than during — especially after trying their doubleshot espresso on ice.

OK, this was for a friends birthday, so we didn’t get to sample much of the food (munched by other bodies!), but the nachos seemed nice enough.
Space is lovely — decorations very swish and hostess lady very helpful. But really, my 2 stars is for the drinks. I don’t get out very often (get out violin now please), so had a couple (read: 1 mojito and 2 gin and tonics) of drinks. Very unimpressed — if I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were either short measures, or watered down. A serious accusation I realise, but the following day after mentioning it to my other half, he commented someone else in our party had said the same thing to him the night before.
So based on that, 2 stars and I won’t be venturing to this pretty room again.

Been here before when it was Fiction, which was nice, but I like the funkier, more interesting room that it is now. The menu has a nice range of ideas with some distinct Moroccan influences. I started with the heart of palm salad which was outstanding. One of the most interesting and delicious salads I have every had. It was delivered on a very wide plate. Really nice size portion, which given that it was $ 12, it should have been.
My wife had the spinach salad which also was very good. For the mains, we had the Paella and mussels with chorizo. The paella was good, but a little different. Small skillet packed with seafood sitting on top of rice. It didn’t have that feeling of a typical paella which is more of a rice and things mixed up and it appeared a rather small portion, but it was tasty and I was full in the end. So it wasn’t bad, but just not what I expect of a paella.
The mussels were also very good, but again, slightly small portion. Probably enough, but I think they could make it a bit bigger. We upgraded to Yam fries. They were really good.
Desserts sounded good, but we were pretty full. I know, I’m mentioning the smaller portions, but I was full, so it doesn’t entirely make sense. I guess the salad was pretty big. All in all, a really nice room, interesting menu and good flavours. Service was very good too.
It should be noted that this is not a quiet place. Music is loud and there is lots of people noise. Makes it feel lively, but quiet conversation is tricky here.

The salad I got came on a sticky dirty plate without enough dressing. The only thing keeping this resto from failing in my rating is the fact the new bohemian has pretty waitresses who have nice smiles and are polite and attentive. I have to stop eating here but it’s just so close to where I live that it’s convenient. Service, ambiance, free wifi… It’s all lovely, it’s just I don’t know what’s the deal with the kitchen, it’s definitely the worst part of it! Oh, and the «cocktail of the day» I had once was awful… So they got it all going on except for what people actually come here for: food and cocktails… Though they appear to have cheap beer and wine deals on select days.

Love the layout. I was there for a friend’s bday and we had to seat 25. They put us on the couches where there were coffee tables which created a very inclusive atmosphere. It was really easy to move around and chat with different people, which is always hard to do with 25 people in a restaurant… you always end up only talking with the people beside and across from you
The appys were great. Try the calimari. It’s fried with tofu pieces. The thin-​crust Chicken Mediterranean pizza (not sure if that’s the exact name) was super-​flavourful and great for sharing. The yam fries were pretty standard.

this was a pure accident…
i had no intentions of coming here. i wanted to go to the fringe! this review wouldve been on the fringe! but as me and my friend braved the disgusting rain yesterday and walked 2 blocks from where we were parked to get there… we find it closed.
tracing back our steps we paused briefly at the malaysian restaurant (oo, hole in the wall? hmm…) but then this was right by it and it looked interesting from the outside so i chose this place.
and im so happy i did!
maybe it was the fantastic company i had but it was such a fun and fantastic place to have brunch!
the décor is very chic and loungey… love the soft cushy seats… and the beautiful artwork behind the bar.
our server, stacy was a gem! its not often that i go into a restaurant and find a server as chatty and friendly as i am… so when i do, i love raving about them! she made great suggestions and checked on us often enough that we never had an empty mojito glass in front of us ;)
my friend had the eggs benny with salmon & potatoes and i had the marscarpone stuffed french toast with a side of bacon and over easy egg & fruits.
my toast came with a walnut filled maple syrup shot glass which i just doused the bread with… sweet gooey happy times in my belly! i think my fork even got a cavity!
i didnt get a chance to steal a bite of my friends dish (although, i do have a pic!) but i nibbled a little on the potatoes. they were cold by then so i couldnt enjoy it.
the mojitos were fantastic. i did cut myself off after 2 though.
experience and staff: 5 stars!
food: 4 stars
drinks: 4 stars
décor and ambiance: 5 stars!

Now it’s my turn to review this place…
I thought i would give this restaurant a chance during Dine out Vancouver because their menu looked interesting, despite all the mediocre reviews they’re getting. I though… «Hmm, maybe they’re trying to spruce up a bit for Dine Out and impress people.» because that menu looked better than their regular menu.
So I was impressed initially that they actually had a 4 course menu instead of a 3 course for the same price as the 3 course Dine Out menu. We all ordered the bocconcini tomato salad to start with. The presentation was nice, or could have been nice since they has slices of tomatoes layered with slices of fresh mozzaralla and a decorative motif of balsamic reduction. However, I totally got the short end of the stick. Firstly, the tomatoes were just your average, run of the mill, safeway tomatoes that I wouldn’t consider red, but pink. But that’s okay, that’s what we have available in this city at this time of the year. right? Well in addition to that, I got all the weird uneven slices and the ends of the tomatoes. I’m not one to waste food, but if you’re trying to be more upscale, make the dish look good!
Then for appetizers, I had the bacon wrapped scallop in a basket. It was a good idea. I was impressed when I looked at it. I mean, they had the same balsamic reduction motif on every single plate of the evening except dessert so I did think they lacked creativity with the garnishing, but otherwise, this dish looked nice. But when I was eating it, I realised the bacon isn’t wrapping the scallop, it’s just on top of it. Then I wondered «Where is the scallop?!» They gave such a tiny tiny piece of scallop in the basket. It was ridiculous. The Macadamia crusted prawns that my friend got were good. You can’t go too wrong with those, can you?
For the mains, I ordered the seafood risotto and my friends ordered the halibut on tuscan bean ragu. The risotto was okay. but I swear they made it with a cheese –based sauce instead of seafood broth. It tasted like cheesy rice with some plain cooked scallops and prawns on top of it. The seafood was lacking a lot of flavor, but the risotto didn’t taste like seafood. It was quite uninspiring. The halibut was quite plain as well, and according to one friend, the flavours just didn’t meld.
Lastly, the dessert: One friend got the strawberry Napolean and we got the flourless chocolate torte. The chocolate torte was supposed to be fresh baked and served hot. It’s not something so creative, in my opinion, but I think it’s hard to go wrong with it. It’s chocolate cake! Of course, when they served it, I got the short end of the stick again. My friend got one that was fresh, and served hot. Mine was pretty cold. I think they just served me one that was intended for another table and they must have changed their minds so I got the leftovers. Very disappointing.
The strawberry napolean seemed nice, with fresh cream and crushed strawberries that weren’t too sweet.
I would never go back to this place. Actually, I kind of feel bad for them because I know they’re a new business. But they should do their research and step it up a notch with the food with the area that they’re catering to. I also found the music too loud to hear conversation in.

I love the look of this place. The bar has some cool art behind it. The lighting is low. It’s definitely a late night place. But I’m curious to come during the sunlight and sit on the patio. Perhaps when the weather warms, I’ll give that a try.
They serve their food on square white plates– which reminds me of Earl’s. And that’s my complaint– despite being independent, it feels… unoriginal. The name claims a spirit and vibe, that I don’t think it fully lives up to. I mean I do like it here– but… it’s not the place I’m dying to show my friends. No «wow» factor for me. The burgers were normal, I got mine with a boring little salad.