Bob's Submarine Sandwiches - Richmond, BC

Mr. Piglet and I were supposed to have breakfast in Steveston this morning but there was a power outtage that took out the place we were going to try.  After waiting fruitlessly for several minutes, we gave up and ventured into Richmond Central in search of place that served breakfast but wasn't a part of a restaurant chain.  

Bob's popped into my mind as Mr. Piglet's younger brother used to work there and he said it was a really decent place.  I thought dive places only existed in the seedy neighbourhoods of Vancouver but here it was, the diviest place we'd ever been to in the middle of Richmond.

It's busy on a weekday morning with a mix of clientele - construction workers, a postal worker, the elderly and others.  There's a wall of drinks at the back of the restaurant (water is available at the bottom of one of the fridges), a messy condiment counter in the centre and it's self serve - you order off the wall, they cook it and call our your order.  After a few minutes of staring, we decide on splitting a breakfast and a sandwich....

Bob's BIG Breakfast - $6

3 eggs, bacon, sausage or ham, toast, hash browns

This breakfast was humongous!  The sausage has a nice crispy exterior and the hash browns are just awesome - they have those nice chunks of crunchy parts that only comes from a flat top grill.  The only thing I could complain about was that the bacon could have gone a few more minutes on the flat top to make it a little bit crunchier but Mr. Piglet didn't mind.  He thought the eggs could have a used a few more minutes on the grill but I didn't mind.  I guess these are just preference things and if you really want something more/less cooked, just tell them when you order.  Either way, it was absolutely filling.

Club Sub - $5.90

Turkey and bacon

Not a lot of bread but a heck of a lot of filling!  Do you see that bread to filling ratio???  The bacon is nice and crispy and the veggies are fresh but the real treat is the sauteed onions - they were nicely caramelized and just gave this sandwich an extra oomph.  I just wish it was real turkey and not turkey ham.  For the size and price, it's not the best sandwich I've ever had but still a pretty good one.

We'll be back for the Super Sub ($5.90) - double steak, double cheese, mushrooms, salami and capicollo....  *drool*  You know what?  We'll just take it to go for later.  LOL.  Mr. Piglet said it was very good by the way - a man's man sandwich with meat, meat and more meat and very messy.

If we're ever in Richmond and fiending for a cheap breakfast or a fast sub, we'd definitely come back here.  It's the not prettiest breakfast, it's not the cleanest place and it definitely won't win any culinary awards but Bob's is a gem.  There's a reason why it's been around for so many years, has a host of regular patrons and remains a favorite of many Richmondites.  Bon appetite!

Pros:

• Breakfast served all day
• Takeout available - and they do a lot of takeout
• Cheap!
• Free parking
• Large portions

Cons:

• Free parking - very busy after work and on weekends, you might want to consider parking at the mall and walking over
• An absolute dive - don't come here for the ambiance