Two Chefs and a Table - Richmond, BC

Mr. Piglet and I love going to diners but the majority of them are in Vancouver, specifically Gastown but when we heard that a small diner based in Gastown had opened up a branch in Richmond, we were there in an instant.  It's located amongst warehouses and the front door is the entrance to the lunch counter while the back is the entrance to the dining room.  Odd.  We walk in and are surprisingly transported to a beautiful dining area and have the option of ordering right away and staying in the dining room (as they were due to close in several minutes) or moving up to the lunch counter.  We chose the dining room as it was a beautiful space.

Two Chefs and a Table is catering bistro consisting of Karl Greg and Allan Bosomworth, two chefs that have worked in and around the Lower Mainland, specifically Milestones and under Canadian super chef Rob Feenie as well.  The Two Chefs say they are dedicated to the Vancouver food scene, using locally-sourced regionally based food choices in inventive ways and with a glance at the menu, there are some interesting items but the Two Piglets decide on...

Duck Fat Tater Tots - $7

Crisp fried with steak spice, spicy ketchup, cheese sauce & malted mayo

They're delicious! - Server.  SOLD!  We've never had anything fried in duck fat before so this was kind of exciting.  The plate arrives and they look like normal tater tots...  I take a bite and they're crunchy on the outside and searing hot on the inside but it's still just a tater tot.  Perhaps the dips are good...  I like the spicy ketchup, it's a nice twist on the traditional ketcup...  The mayo tastes like mayo...  The cheese sauce is runny...  Still waiting to be blown away...  Ultimately, I could have gotten these at a generic tex mex taco joint, paid half price and not even noticed the difference.  Didn't know what duck fat does and still don't know what duck fat does but I know I paid a premium for it.

House Made Lamb Burger - $10

Handmade pesto, steak spice, feta cheese, iceberg lettuce, red onion, garlic mayo

Your burger is epic looking! - Mr. Piglet.  And it was...  I couldn't wait to dig in so I picked it up...

And my whole hand is covered in oil??  It's not even grease from the burger, it's oil from something else, I'm thinking the pesto....  Hm, just try to eat around it...

And I take a bite.  The lamb has been shown a disservice here as it has been overcooked.  Somewhere out there a burger god has killed a kitten for this atrocity.  No slightest inkling of pink, only grey.  Sigh.  This burger came with garlic mayo???  I couldn't taste any garlic mayo as the pesto was so strong, it was the only thing I could taste.  The feta cheese was a nice addition though - creamy and provided a nice brief break from that overpowering pesto.  I wish more burgers had feta cheese like this in them.  Alas, the problems with this dish continued.  Not only is the burger drenched in pesto oil and overcooked but the fries...  oh, the fries...  the poor fries were soggy, some were raw/undercooked and over salted.  I have never had 4 glasses of water with my meal before.  The surprising hit of the plate was the side salad - the dressing was a nice balance of sweet and tangy and the salad was crisp, a nice way to cut the density of this meal.

 

Chimichurri Chicken Wrap - $9.50

Chipotle mayo, roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, tomato and rice

Certainly looks impressive on the plate but unfortunately again, the star of this meal was the salad.  The chicken wrap had good flavor but was swimming in sauce and some of the rice was undercooked/raw.  Again, the fries were not crispy and some were raw.  This is the first meal that Mr. Piglet didn't finish off his fries.  In fact, neither of us really touched our fries - we HATE having food go to waste but we just couldn't eat soggy or undercooked potato with much finesse.

The overall theme of this meal was salt and grease and not the good enjoyable kind.  Mr. Piglet and I SO wanted to love this place - a beautiful diner finally located in Richmond! - but the food just didn't fall from our expectations, it plummeted...  into a deep crevasse...  where perhaps only bacteria dwell... Ambiance and service were fantastic so one day we might come back to give it another go but until we hear glowing reports back from fellow foodies, we'll sadly have to say au revoir to the Two Chefs.

Pros:

• Upscale diner chic ambiance
• Friendly servers
• Moderate pricing
• Private dining available
• Free parking

Cons:

• Food is over-salted, over-greasy and generally unremarkable
• Located in industrial area - difficult to find
• Nice interior but it was empty so it is hard to dine comfortably
• Limited hours of operation