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#224 Red Wagon @ East Hastings, Vancouver

Posted by swisscheese on November 14, 2012 in breakfast, east vancouver, eggs benedicts, homemade, pancakes, pulled pork |

Red Wagon

After coming back to Vancouver for two weeks, I wanted try more brunch places because the brunch/breakfast places here are way better than the ones in Asia as it is a lot more fresher! One of the many brunch places that I wanted to try is The Red Wagon as it is highly raved.

The Red Wagon
2296 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 1V4
(604) 568-4565

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Red Wagon
View Larger Map

I went to The Red Wagon twice on my trip back this time and I am planning to head there again for the third time to try a different item. The Red Wagon looks just like an old-school, country bumpkin diner as the plates and other decorations are quite “farmer-like”. The first time I went there with Fae, Mike and Jason. Three of us went there by car but Mike took a bus there. As it was a weekday morning at around 11:30pm, Mike got a table for us even before we reached. The service was mediocre and not exceptionally good so I did not have much of an impression of the servers. However, when I went there for the second time with Cheryln, Wisdom and Stanley, I realized that one of my classmate (Mitzy) was working there as a server. The service was pretty good as her colleagues took good care of us and even helped us to take a group pictures even though they were so busy and we were sitting at the counter area. Cheryln, Wisdom and Stanley had to line up for an hour as they came right from church at 1pm. As I was an hour late, I could go in without queuing up with them.

[EDITED]

UPDATED ON November 18th, 2013

Red Wagon
Red Wagon
Red Wagon
Red Wagon
Red Wagon
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Red Wagon

In mid November last year, I organized a foodie outing for my different foodie friends to gather together. I made the dress code  as checkered/plaids and I am glad everyone followed the theme. It took us about 20 minutes to get a table for eight people. We all came at different times as we were all over the place. Thankfully, Theresa, Halim and I knew a server who worked there. She was helpful to assist us to bridge some tables together so that we can sit together instead of sitting in groups (will totally beat the purpose of gathering, wouldn’t it?)

As you can see from the first picture, Jeff got the hot chocolate that comes with marshmallows. Looks so appealing, doesn’t it? Two other friends had the Reuben Sandwich (second picture) and Omelette (third picture) while the rest of us share the Super Trucker (forth to seventh pictures) between two people. The Super Trucker dish seen on the forth picture is only half a portion of the original size. The server made it a lot easier to split the dishes to individual plates so that we did not have to get down to the nitty gritty of cutting the dish into half and moving it to our plates. If you didn’t already know, the Super Trucker comprises of two scrambled eggs, two pulled pork pancakes, crisp pork belly, homefries and toast. It is a dish that gives you a few of their signature dishes. The pulled pork pancake is no stranger as I had it before. The pork belly is sinfully good – totally eating a lard of fat but feeling guilty after. The rest of the dish was just mediocre. The Red Wagon is a comfortable place to have brunch but some of the dishes are not that much of a big deal. I would say good but not exceptionally good to be waiting endlessly for.

Red Wagon
Red Wagon

Since I shared half the portion with Janet, I only had to pay half the price for it and I topped 15% tips in addition to that. Half the portion = half the price? Totally worth every penny!

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1st picture – I shared the Pulled Pork Pancakes with Fae the first time I went there as the pancakes are huge! The Red Wagon serves food at reasonable price as the pancake only costs CAD$12.50 and I am unable to finish on my own. The Pulled Pork Pancakes consists of three buttermilk pancakes filled with two piles of pulled pork and topped with Jack Daniels Syrup. The taste is quite distinct and the concept is very unique! This pancake is a hit or miss item – You either love it or you don’t! I really enjoy the savoury and sweet flair like McGriddles but the Pulled Pork Pancakes is way beyond expectation! Initially, I was overwhelmed by the strong hint of Jack Daniels in the maple syrup. However, I grow to like it but not as much as the Pulled Pork Pancake, which my sister made. (Scroll down to see my sister’s very own homemade Pulled Pork Pancake with Jack Daniels Syrup!)

Ratings: 3.5/5★

2nd & 3rd pictures – As I am a fan of eggs benedict, I tried the The Bennys Pulled Pork on my second trip there. The meal also came with home fries and hollandaise sauce. The egg benedict topped with hollandaise was well-done with the right amount of runny egg yolk that practically melt in my mouth as soon as I took my first bite. The home fries was soft yet crispy and I love it too! The meal is not as heavy as the Pulled Pork Pancakes so I prefer this dish a lot more.

 Ratings: 4/5★

4th & 5th pictures – Cheryln had the Tofu Scramble, which costs CAD$7.95. The meal comprises of tofu, spinach, tomatoes, mushroom topped with basil sauce and has homefries and toast for sides. Cheryln found her meal palatable but a little spicy.

6th picture – Stanley ordered the Crisp Pork Belly, which is another of the highly raved item that The Red Wagon serves. The meal is basically confit pork belly with two eggs, home fries, griddled tomatoes, salsa verde, toast and hollandaise sauce. Stanley got scrambled eggs for his choice of eggs. He found the meal exceptionally fantastic but labelled it as “eating layers/piles of fat”.

Red Wagon

Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of the bill as the place was almost close so we rushed to make our payment. I got the Orange Juice for CAD$3 and the Pulled Pork Bennys for CAD$10.25 and I topped up the total (inclusive of tips) by 15%.

CASH/CREDIT/DEBIT CARD
NEAREST STATION: Renfrew Skytrain Station @ Millennium Line
Opens:
Mon 8 am – 3 pm
Tue-Fri 8 am – 9 pm
Sat 9 am – 9 pm
Sun 9 am – 4 pm

Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 7.5/10
Food (taste & appearance): 7.5/10
Value: 7/10

Total: 7.25/10★

Sometimes, I do not really enjoy dining in restaurants that are over hyped because the food is just mediocre. However, The Red Wagon brought some edge to their food and I am heading there for the third time this weekend – in checkered style with my crew!
The Red Wagon on Urbanspoon

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After my sister went to The Red Wagon in April/May this year, she was so engrossed with the Pulled Pork Pancake that she decided to make it for me because I just love pancakes! When I woke up for school one Monday morning sometime last month, she tweeted “Your dinner is ready in the cooking pot!” I was so amazed because I thought she made rice and pork for me for lunch so I took a few pork meat and place it with the beehoon she cooked the night before. Then, I brought the lunch box to school. I told her that the meat is delicious and she told me that she is not done with the meat yet. I went “okay” but continued eating. After school, I went to BSF and in the middle of the session, my sister message me via BBM asking when am I heading home as dinner is ready. I came home an hour later and was so surprised to see her very own Pulled Pork Pancakes waiting for me to devour it!

Homemade Pulled Pork PancakesHomemade Pulled Pork PancakesHomemade Pulled Pork PancakesHomemade Pulled Pork Pancakes Homemade Pulled Pork Pancakes

 My sister’s homemade Pulled Pork Pancake was mouthwatering and much lighter than the ones served at The Red Wagon. I can also taste the Jack Daniels in the maple syrup and I really enjoyed the sweet savoury flair of it! As it is my sister’s creation, I cannot give a rating as it may be a biased view but it was definitely gastronomic goodness and one of her best creation thus far.
Click >>HERE<< for her innovative recipes!

swisscheese*

 

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