Cheap Eats at The Dime on Commercial

I just recently moved to the Commercial Drive area but have been too buried in furniture, moving boxes, endless organization of stuff to really explore many eats in my new 'hood. My pal T Mc wanted to check out the new place and grab a bite to eat beforehand. I was curious about The Dime and their menu which features all food items for $4.95.

When we arrived at 6:30pm the room felt busy but we grabbed a booth right away. I noticed the place definitely got really busy as the evening went on. The room itself is quirky, decor is eclectic, and screams "Roadhouse." The wall space is pretty much covered with road signs, music and concert posters, skulls, pirate flags, strung up christmas lights, old skateboards....you name it. Music and chatter made this place loud and lively....maybe too loud for some, but we didn't mind it.

Our server was friendly and efficient. Their menu is small with a lot of tasty-sounding options. They also had a small seasonal menu with three options.

I ordered The Veggie Burger; vegetarian patty, roasted corn salsa, fresh avocado, pea shoot, cheddar cheese, toasted bun, roasted pepper mayo, all the fixin's and a side of fries ($5). I ordered this with no cheese and mayo but added a fried egg for $1 extra. This was a damn tasty burger for $6 and better than your average pub veggie burgers. I love that they don't phone it in with this burger. Instead they've upped the ante with the avocado, corn salsa, and pea shoots to give it some flair. The egg added a nice depth and gooey yolky goodness. Their fries are pretty good too. Crispy and well seasoned.

Tmc wanted to try the  Korean Chili Fried Chicken and Cucumber; crispy fried chicken pieces, sweet fiery korean chili sauce, cool cucumber and toasted sesame ($5)

and the Quinoa & Green Apple Salad; crisp apple, sweet corn, cucumber, toasted almonds, avocado, mint and cilantro, soy and lime dressing ($5)- so she ordered both. Thumbs up for both dishes.

Our expectations were pretty low for $5 food and we were both quite happy with our meals. It's pub grub, done right and priced right. If they can put out a nice veggie burger for $5...it makes me wonder how other pubs are charging at least double that price (and sometimes not delivering on quality and taste. With plenty of TVs- this could be my new "go to" for Canucks games!