Realm Food Co. — Restaurant in Parksville

Now what do you say about a place that's been reviewed so many times that can still be helpful to people?

Well how about my take on visiting a restaurant when you have multiple food sensitivities.(my actual food review is at the bottom)

This is my first time eating out local in over a year because of food allergens and sensitivities. So I was excited to go having read the reviews and hearing about Realm for a long time.

Most of what you've probably read already is spot-on. The food is very well done, the environment is very low-key and it's a different way of ordering than some people are used to.

What stands out consistently however is the customer service and the fact that these guys are proud of what they do and happy to help you.

But be realistic! This of course is going to be time and crowd permitting

Don't go during a rush time and expect that they are going to have the ability to sit down with you and discuss all of your food concerns. I went early intentionally as it was my first visit with sensitivities and I knew I would have a lot of questions. And I got some really good straight up answers

The majority of food concerns people have are tagged on the items. When you walk in there is a gargantuan menu board on the wall and if you find it awkward to read because you are standing right under it ( I did ), there is a printed menu you can look at.

So gluten-free, dairy free, nut free and vegan are all covered. If you have anything in addition to that you can ask when ordering .

I was very impressed by the fact that they actually pulled out the mayonnaise that they use so that I could read the ingredients and be sure there was no allergens. It was such a relief and I was so impressed by the fact that she took the time to do that!

I chose the IXIM Bowl (pronounced shim, and thanks for telling me that guys!). It was very tasty and had a nice mixture of fresh and marinated vegetables. And Bonus! : for once with a high price point meal you are actually getting what you paid for.

I have a gargantuan appetite and I actually had leftover to take home. That's pretty rare for me.

So Nice dish overall.

However, the foodie and me can't help but point out that there were 3 things that need a consideration with this particular dish.

First off the presentation of gargantuan tortillas which have been deep-fried, then split in half and plunked into the bowl protruding like gargantuan sharp leaves, didn't really work for me. It was served with one in each corner which was odd so I moved them all to one side which was also odd (See the photo)and then ended up breaking them in half.would have been much better in smaller pieces or as a side bowl. I just kept having visions of somebody bending forward to smell their dish and poking themselves. #funnynotfunny

Secondly (and this is likely a seasonal choice) but the alfalfa sprouts just don't work with the 'mexican' flavours of the dish. If you don't like them you can always pick them off because they're just sitting on top. But I thought that they were an intentional part of the overall flavour profile so I wanted to try it mixed.

They combo is a hard nope for me.

And lastly was an overwhelming flavour of mustard in this dish. Upon checking with the restaurant the next day, there was not actually mustard or mustard seed in the aioli dressing or salsa verde. They suggested it was mustard greens, however I don't remember seeing any in there. Lots of kale though.

Unfortunately that mustardy flavour permeated the dish and overwhelmed the nice Chipotle smokiness which should have been the highlight of a Mexican dish.

However, as you can see from my other photo it was a pretty dang good dish and there was nothing left.

And that is the true mark of a...

My mom and I went in last night around 7:15 pm to celebrate my mom not having cancer anymore, as well as my sister and I not having the cancer gene my mom had. We love Realm! We spent 130 dollars, including a 15% tip, we ordered a bottle of wine and two meals and a donut with icecream. And I will probably not go back. First and foremost - They close at 8 p.m. I work in a restaurant as well and we also close at 8 p.m. - Meaning someone could have walked in UNTIL 8 p.m. and ordered a full meal, dessert, wine or whatever and they wouldve had to stay to serve them until however long it took for them to finish. No one else came into Realm after we did - fortunately for the young staff who rushed us out 20 minutes after 8, I suppose! When someone walks into my restaurant at 7:50 or later you bet your bottom we serve them until they leave, on their own terms. We do not ask them to leave at 20 after 8. I was extremely upset by the fact that they sent out a young chef to "kindly" ask us to leave. It was not kind as his tone of voice would suggest, it was very condescending, it left us feeling that even though not too long ago we paid them 130 dollars for our celebratory meals, they did not appreciate that at all. I will not go back to Realm for a while if ever, which is unfortunate because they do have some great smoothies and latte's. It was absoloutely embarrassing and rude to have the entire staff watch you walk out - clearly annoyed at your presence, and clearly waiting for you to leave..If they offered to wrap up our food they would've known that we were almost done and about to leave on our own terms.. Like I said, we close at 8 at my restaurant and sometimes I am there until 10 pm because I let my customers enjoy their visit. We were celebrating...They are all very young staff, and I wonder if they had a party to attend and that is why they rushed us out. Hope it was worth it! If I couldve paid at the end, I would not have tipped them 15% and I would have explained why. But they already took our money and that was all they cared...

Wow, what a horrible experience I had here. My wife and I walked out, after paying for our food that we did not eat.

My wife ordered me a grilled cheese sandwich. What came was a large toasted sandwich with many things in it. I don't know all of the ingredients but do know it featured large pieces of pork. I don't eat meat. At first we politely inquired as to what they had served me. They continued to pass the buck and not be able to tell me. After about 10 minutes I finnaly managed to get someone to speak and was told that I had been given what was ordered and that if I did not like it they would give me a free macaron. They refused to remake or refund anything and then ignored us. I felt like we were being taunted by the staff. None of the staff seemed to know what to do in this situation and so they kept trying to ignore it. I am on disability and was in town for a medical appointment. It was soposed to be a huge treat to be able to lunch in such a nice, trendy environment. Instead, we spent the money and were still hungry. Maybe my wife was in a hurry and did not fully read the fine print but that is no excuse for thier rude behavior and chastising my wife in such a demeaning way. I'm sure this restaurant makes excellent meals but on this day thier staff ruined our day and wasted our very...