By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: January 22, 2014
212-32500 South Fraser Way,
Abbotsford
Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday
Prices: Up to $9.45 for a dinner wrap; $2.25 more for a combo.
I always thought Reel Wrapps was a video rental store when I drove past. Do you remember when those things still existed? But recently, when looking for wrap and flatbread restaurants in Abbotsford — to satisfy a craving that Subway couldn’t appease — a fellow foodie recommended Reel Wrapps.
The place is called Reel Wrapps for a reason, and I was, in a way, right about the movie thing. Memorabilia and photos of old movie stars — Marylin Monroe, James Dean, and so on — decorate the walls. A couple life-sized figures of movie stars stand eerily to greet customers. I’m not going to say which movie stars they are seeing as I spent my time avoiding their creepy eyes. The bathrooms have a sign that says “dressing room” on it. The whole place is basically movie-themed. It’s quite elaborate.
Vintage movie stuff and old movies aren’t my cup of tea, so I wasn’t a fan of the atmosphere; but the place is clean and neat, and I was comfortable to sit down and enjoy my “Wrapp.” Reel Wrapps serve burritos; soft flour wraps stuffed with veggies, meat, rice, or noodles and sauces or spice. If you aren’t into wraps, this isn’t the place to be — Reel Wrapps serves pretty much only wraps. You can make it a meal with pop and chips, or get a smoothie, but wraps are the “feature presentation,” as the menu says.
The good thing about a menu focused on one kind of food is that usually the place does it well, and this is true for Reel Wrapps.
Reel Wrapps has diversity within the wrap world. I had a difficult time picking – did I want spicy Thai chicken? Cajun wrap with blackened steak, rice, tomatoes, peas, peppers, and spicy sauce? Or a breakfast wrap with farmer’s sausage, potatoes, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and salsa? There really is something for everyone.
I ended up going for the Shanghai chicken with grilled chicken, jasmine rice, steamed veggies, peanuts, and hoisin sauce in a whole wheat wrap. I went for the lunch-sized wrap, which may have been a mistake. It was a difference between $7.45 and $9.45, but it left me wondering how big the dinner size was.
The wrap was delicious, though. It was stuffed with flavour, and they didn’t skimp on the fillings. I had a hard time taking a bite, and that’s not a bad thing. Not at all. I expected there to be an overload of rice and almost no chicken or veggies, but it was well-proportioned. I literally had to stuff it in my face to get a good bit, and it was satisfying.
I will definitely have to return to try another wrap! I’m going to try the full dinner size, as the lunch didn’t quite hit the spot. The West Coast wrap with shrimp, honey mustard, and lettuce calls my name. Though next time I think I will go for take-out. I’m more a fan of Benedict Cumberbach than of James Dean.
