To celebrate our Granny's big b-day, we dined at Mirabelle tonight. One of the joys of living downtown is that we were able to walk to this restaurant, located innocuously on the main floor of an office building.
The interior of this restaurant was pretty casual, although my impression was that the restaurant seems to pride itself on being a little more on the high end of the cuisine continuum. The carpet looked a bit worn, the walls had a busy wall-paper appearance to them, and the tables and chairs were comfortable but nowhere near trendy. A majority of the patrons there tonight appeared to be older, and I somehow got the feeling that the twenty-somethings in the city don't often frequent this establishment.
The menu, though not very large, covered most of the standard offerings of a steak and seafood house; it included a fair selection of appetizers, pastas, steaks, and specialty entrees. Some of these entrees and appetizers were described to be done so as to have a bit of flair to them; it was obvious that Mirabelle was attempting some originality and edge to their dishes, and we were eager to see if the food would live up to the descriptions.
Our server, who knows my mother-in-law, was very friendly, courteous, and prompt. He filled our water glasses right away, and took our orders in a timely fashion. My hubby ordered the
lobster-stuffed smoked salmon rolls to start, and the buffalo steak. I ordered their prime rib, which is available only on Fridays and Saturdays. We both chose baked potatoes as our side orders, although I was admittedly intrigued by the stuffed potato. It was nice to see that other choices were available as well, including rice, pasta, and french fries.
Once we had ordered, our bread was brought out. The buns were standard dinner buns, but had been warmed slightly, which I was happy to see. Next, my hubby's appetizer arrived. It was quite small in size, and consisted of 4 little rolls served with two large slices of rye bread. I sampled a portion of one of the rolls, and it was quite delicious, although the taste of cream cheese and smoked salmon all but overwhelmed any of the lobster meat's flavour.
Our entrees came out after a few minutes, and were brought to our table two at a time, which always makes for an uncomfortable wait as those without entrees must sit in anticipation of the arrival of their meals. Thankfully, the orders came quickly, and soon we were all enjoying the circulation of the condiment server, who came by to each of our potatoes to dress them with butter,
sour cream, bacon bits, and chives. My hubby found his buffalo steak to be "good, flavourful, and tasty." My generous portion of prime rib (which looks like the ones pictured, except was more cooked along the edges than shown) was served with Yorkshire pudding, au jus on the side, some steamed baby carrots and a large floret of broccoli, and of course, the baked potato. The 7 oz. steak was a little overdone for my order of rare, but was tender and moist and full of flavour. The Yorkshire pudding was also quite light, which I was pleasantly surprised to taste; generally, I find Yorkshire pudding to be far too dense and heavy to complement the prime rib, but this was not the case tonight. Though I didn't find the garnish to be terribly unique, the prime rib was wonderful and I gladly polished it all off.
Then Granny was brought a sparkler-topped apple and lemon meringue pie, which she generously offered us some forkfuls of. It was delicious and only mildly lemony, which was perfect for a lemon-hater like myself.
In spite of a few highlights in our meal, however, as a whole we thought that the food was good, but not spectacular. The fine-dining aspects of the restaurant were ruined by the less-than-amazing decor, and although touches like the condiment boy helped give the eatery a more ritzy feel, the cuisine did not. Despite the menu's boastful descriptions of original (or at the very least, jazzed up) fare, our meals turned out splendidly standard. The cost of the meal was acceptably priced considering the cuts of our meat, but overall I would not equate Mirabelle with fine dining, but rather, with pretty good food in a pretty decent environment.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Today I met up with Viener for lunch at Sicilian Pasta Kitchen downtown. I had to drive there, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the restaurant does offer a parking lot for its patrons, though the lot was a little on the small side and was also shared with several other businesses and a church nearby. Nonetheless, I found a pretty sweet parking stall and did not have to pay, which I was very happy about.
The interior of the restaurant, from my brief glance around, was very mahogany and woodsy and classy, but not unlike many of the chain restaurants in town that wish to appeal to the yuppie twenty-to-thirty-something business crowd. In essence, it didn't stand out, but it looked good.
I was seated right away on the patio, and when Viener arrived and we found our patio table to be a tad too sunny, the hostess was gracious enough to move us to another table right away. The server came by shortly to take our drink orders, although we opted to stick with water. I was pretty impressed with their menu; everything looked appetizing, and the choices offered included an array of pastas, pizzas, appetizers, and salads, not to mention a few specialty entrees as well. Being a tad boring, however, I ordered the Pizza Rosario (mushrooms, cheese, spicy Italian sausage) and Viener chose one of their other pizzas (which I no longer recall the name to).
Our bread was then brought out to us. The buns were of the crusty variety, and thus made a crumbly mess all over my plate and the table. We were a bit disappointed that our buns were cold, which made it a tad more difficult for the butter to spread. However, the buns were soft on the inside, which we were glad to see.
When our meals arrived, I was shocked to see how large my pizza was, as well as how well it was smothered in cheese. This was very appealing to me given my love for fromage, but Viener didn't quite share my enthusiasm for the mozza. The crust was thin and crispy without a doughy or greasy feel to it; in fact, the crust was so light and tasty that I actually wanted to eat it, which is something I rarely do with my pizza slices.
When we finished as much of our entree as we could, the server came by in good time to pack up our leftovers. She even labelled my box to distinguish it from Vieners, which we appreciated.
The bill came to $16.05 each, which I realize is a bit pricy for a 12" pizza, but good value considering the quality of the pie. Thought I realize that many would prefer to spend less money at fast food pizza joints like Pizza 73 or Dominoes or (*shudder*) Little Ceasar's, I would argue that it is better to spend a little more to get a smaller but better-tasting product than to spend less and get massive amounts of mediocre food.
All in all, I would definitely recommend Sicilian Pasta Kitchen to pizza lovers anywhere who are willing to pay an extra few bucks in order to have a quality thin-crust pizza that is both delicious and cheesy. My palate tells me that this restaurant serves what is arguably the best thin-crust pizza in the city (even better than Il Forno's). Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself and see! ;)
Rating: 9.5 / 10
(Not a picture of our actual meal, but close enough)
So today, Mrs. Vinny & I headed to the Bistro Praha Cafe for lunch as part of our lunch eat-and-shop adventures. We had seen the cafe during our Co Co Di lunch, and had both read some pretty fantastic reviews about the European fare at this bistro. Needless to say, expectations were high for the food, and low for the atmosphere, when we arrived.
The server was very busy when I first got to the bistro, so I walked into the restaurant and asked him if I should seat myself. I didn't pay much attention to the interior decor of the place, but I did see that the tables had wooden chairs and an "ye olde pub" casual feel to it. The server told me to go ahead, so I chose a table for two in a bit of shade on the patio, and waited for Mrs. Vinny. The server came by right away and asked how many people would be dining, and then promptly brought out 2 glasses of water. He also dropped off the menu, the first half of which offered up quite a few different types of salads, appetizers, and entrees (such as goulash, dumplings, breaded chops, and Hungarian sausage). A separate page was devoted entirely to desserts, describing several types of crepes prepared with a variety of different sauces and fruits. As a virtual non-drinker, I pretty much skipped over the second half of the menu that was dedicated to wines and other spirits and ales.
When Mrs. Vinny had arrived and we had worked our way through the first half of the menu, we both decided to try the half-order of wiener schnitzel; as part of the meal I asked for a green salad with mine, and she asked for a tomato salad with hers. The salads were brought to us right away, and mine was perfectly dressed in Italian dressing. Little squares of some parmesean-looking cheese had been added to garnish my dish, and this provided a nice complimentary flavour to the greens. Mrs. Vinny commented that her salad, which consisted mostly of white onions and tomato pieces, was also perfectly marinated.
The entrees were brought out at a good time, shortly after we had finished our salads. I was surprised (and a little disappointed) to see that the wiener schnitzel didn't come with any type of sauce on the side except for a wedge of lemon; I was, however, happy to see that a scoop of potato salad mash had also been provided. The schnitzel size was quite generous, and though it covered a lot of surface on the plate, it was also thin enough not to be too heavy to eat. I am admittedly not much of a connoisseur for this type of cuisine, but I found the meat to be tender and the breaded coating to be very tasty, in spite of being deep-fried. The schitzel did not taste oily in the least, and was as good as, if not better, than the schnitzel I had tried at Bauernschmaus. The potato salad mash had a hint of lemon taste to it, and was probably my favourite part of the meal. It wasn't laden with mayonnaise, and the portion was the perfect amount.
After we finished off our entrees, the server came by again to take our dessert orders. In spite of myself, I decided to try the apple strudel. I was expecting a very flaky, shortening-heavy pastry similar to those sold
in grocery stores with bakeries, but when the server brought it out, the strudel looked very different from what I had expected. The strudel was served with a large mound of unsweetened whipped cream, and was made with a phyllo-esque crust. The many apples that filled this strudel had been cubed into small pieces, and were not overly sweet to taste. The phyllo crust was also not terribly sweet, and I could not tell if it had been previously sprinkled with any type of sugar. Although it tasted quite good, I have to admit that the strudel didn't wow me at all. In fact, it was a little bit boring, in my humble opinion.
Our half-order schnitzels totaled $9.95 each (before tax), which we still thought to be reasonable for good food in the downtown core. My average-tasting apple strudel cost me $5.25, however, which is anything but average for the cost of a lunch-time dessert. The server took a little while to get back to us to take our payments, which gave us more time to chat. However, we felt a little neglected that he only came by to refill our water once during the meal.
Generally speaking, then, Bistro Praha was a bit disappointing given the rave reviews we had read before coming. It definitely did not live up to its reputation as having the best Euro fare in the city, because surely this is not the best that the city can do for fine European cuisine. It was, however, an affordable meal with good generous portions, and a meal that was well-worth its $10 value. My recommendation is that if you want some goulash or schnitzel, then this is a good and affordable place to go. If you want quality high-end European cuisine in a fine Euro setting, then you may want to go somewhere else.
Rating: 7 / 10
Today Mrs.Vinny & I went for an impromptu lunch at Co Co Di. Initially, we were pretty undecided about where we'd dine, but the large signs advertising the restaurant's shwarmas and their impressive patio area convinced us to check the place out.
When we entered the restaurant, we were not too impressed with its interior decor. The restaurant, which was pretty small, had a plain and simple sort of look and a dingy feel; the furniture was definitely older looking and there did not seem to be a lot of effort invested in creating ambience. However, we were there for the food and not the atmosphere. The server who noticed us after a minute sat us outside on the patio.
Because it was the lunch hour and perhaps because we were seated in the far corner of the patio, we weren't served right away. The menu that we had ample time to study offered up several types of donairs and sandwiches, a respectable number of standard appetizers, as well as some traditional platters and meals, including a few vegetarian dishes. By the time the server came by to take our drink orders, we were ready to provide our meal orders as well. Mrs. Vinny ordered the chicken shwarma, and I had the beef donair. Both came with the choice of either fries or a tossed salad, and we unanimously chose the tossed with house dressing.
When our salad was brought to the table, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fair-sized portion that took up an entire salad bowl. We were also quite happy to see that the dressing had been served on the side. The tomatoes in the salad were firm and tasty and the lettuce was crisp, indicators that the salad was quite fresh. The house dressing, however, was a tad on the oily and sour side; I was able to add it to the veggies using the dip-and-drip method, but Mrs. Vinny had mixed her dressing and poured a bit of it over her salad. She found this to be too sour, and ended up dumping some of her lettuce garnish (from her entree) into her salad bowl to dilute the taste a little.
As we finished our salad, our entrees were brought to us. Our sandwiches were served partially wrapped in foil, and as a garnish there was shredded lettuce and pickle pieces on the side. Both sandwiches were a good size, and mine was stuffed with lettuce, tomato, onion, beef and donair sauce. Although it wasn't the *best* donair I had ever tasted, the meat was very well spiced, and still quite tasty.
The best part of the meal was when our bill arrived. My meal, including the donair, the salad, and an ice tea, totalled only $9.60, including tax. Mrs. Vinny's shwarma was $8.50. The servers didn't rush us, either, so we loitered there chatting for another 35 minutes before settling our tab. The service was gracious and friendly, and we left with full tummies and somewhat-full wallets, too.
Overall, this is definitely a great lunch place for those who enjoy donairs and cheap eats. Co Co Di is NOT the type of place to go on a first date, but a great place to have a casual lunch date with a friend or a light inexpensive dinner with a significant other.
Rating: 8 / 10
Yes, I realize that the idea of protein and cookies together sounds gross, but it really isn't. Chef Jay just introduced a Trioplex chocolate chip cookie that has 145 calories, 5g of fat, and a whopping 10g of protein! The cookie is really tasty and better yet, it's soft. Who doesn't enjoy a soft chocolate chip cookie, and one that is actually good for you? This makes for a very healthy snack or dessert, especially for health-nuts who also have a sweet tooth!
The cookies come in Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Chip flavours, but we've only tried the chocolatey one so far. You can bet that we'll be getting some of both kinds the next time we're at a health store, though. ;)
PS - I realize that this is not a restaurant review, but more a product endorsement for which I am getting no money =( However, good things are meant to be shared, non?
PPS - It is now 7:50 p.m. and I have since tried the Oatmeal Raisin cookies, which are at least as good (if not debatably better) than the Chocolate Chip cookies. VERY highly recommended!
Rating: 10 / 10 (compared to all other protein bars, drinks, and snacks)
Rating: 9 / 10 (compared to normal cookies)
By far, this Chinatown BBQ house offers the best Chinese BBQ duck and char-sui (Chinese BBQ pork) in the city. The duck is moist and flavourful and has a nice balance of fat and lean portions, and the char-sui (if you add the sauce that they provide with the pork) is also full of flavour and appropriately lean. In fact, next to my dad's BBQ pork, this is probably among the best I've tasted (and I have lived in Hong Kong and tasted a lot of the stuff there).
The BBQ house is NOT a restaurant, so there are no places to sit. It's take-out only. However, this is just as well because the duck and the pork will be quite messy to eat once you add their respective sauces (conveniently provided in a separate bag), so it is probably better to consume these delicious meats in the privacy of your own home.
PS - Go early in the day because they tend to run out of duck by the mid-afternoon.
PPS - For all the Chinese folks getting married, this place also sells whole roasted pigs (complete with fake red flowers for garnish) in various sizes for the groom to offer to his new in-laws. We bought our big fat juicy oinker here, and their service was impeccable.
Rating: 10 / 10
In honour of Hubb's birthday, we decided to celebrate by going to Sushi Wasabi. At first I balked a little at going to this particular restaurant, because it seemed too casual for a birthday celebration, but since it wasn't *my* birthday, I eventually deferred to the birthday boy.We arrived early for our reservation, so we had to wait a few minutes before being seated. The restaurant was very small and had a limited number of simple tables and chairs, which were pretty much filled by the time we started our meal. Keeping in mind that this was on a Thursday evening, I was impressed by the number of people dining there.The server came by to take our drink orders (green tea) right away. We noticed, upon studying the menu, that Sushi Wasabi offers a pretty extensive selection of nigiri, as well as moderate number of bento boxes and various forms of maki and appetizers. We ordered the edamame, the Wasabi sushi combination (consisting of 4 pieces each of tuna, salmon, shrimp, hokki-gai, octopus, kanpachi, and tobiko, as well as salmon and kappa makis), and an extra unagi nigiri.We received the edamame shortly, and I pretty much inhaled the beans in my hunger. They were not the freshest beans I had ever tasted, nor the most flavourful, but they were good and I was starving. Then, we began to wait. And wait. And wait a little longer. At one point, when we looked over at the sushi chefs (two of whom spoke Cantonese so I understood what they were saying), they were fanning something vigourously and looking back at us with somewhat sheepish expressions on their faces. Our order took over 35 minutes to arrive, because (as it turns out), the chefs were fanning the fresh rice to cool it down to a proper sushi temperature. The server first brought out half of our order, and the brought out the other half about 3 minutes later.Thankfully, the nigiri was delicious, and well worth the wait. The cuts of fish were very fresh, as well as generously portioned. Instead of giving us huge bites of rice and small pieces of fish that barely covered all of the rice, these pieces of fish were so large that they nearly enveloped the little balls of rice beneath them. I was especially impressed by their tuna, which I usually find to be poorly done in sushi restaurants, and not fresh enough. As a result, the tuna often tastes like, well, *tuna.* Not here! The tuna was tender and fresh and did not have the slightest fishy taste to it. It literally melted in my mouth.The service was good, but not terribly prompt. The older Japanese lady (who I think to be one of the owners) commented on how much she liked my smile, so she was great and I liked her a lot! =)Our server, however, is a different story. This young, Asian, and attractive woman seemed to take special notice of my husband throughout the dinner. Whenever she came to the table to talk to us, she'd make eye contact exclusively with Hubbs, and would only look at me when I asked her a question directly. At one point, while offering the explanation for the delay in our order, she even adjusted her bra strap (somewhat seductively, in my opinion) while gazing at him. When we paid in cash and asked for change, she somehow made the assumption that we were not married or that we'd be going dutch on the meal, because she brought back the change divided into two equal amounts, even offering an explanation that she did this deliberately so that we could each take back our change. Finally, when we forgot our leftovers on the table after leaving, she came chasing after my hubby to give him the food. Maybe it's just me, but I found this server's behaviour to be somewhat amusing, yet entirely inappropriate.Overall, great sushi, arguably the best in the city. Prices are a little on the expensive side, but that is to be expected for quality fish. The service: well, if you ask Hubbs, he'll say it was awesome. If you ask me, I'd say otherwise ;) Come here for tasty, fresh, generous portions of quality nigiri, but make sure to keep a close eye on the young server who could be scoping out your hot guy (or, if you're a single hot dude lookin' to score, maybe this is the place for you!).Rating: 9 / 10Hubby's Rating: 10 / 10
To celebrate an early Happy Birthday J with my family, we went to my hubby's favourite Chinese restaurant, Good Buddy. I think this is his favourite restaurant because he had his first taste of his absolute favourite dish - Chinese rice noodles pan-fried with beef tenderloin slices - here. We did not order that dish today, because my parents thought it appalling that we should want to order such a basic lunch dish for a formal Chinese dinner.
Upon arriving, we were immediately seated, owing to our reservation. The atmosphere of this restaurant was decidedly casual and Chinese, which means that there were a lot of tables crowded into a rather small space, and equally many people (mostly Chinese) crowded into these seats. The place was buzzing with activity during our meal time, and servers and bussers and take-out expeditors were in constant motion from table to table and back to the kitchen. The noise level was quite high, given the sheer volume of people in the building, as well as the volume of these people's voices as they conversed with one another in animated Chinese fashion, a near-necessity when trying to address someone who is sitting across a 10-person round table from you.
We knew this to be a real Chinese restaurant, catering to Chinese people, because of the following:
-the raucous noise inside the building
-the BBQ meats proudly being displayed behind the glass of the kitchen
-the teacups and rice bowls and chopsticks already set on the table
-the Chinese zodiac paper placemats
-the server's first question: What kind of tea would you like? followed by an almost immediate dash to bring the tea
-the assumption that nobody at the table would want wine or high-balls or hard booze
-separate English and Chinese menus
-the absence of dinner plates, forks, and knives (except as service tools for the main dishes)
-the dessert: sweet bean soup or fruit, rather than fortune cookies
My parents did the ordering for the table, a gesture consistent with the Chinese teaching to respect one's elders; it is usually the elders of the table (the oldest generation there) who make the decision about what to eat, regardless of whether they are paying for the meal or not. Mom & Dad chose a modified version of the Traditional Combination Dinner for 8, which consisted of:
- the Good Buddy Platter (a cold-cut platter of traditional BBQ duck, BBQ pork, jellyfish, marinated beef, and soy sauce chicken wings)
-dry scallop and fish maw soup
-pan-fried breaded prawns in a spicy sauce
-assorted meats with soft tofu hot pot
-empress (gwei-fey) chicken
-chicken with cashew nuts and vegetables
-pan-fried chicken slices with seasonal vegetables
-sweet & sour pork
-fish fillet served over fresh gai-lan green vegetables
-steamed rice
Service was quick and the dishes came out one after the other in rapid succession. In terms of quality, I wish I could say that this meal was amazing, but I have definitely had better meals and dishes at Good Buddy (such as the pan-fried rice noodle and beef dish!). This meal was generally quite tasty, for sure, but some of our dishes were far too cold (or got cold too quickly) for our liking. As well, I found the pan-fried chicken with seasonal vegetables to be somewhat bland, and the tofu to be stale. The litmus test? My dad needed to add salt to some of his food. The man is a chef and a master at his trade, so if he has to add salt (which is something that is never needed for his own finished dishes) then you know that the food needs work.
However, to their credit, the sweet & sour pork (my favourite dish) was crispy and flavourful, and the vegetables were very fresh. As well, the cold-cut meat items were extremely tasty (not as good as Dad's, but that is to be expected), and the empress chicken was amazingly tender; the meat practically slid off the bone. The prawns were also delicious (once you removed the head - not my favourite thing to do during a meal, but anything for good food, right?), and the fish fillets were cooked just right, so that there was no fishy taste at all and the pieces were tender enough to slide down your throat.
Our dessert choices were fruit or sweet green bean soup, and my parents chose the soup. It was very sweet (perfect for my gong-gong who was not in attendance), and not for the low carb dieter. It was also very good, although my aunt noted that there weren't very many green beans in the soup, and a lot of liquid. That is my preference, however, so I had no complaints there!
My parents paid for our meal, so I have no idea what the final bill was. However, I do know that it likely averaged around $15 per person, which is very reasonable given the amount of variety and food we were able to enjoy.
Overall, I would have to say that I stand by Good Buddy as being one of the better Chinese restaurants in town. In spite of this particular dining experience, which was only moderately great, I know that they make some fabulous dishes that taste absolutely phenomenal. Furthermore, the food here does not make me sick (a common problem I encounter in many other Chinese restaurants). Good Buddy is not for those who have little experience with Chinese food, because a majority of the dishes on their extensive menu are either traditional Chinese or Hong Kong fare, which does not always cater to the Western palate. However, for those who love to try authentic Chinese food, this is a great place to go, and I definitely recommend their sweet & sour pork, empress chicken, and Chinese rice noodles pan-fried with beef tenderloin slices!
Rating: 9 / 10
Hubby's Rating: 10 / 10
(This looks like what I ate there, except the cheese was parmesean instead of goat cheese as pictured above. Sorry - couldn't find another image).
Last night we headed to a quaint little cottage-like restaurant called La Spiga in celebration of the future bro-in-law's b-day. We were the first to arrive, but the parking lot of this converted house was so small that there were only about 3 stalls available when we pulled into their lot. So, be warned, parking spots are a rare find in this area!
The restaurant has a very quiet, romantic ambience, and the decor was quite upscale, and had the feel of old world elegance. The settings included a bread plate and appetizer fork, which indicated to us that this was no East-Side Mario's! ;) Our server came to ask us for our drink order about 10 seconds after he seated us, which is prompt (if not slightly over-enthusiastic) service. He came by again twice after the rest of the party arrived to take drink orders, and seemed slightly annoyed when only 2 out of the 6 of us ordered drinks (and of those, only the b-day boy ordered wine).
The menu was pretty extensive, and also pretty expensive. The first two pages were dedicated to salads and appetizers, but we already knew that the restaurant was the type that would not tolerate individuals ordering off the apps menus only. The other two pages, which were devoted to pastas and to other meat entrees, had a moderate selection of meals ranging in price from $18.00 to $34.00. For pasta, we thought $25 / plate seemed a little bit on the pricey side. We ordered our meals and Hubbs had a prawn fettucini in olive oil pesto, and I had spicy Italian sausage penne in a light marinara-esque sauce. After we placed our orders, we indulged in the slices of foccacia and oil and vinegar that was brought out for us. The bread was delicious and flavourful, as well as very dense and filling. Needless to say we didn't finish all the bread on the table.
When our meals arrived, we noted that the servings were quite generous, so much so that nobody at the table actually finished their entire meal. Most of us ate about half of what was served, and took the rest home as leftovers. My meal was quite tasty; the penne was a little more cooked than al dente (which I prefer), and the sauce was light enough not to be too "tomatoey." The sausage was quite spicy, but the dish as a whole was not, which I was a little bit disappointed by. My Hubbs thought his meal was excellent, and from the tastes I stole off his plate, his sauce definitely was spicier and more flavourful than mine.
After dinner, the table ordered coffees except for me, because the restaurant boasted that they served the best tiramisu in town; as such, I had to try it. It came served in a large martini glass, and had been chilled so that it didn't taste all warm and melted in my mouth. It was very rich and yet relatively light, and I told my hubby that it really was the best tiramisu I had ever tasted. He agreed. It was also a pretty good size, which meant that my already-full tummy prevented me from finishing the "best tiramisu in the city." I almost wanted to take the rest home in a doggy bag, but I felt that this might not have been the classiest move a girl could make in such a place.
We got our bill, which was far too pricey even for good pasta, and then proceeded to make our way home in the biggest rainstorm of the season.
Overall, La Spiga is a very good Italian restaurant to go to if you want to impress someone or it is a very special occasion worthy of justifying $25 dollar pasta dishes. It is also a great place to go to if you want to drink a lot of wine, or eat tasty bread with oil and vinegar, or have some quality tiramisu. It is not the best choice for Italian if you just want a quick, inexpensive dinner with no pressures to be up-sold on beverages or desserts: for those, perhaps you might consider going to La Spiga's more casual sister restaurant, Sicilian Pasta Kitchen.
Rating: 8 / 10
(Okay, so that *isn't* a picture of the Lingnan Restaurant. It's the logo for Lingnan University, but I couldn't find any images that would work for this post, so here you go.)
We went to the Lingnan Restaurant with the family-in-law tonight, to bid farewell to a grandparent-in-law from out of town. Anyway, this restuarant is located in an out-of-the-way, semi-slum neighbourhood near Chinatown. However, the restaurant itself is nothing like the Chinatown restaurants. This one, you could tell, caters to the non-Chinese. How do I know this? Here were a few clues:
-the decor was overly "Chinese," right down to the faux-gilded dragons and phoenixes on the pillars and the walls
-the servers wore "traditional" garb
-there were no chopsticks on the table anywhere, but there were knives and forks
-there were no rice bowls on the table, but they did give us large dinner plates right before the entrees arrived
-the placements had no Chinese characters on them, but rather a menu of the mixed cocktails available for purchase from the restaurant
-tea was not automatically given, but had to be ordered
-the teacup saucers were far too large for the teacups
-the after-dinner "dessert" was not oranges or red bean soup, but fortune cookies
Armed with my knowledge that this restaurant might not be very authentic (as in the style of cooking my very Chinese and very experienced chef-Dad uses), I was well-prepared to eat Westernized chicken balls and ginger beef. The family decided to get adventurous on me though, and ordered the Deluxe Combination Dinner for 6, plus an additional entree of mushu pork. As we waited for our dishes to arrive, they brought us a bottle of white wine and uncorked it for us. The wine was pretty tasty, but as a lightweight drinker who would have preferred to stick with tea and water, I thought it presumptuous that the server gave me the wine without my asking for it!
The soup was served first, and surprise! It was wonton soup (which we Chinese know to almost never be served as part of a set dinner!). It was also over-salted. Next came the entrees en masse. The highlights: The broccoli-beef stir-fry was very good, and actually reminded me ever so slightly of my dad's wokkery skills with stir-frys; it had good "fry-energy" (wok-hei). The cashew chicken and celery dish was also pretty tasty and the celery was crisp (indicating freshness); I particularly enjoyed those crispy fried cashews. The lowlights: The shrimp fried rice and Cantonese noodle dishes were very plain and not particularly tasty, and they were also not terribly "loaded," which was disappointing. The shrimp "balls" and lemon chicken were typically what you'd expect from a Western "Chinese" place: batter-heavy, deep-fried, and not meaty enough. The mushu pork was okay, but their sauce was a tad on the tangy and sour side of "sweet-and-sour," and I definitely prefer when the sauce leans to the "sweeter" side. As well, this entree was smaller than the other dishes, and didn't contain nearly as much meat as would be worthy of the cost.
Service was very good, as usual, and the server was incredibly hospitable and friendly, although he was a bit pushy when he insisted that we order that seventh dish rather than let us substitute it for one of the entrees that was already part of their combination meal.
Overall, this could definitely be a unique dining experience for those who have never tasted any Chinese food before. It offers a good stepping stone towards the real stuff, and the atmosphere of the restaurant, though tacky, does give the less-experienced Chinese food diner a chance to go to a place that "feels" Chinese. Lovers of chicken balls and egg rolls will probably adore the Lingnan. However, I would not recommend this restaurant to authentic Chinese food lovers, or to Chinese people, because you will definitely be disappointed more than you will be impressed. Speaking as a true Chinese chick with a love for the authentic fare, I'd have to say that I fall into the latter category.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
To celebrate an early Father's Day, we headed to the Atrium Cafe for brunch yesterday with my family-in-law. We requested to come here, because this was the place where I first met the future in-laws, and also because we had become such regulars at Tom Goodchild's Moose Factory that we've actually just nicknamed it the "Moose." Not good, even though their brunch is pretty good.
Anyway, when we arrived (late) and got seated, my first thought was, "I need some coffee!" Unfortunately, the server did not come around nearly frequenty enough at the beginning of our meal, so I did not have coffee for the first 20 minutes that I was there. Not good for a brunch where coffee is considered a staple beverage. As well, there were no glasses of water on the table. I failed to notice if perhaps the water was at the "beverage station" where an assortment of juices and punches were available for people to get, but my thought is that water should always be served at the table, because it too is a staple beverage of most meals.
The atmosphere was great, however. Their indoor fountain was running, and I think that there is truly nothing more soothing than the sound of running water. The atrium also has a lot of skylights, enough to allow natural light to pour into the area.
When we got up to get our food, I was at first a little lost. Because of the layout of the atrium, the brunch is not centralized to one particular location, but rather, spread out in stations over a large area. From where we were sitting, we passed through the following stations (in this order):
-the fruit station (consisting of assorted melons, citrus fruits, and strawberries)
-the dessert station (featuring bread pudding and a "display case" filled with squares, cookies, cheesecakes, and tortes)
-the omelette station
-the cold cuts / cheeses / seafood station
-the breakfast foods stations (the first one offering eggs benedict, cubed potato hash browns, French toast, and pancakes, and the second one offering scrambled eggs, sausages, and bacon)
-the lunch foods stations (the day's features were wild rice pilaf, beef stew, grilled veggies, and roast beef)
-a full waffle loading station
-a beverage station
-the salad station
-the bread station (which not only offered breads and buns, but croissants, muffins, banana bread, and pound cake)
Impressive spread, non? I thought it was very thorough, although with quantity came a loss of some quality. The roast beef was over-done and very dry, and the stew looked rather unappetizing and not loaded enough. As well, the bacon was done en masse and you could tell it had lost some of its flavour in the cooking process; I actually found the sausages more tasty than the bacon (which says a lot coming from a bacon addict such as myself). The salads were pretty ordinary as well, and nothing too memorable. They also ran out of the dessert I had wanted before I could get a piece - the Skor and Baileys cheesecake. =(
However, the omelettes (so I am told by my Hubbs) were delicious, and so was the fresh shrimp cocktail. They also served my favourite type of potatoes, the cubed hash brown kind. The waffle station boasted quite a selection of toppings, and the seafood station was pretty extensive as well (although there was no sushi offered!). The desserts included soft cookies and an assortment of squares (not pieces of cake cut into squares), and a very appealing assortment of caked desserts, including tiramisu and oreo cheesecake. Their fruit selection was also ample, which I appreciate given that many other places tend to only offer one platter of fruit, rather than platters and bowlfuls of different kinds of fruits.
Overall, this is a good extensive brunch to take your family to. It has enough variety to cater to every type of food lover, and although the quality isn't consistently first-rate, there are definitely some very delicious dishes mixed in with the more standard fare. Although the brunch is a tad on the pricy side, it is a nice treat to have once every so often.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
I
SUSHI
Hubbs & I decided to give I Love (Heart) Sushi a try one sunny afternoon when we decided to do an impromptu lunch. The restaurant is a small, unassuming little spot located behind a Subway off Jasper Ave. Anyway, when we got there, the place was packed. Although the place only had like 14 tables or so, all of them were full. There wasn't a lot of standing room but we managed to squish ourselves against the wall as we waited in line to place our order.
The restaurant itself had a very fast-food-esque feel to it. There was no fancy Japanese decor, and the tables and chairs were pretty basic in their appearance. The menu consisted of individual sushi pieces (nigiri) as well as sushi and maki combinations. They also offered a selection of bowls and bento boxes, and the menu seemed pretty extensive given the size of the restaurant.
Once we placed our order (one sushi combo, one sushi-and-maki combo, and two extra sushi pieces), it took almost 10 minutes to fill. Apparently, this sushi joint was trying to complete three different types of orders all at once: take-out (for those of us eating outside in the sunshine), dine-in, and delivery. Our order was sandwiched between a take-out and a dine-in order, and these were preceded by another take-out order and a big delivery order. The one (and only) sushi chef was quickly trying to assemble all of the sushi pieces (all of them made fresh except for the maki), while the cooks in the back completed the cooked food orders.
When we finally got our order, found a place to eat, and opened our take-out boxes, we were disappointed to see that the two extra sushi pieces had been placed in the wrong box. As well, the 6 pieces in the combo were really really small, and one of them was imitation-crab pollock (which we all know does not even count as real sushi!). Thankfully, neither one of us got a piece of that awful tamago egg sushi, which neither one of us enjoys. They did give us an abundance of ginger, which was great for cleansing the palate between bites of fish. For what we paid ($9.00 per combo), however, this was definitely not the best value we could have received. Although the sushi pieces tasted fresh, they didn't blow us away in terms of their quality or their cut. My California maki tasted a bit stale, too, as though they had made these a day earlier; the Japanese mayo was definitely lacking in the rolls (which is great for those who don't like the mayo, but not so fabulous for those of us who enjoy the combined tastes of pollock and mayo).
Overall, I would have to say that this restaurant disappointed us. They may love sushi, but not enough to do it really well or give us good value for our money, so we certainly don't love them!
Rating: 5.5 / 10
It occured to me that my Hubbs and I tend to eat out quite a bit, and form all sorts of interesting impressions about restaurants based on our experiences there.
I thought it would be helpful for us to keep track of, and for you to know, what our dining adventures were like, so that you can make some slightly-more-informed decisions about where you want to eat.
That is the purpose of Aftertastes. It is to share our stories with you. It is by no means a paid endorsement for any particular restaurant ;), nor are our opinions anything more than, well, opinions.
Enjoy, and happy eating!
To celebrate our Granny's big b-day, we dined at Mirabelle tonight. One of the joys of living downtown is that we were able to walk to this restaurant, located innocuously on the main floor of an office building.
lobster-stuffed smoked salmon rolls to start, and the buffalo steak. I ordered their prime rib, which is available only on Fridays and Saturdays. We both chose baked potatoes as our side orders, although I was admittedly intrigued by the stuffed potato. It was nice to see that other choices were available as well, including rice, pasta, and french fries.
sour cream, bacon bits, and chives. My hubby found his buffalo steak to be "good, flavourful, and tasty." My generous portion of prime rib (which looks like the ones pictured, except was more cooked along the edges than shown) was served with Yorkshire pudding, au jus on the side, some steamed baby carrots and a large floret of broccoli, and of course, the baked potato. The 7 oz. steak was a little overdone for my order of rare, but was tender and moist and full of flavour. The Yorkshire pudding was also quite light, which I was pleasantly surprised to taste; generally, I find Yorkshire pudding to be far too dense and heavy to complement the prime rib, but this was not the case tonight. Though I didn't find the garnish to be terribly unique, the prime rib was wonderful and I gladly polished it all off.
