Hey guys! So I was in the exchange last night with a girlfriend. Let me tell ya, nothing like the shops downtown. (Note to self, head to the Haberdashery ASAP!) After an evening window shopping and wandering, we ended up in Osbourne Village.
Just off Osbourne on Stradbrook is a little place called 'Unburger'. I'd heard of it before, and wasn't too sure what to expect. The only photo I'd ever seen of their food was a burger patty between two peices of lettuce (Not my idea of a good burger, really). We were both starving though, and decided to try it.
The place is probably the most interesting looking restauraunt I've seen. It's all white, red and black. The burgers are really, really well thought out. The have the option of a whole wheat bun, their signature bun, or a lettuce wrap. You can also get Gluten free pitas! The toppings seem pretty much endless. There are beef burgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers and bison burgers. Your sides are fries, sweet potato fries, or cesar salads. You can choose from beer on tap, water, or coke and sprite in glass bottles (Cool!). I'm sure there are more choices then I saw, but the menu is so full it's almost hard to see it all and make sense of it. Here's a link to the menu.
I had the "Deliciousmosttastious Bacon Cheddar" with a Mini Cesar Salad and a bottle of Coke. The beef was fresh, The cheese was real cheddar (I watched them cutting peices off a big block) and the bacon was cooked to that perfect texture, right in the middle between chewy and crispy. It came with tomato, lettuce and herb mayo on it. It was simple, and it was tasty!
The salad was.. Pretty much just a cersar salad. It was good, and I can't say anything bad about it. It's pretty easy to screw up a cesar, so that's a plus for them.
The service was cool. You walk up to the counter and order your meal like at McDonalds, and they give you a table tag (Which just happens to be a toy. Ours was a blue My Little Pony with rainbow hair. I saw someone with a robot, someone with a turtle, and someone with something completely unidentifiable.). Your order is brought out to you on really nice white rectangular plates, burger on one side, salad in a square bowl on the other side.
The table was a little small, and once the food was on it there was enough room for the plates and drinks... and that's about it. They had big clunky napkin holders on the table that made it hard to communicate with my girlfriend, I almost felt like we were sitting at two different tables.
Still, the quality of the food was more then enough to make me happy. I'll definitely be back for more.
And of course, what's a trip to osbourne without stopping at Baked Expectations for some apple pie to go? :)
Friday, 3 February 2012
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Water Lily; St.Vital's hidden gem
So a few weeks ago, we decided we were too far behind on our blogging, and we needed to head to a restaurant. Water Lily had been on our 'To Review' list for some time, and seemed like a good choice. We both love Indian, so why not go with a place we'd probably both like to get us back into the swing of things?
Boy, were we in for a treat. Jess liked it so much that she put off blogging so that we'd have to come back and eat again if we wanted to do a review. So here we are, a couple weeks down the road, deciding to do take-out this time.
The first thing Jess noticed was the service. The staff were friendly, happy to be there, and excited about the food. They were accommodating, and easy to talk to if you had any questions about the food.
The restaurant itself is small, but don't let that fool you. It's a great place, and is worth your time!
As an appetiser, Jess grabbed some beef samosas. Last time we were there, the owner stopped by the table to let us know about them, and that if we ever want some, just to call and give them ten minutes heads up, cause they make them fresh to order, filling and all!
These samosas were fantastic! The pastry was crispy and light, and the filling was moist and flavorful. It was the perfect balance.
Jess had the chicken Rogan Josh, which is a cream & yogurt almond sauce, blended with far too many spices to name, and onion gravy. It's light, not too rich, and comes with your choice if meat or seafood. The dishes are served 'family style', so you get your bowl of sauce, and a serving of rice. You can mix them however you like (I like it heavy on the rice, which is why my tummy is so sore and full now), or you can order naan bread and skip the rice completely. The naan bread is soft and chewy, and comes in a number of flavors. So far, we've tried plain naan and garlic naan. The garlic naan is extremely flavorful (Being a Ukrainian and a garlic lover, this is not a problem for me, but if you can't take a bite out of a clove of garlic and like it, the garlic naan may be a bit much for you.).
You have a choice between Mild, Medium, and Hot for your dish. The waiter was quick to make sure that we were used to spicy food when we ordered medium heat. For Jess, Medium is just right. There's no build up of spice in your mouth, leaving it hard to taste your food toward the end of the meal.
It was chicken Vindaloo for Alex. (For anyone following us, Vindaloo is one of the greatest foods ever! At least in my eyes.. err.. stomach.) The weirdest thing is everywhere you go, its different. Some sweeter, more coriander, and all the subtle but delicious changes. The Water Lily is no exception, but it's good. Like really really good. (To put it in perspective as to how good it was, I walked around, involuntarily going mmm, mmm, mmm, for the better part of an hour after.) Chicken, potatoes, coriander coated in the sauce. It feels like an odd thing to mention, but the potato was cooked perfectly. Not dry, and partly crunchy like they tend to end up when playing second fiddle, but perfectly soft and almost creamy to bite into. The medium spice was just right. Perfect amount of heat, without being over whelming.
When we ate in on our first visit, at the end of the meal they brought around a small tray with candied and dried spices, tasting wonderfully of licorice. It was such a nice touch. So far from the mass produced after dinner mints you usually find, and honestly, I don't think any mint could have ended the meal off better.
Over all, a great experience, and we'll be back. Again. And again.
Boy, were we in for a treat. Jess liked it so much that she put off blogging so that we'd have to come back and eat again if we wanted to do a review. So here we are, a couple weeks down the road, deciding to do take-out this time.
The first thing Jess noticed was the service. The staff were friendly, happy to be there, and excited about the food. They were accommodating, and easy to talk to if you had any questions about the food.
The restaurant itself is small, but don't let that fool you. It's a great place, and is worth your time!
Mmmm, take out.
As an appetiser, Jess grabbed some beef samosas. Last time we were there, the owner stopped by the table to let us know about them, and that if we ever want some, just to call and give them ten minutes heads up, cause they make them fresh to order, filling and all!
These samosas were fantastic! The pastry was crispy and light, and the filling was moist and flavorful. It was the perfect balance.
Just look at these bad boys!
You have a choice between Mild, Medium, and Hot for your dish. The waiter was quick to make sure that we were used to spicy food when we ordered medium heat. For Jess, Medium is just right. There's no build up of spice in your mouth, leaving it hard to taste your food toward the end of the meal.
When we ate in on our first visit, at the end of the meal they brought around a small tray with candied and dried spices, tasting wonderfully of licorice. It was such a nice touch. So far from the mass produced after dinner mints you usually find, and honestly, I don't think any mint could have ended the meal off better.
Over all, a great experience, and we'll be back. Again. And again.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Happy Holidays!
Hi guys! Jess here. Sorry we've been gone so long.. With all the craziness of the holidays, it's hard to take the time to sit down and eat at a resturant, much less find one neither of us have eaten at yet.
We promise to get things back up and running ASAP, with new (and hopefully better) pictures.
I hope you all had a great holiday, see you soon!
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Prairie Ink
So last week, we decided to try Prairie Ink Restaurant, located in the McNally Robinson on Grant. Hidden behind rows of book shelves to the left you come to this little bakery front, selling all sorts of little baked goodies, (including the little apple pies will will gush about later.) Straight down from there is the actual restaurant. It was busier then we had expected, though there was only a 15-20 minute wait, and you have the option to go wonder through the books while you wait. Reservations may be recommended, given that there are often book readings and movie nights.
Turning the corner the suspicion that this is not just a cafe begins to permeate. There's a lot of tables, and chairs, and people. The are tables that are actually long enough for 2 people to comfortably eat on and there are expensive paintings on the wall. A suspicion which is quickly confirmed by the menu.
The menu was more then we expected. Rather then baking and simple sandwiches, (which by all rights they have too), there was a large variety of food, all of which is made with local ingredients, and quite a bit of which was inspired by where we live.
Jess had looked up the menu online earlier in the day, and went in knowing what she wanted. The drink up top is called a 'Steamer,' (Yes, yes its a terrible name). It's pretty much just steamed milk and a shot of flavor. This one was a Hazelnut Steamer. It tasted like pudding, but better. There was a little bit of that perfect froth on top as well! The entree was a Bison Burger, served with potato wedges and coleslaw. The burger was topped with cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and ketchup. The patty itself was perfectly cooked, juicy and meaty. Bison burgers taste quite a bit like beef burgers, but meatier. The bun was made in house, and sure tasted like it had just come out of the oven. The potato wedges were seasoned perfectly and were the perfect compliment to the burger. Delish!
We both cleaned our plates!
Dessert was a Mini Apple Pie. Roughly the size of a cereal bowl, it's the perfect single serving of pie. The crust is perfectly cooked, crunchy on the outside but soft inside from absorbing the juices from the apples. The apples were cooked with cinnamon and caramel, and everything held up perfectly even after re-heating the next day in a microwave. To top it off, there was even some crystal sugar on the top crust. Yummy!
Now what we forgot to snap a picture of was the vanilla Gelati which comes with the pie. For Alex, this was the crown jewel of the meal. It was the perfect blend, sweet vanilla but not overpowering in the slightest, had a slight lemony flavour which Jess compared to a lemon meringue pie. The only problem with it was one any delicious frozen treat is guilty of, yes my fellow Winnipegians, I'm talking about Slurpee syndrome. BRAIN FREEZE. Please Enjoy Responsibly.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience, and we will definitely be back. If you're in the area, take a peek in, get some Christmas shopping done while you wait for them to call your name, or grab a pie to go from the bakery window.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Chez Sophie: Home cooked comfort food
So last night, upon recommendation, we headed out to find a certain restaurant. Something new for us both, something we hadn't experienced, something new to blog about. After getting lost no less than 3 times, and rechecking directions on our phones a dozen times, we found it! And it was closed. Which left us half lost, down town, and hungry. Fear not! This restaurant will make it to the blog as soon as we can get there!
After batting around idea's and trying to remember what name was attached to what kind of food we finally decided on Chez Sophie, a small bistro in the heart of St.Boniface. Just down the street from the beautiful Cathedral, hiding amongst houses and apartment buildings. The dining room had a total of eight tables, most of which couldn't seat more then four people. It was close quarters, and somehow it didn't feel cramped. Alex commented that it felt like a family dinner, everyone cramming into a small dining room, trying to eat without knocking elbows.
The dining room itself was adorable. It was quaint, and had a very sweet country feel. The 'French Bistro' music playing loud enough to muffle conversations, but not make it difficult to hear your date, and was very soothing. All instrumental, all very calming. All in all, it was a terrifically romantic setting that had both of us grinning like fools the whole night.
The bistro is fully bi-lingual, we were greeted in french, the specials were written on the chalkboards in french, and the menu itself was in both french and english. For those who don't speak French, worry not! While the menu is primarily written in French, nearly everything is followed by the English description. It can at times leave it a tad bit confusing, but overall, not enough to subtract from the meal. It is important to note that this is not an Applebee's, you are coming into someone's house to eat. It's all hand done, a simple menu thrown in duo-tang, and every changing specials written in chalk on the board.
The food was delicious. It felt like we had made it at home, like mom taught us how, or like it was one of grandma's favorite recipes. It came out hot from the oven, cheese still bubbling, served in a small casserole dish on a wooden paddle. Adorable!! The best part was seeing the chef poke his head out, and smile when he saw that the guests were enjoying his food. It was good to see that he cares.
Jess's dish was Penne au Poulet. Exactly as it sounds, Penne pasta with chicken. But not just any chicken, no no, chicken fingers. Along with the chicken fingers, there were fresh veggies like green bell peppers, tomato, and onion. All of this was smothered in a cream sauce (not alfredo, just cream) with a little basil mixed in. The dish was baked with cheese on top, and served with a side of super crispy garlic toast (real french bread guys, delish!). It was clear that all of these things were made fresh to order, and it came through in the presentation and taste.
Alex had the Tartiflette with house salad, which he pointed to on the menu, not wanting to butcher the pronunciation. The house salad was probably one of the most attractive salad's he's seen. Again it was nothing fancy, just simple house dressing, not your standard vinaigrette, had more flavour than just sour, but the plating just showed how much they cared about. The tartiflette is basically this big gooey amazing mess of ham, bacon, onion and potato, with this cheesy creamy saucing tying it all together, and yes, it was as amazing as it sounded. Served same as the Penne au Poulet was, baked dish, little wooden panel, crispy cheesy goodness crispy ontop and running down the side. It is definitely a new candidate for comfort food.
Alex: Okay, I'm not supposed to break character, Jessi and I are writing this together, but I really want to add this in. The feeling in this place is incredible. It's soft, dimly lit. It's not like going out to a busy restaurant, where every third word is "what?". It's warm, it's quite. The music gives this fantastic white noise. You're three feet away from the other tables, and you feel private. Guys, if you want to impress a girl, bring them here. It's not pompous, or trying to be anything it's not. When you're there, it feels real, and genuine.
All in all it was a great meal and experience, we will definitely be back!
After batting around idea's and trying to remember what name was attached to what kind of food we finally decided on Chez Sophie, a small bistro in the heart of St.Boniface. Just down the street from the beautiful Cathedral, hiding amongst houses and apartment buildings. The dining room had a total of eight tables, most of which couldn't seat more then four people. It was close quarters, and somehow it didn't feel cramped. Alex commented that it felt like a family dinner, everyone cramming into a small dining room, trying to eat without knocking elbows.
The dining room itself was adorable. It was quaint, and had a very sweet country feel. The 'French Bistro' music playing loud enough to muffle conversations, but not make it difficult to hear your date, and was very soothing. All instrumental, all very calming. All in all, it was a terrifically romantic setting that had both of us grinning like fools the whole night.
The bistro is fully bi-lingual, we were greeted in french, the specials were written on the chalkboards in french, and the menu itself was in both french and english. For those who don't speak French, worry not! While the menu is primarily written in French, nearly everything is followed by the English description. It can at times leave it a tad bit confusing, but overall, not enough to subtract from the meal. It is important to note that this is not an Applebee's, you are coming into someone's house to eat. It's all hand done, a simple menu thrown in duo-tang, and every changing specials written in chalk on the board.
The food was delicious. It felt like we had made it at home, like mom taught us how, or like it was one of grandma's favorite recipes. It came out hot from the oven, cheese still bubbling, served in a small casserole dish on a wooden paddle. Adorable!! The best part was seeing the chef poke his head out, and smile when he saw that the guests were enjoying his food. It was good to see that he cares.
Jess's dish was Penne au Poulet. Exactly as it sounds, Penne pasta with chicken. But not just any chicken, no no, chicken fingers. Along with the chicken fingers, there were fresh veggies like green bell peppers, tomato, and onion. All of this was smothered in a cream sauce (not alfredo, just cream) with a little basil mixed in. The dish was baked with cheese on top, and served with a side of super crispy garlic toast (real french bread guys, delish!). It was clear that all of these things were made fresh to order, and it came through in the presentation and taste.
Alex had the Tartiflette with house salad, which he pointed to on the menu, not wanting to butcher the pronunciation. The house salad was probably one of the most attractive salad's he's seen. Again it was nothing fancy, just simple house dressing, not your standard vinaigrette, had more flavour than just sour, but the plating just showed how much they cared about. The tartiflette is basically this big gooey amazing mess of ham, bacon, onion and potato, with this cheesy creamy saucing tying it all together, and yes, it was as amazing as it sounded. Served same as the Penne au Poulet was, baked dish, little wooden panel, crispy cheesy goodness crispy ontop and running down the side. It is definitely a new candidate for comfort food.
Alex: Okay, I'm not supposed to break character, Jessi and I are writing this together, but I really want to add this in. The feeling in this place is incredible. It's soft, dimly lit. It's not like going out to a busy restaurant, where every third word is "what?". It's warm, it's quite. The music gives this fantastic white noise. You're three feet away from the other tables, and you feel private. Guys, if you want to impress a girl, bring them here. It's not pompous, or trying to be anything it's not. When you're there, it feels real, and genuine.
All in all it was a great meal and experience, we will definitely be back!
Friday, 11 November 2011
Back to the Beginning: Taste of Sri 'Llanka
Anyone who has been following our blog know how we were inspired to start it. Long story short: Taste of Sri Lanka at the forks. More specifically the veggie rolls.
The veggie rolls, are... how do we describe them? Picture the greatest mashed potato's ever. Perfectly smooth, and creamy. Then load them with Indian spices, and throw in a few veggies for crunch. Wrap it all in a crispy, thin, crumbly wrap. If you've ever had a samosa, like that, but smoother, creamier, and about 10x easier to eat. So good in fact, we started a blog. Unfortunately, tonight they were sold out of the veggie rolls.
Tonight's feast cost just over 30 bucks, and landed us two chicken rolls, two east rolls (beef), two veggie samosa's, two beef samosa's, a side order of chickpea curry, and a chicken satay.
The samosa's were decent, if a little dry. The filling is loaded with flavor, and is kept perfectly warm by the thick pastry used to hold it all together. The only real complaint Jess had was that he pastry was so thick that it only added to the dry texture, and made it a little harder to eat.
The rolls, as always, were excellent. The filling in the chicken roll is similar to that of the veggie variety, just with chicken added. The pastry is perfectly cooked, definitely deep fried, and oh, so delicious. The 'east' roll was a beef and bacon filling. What more need be said? Can't go wrong with beef and bacon. And Jess is pretty sure she tasted just a hint of sauerkraut. The Ukrainian in her rejoiced.
The chickpea curry was chickpea curry. Sauce loaded with flavor, chickpea's well cooked. If you don't like chickpea's it probably won't change your mind on them, but it's a welcome deviation from every day food.
The chicken satay was good. Super moist marinated chicken with almost a barbecue sauce over top, all on a wooden skewer. Almost a little like a cross between teriyaki chicken and barbecue chicken. Sounds a little strange, but very good. Alex had already undone the button on his pants, and somehow the left over satay vanished before reaching the fridge.
All in all, we'll definitely be back, if only for the rolls. And chicken satay. And...
The veggie rolls, are... how do we describe them? Picture the greatest mashed potato's ever. Perfectly smooth, and creamy. Then load them with Indian spices, and throw in a few veggies for crunch. Wrap it all in a crispy, thin, crumbly wrap. If you've ever had a samosa, like that, but smoother, creamier, and about 10x easier to eat. So good in fact, we started a blog. Unfortunately, tonight they were sold out of the veggie rolls.
Tonight's feast cost just over 30 bucks, and landed us two chicken rolls, two east rolls (beef), two veggie samosa's, two beef samosa's, a side order of chickpea curry, and a chicken satay.
The samosa's were decent, if a little dry. The filling is loaded with flavor, and is kept perfectly warm by the thick pastry used to hold it all together. The only real complaint Jess had was that he pastry was so thick that it only added to the dry texture, and made it a little harder to eat.
The rolls, as always, were excellent. The filling in the chicken roll is similar to that of the veggie variety, just with chicken added. The pastry is perfectly cooked, definitely deep fried, and oh, so delicious. The 'east' roll was a beef and bacon filling. What more need be said? Can't go wrong with beef and bacon. And Jess is pretty sure she tasted just a hint of sauerkraut. The Ukrainian in her rejoiced.
The chickpea curry was chickpea curry. Sauce loaded with flavor, chickpea's well cooked. If you don't like chickpea's it probably won't change your mind on them, but it's a welcome deviation from every day food.
The chicken satay was good. Super moist marinated chicken with almost a barbecue sauce over top, all on a wooden skewer. Almost a little like a cross between teriyaki chicken and barbecue chicken. Sounds a little strange, but very good. Alex had already undone the button on his pants, and somehow the left over satay vanished before reaching the fridge.
All in all, we'll definitely be back, if only for the rolls. And chicken satay. And...
Monday, 7 November 2011
Date Night: Asia City
Hey guys, Alex and Jess here.
About a week back we decided to take date night, grab some food, and have a good old fashioned scary movie marathon. Long story short, the marathon turned into a single movie, and a new found loathing for penny pincher's at Shoppers, but the food did not disappoint.
Admittedly, Asia City has been a favorite for us for a while now, and as such is more than candidate for our next review.
Down on McPhillips, there is a small building that, best I can tell, resembles an old Wendy's building, kind of unassuming from the outside. Walking in you see an overwhelming menu board featuring Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai food. They have bubble tea, sandwiches and other imported candies as well. Pretty much they own at being delicious.
Usually we both get the PadThai, which you can get with any assortment of meats or veggies. It's spicy-ness is rated on a scale from 1-10, and for us an '8' is pretty good.
This time around, Jess got the Chicken Fried Rice (how cliche). Rather then being like your typical chinese food, the taste is not so overwhelming, and they don't over load the dish with soy sauce before it even reaches your table. The chicken is tender and absorbs the soy just as much as the rice, making it the best chicken fried rice experience you'll ever have. YUM.
Alex tried to test the age old theory that truly good food is just as good the second day, and loaded up with PadThai, Beef Stir Fry, and Spring Rolls. Now Spring Rolls have never been a favorite for him, but these are perfectly crispy, and not greasy, and so delicious they soon disappeared. The PadThai did not disappoint. For those that don't know PadThai, it is basically a delicious mess of noodles and sauce that's tangy, sweet and spicy all at once. Throw in a few veggies and there you have it. The Stir Fried Veg with Beef was good too, carrots, beef, broccoli, with a perfectly savory sauce. And yes, yes my friends, it was even good the second day. Mmm.
We should also point out these guys make it fresh every order. You won't find a big long buffet style display, showing off the pre-made bite sized morsels, ready to be scooped into a plate. Oh no, these guys come piping hot out of the back, as proof and point, one of our Styrofoam containers from our take out actually bowed from the heat. That means you will wait for your food, and quite frankly, that's okay. The time it takes show the care they put into the food, and the flavor definitely shines through.
Over all, this place is always a good food experience, whether you dine in or take out.
About a week back we decided to take date night, grab some food, and have a good old fashioned scary movie marathon. Long story short, the marathon turned into a single movie, and a new found loathing for penny pincher's at Shoppers, but the food did not disappoint.
Admittedly, Asia City has been a favorite for us for a while now, and as such is more than candidate for our next review.
Down on McPhillips, there is a small building that, best I can tell, resembles an old Wendy's building, kind of unassuming from the outside. Walking in you see an overwhelming menu board featuring Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai food. They have bubble tea, sandwiches and other imported candies as well. Pretty much they own at being delicious.
Usually we both get the PadThai, which you can get with any assortment of meats or veggies. It's spicy-ness is rated on a scale from 1-10, and for us an '8' is pretty good.
This time around, Jess got the Chicken Fried Rice (how cliche). Rather then being like your typical chinese food, the taste is not so overwhelming, and they don't over load the dish with soy sauce before it even reaches your table. The chicken is tender and absorbs the soy just as much as the rice, making it the best chicken fried rice experience you'll ever have. YUM.
Alex tried to test the age old theory that truly good food is just as good the second day, and loaded up with PadThai, Beef Stir Fry, and Spring Rolls. Now Spring Rolls have never been a favorite for him, but these are perfectly crispy, and not greasy, and so delicious they soon disappeared. The PadThai did not disappoint. For those that don't know PadThai, it is basically a delicious mess of noodles and sauce that's tangy, sweet and spicy all at once. Throw in a few veggies and there you have it. The Stir Fried Veg with Beef was good too, carrots, beef, broccoli, with a perfectly savory sauce. And yes, yes my friends, it was even good the second day. Mmm.
We should also point out these guys make it fresh every order. You won't find a big long buffet style display, showing off the pre-made bite sized morsels, ready to be scooped into a plate. Oh no, these guys come piping hot out of the back, as proof and point, one of our Styrofoam containers from our take out actually bowed from the heat. That means you will wait for your food, and quite frankly, that's okay. The time it takes show the care they put into the food, and the flavor definitely shines through.
Over all, this place is always a good food experience, whether you dine in or take out.
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