Grumblings

I've had a so-so week so far.  I haven't heard back from any jobs yet, I have no interviews scheduled and it's hard to keep your head up in the face of all dat adversity.  So I've decided to take a more proactive approach to my unemployment and get some necessary things done that I may not have the time to do when I am employed.  My trifecta: Manitoba Drivers Licence, Manitoba Health Card and my Passport Renewal.

Well, we all know how the first one went (and if you don't, look up my post called "Car Troubles").  I figured the latter two would give me problems as well.  I decided to do both my Manitoba Health Card and Passport Renewal today since I've been sitting on creepy pictures of me for weeks now.  I did Health first, and I was prepared for the residency battle.  I had my bank statements. I could do this. 

I get called to the counter and I explain my odd situation (I'm a legal resident of BC, but I've been living in Quebec and now I intend to become a resident of Manitoba).  He asks for my SIN card, Birth certificate and BC Care Card and photocopies them.  Then asks me for my address.  Then presto! I have a Manitoba Health Card! I was kind of dumbfounded by how easy the process was.  Although after going through when my coverage starts and all the things I need to know about Manitoba Health, he tells me at the end that I need to contact BC health ASAP.  Apparently out of all the provinces, they are by far the worst to deal with (he said it's usually a debacle with MSP payments and continuing to get billed even when you're covered in Manitoba). 

My passport renewal went with equal ease.  Since you no longer need a guarantor if you're renewing, you just plug in some references (which can literally be anyone not related to you as long as they've known you for 2 years).  Filled out my paperwork. Waited 20 minutes.  Got my paperwork processed. Doneskies. 

I also found out my momskies is coming to visit, so I'm super excited! I picked up some tickets for Rainbow Stage's "Buddy" performance in June. So stoked! I loved Rainbow Stage when I was a kid so hopefully it's still magical.  I've also come to the realization that I think I have all of the documentation I need to actually go back and get my drivers license. WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE!? :D

Wako Sushi Cafe

On a completely different topic, I can't believe it's taken me this long to review this magnificent place.  It's called Wako Sushi Cafe (on Corydon). I'm not going to lie: After my experience with Wasabi Sushi Bistro on Osbourne (again, see related post), I was eager to actually find good sushi at a fair price.  This time, I did the right thing and looked at reviews on Yelp and Urbanspoon to help determine which places would poison me and which were okay.  I decided to try Wako even though it's a bit out of the way for me, but the reviews were so good that I couldn't resist.

I decide to order a dynamite roll, a salmon roll and a futomaki roll.  The rolls themselves came to around the $11 dollar mark (about half of what I got at Wasabi for the same amount of food).  The sushi was beautifully prepared.  First, I have to rave a bit about the futomaki.  Normally this is made with shiitake mushrooms, so I don't eat it. I don't like mushrooms.  Wako's is not! Just delicious vegetables with tamago.  All of the vegetables were very fresh and crisp.  It was absolutely delightful.  The salmon rolls were as expected.  The dynamite roll was also phenomenal.  The deep fryed shrimp actually tasted fresh! Quelle surprise!

I didn't order ahead of time; I just walked in.  My order was taken and I only waited about 10 minutes.  In those 10 minutes I saw numerous people come and pick up large orders.  They seem to be very efficient!  As a warning, the cafe is largely take out.  There are a few chairs and they sell a few beverages, but for the most part the emphasis seems to be on take out.  Overall, I can't wait to go back!

9/10

Baked Expectations

Yikes, almost a week since my last post.  That's crazy. This week I've been been busy loathing and looking for work (which I can see why people say it's a full time job in itself).

Baked Expectations

I ended up at Baked Expectations with some friends completely on a whim.  It was on my "to-try" list, but I figured I wouldn't get to it for a bit.  So yay! Neighbourhood exploration! 

It was jam packed, even on a Sunday (granted, it was last Sunday, so over the long weekend).  For me, this is usually a good sign.  Although I don't like to eat at extremely busy restaurants (usually because it slows down the service), it also means that people flock to a restaurant for good reason.  

I loved the décor in the restaurant; it reminded me of a 50s style diner.  The menu was written on chalkboards all around the restaurant (they have a large selection of food, drinks and desserts), but if you sit down you'll also get a menu with everything on it (which is helpful because depending on where you sit, you may not be able to see the entire chalkboard menu).  We were seated promptly after drooling over the display cases filled with cheesecakes, tortes and cakes.  We were there for dessert, so none of us had an entrée.

Out of the four of us that went, two of us were not Winnipeggers and I'm pretty sure that showed in our order: I ordered the red velvet cake and my room mate who is also from BC ordered a double chocolate cake.  The Winnipeggers had the Tia Maria torte/cake; apparently this is something that they are known for. I also got a mug of London Fog with my cake since it is one of my favourite drinks to have with something sugary and decadent.  The red velvet cake didn't disappoint.  The cake was moist and dense; everything red velvet cake should be.  The cream cheese icing was also delicious, but there was too much of it for my liking.  However, I recognize that this is my preference and others love a lot of icing with their cake.  I had a bite of the Tia Maria torte and it was delicious.  I can certainly see why it's a favourite among locals.

Unlike other reviews, our service was friendly and courteous.  Although the cake is expensive, I'm a believer in paying for a quality product, which I think is what Baked Expectations is all about.  It would be a great place for a first date (oh, but oops - no one in Winnipeg is single. I forgot about that. Sorry).  Ah, that will be addressed in a future post.  Haha!

8/10

Unburger

This place is so ridiculously close to me that I feel like a knob for not reviewing it earlier.  BUT, in my defence  I wanted to have both a beef burger and a chicken burger, cause, y'know, it's good to try multiple things from a resto before you review it (Do people call them restos here? Is that just a Montreal thing? Am I going to get some sideways glances?).  Plus, it just gives me more reasons to go out and get a burger here in Winnipeg.

I'll start off by saying that I'm actually not a "huge" burger person.  Now and then I crave one like nobody's business, but in general I'm not too big on the concept.  The portions are often too big for me and the bun tends to large and overpowering (I live a gluten-reduced lifestyle, so this can actually feel like a big knot in my stomach after eating). Nevertheless, I am pleased to give you my take on Unburger!

Unburger

"Welcome to Unburger, home of the Unburger, can I take your order [please]?" (I am Canadian after all)

I don't know why it reminded me of Good Burger; maybe because I'm slowly but surely going insane.  I'll go with that.

ANYWHO...

My first experience with Unburger came as a necessity rather than a spot I went out of my way to try.  When I first moved to Winnipeg, I had no food in the house and did not concern myself at all with cooking given the amount of unpacking I had to do.  So when I got hungry, I found my way into the village for some eats.  That's when I stumbled on Unburger.

In a lot of ways the premise reminded me of Gorgeous George's in Kelowna.  One summer long ago, I worked at the ice cream store next door, Moolix. At the time at least, the owner was the same and Gorgeous George's had just opened so I often worked a shift or two over there for some extra cash.  The staff was fun, young and hip and the product was absolutely phenomenal.  Very high quality stuff.  Now this was circa 2008, so I can't tell you whether or not it's still that great.  But, back to my Unburger review - the atmosphere reminded me a lot of this.  Fun, hip, great product but unpretentious.  Accessible to all; those just strolling down the street or those who are in the mood for something a little more "high-brow".  On a more personal level, I love that Unburger sources their ingredients locally, particularly their meats.  This does good by Manitoba farmers, and I find that the quality of product is almost always better when it's sourced locally. It's a resto win-win.

I ordered a Tropic Thunder chicken burger with a side of fries and a Honey Dill dip.  The entire meal was around the $15 mark, but like I've mentioned in other posts, I don't mind paying for a quality product.  I got my chicken burger on a multigrain bun.  As I waited for my order, I saw some of the burgers going out to patrons eating in; they were monstrous! I was hoping that I could smush mine down and make it a wee bit less intimidating. I didn't wait long - perhaps 10 minutes or so and my food was up. In those 10 minutes, I was chatted up by one of the guys in the kitchen; very friendly staff.  I also went between lunch and dinner, which is most resto's "down" time.

I got the burger home and was excited to dig in (I should mention that spicy + pineapple is the ultimate love combination for me).  The burger did not disappoint.  The chicken was moist and juicy (usually a combination of being cooked for just the right amount of time and brining - which I have found a lot of restos don't do and they should).  The portion was very large (for me at least - I'm little!), but I still managed to eat the entire thing; it was that good.  I think it was a combination of the ingredients that made it sing - smoky bacon, sharp cheddar, sweet pineapple and spicy chipotle.  It's my new fave.

The fries were pretty good as well. Larger cut, crispy and really soft in the middle.  With the sweet honey dill dip, they were a fantastic side in their own right.  Oh, if you're a dill lover like me, you have to try the dip. It's delicious (and reminds me of a dill dip I used to get at Frites Alors! in Montreal).

I wanted to review it right then and there, but I decided to hold off until I tried a beef burger.  After all, it's difficult, if not crazy, to review a burger joint on a chicken burger. I decided to wait a few days and then go back for a Blueberry Yum Yum.   This is clearly a popular burger as I saw a few coming through the window waiting for customers.  I got my burger on a traditional bun and requested no tomato (which there ended up being - luckily I'm not allergic, so it's not a big deal for me to take them off).  It was busy, so the error did not offend me.  I also got an order of fries and a dip which came to around $12.

Once I got a look at it, I was so excited.  The Blueberry BBQ sauce, the goat cheese. AHHHH! It was delicious and I *almost* finished it all (I left a bit of the bun).  The balsamic onions really balanced out the sweetness from the blueberry sauce and goat cheese.  To me, the burger felt extremely decadent and since I was having a bad day, it was just what the doctor ordered.

If you eat in, Unburger offers a variety of coca-cola products in glass bottles (a really nice feature if you ask me) as well as local beers, such as Farmery.  If you haven't had a chance to try Unburger, I highly recommend that you do.

9/10

.

Car Troubles

It's officially been over a week since I landed in Winnipeg (yay).  So far so good; I'm settling into my place and exploring more of the city.  As outlined in a previous post, I've explored a lot of the Osbourne/Corydon area already.  Now I'm venturing out even further! So far I've walked to the Forks/St. Boniface and I've taken a bus out to Polo Park a few times (mostly because I've had interviews in the area - it's a good thing though, I don't know the west end commercial area at all).  My most exciting adventure yet was attempting to find a Bulk Barn because I wanted to get things like Almond Butter and Chia Seed and Superstore is really far.  Well, Bulk Barn is of equal distance (sigh). I decided that the easiest one for me to get to given my knowledge of the city would be the Regent location between Elmwood and Transcona (right where Kildonan Place is).  No matter which location I chose, I'd have to take a minimum of two buses.

I got to the area via the Monroe bus fairly easily (although the Monroe bus takes you all around Elmwood before finally getting to Kildonan Place).  This was actually a good thing and it goes to show that it's surprising what you know based on instinct. So far in Winnipeg I have been directionally-challenged (to say the least) and I never seem to have any idea of which direction I'm going in or where I am at any given time.  But as soon as I cross the river into either Elmwood or St. B, I know exactly where I am.  Everything looks familiar and it is much less terrifying (although it's terrifying in a whole different way *coughNairncough*). Taking the long route to Kildonan Place gave me the opportunity to experience this odd type of nostalgia and a feeling of comfort knowing where I am (even though my knowledge of the transit system still leaves something to be desired).

All in all, my trip to Bulk Barn and back took me 3 hours. 3 HOURS.

I need to buy a car.

Which is another interesting problem I've had so far in Manitoba... I can't legally prove where I live and apparently they don't do sworn statements here.  This address confirmation is not only important for switching my license over, but is required for insurance purposes as well. I have no problem proving my identity.  I have a bank account, but I don't have anything else with my Manitoba address on it.  The Manitoba Public Insurance people are extremely picky with what they require for proof of address. The conversation I had at the office trying to switch over my license was even better:

"Where are you from?" British Columbia.

"Do you have a lease?" No.

"Where did you file your taxes?" Quebec.

"What?"  It's best to not ask.

"Do you have any utility bills in your name?" No.

"Do you have a Manitoba health card?" Not yet. I won't get it until August.

"Do you have a bank account with your Manitoba address on it?" Yes.

"GOOD. There's one!" Can I use a MasterCard bill? Or a cell phone bill?

"No."  Oh. Okay, what about Contents Insurance given that I legally have to be living at that address for my insurance to be valid.

"No." All right then. What do I do?

"Are you employed?" Not yet. Would you accept a sworn statement?

"We don't do that here."  I see. So what should I do?

"Well, wait until you're employed and then get your employer to write a confirmation and then have them sign it." What if my employment is conditional on my access to a reliable vehicle?  I'll need to insure said vehicle in Manitoba.

"Yeah. This is pretty ridiculous. I'm sorry. I have no idea.  You'll need to get another document or your application won't be approved."  Yeah. Okay. I'll see what I can do.

So on top of the stress of trying to find a vehicle, I now have to find some way of insuring it in Manitoba. I was also told that they do not take any bills or bank statements that look like they've been printed yourself.  I can understand being protective if there was some great benefit to being a Manitoba resident. But there isn't. Licensing is way more expensive ($65 a year vs. $80 for five years in BC) and insurance rates are very similar to ICBC. There is something called a Vehicle Registration Card that the Manitoba government will take as proof of address, but I'm not sure if I would obtain this card when I buy a car.  So I'll have to go to the dealership and find out.  In the mean time, the great car search continues - And the great job search (I had a couple of interviews last week so I hope that something pans out for me in the next few weeks).

Does anyone have any strong car opinions? I'm looking for something reliable, small and fuel efficient. Depending on where I work, I may not actually drive it to work, so it would just be my pleasurecraft. Price wise, I'm looking for something used, somewhere in the 8-15k neighbourhood.  I'm really picky when it comes to how the vehicle actually rides and how much I can see out of it (some of my most hated cars: The Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit). I was thinking:

1. Honda Civic
2. Suzuki Swift
3. Mazda2 (or 3)
4. Ford Fiesta (or Focus)
5. Hyundai Accent (I had one before in Kelowna, and you can pick them up for virtually nothing now)
6. Honda CR-V (a girl can dream)

At this point I'm totally open to suggestions, so leave a comment!  A post 2005 vehicle would be what I'm looking at.

I'm going back to Unburger tonight, and I can't wait to review it.  I wanted to wait since the last time I was there I had a chicken burger and it seems like sacrilege to review a burger place without trying the beef.

The Osbourne Village: Wasabi Sushi Bistro

Last night I was really hungry. I didn't (and still do not) have any real food in the house to cook with (plus I'm still getting used to everything).  Needless to say, this results in eating out A LOT. So pardon my millions of posts for the next few weeks while I get settled. So anywho, back to last night. Hungry. Needed sustenance. I decided that I was in the mood for sushi and instead of looking up the best sushi restaurant in the neighbourhood like I probably should have, I decided to just take a stroll down Osbourne in the village area (which I keep writing as Obsourne - sigh).

Wasabi Sushi Bistro (on Osbourne) 

 The first sushi place I found was Wasabi Sushi Bistro located between Stradbrook and River on Osbourne.  It looked clean and people were eating there, so I decided it probably wasn't going to kill me and decided to get an order to go.  The waitress was very pleasant and gave me a take out menu and I ordered a Dynamite Roll, a Will-San Roll (spicy mayo, avocado, cucumber and salmon) and a miso soup.  All of this was $23 dollars; a bit on the pricey side.  But, I figured if it was good it would warrant it's price.

I received my order very promptly, probably after about 10 minutes of waiting.  I took it home and was saddened to see that the quantity for $23 was very, VERY small.  Regardless of the portion size, it was enough to get me full, which is what I needed.  The Will-San roll was very tasty, but I found the nori to be very chewy.  The dynamite roll was small and  disgusting. The shrimp was not freshly deep-fryed and you could tell. Ick!  The miso soup was acceptable, but not the best I've had.  The other thing I found is that I felt a bit queasy after eating it and a bit bloated.   I found it interesting that looking on Urbanspoon afterwards, another reviewer mentioned the same thing.

It appears that in the area there is probably better sushi at a lower cost.  I'm going to make sure I try them!

4/10

First Tastes of Winnipeg: The Grove Pub and Restaurant

One of my fondest memories of spending summers in Winnipeg was how much better the food was than in Kelowna.  In fact, going to Sals was one of the things I looked forward to the most whenever I'd come here.  Needless to say, I was really excited to try out some of the local food in my area.  Last night (a Sunday), a friend and I decided to go and try The Grove.  We didn't really have a plan in mind, we were just walking around the neighbourhood so I can get a feel for things and we decided that a beer and an appy were in order. I have heard good things about it, so I thought, "Hey, why not!'

The Grove Pub and Restaurant

We decided to sit in the pub area of the building.   We ended up sitting towards the back (it was packed for a Sunday night), but there was still enough evening sun for it not to feel dark and dank.  There were multiple big screen TVs showing the hockey playoffs.  I can see why locals would really like the atmosphere here; it's very welcoming.  

The Grove has an excellent selection of on-tap and bottled beer, so really there is something for everyone.  I really appreciated that they not only had a house beer but other local beers as well (I believe the company is Half-Pints Brewery).  We both decided on a pint of the house beer.  It was nothing to cry home about, but it wasn't bad either.  

We decided to split a lobster poutine which was absolutely phenomenal.  Rich and heavy like it should be with good size chunks of lobster and lots of cheese.  The gravy used was very light and had a seafood sauce quality which really complimented both the cheese and lobster.  Yum, yum, yum! We weren't even that hungry and devoured the entire thing. I don't think I could have gotten better in Montreal (and yes, I have eaten at La Banquise thank-you-very-much).

Although some have complained about the service, I didn't find the service to be a problem.  Our drinks were prompt, food was hot, and our server courteous.  I think those who complain about the service have never lived somewhere where the servers give you attitude and actually make you want to leave (ie. Montreal).  It could have also been that it was a Sunday - I could imagine on other days of the week it would be hard to get excellent service simply because it's so busy.

I'll be back to this one for sure.  They have Pimms! Boy, have I missed Pimms... Yeah, I'll come back for a Pimms.

8.5/10

Whilewalking around the legislature, I found this nifty statue of Louis Riel! Lots of Louis Riel stuff here.

The Move, the Drive and Marble Rye Bread

Post #2! I have arrived. 

Well, now I'm at least in Winnipeg physically.  It's a good thing.  All things considered, the move went pretty smoothly.  But, hiccups do happen. A lot. Getting out of Montreal was tedious at best since driving in the city is a death trap/nightmare.  The other nightmare occurred when my dad and I went to pick up the truck and U-Haul had cancelled our reservation.  My folks had to rebook the truck a week ago and instead of changing the reservation, U-Haul in Montreal just cancelled it. Fantastic.  Luckily there was still a truck available for us to use and thanks to some of my pretty awesome friends (Stevie, Neal, Ari - major props) we got out of Montreal with a fully loaded truck by 1:00PM.  My dad and I decided early on that we weren't going to kill ourselves in terms of driving; nothing more than 10 hour days.  Since we were exhausted from the move (2 flights of stairs, up and down and up and down), we stayed in Pembroke for the night.  Then we did a big drive to Hearst, which is on the Trans-Canada north (after much debate on which highway to take).  Sometime in Hearst I got extremely ill and couldn't keep food down.  This led to a fun drive to Ignace (we wanted to make Dryden, but I just couldn't do it) and then the next day we were in Winnipeg in a matter of hours.

Unpacking everything has been taking forever. I still have three boxes full of kitchen things that I need to go through to see if my roommates already have them or not.  This has been further complicated in terms of time by the fact that I lined up two job interviews (today and tomorrow) even though I'm far from what I consider settled. Today's interview went well and I ended up getting the position, but my interview tomorrow may be better, so I'll have to see where that goes. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Winnipeggin'

Starting Saturday I decided that I needed to start learning more about the city. I had been in Winnipeg a lot in my life (ever summer when I was a kid plus spurts here and there up until about age 16) so I figured I'd catch on pretty quickly. Hah. I was very VERY wrong.  See, the problem with Winnipeg is when you stay in an area (for my Winnipeggy friends, for me this is East Kildonan), you learn everything about the rest of the city in relation to that area.   Since I'm living further south than EK and on the other side of the river, I never have any concept of which direction I'm going in.  So far the only knowledge that has assisted me in getting around is, "well, if I can just get to Portage, I'll be OK". On Saturday I decided to buy a 10-pack of bus tickets (which to me was laughably cheap - $21 dollars for 10).   My first adventure was to Polo Park (for the non-Manitobans this is a major shopping mall).  One of my interviews was really close to Polo, so I figured a lay of the land prior to going Monday morning would probably be a good idea.  I successfully made it to Polo, but not without a lot of confusion.  In my EK days, it was simple. Find Henderson or Watt, take bus downtown. Switch to Polo Park bus. Now it is much more confusing. So what do I do? I still take the Watt bus even though I have to walk a longer distance.  To me it is worth my peace of mind.

Since arriving in Winnipeg, my family has largely been looking after me and I haven't had to worry about meals or social interaction or anything  It's been really nice and I'm eternally grateful.  Yesterday was the first day that I had to search for my own food, so I decided to do the most convenient thing and buy a sandwich from Safeway since I remember them being really good from my Kelowna days. But you know what makes them extra-good here? Marble rye.  OH MAN, how I have missed marble rye.  For my BC/QC/American homies, marble rye is essentially a light rye swirled together with a darker rye.  It's the best bread in the world!!