This is the End... of August.

Hi everyone - I know I have been neglecting my blog. For that I apologize.  I've been super super SUPER busy with work and life.

First off, I'd like to point out that there are some pretty serious gaps in the Manitoba health system.  I have now lived in three different provinces, and Manitoba is #2 in my books for health care (Quebec being the worst, BC being the "best").  I was in some serious pain on Friday, but I didn't want to waste time at emerg, so I tried to find a walk in clinic.  I worked at 1 so I figured I would go up Pembina and find one (I usually go a clinic on Broadway that takes pretty much everyone).  I saw quite a few on Google Maps and figured it wouldn't be hard.

YEAH, 'BOUT THAT...

So... I guess walk in clinics by and large are closed on Fridays here? And closed for lunch? I went to four different clinics - 3 weren't open and one refused me saying that they're at capacity for the day (a la Montreal apparently).  Finally I find a clinic that isn't a walk-in, but I just plead for help. Any help. I was in so much pain and completely exasperated.  The lady just shook her head and told me where the hospital was. So that's where I went.  At this point I was in tears, but I was told it would be a 6 hour wait at Victoria.  I needed to go to work, I haven't been at my job long enough to accrue any significant sick time.

You know what I ended up doing? Sucking up my pain, going to Walmart and getting any OTC remedies I could think of that would (at the very least) reduce my symptoms so I could walk.  $60 later, I was at least "normal" enough to sell stuff, but I was certainly not well.  Although my infection cleared itself up by itself (or at this point I hope), I'm still really angry and bitter about the experience.  Why are walk in clinics predominantly not open on Fridays? Why are they closed for lunch?  Why did the lady at the clinic just tell me to walk to the hospital when I was clearly doubled over in pain?  It's not only a good case in what is wrong with the Manitoba health system but also with humanity as a whole.

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For the last couple of weeks, I only have one review for you! At first I was impressed with myself because this means that my boyfriend and I are eating out less... but that's not really the case.  We just continue to go to spots we like or sometimes chain restaurants or fast food.  Similarly when I dine alone, I go to my favourite places in the village and on Corydon that I have already reviewed.  So no, god forbid I save any money. Ever (and I need new face cleanser, waaaah!).

Tokyo Sushi

Tokyo Sushi is located on Portage in the western part of St. James heading towards Unicity (yes, this is how I describe directions in Winnipeg... more on that...).  We decided on sushi since we had both been craving it for a while and I wanted to try somewhere new in a different area (the only sushi places I've been to in the city are in the village and Corydon areas).  By the time we got to the restaurant, we were both extremely hungry and were ready to gorge on deliciousness.   We were promptly seated in the middle of the restaurant.

The decor of the restaurant is lovely and more what I'm accustomed to being from BC.  When you walk in there is a large wooden arch that is reminiscent of O-Zeki restaurant in Kelowna. You can also see the sushi chef preparing rolls to the right of the restaurant; this is always a good sign.

Our order was taken promptly and as per my usual, my eyes were much bigger than my stomach.  I ordered a sunomono salad, chicken teriyaki roll, alaska roll and some nigiri (salmon, tamago, inari, crab).  So yeah, a lot of food.  Our meal started coming out in various odd parts.  My boyfriend received most of his meal in one go where as I had to wait for each piece to come out.  The largest of these was my sushi which had on the plate tamago, salmon, and crab nigiri, teriyaki chicken roll and the alaska roll.  So where was my inari? How about that sunomono salad that's an appetizer? Hm?

I figured it would arrive later.  By the time we were done our meals, we were both stuffed and  figured it was a blessing in disguise that the rest of the meal didn't come.  Just as we were getting up to go pay, my inari comes out (I should also mention I am the world's slowest eater, so maybe a half hour after we initially got our food).  I didn't really know what to say, but I asked for it to be wrapped up since we were leaving.  We made sure the sunomono that we never received was taken off of our bill, and it was.  However, we didn't receive anything aside from a half-hearted apology at the till regarding it.

The sushi was okay, the seaweed was a little chewy for my liking.  It was maybe a tinge better than average, but nothing to cry home about. The terrible service, however, sticks in my brain pretty hard.  It's the old adage in customer service: If a customer receives good service, they'll tell 5 friends.  If they receive bad service, they'll tell everyone.

6.5/10

Taco Taco Burrito Burrito

I'm always looking for the next great taco. There. I said it. I really like tex-mex taco/burrito concepts and Winnipeg just happens to have a slew of restaurants in the "Taco Del Mar" theme, but done much, much better.  I've already reviewed one (Burrito Del Rio) but now I have two more to add to the list.

Modern Taco Company

Situated on Academy road, really close to Kenaston, Modern Taco Company is in a pretty convenient location for me and there is lots of parking in the back.  Ever since I've been driving in Winnipeg, this seems to be a deal breaker for me. Looking at reviews on UrbanSpoon, I can't help but feel the need to defend this place because it actually is quite good and we didn't even have the Groupon.  It has been on my list of places to try for a while now, so we (the BF and I) went for a late lunch to this little spot.

First off, the place was quite crowded. It's a small restaurant, so on a busy night I could imagine it being crazy.  You order tacos "Unburger" style (ie. you pay ahead and then get served).  Since we were just trying it out, we got four different tacos:  Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Shrimp.  We also shared some chips and dip. Being a foodie couple, we probably looked absolutely ridiculous splitting these little tiny tacos (I'd have half, he'd have half) but we wanted to make sure that we both got a chance to try everything.  For $10, you get four little tacos which are four little bites of delectable goodness.  This is when I realized why Winnipeg doesn't like this place- it's not Burrito del Rio.  You're not going to be stuffed to your face for $10.  That being said, if I was hungry the four tacos would fill be up easily. $10 is not that expensive.

The stand out taco for me was the tequila shrimp taco.  The sauce was delicious and the marinade on the shrimp made it an interesting bite that I'm curious to try again.  Next up was the chipotle pork - delicious texmex style taco.  The only true disappointment for us was the beef taco (we got the beef and queso).  We found that it didn't have enough sauce (we actually considered for a moment that they forgot it) and that the beef was quite dry.  The chips and dip were phenomenal - the salsa was very fresh and the guacamole served with it actually had a really nice kick to it.  We also sampled some of the hot sauces on the shelves and they were all pretty interesting (except the green one - there was something a bit too weird about that one for me).

All in all, I'd come back to try more items on the menu.  If they do another Groupon blast, I'll be sure to pick one up.

7.5/10

Burrito Splendido

I ended up at Burrito Spelndido on the advice of multiple people who told me that if I like Burrito Del Rio, I really need to try Burrito Splendido.  "But it's in Unicity!," I'd complain.  However, now that I have a reason to actually head out that way, Burrito Splendido was on my list of taco restaurants to try.  You can tell it's brand new and very clean.  The first thing I noticed was that they were making the tortillas fresh! Wowza!

Similar in set up to Burrito Del Rio and Taco Del Mar, you pick your toppings as you go and they fold it up into a burrito the size of a small child.  The concept is quite familiar.  The end result, however, is not.  You really can taste the fresh tortilla. I had guacamole on mine which was some of the best guac I've had in the city.  I had the shredded pork and it was to die for.  I guess what I'm saying is that it was one of the best burritos I have ever had. Period.  In fact, I'm thinking about driving out to Unicity today to go back and get one.  Om nom nom nom nom.

Like Burrito del rio, they offer a wide variety of beverages including beers and Jarritos (and I love lime soda made with cane sugar, it's one of my faves).

Next time I'm there I'm going to make sure I get chips and dip. That guacamole... yum yum.

9/10

On a completely unrelated note, I need to go out and buy a filing cabinet today. Or a new vacuum. I haven't decided. I went on a mini shopping spree yesterday at the new Zumiez store and picked up a new Obey hoodie, some socks and a new Obey T.  Other than my Bench stuff, it is my love love love. Needless to say I'm going to be broke for the next while, so expect fewer reviews. Maybe.  I do love me some food...

My Weekend at the Lake(ish) and Fringe Festival

Hi friends!

I'm really terrible at this "posting regularly" thing, so sometimes I need a swift kick in the butt to get me to write about stuff.  Anywho, this post is about two weekends ago now (see, really bad at posting regularly) when I actually took a weekend off (say whaaaaaaat?!) to go do things with my friends and be happy.  And stuff.

Anyways, we decided to check out the carnival/festival that was happening in Winnipeg Beach and then head up to Gimli because I hadn't been there since I was a kid.  I wish I had taken more pictures of the Winnipeg Beach carnival! It was incredible to see that the main waterfront street had all been blocked off and rides and concessions were all set up along it.  On some of the side streets were independent vendors from the area selling everything from art and jewellery to henna (I have to ask, does Winnipeg really like their henna? There were like fifty henna kiosks.)  I was happy to have gone with someone who enjoys carnivals and rides as much as I do - I've always loved the atmosphere of these things.  In Kelowna, I used to go to Westside Daze or the Rutland carnival every year.  We went on pretty much every ride aside from the really small kid rides (however, I must admit we were the oldest people on the bumper cars) and the one ride that you sit upside down for far too long for my liking (I don't like going upside down at the best of times).  The carnival had some of my faves (the high swings, pirate ship, tilt-a-whirl) as well as some newer ones which I hadn't tried yet (like the spin-out, absolutely terrifying). This carnival does it right in Manitoba - you can check them out here.  I should probably mention that I am still the reigning Whack-A-Mole champion - in October, my pal Stevie and I went to La Ronde and it started to rain, I started to get angry and so we decided to take our anger out on Whack-a-Mole and I actually won a prize that wasn't the sad little consolation prize. I've got good hand-eye coordination apparently!

After spending the day at Winnipeg Beach, we decided to go up to Gimli for dinner.  We decided to just park in town and take a walk around to see what we felt like to eat. We ended up at Seagull's restaurant which is located in one of the major hotels.  The fish flies were pretty bad that day, so we were lucky enough to get a spot on the patio since the dining room was completely full. Seagull's has a large menu with enough variety to appease even the pickiest of eaters.  I was all about eating pickerel that day (I think it makes sense - fresh pickerel at the lake is one of the best things in the world).  I had the pickerel fish tacos and my partner had a pickerel sandwich.  The fish tacos had a chipotle-mayo sauce that I didn't care for, but didn't mind either.  The flavours in the taco were fairly benign, which, for a normal fish taco would not be okay.  However, given that this is pickerel, I was excited that I could actually taste the buttery deliciousness of the fish without a whole lot of conflicting flavours.  I just wish there was more fish.

Our service was slow and the waitress was constantly apologizing.  On more than one occasion she forgot about us even though we weren't sitting anywhere secluded. The ambiance was same-old hotel style restaurant. When we were leaving, I couldn't help but notice that there was a wedding going on right beside the restaurant in the banquet hall. I can't seem to find this restaurant on UrbanSpoon, so I'll just give it a solid 5/10 right now.

Half Moon Drive In

The next day, we decided to take a drive out to Lockport to go to the Half Moon Drive In - a Manitoba classic.  I even remember my mom mentioning this place and then gasping with horror when I said I'd never been (however, I do remember going to Skinner's as a kid).  This place is kind of one of those "musts" for drives out to the lake.  I don't really think there is a BC equivalent (at least in the Okanagan).

Given the importance placed on some of these places by long-time Winnipeggers (I'm sure Half-Moon belongs in the same mythos as Kelekis') I was happy to go, even if it was a disappointment or just plain bad (which I kinda always felt about Kelekis).  Anyways, we had burgers, split some fries and had a couple of sodas and the whole she-bang came out to a little over $20.  I actually thought the bacon cheeseburger was quite good - you could taste the beef and the bacon was smoky.  The bun was not too big nor too small.  The fries (which are allegedly renowned) were just "OK" for me.  I found them to be too greasy and fairly limp (I prefer my fries really crispy and on the thin side).

Overall it's a cool little spot in Lockport.  Definitely something to check out at least once.

6.5/10

     

Fringe Festival 

In my efforts to become a better Winnipegger, I've really been trying to get out to all sorts of different events just to get a feel for the city and the culture.  One such event that I went to this summer was Fringe Festival.  A lot of cities have them, but I had yet to go to one.  I spent a couple days in the beer garden watching the street performers (which I think is really cool) and it was a very entertaining way to spend an evening.  I didn't go to as many shows as I would have liked, but I was glad to have seen Grim and Fischer, a mime performance done with large expressive masks.  Last year they put on a show about a man who fell in love with the moon which was apparently brilliant.  Grim and Fischer was (I'm sure) equally brilliant and exquisitely performed and was an absolute wonder.  Wonderheads often play Fringe, so if you're in another city, make sure to see if they're on the roster and DO EEET. It will be worth your while! 

Smoke's Poutinerie 

Whilst sitting at the beer garden on one of the last days of Fringe, I decided to try out Smoke's Poutinerie which is right in the Market Square where all the performers were.  I feel it's strange that I haven't yet tried it given that I lived in Montreal for years and therefore I should know my poutine very well (to be honest, my favourite poutine is still a toss up between New York Fries and Sturgeon Hall in Kelowna).  I love the concept of Smoke's - poutine with all sorts of different toppings - but the execution could use a bit of work.  Unlike other reviewers on UrbanSpoon, I found my service to be really quick and I only waited maybe 3 minutes for my poutine.  I ordered the bacon poutine which was essentially the classic poutine with bacon on top.  In hindsight, I probably should have ordered the classic poutine or the poutine with pulled pork because I felt that the bacon didn't work.  It was too shredded, and too "packaged bacon-bits" for my liking.  I think a crispy bacon would compliment the smokiness of the gravy far better.

Despite the bacon, the gravy was delish.  It had a pepperyness to it that was quite memorable.  It's a cute little spot, but I can't see this being somewhere I frequent, especially when New York Fries is still just so damn good...

6.5/10

Resto Review Mash-Up Pt. 2

I've been to so many new restos in the last month that I now have to write YET ANOTHER wonderful review mash up (two in one weekend, GO ME!).  In a way it's good - it's concentrated information to your brains.  When I look at my stats, it is clear that most of my traffic is coming from UrbanSpoon and I'm sure UrbanSpoonites don't really care about my insane personal life.  So without further adieu...

Kenko Sushi

I'm a sushi lover, I'll admit it.  So whenever friends want to go out for sushi, I am there. It doesn't matter how broke I am. Don't even care. Om nom nom nom nom etc.  Kenko Sushi is located on trendy Corydon (the cool part, where there are a lot of restos and bars etc... Little Italy and a little further towards Stafford) amid many other sushi restaurants.  With diners having this much choice, sushi places really have to stand out in some way or another in order to survive.  Kenko Sushi stands out from the rest of the sushi joints because it is a separate building all together.  Aside from that, it is painted fuchsia. You can't miss it.  The restaurant inside was beautifully decorated with a lot of interesting details (the flooring, for instance, looks like typical "fake wood" vinyl flooring, but it has little flowers creeping out of it here and there).  The seating was the most interesting part and it felt like you were sitting on little loveseats.  They were very comfortable, but I had never seen this type of set up before.

As a party of two, we decided to order the maki combo since we were indecisive on what rolls to get.  That's when the wait started (in the end I'm pretty sure we waited up to an hour for our food).  Luckily this was noted by the serving staff who offered us edamame on the house so we didn't starve to death (although it was served cold - I prefer it warm, but I wasn't going to argue about freebies).

When the sushi finally did come, it was superb.  The small maki combo filled us both up for a pretty decent price (around the $30 mark).  It came with a mix of traditional rolls and fusion rolls (deep fryed, spicy sauces, the whole bit).  To me, the rolls were very fresh and well constructed. The wait was worth it... somewhat.  Although the rolls were good, I have had good rolls elsewhere too. I understand having a one-off time issue with service, but looking at Yelp/TA/US this seems to be an issue overall for the restaurant.

7/10

Market Burger

I was so excited to try Market Burger, a new addition to the slew of restaurants on Corydon.  I'm such a huge fan of Unburger that anything with a similar concept totally intrigues me.  Upon entering the restaurant, you can already tell the vibe that the owner(s?) were going for, which is completely opposite the Unburger concept.  It has a rustic flair to it - none of the chairs match, there is a chalkboard menu, but the bar looks lovely and new.  The concept is eclectic and I like it very much.

Given that it is a brand new restaurant, it was extremely busy.  We wanted to sit on the patio, but unfortunately it was full.  We decided to sit inside, but the table we got was very claustrophobic - My ponytail kept touching the ponytail of the woman sitting behind me, which was probably an uncomfortable situation for us both.  After about 5 minutes, we noticed another table came up in a corner, so we alerted the server and switched tables.  It was much more comfortable.

The menu is extremely different to Unburger, which is nice (you can frequent both and not get sick of anything).  The concept is local, not necessarily health.  They had some unique options like the mac n' cheese burger, a Vietnamese style burger or a butter chicken burger.  I had the butter chicken burger (done skinny style - they offer this on most burgers... it comes with a smaller patty and a smaller bun for a buck cheaper if you don't have the world's largest stomach... such a nice feature!). My dining companion (there has got to be a better word for this) had the mac n' cheese burger (he added fried onions, the server warned us that the mac n' cheese burger was devoid of any vegetables).  We also decided to share an order of half fries/half onion rings (after I embarrassingly asked the waiter if the onion rings were made in house, which, of course, they are). A neat feature - all of their buns are from Stella's. Nice!

The food took a while to come.  We watched the table next to us eat and pay their bill all in the time we were just waiting for our food.  I chalk a lot of this up to the follies of a new restaurant.  There are going to be some problems with service.  When we got our burgers, we weren't disappointed.  The butter chicken burger I had was delicious - just the right combination of sweet and savoury since it had chutney on it (yum yum).  I had a bite of the Mac n' Cheese burger which was also delicious (and the beef was very high quality, you could tell), but was in some ways really bland and needed more cheese.  The onion rings didn't disappoint - they reminded me of A&W rings but done better (I believe they were breaded with panko).  The fries, however, were extremely soggy and unpalatable.  They served the rings and fries with house made ketchup, which although a cute feature on maintaining an "everything local" flair, I didn't really get.  There wasn't enough ketchup for all of the items.  They serve everything on wooden cutting boards which, although a really cute idea, does not make it easy for tables to order multiple items since not everything will fit.

I see lots of potential here once the restaurant works out some of its kinks.  I'll come back at the end of summer and see how it goes.

7.5/10

The Nook

The Nook diner is located on the cusp of the West Broadway and Wolseley neighbourhoods and has been on my radar since I moved to Winnipeg.  UrbanSpooners and Yelpers alike proclaim this spot as one of their favourite greasy spoons in the city and a fantastic place to have breakfast.  Before a long (lol) trip up to Winnipeg Beach/Gimli, my friend and I decided to have a late breakfast at 'The Nook' since we had both been meaning to try it. (As a complete aside - apparently this place is "trendy" and "hipster"y?)

We were seated right away since we came between meal times (around 11:45) and noticed how eclectic the restaurant was.  There were booths, some chairs, and a little dining room attached to the main restaurant.  They also have a patio that looks onto Sherbrook.

I ended up having just a regular ol' breakfast (and for once, not pancakes or french toast!).  Scrambled eggs, rye toast, bacon, hashbrowns.  Food was fairly quick given that it is a busy little joint.  My eggs were done well, which is how I prefer them, but watch out if you like them a little on the soft side.  Bacon was crispy and delicious.  Toast was buttery and awesome. I did have some complaints about the hashbrowns; I'm a big fan of breakfast potatoes and these felt like potato mush that was undercooked (indeed, my friend had a crunchy undercooked potato in his).  Mine were also cold - such a let down.

Service was mediocre - I ordered a tea, she brought me coffee.  However, she quickly corrected this error.  I asked for ketchup and it was only when I was staring at her long enough while she was bussing tables did she notice we didn't have ketchup on our table and promptly brought it over.  Afterwards, I had about three different people ask me if I wanted more hot water for my tea. The bill was slightly below average for breakfast.

To me, The Nook is nothing special - just one of those fandangled Winnipeg institutions.

6.5/10

On a completely different note:

Kelowna, BC (my home town) now has the highest crime rate in Canada.  I'm surprised it took this long.  Anyone who has lived in Kelowna for any good length of time will tell you how seedy and horrific this place is.  I rarely go to visit (and my parents still live there).  My folks have really encouraged me not to and in fact, they prefer to come see me in Winnipeg.  There's something wrong with that statement, isn't there?  Smoke and mirrors, that's what Kelowna is.

Resto Review Mash-Up

Dang, dang, dang. I keep aiming to get this one done while these restaurants are still fresh on my palette, but since I eat out fairly frequently this has been coming extremely difficult.  For this post, I'm not going to talk about ANYTHANG besides restaurants.  Let's get started, shall we?

Deer + Almond

Perhaps the funniest thing about this resto is how I keep calling it "Deer plus almond".  Apparently it's "deer AND almond", but I like my version better. Anyway, my review is for their summer menu.  As is the case with a lot of independent restaurants, Deer + Almond has a seasonal menu that is appropriate for both ingredients and the weather.  At first glance the menu seemed very disjointed; it would be impossible to classify this resto into any category.  In a way, you could feel both the passion and eccentric nature of the owner/head chef just by reading the menu.

My order consisted of noodles with Thai vinaigrette,  marinated beef skewers, and "The Wedge" which is a speciality item of the resto consisting of pork belly, watermelon, romaine lettuce with a creamy dill sauce.  The latter was by far the best of the three dishes.  The smokiness and tenderness of the pork belly paired delightfully with the watermelon and dill.  The romaine served as a nice change in texture and added a much needed crunch to the dish.  The other two dishes were pleasantly mediocre.  I found the noodles to be over-sauced and a bit too sweet for my palette.  The beef skewers were tender and delicious, but lacking in creativity compared to "The Wedge".

The one thing I will point out was that the service was absolutely delightful and I could not have been happier with that aspect.  She took the time to explain the menu, was polite and courteous and always seemed to be there when needed.  I actually liked the decor of this restaurant.  It was modern, fresh, and just insane enough to pique my interest.

Overall, I'd come back in the winter out of sheer curiosity on how the menu differs and to see what creative concoctions the chef has created.  I did have high expectations for this place, and although a lot of these expectations weren't realized, it was still a solid meal for the price.

7.5/10

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Spicy Noodle House 

I need to preface my review with some pertinent information before this all sounds too harsh:  In Montreal, I used to frequent a resto called "Cuisine Schezuan" which specialized in Northern Chinese cuisine.  This place was absolutely phenomenal and my friends and I made a habit of going generally twice a month.  From how my friends talked about it (many who have lived in China/were Chinese), the food served was very traditional (aside from a few dishes I'm sure are intended for country-bumpkin white people such as "lemon chicken").  I was excited to try Spicy Noodle House because I've not only heard such great things, but because their menu seemed to have a lot of Northern deliciousness attached to it.

I went with my roommates on a Tuesday night, so it was not busy, but there were still some restaurant patrons (we also went late; probably around 7).  We decided to split the spicy honey chicken, spicy beef with cabbage and mixed vegetables and a large bowl of rice.  None of the dishes were particularly spicy even though there were warnings about their spiciness.  I would say the only dish with even a mild kick was the honey spicy chicken.  I was also disappointed to see that there were no chilis floating around on the plates and no chili oil staring at me.  It was fairly Westernized.  However, all of the dishes were delicious and fresh in their own right.  My personal favourite was the spicy honey chicken (although it was breaded; sort of a pet peeve).  The leftovers have been delicious as well!

As an FYI, there were three of us and a large rice barely covered all of us.  For 2 people, it would be the perfect amount.  Service was exceptional for a Chinese restaurant and food came out fast.  We never once had to ask for water.

7/10

Tea Story

I've been to Tea Story on multiple occasions now and have yet to review it.  In theory, this should be the place that I love the most: I'm a huge tea drinker and I'm a fan of waffles.  I have also purchased loose leaf tea from them (Mango Tango) which is a fantastic Pom Tango substitute if anyone reading this is angry about the DavidsTea Pom Tango fiasco. 

The most memorable thing I have had at Tea Story (and I have been to both the Osborne and Corydon locations) is the bubble tea.  I had the real fruit peach bubble tea and it was absolutely phenomenal.  The tapioca was cooked perfectly and the peach was actually peach so it wasn't overly sweet. Delish! I prefer this leaps and bounds over the bubble tea I had at Kawaii Crepe.

I also highly praise their waffles. I ended up getting the "half-half" which is essentially sweet deliciousness incarnate.  It has nutella, strawberries and bananas with a bit of whipped cream served on a toasty waffle.  The waffle itself was the star - it was light, buttery and sweet; all the good signs of a good waffle in my opinion. However, this could be my bias as well coming from a Dutch family and waffles being, well, important.  I should have taken a picture! It was beautifully presented.  But I was hungry and it looked too appealing.

Note that while the Osborne location is a full service cafe with seats, the Corydon location is really to pick up things and walk - there is no seating.  This is fair as this location doesn't serve waffles, only tea and pastries.  The macarons they have at this location are just "okay"; the flavours are there, but they are a bit mealy for my taste.  I had the green tea one and in hindsight, I probably should have chosen one of the fruit flavours.

The cafe on Osborne has a very cute atmosphere and the staff are very friendly.  Overall, it was a very positive experience at both locations.  Will return.

8/10

Golden Loong

I'm so excited to report that at long last I have found Winnipeg's "Cuisine Schezuan"! Golden Loong is a bit out of the way (it is close to the University of Manitoba on Pembina), but is completely worth the drive.  It is in a very strangely shaped strip mall and is really easy to miss! It is in the same mall as a gas station and an Asian market.  Before you leave, make sure to look up the location on Google Maps to ensure you don't miss it. 

Golden Loong had a tidier appearance and was cleaner than many of the Chinese restaurants I've been to.  This could be due to differing standards (after all, this is white-bread Winnipeg) or that the restaurant is very new.  I was excited to look at the specials they had on the table - this resto specializes not in Schezuan but in cuisine from the Xi'an province which prior to my experience here, I was completely unfamiliar with.  We ordered the cold noodle special, sliced beef in chili oil and the deep fried green beans.  The hardest part about ordering was that I was trying to decipher which dish was which in comparison to my past Chinese resto experiences.  Luckily for me, my dinner companion spoke Mandarin and I could discern easily what my favourite dishes were by his descriptions of the menu items.

Don't be intimidated by what I'm saying here - I just have some favourites that you could translate into English in many different ways.  If you've never had authentic northern Chinese before, just order whatever sounds good to your palate!  

The star of our meal was the Xi'an cold noodle dish.  Deliciously sweet and sour in a very traditional way, the noodles are served with cucumber and other delicious vegetables. The beef in chili oil was to be expected, except that this one is served with sprouts at the bottom of the bowl (I'm used to excessive cabbage).  I was glad that there was still some cabbage in the dish.  The beans were a little bit different than what I was used to (they were cooked with some type of basil seasoning that I had not had before) but still extremely delicious.

Service was mediocre.  Food came quickly, but we often had to flag a waitress down to ask for things.  I understand that not all Chinese restaurants have five star service, but since I've be to a few in the city that have, I figure this is worth noting. Additionally, I'm not sure if the kitchen will prepare your dish without MSG - I didn't ask because MSG doesn't bother me.

Oh man, I'm so happy I found this place. Finally, my comfort food in Winnipeg!

Half eaten deliciousness

9/10

The Great Gelati War

Hi friends!

It's been a while since I've posted. My apologies! I've been really busy with work and attempting to make new friends.  I guess these things happen...

However, I was thinking of a topic that I couldn't wait to write about, so I'm giving myself 45 minutes before work to do it! That should be enough.  If it's not, well, I'll come back to this post and edit it so it's better.

I wanted to talk about Gelati in Winnipeg.  Apparently this is a thing.  A lot of people don't know that Winnipeg has a "Little Italy" that takes up about 6-8 blocks of Corydon.  Within Little Italy there are restaurants, bars, cafes and of course gelati hotspots.  Between UrbanSpoon and word of mouth, I deduced that there are two great places to get a gelato in Little Italy: G.G. Gelati and Nucci's Gelati.  I'm going to offer a review of both locations and then tell you my preference. HOW EXCITING!

G.G. Gelati

I first went to G.G. Gelati after going into Nucci's, looking at the line, looking at the top flavour list and went "meh" (I was with a friend and clearly we didn't look too hard).  So we decided to go to G.G.'s instead which is about a block over.  The interior of the gelati parlor was very clean, and it was clear that it had gone under renovation some time ago.  I found the prices to be in line with what I was expecting for a quality gelato product.  However, once we were served, I found the portions to be quite small ($4 for one little scoop of one flavour).  I had the lemon sorbetto (usually the citrus sorbets are my favourite) and my friend had the chocolate. The sorbetto was smooth; almost too smooth in a way.  For my taste, it was far too sweet and tasted similarly to commercially produced sorbet. My friend had no complaints about the chocolate gelato.  It appeared to be quite smooth, but I didn't get any raving reviews.  It was nothing special.

From the reviews I see on UrbanSpoon/TripAdvisor/Yelp,  G.G. Gelati is no longer owned by an Italian family.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this instance it kind of is.  When you're in the business of making gelati, recipes handed down from generation to generation tend to allow the business to remain a fixture in the community.  When the gelati changes, people are less inclined to go (worse quality and there are plenty of good ice cream/gelati places in Winnipeg).

6/10

Nucci's Gelati

I went to Nucci's on a whim last night.  I had received my first paycheque and with that, my corresponding outrage of how little my take home pay is due to tax deductions (I'm still low income dammit!).  However, I came home to a cheque waiting for me from MPI for a whole $23.00 due to my Drivers re-assessment.  The idiot woman who handled my insurance registered me as a new driver and I had to go back and provide evidence of the contrary.  Luckily my insurance payments are now in line with what I had originally budgeted.

ANYWAYS, that's not my point.  The point is that I wanted some gelati to make my tears stop, so I decided to try Nucci's since it was later and I figured there would be very little line.  Luckily I was right about that! Nucci's has a ton of flavours (arguably more than G.G., but many of them aren't displayed).  Once you go up to the counter, there is a list of "new" flavours which are all almost exclusively in the back.  I decided on a strange combination I got lime sorbetto on the bottom and black cherry gelato on top.  I got a small for $5 and it was considerably more gelati than I received at G.G.  I also love how Nucci's is still owned by the family and their gelati hasn't changed much in the past few decades.

The black cherry was my favourite part.  It was smooth and had a real-tasting cherry flavour unlike many "cherry" ice creams you find at the grocery store or ice cream booths.  The lime sorbetto's texture was interesting.  I found that until it melted a bit, it had a tough time coagulating therefore making it difficult to eat. However the flavour was spot on from what I'd expect from a good home-made sorbet.  The lime was tart and it was not overly sweet.  Absolutely perfect flavour.

9/10

Clearly I prefer Nucci's.  That would be my recommendation between the two.  However, in this same post I'd like to address my other dessert experience: BDI!

Bridge Drive-In

Nestled down by the river on Jubilee Ave., BDI (Bridge Drive In) has been serving ice cream and shakes to Winnipeggers for decades.  When I first decided to move to Winnipeg, I had many people tell me that BDI was an absolute must for when summer hit and it was warm enough for ice cream.  

I can't really comment on the service since I went when it was fairly slow.  However, the kids running it seemed to know what they were doing and I received my peach milkshake quite promptly. It was pretty good, better than Dairy Queen.  I'm going to get a bit of flack for this, but I didn't find it to be anything special.  My milkshake wasn't very "peachy" and tasted more like vanilla to be completely honest.  However, I'm always up for trying it again.  I want to see what this "Goog" thing is all about.  

It's at a beautiful location with a bridge and walking trails to wander and stroll around with your ice cream-y treats!

7/10

My Mommy Came to Visit!

I've been really excited for my mom to come to Winnipeg and spend a couple of days hanging out with me before I start my job.  First off, I gotta say that the airport has made some significant improvements and renovations since I had last been there, 2005-ish.  Secondly, what the heck is going on in Winnipeg this weekend that has made reservations for everything nearly impossible? Le sigh.

My mom and I are both foodies and we love to eat good food, so this post will largely be restaurant reviews.  Apologies in advance if you just like to hear of my meanderings.

Beachcomber

The Beachcomber restaurant is located at the Forks. For those of you who are not from Winnipeg, the Forks is where the Assiniboine and Red rivers meet - there is a market, a hotel, several arts places and restaurants located there. It's considered a heritage site here in Winnipeg.

Needless to say, the Beachcomber has a fantastic location and a wonderful patio in which to enjoy the sunny days.  My mom and I decided to stop in for lunch as she was staying at the Inn at the Forks and it was close and we were hungry.  We also noticed that there were people eating on the patio; a good sign.  We took a seat on the patio since it was a nice day and ordered a few drinks.  My mom chose the sangria (which she didn't complain about, so I'm assuming it was good) and I had the dill pickle caesar (and the only difference between this and a regular caesar was a dill pickle instead of a celery stalk - disappointing).  My caesar was also incredibly spicy, and I have a more than moderate spice tolerance so I imagine that some may be sent back periodically.

We both decided to have the pan-fried Pickerel.  I haven't had pickerel since I've come to Winnipeg and I remember loving it when I was younger.  Similarly, my mom hadn't had it in a while given that pickerel doesn't travel well (it doesn't taste the same when you purchase it in BC).  The pickerel was served with the smallest side of (quite possibly) frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli and zucchini) and a large serving of fries.  For the price of the meal, you did get two fillets of fish which was good.  The fries were decent; crispy and cut on the small side.  I would have liked to have seen more vegetable on the plate (although not whatever god awful mix they used).  However, I have to give props to the pickerel - it was really good! It didn't require any sauce (which is good because we weren't offered any) and was flavoured with butter and garlic.  For some people, it may have been overcooked, but I like my fish a little closer to done than most.

It's difficult to rate this restaurant.  On one hand, I feel like it's an overpriced tourist trap.  But I did like the pickerel.  As an FYI, two plates and two drinks was $50.00.  Not bad, not great. Service was all right, not great. Music on the patio was far too loud and it was difficult to hold a conversation.

4/10

I decided to take my mom to Unburger, but I've already reviewed that resto (which you can see here if you're interested).  We had Boston Pizza for lunch/dinner one night, and I'm not going to bother reviewing because it's a chain and the restaurants are more or less the same (although I will say that the Kenaston location seems to be a lot smaller than other BPs, which was kind of nice for lunch - no bar). Similarly, the day my momskillet left, we decided to eat brekkie at Smitty's (I had to work and it was the only thing we could find near St. Vital). 

Stella's (on Osborne)

I'm writing these reviews by what was memorable in my books.  I should alert you to the fact that my mom is a VERY picky person (at least in my opinion).  Picky about service, food - everything.  In a way this is why I like to dine with her; you can really see how far the restaurant will go to accommodate all of her needs. That being said, she is like me - willing to pay for a good product and she tips well for good service.

We went to Stella's with no reservation on Sunday morning (very early, quarter to 9-ish).  We were able to get a table right away (I'm thinking on account of the Manitoba marathon which made getting down Osborne impossible - thanks for the heads up, Winnipeg!). I had the blueberry banana french toast and my mom had smoked salmon eggs benny.   The stand out for the french toast was definitely the bread; it was soft and delicious.  Flavour-wise, it was a tad too cinnamon-y for my liking.  My mom ranted and raved that her eggs benny was cooked perfectly, which is difficult to explain to people (she likes the whites cooked, but the yolk still runny; it's considered a medium, but that's often too hard). She gobbled up the eggs benny (sans bread, she's not a huge bread eater to begin with, but the baguette it was served on was far too large for the benny. She also isn't a huge fan of hashbrowns, so I started taking bites from hers and they were really good! Very nicely herbed. Service was attentive, but not overbearing; nothing special, very typical.  

For the price, Stella's serves a good breakfast and ultimately I'd go back as long as I didn't have to wait in those infamous Stella's lines.  A few little details would have boosted the rating even higher.

8/10

Prairie Ink

Prior to breakfast at Stella's, we decided to try Prairie Ink which is located at Grant Park Mall and is attached to the McNally-Robinson bookstore.  We decided on this place for breakfast based on decent Urbanspoon ratings and it's close proximity.  

For breakfast, it was quite crowded and many tables were set for reservation.  Luckily we were able to get in without any wait.  When we decided to order, I asked if they could do a poached egg white (it's actually quite easy - you just cook an egg white for a really long time in a poacher) and the waitress informed me that they could not.  My mom ordered the eggs benny with smoked salmon and I had the cream cheese and raspberry french toast.

When we received our order, my mom noticed that her eggs were as hard as rocks.  She had ordered them medium and was unimpressed.  My french toast was presented nicely and my favourite part was the raspberry mixed with the cream cheese.  To me the bread was a bit stiff, especially in comparison to the bread I had a Stella's the day after.  For me, it was a solid breakfast.

In Prairie Ink's defence, the waitress offered to get the plate re-made for my mom, which she declined (we were very hungry).  She then proceeded to take 25% off of her tab, which was a very kind gesture and was very much appreciated.  That's how you get repeat customers in the industry.

Service won major points for me at this little restaurant.

6.5/10

I think I'm going to save my Sal's posting for a separate issue all together. Yup, I think so. 

Making Friends is Hard. So is Math.

First thing is first - I am officially employed! Yay! I've been offered a few positions, but in the end I decided to take a job in retail (gasp, I know) because it had the most room for growth, the word "manager" in the title, and the salary was as competitive as the other positions.  So yay, employment finally!

With that out of the way, I've been right back at checking up all the time on my U of M application and received some startling news.  I may have to take Math 12.

Now you're probably asking yourself, "dafaq?". You have a Masters degree! This makes no sense.  Well friends, let me explain:  I didn't actually take Math 12 in high school.  I took university entrance Math 11 and did so piss poor in it that they did not recommend that I move on into Math 12.  To get into an arts program in university, you only need Math 11 with a 65% grade (which is exactly what I received).  I was told by my high school counsellors that if I enter the BA program at UBC, I could then switch into the BSc program and do my math equivalents then.  This is what I did, it was a disaster, and I ended up returning to arts.

U of M has some pretty strict requirements governing prerequisites for courses and they take them very seriously.  I was hoping to take STAT 1000 (Intro stats essentially), but the prereq is Math 12.  When I approached them on the subject, they told me I would have to take a course equivalent to Math 12 before I'd be permitted to take stats.  I think this is crazy, so once I register (or don't if the system won't allow), I'll talk to the professor of the course and get in the other way. Because it's crazy. I could understand for first year math how Math 12 may be essential, but not for stats, sorry.

Numbers and formulas are starting to become my life. Between my intro to finance class that I'm taking free online through Coursera and studying for the GMAT, my brain sometimes gets a bit twisty.  But it's interesting to note that until recently, I was very math and number averse.  Upon further reflection, I realized that the major reason I hated math so much is because teachers told me that I wasn't good at it and it wasn't my thing.  My grades in math didn't reflect this until 11th grade. How can this possibly make any sense? For my teacher friends out there, it's something to think about.  Perhaps it's time to change our mindset around how we teach math.

Making friends in Winnipeg has also been a challenge.  I'm part of the meet up website, but I haven't found anything that doesn't seem weird or creepy.  It's almost to the point where I'm considered making my own ad, but in a way that would be weird and creepy.  Something along the lines of "Hey! New Winnipeg people, let's go to this bar and hang out!" Why doesn't that exist? Why is it always some horrible structured event at somebody's house?

A Little Pizza Heaven

On a different note, I always forget about this little pizza place! It's called "A Little Pizza Heaven" and it's located right on Osborne in the village (pretty much next to The Toad).  I've eaten here a few times, only once sober.  I think that's the main draw of this place: It's open late and it's situated between so many bars that it becomes a pizza stumbling block.

Believe it or not, the first time I had tried this place was when I was sober.  I got two slices of ham and pineapple (my absolute favourite and they had some pizza by the slice for lunch - very rare in my experience).  I thought the pizza was really good for the price and I especially loved the garlic infused crust that this place is apparently known for.

On a more hilarious note, after a few "Bulldog Margaritas" at Saffrons, one of my roommates and I decided that pizza was an excellent idea and proceeded to walk down Corydon to Osborne to get a slice. Even though I was more than slightly tipsy, I still realized that the pizza I had received was "pineapple" pizza. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it was pineapple and cheese.  At the time, I didn't care, it was hella delicious.  The next day, however, I couldn't stop laughing about it.

I recommend if you're in the area.  If you can order from anywhere, I'm sure there is better in the city - aside from the garlic, there isn't anything really "special" about this place. For what it's worth from a local (I live less than three blocks from this place), I will continue to frequent A Little Pizza Heaven.

6.5/10

Huzzah!

I've had a good last few days. I had two interviews on Friday and both went well enough for me to go through to the second interviews that should be sometime next week.  There is hope for my joblessness! Although a week of applying indiscriminately for everything I was remotely qualified for sort of helped.  :P  I also finally figured out all of the stuff I needed to become a part time student at U of M this fall. Huzzah!

I also have successfully acquired my Manitoba Drivers License!

BUT back to Winnipeg food! Om nom nom!

Kawaii Crepe

This little creperie is located in the Osborne Village right on Osborne.  Styling itself as a "Japanese-style" creperie, the concept of the restaurant is very cutsie (after all Kawaii is the romanized spelling of the word for "cute" in Japanese).  The creperie offers both savory and sweet crepes alongside a myriad of bubble teas and "fusion" teas (black or green tea with a flavour shot).  You can order crepes for inside or to go (each time I've ordered it has been to go since the restaurant is always busy and is quite small).

The first time I went to Kawaii Crepe, I wanted to try their bubble tea.  I got the honeydew flavour.  For me, it was just "OK".  I'm not used to the frozen slushy drink-style bubble tea, which is what this was.  The tapioca pearls were cooked perfectly, which was a nice change from a lot of the bubble tea places I've been to. I didn't want to review a creperie based on just this bubble tea though, so I decided that I needed to get a crepe at some point.

One night, I was feeling like I needed something sweet so I decided to go try the crepes at Kawaii Crepe.  I got the milky way (Nutella and sweetened condensed milk) and an almond bubble tea.  The bubble tea was a bit disappointing as the almond flavour was the typical artificial style bubble tea flavouring packets.  The crepe was quite good, but certainly overly-sweet (which should be a given based on what I ordered).  The two together were simply too sweet for me.

I figured the over-sweet was my fault and decided to go back to the creperie to have a full meal (a savoury crepe and a sweet crepe - holy schmoly it turned out to be a lot of food!).  I had the uptown on multigrain (avocado, chicken and peppercorn mayo) and the divine brown (butter and brown sugar).  I wasn't too impressed with the multigrain crepe and I thought it tasted like a normal crepe, but with flax seeds in it.  This texture wasn't all that pleasing, but it wasn't all that bad either.  The filling of the crepe was absolutely delicious.  It was also a large portion - between the two crepes, I ended saving half of my savoury one for lunch the next day.  The dessert crepe was delicious as well, perfectly cooked and exactly what I wanted.

For those who complain about the service on Urbanspoon, I found my service to be really friendly on all three occasions I've been there.  Similarly, give the girls a break on how long it takes to get your crepe! They're working their butts off back there making every crepe individually.  I've even seen them take crepes off of the pans and throw them away because of poor consistency.  This is a good thing. They want to give you a quality product and actually care! My longest wait for a take out order was 15 minutes during a rush.  Not bad at all given how many crepes they're pumping out.

7.5/10

On a completely different note, I have to bring your attention to the fact that I have found a beergarita in Winnipeg. They're called "bulldog margaritas" and they're on special at Saffron's on Friday night (a double for $10 bucks). Pretty sweet deal. Here's a pic with roommate-Steve!

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

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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.