restaurant reviews - part 45
Has anyone else noticed that a lot of restaurants have shut down, but surprisingly a lot of new shops have opened up? Or maybe not so surprising. All these new places are social media savvy and push hard on facebook and instagram, and really cater to the takeout crowd rather than the traditional dine-ins. So lots of little bake shops, bubble teas, shawarma, etc. I wonder how well the business model will fare once things get back to "normal".
The Icing Castle - 55 Waterford Green Common D1 - https://www.theicingcastle.com/
I went here explicitly to try the Filipino shaved ice. It had a very interesting texture. I don't know how they do it, but it's almost like a dry powder, and even when it melts it's not dry anymore but still doesn't "feel" wet. It's hard to explain. I've had a lot of different food over the years and many varieties of ice cream and shaved ice/snow/etc, and this was new to me. I liked it, but it may possibly be divisive for people who are picky with textures. I still say it's worth a try if you're in the area. I think the process might involve particularly cold temperatures, as it did take a particularly long time for the treats to melt.
Snow and Moon Dessert Cafe - 1727 Kenaston and 1045 St James - https://snownmoon.ca/
Unlike Icing Castle above, this is a Korean shaved milk/snow. It's one of the more expensive locations for this style of treat, and "normal" for shaved milk texture that I expect, veering on the slightly fluffier side if I had to categorize it. Also unlike above, it melted very quickly which prompted a bit of a rush to finish it before it become sugar soup. Overall the quality is good, but I feel a tad overpriced. The Icing Castle takes the win here.
Icey Snow
I'm not even going to give you the address. This place was awful and tasted like the cheapest kind of artificial powder. In fact, even scooping the snow felt like digging through soggy playdoh. It was disgusting.
Dug & Betty's Ice Creamery - 309 Des Meurons St - http://www.dugandbettys.com/
I can't believe it's taken me this many years to visit one of Winnipeg's long standing ice cream parlours. Put simply, the ice cream is excellent, but it is on the sweet side and very fatty (as in you can feel the fattiness of the heavy cream that kinda coats your mouth after you eat it). So it's very good, but very heavy and left me feeling thirsty as well. If you like your ice cream light and soft, this is not the place for you.
Also, it's not just ice cream. They do have a full restaurant and baked goods as well. Dog friendly outside (though not in the patio) and they give free mini ice cream cone treats for your dog as well.
Chocolatier Constance Popp - 180 Provencher Blvd - https://constancepopp.com/
This is a fancy chocolate shop first, ice cream place second. I only tried the ice cream, but it was very good. Locally made, and fairly light taste and texture (unlike the very heavy Dug & Betty's above).
Le Monkey Bar - a permanent little shack on the Provencher bridge (on the St B side) - https://www.instagram.com/lemonkeybar/?hl=en
Vegan ice cream and tastes like it. Not bad, not remarkable. My smoothie was watered down and very disappointing.
Fong Yinh Trading - 19 McPhillips St
I'm sure I've mentioned this place before. It's really a grocery store, but they have a fresh meats counter and entire assortment of ready foods or things to order (everything from bbq meats, stir fries, noodle dishes, etc). I'm going to focus exclusively here on the Vietnamese subs (bahn-mi). The selection of meats fresh from the deli are awesome, and I especially like the crispy pork. I also really like their buns, which are super soft and fresh
bahn-mi: fresh buns, more savory
Vi-Ann Restaurant - 1020 Notre Dame Ave - https://www.facebook.com/viannrestaurantwpg/
Focusing solely on the bahn-mi, compared to Fong Yinh: sweeter and more concentrated flavours, toasted bread which is nice (though I found the bread perhaps not as fresh).
Golden Elephant and Thai Cuisine - 635 Pembina Hwy - https://www.facebook.com/Golden-Elephant-Vietnamese-Thai-Cuisine-1903079839764317/
Hidden inside the Quality Inn hotel (go around to the right side of the building to find the entrance). Surprisingly large subs so if you're going for value this is great. The most "americanized" of the group with freshly grilled meats, and the veggies are big chunks of cucumber rather than the shredded veggies that you get everywhere else. Also distinctly lacking in any of that sweet/sour dressing that you typically get from more authentic vietnamese restaurants.
Mr. Calzone - three locations - https://mrcalzone.ca/
I went for the shawarma wrap. It was cooked to order, and had a bit of a vinegary bite to it. Great for a quick on-the-go meal.
Maggi's Syrian Food - 102 Victoria Ave E
It's six bucks for the small shawarma and eight for the large. Just get the large, it's more than double the size and well worth it. This place is also cooked to order, and have a slightly crispier pita shell. Very tightly wrapped, not soggy, also excellent for on-the-go eating. There's no seating, this place is like VJ's and St James Burger, a takeout counter built into the side of a building. Of the four shawarma places presented here, I'd argue this one might be the most "americanized" in terms of flavour and presentation, possibly also due to its location deep in Transcona.
edit: the above was based on the beef shawarma; I went back a couple weeks later for the chicken shawarma and this one is more "ethnic" with a moderately strong sour flavour in the seasoning which could be devisive (personally I prefer the sourness to be from the other toppings/veggies, not the meat)
Les Saj - 1038 St James St - https://lessaj.com/menu
I don't remember all the details, but a lot of the shawarma/middle eastern restaurants in town all seem to hail from slightly different regions with their own variants on flavours that's hard to explain specifically. Anyhow, Les Saj is very good though I find it on the salty side. They also do not cook to order, as most of their fare is prepped beforehand. On the pro side, it's super fast. On the con side, not as "fresh" as the two above. The best time is when they are busy, because that's when the meats are all freshly shaved off the spits.
Altanour - 587 Notre Dame Ave - http://altanourrestaurant.ca/
These are the former owners of Shawarma Time, so the food is virtually the same. For those who are unfamiliar, they are the equivalent of a sloppy joe burger joint but in shawarma form. You can try to take something on the go, but it's going to be a mess. The most vinegary flavour of the group, heavy on the sauces, also the most generous with veggies. I liked it, but I suspect flavourwise this one will be the most devisive for people.
The Icing Castle - 55 Waterford Green Common D1 - https://www.theicingcastle.com/
I went here explicitly to try the Filipino shaved ice. It had a very interesting texture. I don't know how they do it, but it's almost like a dry powder, and even when it melts it's not dry anymore but still doesn't "feel" wet. It's hard to explain. I've had a lot of different food over the years and many varieties of ice cream and shaved ice/snow/etc, and this was new to me. I liked it, but it may possibly be divisive for people who are picky with textures. I still say it's worth a try if you're in the area. I think the process might involve particularly cold temperatures, as it did take a particularly long time for the treats to melt.
Snow and Moon Dessert Cafe - 1727 Kenaston and 1045 St James - https://snownmoon.ca/
Unlike Icing Castle above, this is a Korean shaved milk/snow. It's one of the more expensive locations for this style of treat, and "normal" for shaved milk texture that I expect, veering on the slightly fluffier side if I had to categorize it. Also unlike above, it melted very quickly which prompted a bit of a rush to finish it before it become sugar soup. Overall the quality is good, but I feel a tad overpriced. The Icing Castle takes the win here.
Icey Snow
I'm not even going to give you the address. This place was awful and tasted like the cheapest kind of artificial powder. In fact, even scooping the snow felt like digging through soggy playdoh. It was disgusting.
Dug & Betty's Ice Creamery - 309 Des Meurons St - http://www.dugandbettys.com/
I can't believe it's taken me this many years to visit one of Winnipeg's long standing ice cream parlours. Put simply, the ice cream is excellent, but it is on the sweet side and very fatty (as in you can feel the fattiness of the heavy cream that kinda coats your mouth after you eat it). So it's very good, but very heavy and left me feeling thirsty as well. If you like your ice cream light and soft, this is not the place for you.
Also, it's not just ice cream. They do have a full restaurant and baked goods as well. Dog friendly outside (though not in the patio) and they give free mini ice cream cone treats for your dog as well.
Chocolatier Constance Popp - 180 Provencher Blvd - https://constancepopp.com/
This is a fancy chocolate shop first, ice cream place second. I only tried the ice cream, but it was very good. Locally made, and fairly light taste and texture (unlike the very heavy Dug & Betty's above).
Le Monkey Bar - a permanent little shack on the Provencher bridge (on the St B side) - https://www.instagram.com/lemonkeybar/?hl=en
Vegan ice cream and tastes like it. Not bad, not remarkable. My smoothie was watered down and very disappointing.
Fong Yinh Trading - 19 McPhillips St
I'm sure I've mentioned this place before. It's really a grocery store, but they have a fresh meats counter and entire assortment of ready foods or things to order (everything from bbq meats, stir fries, noodle dishes, etc). I'm going to focus exclusively here on the Vietnamese subs (bahn-mi). The selection of meats fresh from the deli are awesome, and I especially like the crispy pork. I also really like their buns, which are super soft and fresh
bahn-mi: fresh buns, more savory
Vi-Ann Restaurant - 1020 Notre Dame Ave - https://www.facebook.com/viannrestaurantwpg/
Focusing solely on the bahn-mi, compared to Fong Yinh: sweeter and more concentrated flavours, toasted bread which is nice (though I found the bread perhaps not as fresh).
Golden Elephant and Thai Cuisine - 635 Pembina Hwy - https://www.facebook.com/Golden-Elephant-Vietnamese-Thai-Cuisine-1903079839764317/
Hidden inside the Quality Inn hotel (go around to the right side of the building to find the entrance). Surprisingly large subs so if you're going for value this is great. The most "americanized" of the group with freshly grilled meats, and the veggies are big chunks of cucumber rather than the shredded veggies that you get everywhere else. Also distinctly lacking in any of that sweet/sour dressing that you typically get from more authentic vietnamese restaurants.
Mr. Calzone - three locations - https://mrcalzone.ca/
I went for the shawarma wrap. It was cooked to order, and had a bit of a vinegary bite to it. Great for a quick on-the-go meal.
Maggi's Syrian Food - 102 Victoria Ave E
It's six bucks for the small shawarma and eight for the large. Just get the large, it's more than double the size and well worth it. This place is also cooked to order, and have a slightly crispier pita shell. Very tightly wrapped, not soggy, also excellent for on-the-go eating. There's no seating, this place is like VJ's and St James Burger, a takeout counter built into the side of a building. Of the four shawarma places presented here, I'd argue this one might be the most "americanized" in terms of flavour and presentation, possibly also due to its location deep in Transcona.
edit: the above was based on the beef shawarma; I went back a couple weeks later for the chicken shawarma and this one is more "ethnic" with a moderately strong sour flavour in the seasoning which could be devisive (personally I prefer the sourness to be from the other toppings/veggies, not the meat)
Les Saj - 1038 St James St - https://lessaj.com/menu
I don't remember all the details, but a lot of the shawarma/middle eastern restaurants in town all seem to hail from slightly different regions with their own variants on flavours that's hard to explain specifically. Anyhow, Les Saj is very good though I find it on the salty side. They also do not cook to order, as most of their fare is prepped beforehand. On the pro side, it's super fast. On the con side, not as "fresh" as the two above. The best time is when they are busy, because that's when the meats are all freshly shaved off the spits.
Altanour - 587 Notre Dame Ave - http://altanourrestaurant.ca/
These are the former owners of Shawarma Time, so the food is virtually the same. For those who are unfamiliar, they are the equivalent of a sloppy joe burger joint but in shawarma form. You can try to take something on the go, but it's going to be a mess. The most vinegary flavour of the group, heavy on the sauces, also the most generous with veggies. I liked it, but I suspect flavourwise this one will be the most devisive for people.