restaurant reviews - part 46
As the usual preramble, if you're planning to order out please try calling the restaurant directly (especially a non-chain establishment) instead of going through whichever food ordering web service. I know those services are practically essential now, but they take a big cut and all the small local restaurants have a tough time making ends meet as it is.
Logan Corner Restaurant - 247 Logan Ave - https://www.logancornerrestaurant.com/
This place is very hit or miss for me, and leaning more towards miss. For most people I'd say give this a pass. The only reason my family goes is because they know the owners so get special treatment and then the food is better.
Little Bones Wings - 123 Regent Ave W - https://littlebones.business.site/
Ok it's just wings, they're very good... but they're very expensive. Great selection... but they're very expensive. Did I mention the part about them being good but expensive? If I'm in a seriously hangry mood for wings above the cheap Smitty's night kind of thing this would be my first pick, but I wouldn't make it a regular occurance otherwise.
Beaurivage Bistro & Cafe - 788 Corydon Ave - https://www.facebook.com/BeaurivageBistro/
This is a new-ish Lebanese place right on the Corydon strip. It's actual sit-down presentable food, not the usual grab-and-go shawarmas that we've come to expect from this style of restaurant. The quality is immediately apparent, you can taste the freshness and the better ingredients, the use of actual cooking wine, etc. The flavours here are not going to be americanized, there will still be a tinge of the bitters and sours that is common in middle eastern cuisine, and they combine in ways that is not typically found in cooking here. The owner is hilarious if you get a chance to speak with him, and truly passionate about providing the best food and experience possible.
Hui Lau Shan - 753 Corydon Ave - https://www.hkhls.com/
I've only ever gone for the bubble tea. The quality is not great... but the daily special is $3 so I have no complaints at that price. It's a "something cheap to grab and go while you walk around the neighbourhood" kind of thing.
Thailand Food 1619 - 617 Selkirk Ave - https://www.thailandfoods1619.com/
Great sauce and flavours, but as a cost/time saving measure all the meat was obviously precooked and had this sickly grey/blue colour to it, which is a shame because everything else was good. If you go, stick with the veggie dishes.
Ding Ho Chinese Restaurant - 497 William Ave - https://dingho.foodpages.ca/?vmenuo=1
This is the most "homey" place for me, in the sense that their style of cooking reminds me most of home/family. There's an overarching flavour composed of mixed soy/oyster sauce and possibly chicken stock which is the main savoury component. No fancy presentation, just a big pile of food plopped on your table. Communication with your server will be done with broken English at best, and polite nods and pointing at the menu line items the rest of the time. The restaurant itself also feels like it never left the 80's. In fact, this place was owned by old family friends way back in the day, though it was sold to a new family 30 years ago who are still running it to this day.
Baba's House Ice Cream and Desserts - 545 Bannerman Ave - https://www.babas-house.com/
The woman who owns this place is a bubbly delightful person. The ice cream here is equally delightful. I wish it were closer so I could go more often. Some of the sauces are house-made and again, delightful.
Seafood City - 2311 McPhillips St - https://www.seafoodcity.com/
So this is a Filipino chain supermarket that has finally made its way here. There are a few "restaurants" inside, most notable Grill City. Trust me and just go get the classic BBQ pork. It's only a single skewer, but it's quite large and served alongside a heaping pile of rice and pancit (noodles). The meat is wonderfully cooked, super juicy, nice glaze with that hint of sweetness common in Filipino cuisine.
Madina's Shawarma - 305 McPhillips - https://madinashawarma.ca/
This is a Middle East/Somalian place that feels like a converted Subway. They are fairly new, having opened only last November. It's not super ethnic in flavours, but feels like home cooked comfort food. I got the chicken Shawarma and it was very generously sized. Seasonings are mild. Not overcooked or hard like some other places where it has been sitting for a while. Very friendly service, and I chatted with the host (owner?) briefly who answered all my questions. They even brought out some sweets for me to try. Sweets are milder and not overwhelming
Golden Elephant Vietnamese and Thai Cuisine - 635 Pembina Hwy
I reviewed this one a while back after I went for bahn mi. This time I went back and tried some of their regular fare. The portion sizes are large, but beyond that I would honestly give this a pass. The quality is just average and also semi americanized. It's a hotel restaurant after all, they gotta play it safe. Stick with the bahn mi.
Pho No. 1 - 81 Isabel St
I made a note of this place in my list of places to write about, but I have utterly forgotten what it is like. That perhaps tells you all you need to know.
Wall Street Slice - 753 Wall St - https://www.wallstreetslice.com/menu
As their website says right at the front, this is a New York Style thin & crispy. The flavours are very good, but be warned it will lean on the very salty and greasy side of things. Some will love this, others may not. The location is a bit odd; even without considering the pandemic they don't have that much seating inside, but this is not exactly a grab and go neighbourhood either. Well, it kind of is if you go a couple streets over, but they're tucked right onto the industrial side of things. By the time you grab and walk over to the nearby park, you've already eaten the pizza. But anyhow, this place is worth a try as we don't have that many options for this style of pizza in the city.
Vera Pizzeria - 670 Osborne St - https://www.facebook.com/verapizzeriabevande/
Very similar to Carbone for "artisanal" pizza. It has that thin but puffy-ish crust with a dryer texture unlike Wall Street Slice which is soft and greasy. The overall feel is "healthy", again unlike WSS which leans greasy spoon. Different strokes for different folks. A point in favour of WSS though is that I feel full after a couple slices, whereas here I'm still hungry.
Logan Corner Restaurant - 247 Logan Ave - https://www.logancornerrestaurant.com/
This place is very hit or miss for me, and leaning more towards miss. For most people I'd say give this a pass. The only reason my family goes is because they know the owners so get special treatment and then the food is better.
Little Bones Wings - 123 Regent Ave W - https://littlebones.business.site/
Ok it's just wings, they're very good... but they're very expensive. Great selection... but they're very expensive. Did I mention the part about them being good but expensive? If I'm in a seriously hangry mood for wings above the cheap Smitty's night kind of thing this would be my first pick, but I wouldn't make it a regular occurance otherwise.
Beaurivage Bistro & Cafe - 788 Corydon Ave - https://www.facebook.com/BeaurivageBistro/
This is a new-ish Lebanese place right on the Corydon strip. It's actual sit-down presentable food, not the usual grab-and-go shawarmas that we've come to expect from this style of restaurant. The quality is immediately apparent, you can taste the freshness and the better ingredients, the use of actual cooking wine, etc. The flavours here are not going to be americanized, there will still be a tinge of the bitters and sours that is common in middle eastern cuisine, and they combine in ways that is not typically found in cooking here. The owner is hilarious if you get a chance to speak with him, and truly passionate about providing the best food and experience possible.
Hui Lau Shan - 753 Corydon Ave - https://www.hkhls.com/
I've only ever gone for the bubble tea. The quality is not great... but the daily special is $3 so I have no complaints at that price. It's a "something cheap to grab and go while you walk around the neighbourhood" kind of thing.
Thailand Food 1619 - 617 Selkirk Ave - https://www.thailandfoods1619.com/
Great sauce and flavours, but as a cost/time saving measure all the meat was obviously precooked and had this sickly grey/blue colour to it, which is a shame because everything else was good. If you go, stick with the veggie dishes.
Ding Ho Chinese Restaurant - 497 William Ave - https://dingho.foodpages.ca/?vmenuo=1
This is the most "homey" place for me, in the sense that their style of cooking reminds me most of home/family. There's an overarching flavour composed of mixed soy/oyster sauce and possibly chicken stock which is the main savoury component. No fancy presentation, just a big pile of food plopped on your table. Communication with your server will be done with broken English at best, and polite nods and pointing at the menu line items the rest of the time. The restaurant itself also feels like it never left the 80's. In fact, this place was owned by old family friends way back in the day, though it was sold to a new family 30 years ago who are still running it to this day.
Baba's House Ice Cream and Desserts - 545 Bannerman Ave - https://www.babas-house.com/
The woman who owns this place is a bubbly delightful person. The ice cream here is equally delightful. I wish it were closer so I could go more often. Some of the sauces are house-made and again, delightful.
Seafood City - 2311 McPhillips St - https://www.seafoodcity.com/
So this is a Filipino chain supermarket that has finally made its way here. There are a few "restaurants" inside, most notable Grill City. Trust me and just go get the classic BBQ pork. It's only a single skewer, but it's quite large and served alongside a heaping pile of rice and pancit (noodles). The meat is wonderfully cooked, super juicy, nice glaze with that hint of sweetness common in Filipino cuisine.
Madina's Shawarma - 305 McPhillips - https://madinashawarma.ca/
This is a Middle East/Somalian place that feels like a converted Subway. They are fairly new, having opened only last November. It's not super ethnic in flavours, but feels like home cooked comfort food. I got the chicken Shawarma and it was very generously sized. Seasonings are mild. Not overcooked or hard like some other places where it has been sitting for a while. Very friendly service, and I chatted with the host (owner?) briefly who answered all my questions. They even brought out some sweets for me to try. Sweets are milder and not overwhelming
Golden Elephant Vietnamese and Thai Cuisine - 635 Pembina Hwy
I reviewed this one a while back after I went for bahn mi. This time I went back and tried some of their regular fare. The portion sizes are large, but beyond that I would honestly give this a pass. The quality is just average and also semi americanized. It's a hotel restaurant after all, they gotta play it safe. Stick with the bahn mi.
Pho No. 1 - 81 Isabel St
I made a note of this place in my list of places to write about, but I have utterly forgotten what it is like. That perhaps tells you all you need to know.
Wall Street Slice - 753 Wall St - https://www.wallstreetslice.com/menu
As their website says right at the front, this is a New York Style thin & crispy. The flavours are very good, but be warned it will lean on the very salty and greasy side of things. Some will love this, others may not. The location is a bit odd; even without considering the pandemic they don't have that much seating inside, but this is not exactly a grab and go neighbourhood either. Well, it kind of is if you go a couple streets over, but they're tucked right onto the industrial side of things. By the time you grab and walk over to the nearby park, you've already eaten the pizza. But anyhow, this place is worth a try as we don't have that many options for this style of pizza in the city.
Vera Pizzeria - 670 Osborne St - https://www.facebook.com/verapizzeriabevande/
Very similar to Carbone for "artisanal" pizza. It has that thin but puffy-ish crust with a dryer texture unlike Wall Street Slice which is soft and greasy. The overall feel is "healthy", again unlike WSS which leans greasy spoon. Different strokes for different folks. A point in favour of WSS though is that I feel full after a couple slices, whereas here I'm still hungry.