Food Review: Billabong Gastropub

Billabong Gastropub

121 Osborne St

I have been meaning to write a review of billabong for over a year now but what finally pushed me to put my pen to the page (fingers to the keyboard?) was a few serendipitous events that lead me to have brunch here this summer.

Billabong gastropub is in the heart of Osborne village. It is a nice alternative to The Toad, especially on nights where the appeal of the crowds and fake Irish accents put on by drunken strangers wears off. Some night Billabong is quiet, sometimes it is packed. But when it comes to brunch it is always empty, and that is a shame because it deserves more attention. I would much rather eat here than wait in line at the Osborne Village Cafe or at Stellas. In truth I never like to wait in line.

For dinner I have ordered:

• Village Burger
• Arugula and beet root salad
• soup of the day (squash soup)
• Red pepper bruschetta

For breakfast I have ordered:

• Billabong breakfast
• Stuffed French toast
• Huevos Rancheros
• Ginger lemon carrot potato pancakes

The red pepper bruschetta is a safe bet because goat cheese makes everything better. The squash soup was very good, the village burger was nothing special.

The stuffed French toast blows my mind makes my mouth water just thinking about it. This is a must try dish. Whenever I think about ordering something else on the menu I end up changing my mind and ordering the French Toast anyway. As a result it took a few visits before I tried anything else. I promise that the huevos rancheros are good (I finished my wife's order). The Billabong breakfast is a classic brunch order and they do not deviate from the tradition (A friend let me try some of his). But you know what I will be ordering when I go there. 

Until next time, 

Food Review: Chew

Chew

532 Waterloo St.

If you want to eat incredible food and have it served to you by a larger-than-life basso profundo than chew will steal your tastebuds and your heart along with it. It is impossible not to be charmed and swept away. The place is tiny and they have to limit the amount of time you can stay, but this means the service is attentive and efficient so you still feel like you are having a long and lingering meal. My wife and I took my mother and grandparents out for dinner to celebrate their birthdays and we chose this place because we suspected it would be quiet enough for everyone to hear each other speak. We were right.

We decided to order a number of dishes and share the food so that we could try as many things on the menu as possible. We ordered:

• Manitoba tomatoes. These were in season and therefore fantastic. The overall preparation only made them better.
• Chanterelle mushrooms/ porcini parpadelle. This was the first time I had eaten Chanerelles and so I cannot compare the preparation but the dish was fantastic regardless.
• Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi. Buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil oil and well prepared gnudi made this dish memorable.
• Bread with bone marrow butter. 

We were also told that we were unlikely to find a better prepared duck anywhere. I did not try any but my mother did and she agreed. So you should consider that as well.

Overall we had a terrific time and just when we thought it could not get any better, they sent us home with muffins. I really cannot say anything bad about this place. You really must go.

Until next time,

Food Review: Barley Brothers

Barley Brothers

655 Empress St

I had heard about this place before it opened but it took me a few months to get there. One of the reasons for this is that I am rarely in the area of polo park. Another is that I didn't want to be the DD when I was going to a restaurant that has at least 60 different beers to choose from. I also heard that they were working out a few kinks in their service and their staff were still learning the beer menu when a few friends went a about a month after they opened. I figured I would wait for a while and let some of that get sorted out.

The place is spacious. It is new and clean in a mass culture sort of way. I can't really quantify the effect this had on my experience. But it kind of made me feel like I had been to a million places like it before. You could argue that this is a good thing or a bad thing. It depends on the person.

The beer menu was enough to take me out of familiar territory. With so many brews to choose from it is very lucky that they offer flights (a sampler of several beers). I was won over by their beer menu. I ordered two flights of beers that I had never heard of before. But what about the food?

We ordered:

-The Hot Pretzel

-Perogies (with saurkraut)

-Kale Salad

The food also took a really long time to arrive. I also thought it was a little bit expensive for the quality. On the other hand the price is probably necessary in order to subsidize the huge variety of alcohol that they offer. I would have happily paid more for beer if the food was better, but I am probably in the minority. Our server was comfortable with the beer menu but could have visited us a few more times to fill water, and ask if we wanted more to drink or eat. The hockey game was very loud so it was hard to talk even though the restaurant was almost empty. Some people in my group did not enjoy their meal. I thought mine was good but nothing special.

It is worth noting that I wrote this review in late December 2013 so these things may have changed. I hope so, because it is a great place to drink. I just wish it were a better place to eat.

Until next time,

Food Review: Bella Vista Restaurant & Pizzeria

Bella Vista Restaurant & Pizzeria

53 Maryland St

I have been going here at least twice a year for several years now and every time I go I enjoy myself thoroughly. This place is an essential part of my conception of West Broadway. It is great food served without pretense. This is not formal dining but to tell you the truth I enjoy it just as much (and more sometimes).

The restaurant section is able to accommodate a group of 12 fairly well.  They do pitchers of two rivers and pizza can be ordered in large quantities.

In the past I have ordered:

-Sicilian Pizza

-Vegetable Pizza

-several pasta dishes.

All the food is incredibly garlicky. I am a garlic-lover but sometimes it's even too much for me. The Sicilian is especially potent so don't order that one if you don't want garlic and oregano to be on your mind for hours after you have eaten. The vegetable one is subtler. I don't think that I need to list all the pasta dishes I have tried there because they have been consistently tasty and similarly garlicked (and their menu is not online, so I don't have a tool to jog my memory).  I like them all. This is a great place for a casual dinner out.

Until next time,

Food Review: Tony's Pizza

Tony's Pizza
1100 Pembina Highway

Tony's Pizza is a landmark that I pass by all the time on my way south down Pembina. I've been wanting to try this pizza for at least a decade but it just never happened. I kept chickening out and ordering something familiar, or forgetting to check where they deliver, or some other excuse. But my in-laws decided to order from them a few weeks ago and I was overjoyed! I really enjoy order-in meals with my in-laws because my mother-in-law doesn't feel obligated to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. I won't bother describing decor of the restaurant because it is a take-out pizza place and that pretty much means that there's a lot of kitchen and a bit of front counter. 

We ordered:

- The Greek Pizza

- The Cheese Pizza

Both of these pizzas were delicious, but maybe a bit salty because of the generous amount of cheese. The sauce was tasty but didn't dominate the flavor of the food. The crust was deliciously fatty. The pizzas were clearly made with care and attention and they tasted great. Best of all, they didn't give me a stomach ache like some order-in pizza does. This place gets a 4.5/5 in the "just give me a great tasting pizza" category. 

Until next time,

Food Review: Corrientes Argentine Pizza

Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria

137 Bannatyne Ave

This review has been sitting in the "posts not posted" folder of my computer for almost six months and I decided it was time to let it see the light of day. There was no reason that I didn't post it until now. The entry just got lost in my file system for a while.

The day we went was busy and the only spot we could get in the restaurant was a small outdoor cafe-style table for two in the back. It was shorter than the rest of the tables and the server had to kneel to converse face-to-face with us, or else tower above us. It was sort of a fun atmosphere and the awkwardness of our table height made the whole place feel friendlier. That in turn helped make up for the fact that we were dressed the cold, not for going out for dinner.

We ordered:

- Rucula Pizza

- Humita empanada

- Argentine Beer

My wife and I thought that the food was tasty but not exceptional. Our omnivorous friends were quick to point out that the meat pizzas are really good. I can't confirm or deny that. However, it is probably true because our main complaint about the vegetarian food was that it needed more salt. A vegetarian dish shouldn't just be a meat dish without meat. It needs to be something unto itself, and part of that is compensating for the lower salt content of vegetables. This is a restaurant that seems to be better for omnivores. So, if you are omnivorous my advice is reserve a table ahead of time and try it for yourself.

Until next time,

Food Review: Waves Restaurant & Lounge

Waves Restaurant & Lounge

330 Kennedy St

I noticed this place open quietly a few months ago. It took a while to get enough places off my list to justify going here. I waited even longer because I still mourn the closing of the Lo Pub. In any case Waves Restaurant & Lounge is a strange mix between newly renovated and the old décor. They have a range of food from Caesar salad, to Kebabs, to Butter chicken. My guess is that they are trying to offer something to travelers from everywhere. We wanted Indian food, so we ordered from their Vegan & Gluten-free menu.

We ordered:

Mix Vegetable Curry

Chick Peas Curry

Both of these dishes came with spiced rice. By adding this additional flavor to the rice it transformed from being a vessel for the curries to a full-fledged part of the dish. The rice was the thing that really stood out in this meal. The rest of the food was also enjoyable. I was happy with the price we paid and we left feeling full.

Until next time,

Food Review: Cornerstone Bar and Restaurant

Cornerstone Bar and Restaurant

93 Osborne St

Cornerstone Bar and Restaurant is the newest watering hole in Osborne village. It has been open for a little less than a month.

A new restaurant in Osborne village is bound to get a lot of business,  especially on a weekend night. Therefore, the group that I was expected to wait a long time and we did. It seems that winter doesn't cause Winnipeg's hottest district to freeze over.

The group I was with came to drink and to talk. As a result, my review lacks the meat that some of my other ones have (I couldn't resist the pun). The menu contains a range of burgers, appetizers, and a few mains. There isn't a lot of food. I promise I will try the veggie burger sometime in the future, but for now I will confine myself to the two things I did sample: the cheese platter and the drink section of the menu.

The cheese platter:

This is an idea I have seen at a few restaurants now. I love it. My group had wine and cheese and enjoyed paring the food with the extras the platter contains: figs, candied cashews, strawberries, tomato jam, and bacon jam. There were crackers and toasted baguette to put the cheese on.  The server told us that they change the cheese every week, which is a great idea!

The drink menu:

The main focus is the drink menu, which is sizable. Their list of beer on tap is good and there are a few more bottles. They have a fairly sizable wine collection ranging in price from just over $20 to over $60. I am not detail oriented when it comes to wine, so I cannot comment on the quality of the selection, only the quantity.

I enjoyed myself immensely and  we even had a good conversation despite the moderate-high noise level.  I will be back.

Until next time,

Food Review: Deseo Bistro

Deseo Bistro

696 Osborne Street

UPDATED: OCTOBER 2014

Walking into Deseo from from the cold of a Winnipeg winter is a pleasure. The restaurant is cozy without being crowded. Their services is extraordinary, their choice of art is interesting, and their willingness to accommodate vegetarians a real pleasure. Reserving a table online was convenient. I cannot say enough good things about this place. This is very clearly one of the best restaurants in the city.

We ordered:

Goat Cheese Cheese Cake (amazing)

Crisp Cauliflower

Black Truffel Gnocchi (amazing)

Crunch Salad (amazing)

Faro as Risotto

On my second we ordered:
Eggplant
Beet Salad
Chicken
Tagliatelle

The goat cheese cheese cake changed my wife’s life. The crunch salad very nearly changed mine. The rest of the food was fantastic but they were not as good as those dishes, but how could they have been? Then I tried the chicken. Man oh man that chicken is amazing! The battering, the hot sauce, and the exquisite juiciness of the meat was more than incredible. It may have been the best chicken I have ever eaten. The eggplant also stood out, it was perfectly cooked and very tasty. These dishes are everything I look for in professionally prepared food: well balanced flavors, rich but not heavy, perfectly portioned, nice to look at, and impossible to replicate in my home kitchen without many flops and tons of practice. Deseo charges exactly the price I would expect for food of the quality they offer. I also happen to know that they source their ingredients locally as often as possible. What more could you want? Bring a date, bring friends, bring anyone you can. This place is worth eating at.

Until next time,

Review: Punjab Sweet House & Restaurant

Punjab Sweet House

88 Mandalay Drive

I heard about this place from a friend who said this is the best Indian food in the city. Claims like these are always a little bit hard to take seriously because there are so many choices. However, my wife and I were having dinner with some family members who regularly travel to India. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I wanted to test this food to their well practiced palate. They choose the dishes and they picked up the food so I can’t say a lot about the location or the atmosphere except from second hand account. Based on  their description it sounds like the Punjab Sweet House is very much family run, with grandpa sitting in a chair supervising the on goings and the grandchildren playing at a table nearby.

We ordered:

Burtha

Chana Masala

Dal Makhni

Shahi Paneer

Mix Vegetable Curry

Samosas

Nan

Rice (I don’t know if it is included in the price)

Of these, the chana masala stood out as the best chickpea curry I have tried in a restaurant.  All the other dishes were very good as well. The samosas and the naan were pretty standard. My globetrotting family members said the food was authentic and very tasty. I should mention that everything is vegetarian, which disappointed the butter chicken lovers at the table. This is the best Indian restaurant in I have been to in Winnipeg.

If you go to their restaurant you can order from the buffet, which gives you a range of delicious food what isn't expansive, but it is delicious. They sometimes change what is served so it would take along time to get tired of this extremely well priced buffet. One of the interesting things about eating in is how good the service is. There is always a staff member checking to make sure you have enough hot naan or making sure you are enjoying your food. Its nice.

Until next time,