Tag Archives: lunch

Batard Boulangerie and Cafe Moderne

Batard Boulangerie and Cafe Moderne Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoA cafe with a ‘French’ charm. It ‘sectioned’ into three sections. The first area by the entrance is a little shop with organic goods and a take out deli. The next is the cashier, ordering station. There were a couple of muffins. The beverage menu is on a letter-sized paper by the cashier.

The staff were very friendly, and patient as we wandered around and looked at the menu board like lost children. It wasn’t that we couldn’t read, it was that one of us wanted to get pizza, while the two of us were ok in trying out this place. We couldn’t decide for while, but since the two of us didn’t want pizza, majority wins :) idearabbit_batard1

idearabbit_batard3 idearabbit_batard2I ordered the French Beef Dip $9.95. There were a couple of big loafs of bread on the back shelf, but only a few muffins on the counter. idearabbit_batard6

After we ordered, we moved onto the third section – the seating area with artwork on the wall with nice booth seats. Although the food was brought to our table, water and cutlery was self serve.

I know everyone loves French bread, but I’m not a super fan of hard crusted bread. Although I usually like hard food to chew on, like beef jerky, trying to eat a sandwich where it’s a bit hard to chew off gets a bit messy. However, the bread and beef went really well with the Au Jus. The small salad on the side was fresh and tasty.

idearabbit_batard4 idearabbit_batard5My friend who originally wanted the pizza ordered the OceanWise Shrimp Sandwich $9.95 and latte.

Clean up is again self-serve, or rather, self-cleanup into the gray bins. Very nice staff, charming interior and good food.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

 

Kirin Seafood Restaurant at CitySquare

Kirin Seafood Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoKnown for high quality Chinese food, I was excited to try this place for our co-worker’s farewell feast. It was the first time that I had been to a restaurant where they placed seat covers on each chair. Kept the coats on our seats clean and maybe protect it from greasy smells.

Service was excellent. My co-worker told me that when the hot water and tea pot were separate, it meant that they were a Cantonese restaurant. We were all offered individual hot wet towels to clean our hands. Every time our plates became full and ‘used’, it was replaced with a clean one. The interior was decorated nicely and the lively atmosphere created excitement for the food to arrive.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare1 idearabbit_kirin_citysquare5

Covers on seatsidearabbit_kirin_citysquare4

Even the tea pots have nice place mats.idearabbit_kirin_citysquare3 idearabbit_kirin_citysquare2

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare13 The main was the Lobster. It was difficult to eat as the shell was on it… I suppose this is how it is in Asian dishes, but I’m not a fan of using the hands and trying to peck at it like some vulture with the chopsticks in my other hand, especially for a high-end restaurant. I know that Sheepie isn’t fond of this style either, but I guess it’s the culture. For that reason, I picked up parts that had the meat already exposed and very little shell to pick through. It had a creamy sauce which were quite bland. The lobsters came mixed with noodles. Even though I love noodles, this felt almost like having linguine in a really bland alfredo sauce. I am not sure if it’s the clash with the idea that it reminded me of Italian food, that I didn’t really find the flavour captivating, or I’m starting to find that maybe I don’t lean towards noodles in really thick sauce (like Korean’s Jajangmyeon), I didn’t eat much of it. idearabbit_kirin_citysquare15However, the lobster was plumpy, and there were quite a bit of good chunks of meat. The co-worker who was leaving loved it as he was a huge lobster fan.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare10Spring Rolls $5 (2 rols) were crispy and average.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare11The deep fried flaky spring rolls were creamy, yet light in flavour. Despite my comment for creamy sauce above, I did very much like the contrast of the crispy outer case and the creamy inside. Very good! (sorry I don’t know the exact names…I didn’t order them, and I’m still not good with Chinese cuisine names… T_T If anyone knows, please let me know! Thanks!)

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare6Squid Calamari was super crispy, though a bit chewy, and the portion was a bit smaller than other places I’ve been to.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare14

Green beans had a delicate, but richer flavour. However, I did agree with one staff that it was way too salty. It would go great with plain rice.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare12The Pancakes weren’t rubbery, and it was fresh. Cut up into pieces, which made it easier to eat.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare7Rice Roll $5.38 were smaller in portion compared to other Chinese restaurants, but were quite tasty.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare9Shrimp Dumplings were hot, tasty and delicious.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare8Fresh greens! I do have a pet peeve of how this dish is severed everywhere. Most often, it’s hard to chew off a bite from these… I wish they’d cut them into 3 sections, allowing for better table manners. Other than the Flaky Spring Rolls, nothing really jumped out at me. One staff told me that it was much better before and that she wasn’t that impressed this time.

With many other pretty good Chinese places that I’ve discovered for much cheaper, I don’t think I’d return with my own wallet.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Liquids + Solids

Liquids + Solids Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato Since I was taking a yoga teaching course every weekend in the area, I was out trying out a different venue each weekend. This time, I thought I’d try Liquids + Solids on Broadway for lunch. I ordered the Montrealer $8.45 with locally made corned beef piled high with sauerkraut, pickles and provlone with mustard and scallion bread.

idearabbit-liquidssolids1 idearabbit-liquidssolids2 idearabbit-liquidssolids3I had it toasted to go. I was kind of disappointed in the size, though the marble bread and beef was quite tasty.

Service was ok. I expected the cafe to be a bit more lively, but maybe the lighting made it seem a bit low-energy, the staff was quiet, and being it a weekend lunch hour, it wasn’t very busy.

They seemed to have a wide selection of soup available, so if I feel like soup one day, I might give the place another try.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot