Another Ciao Winnipeg "Dine About" experience with a couple friends, this time a fairly new restaurant on Corydon (at Wilton) called Bamboo. Fantastic!
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4.5
Music .......................N/A
Food............................5
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........5 (see note)
Wine Selection ..........4.5 (see note)
Price............................5
*price is based on quality of food
note - Menu was limited given the Ciao Winnipeg promotion
This restaurant used to be a casual ma & pa type place, so when the owners of Bamboo started renovating, I got curious. I was greeted and seated promptly to await my fellow diners, who I'm pretty sure appreciate great food and wine as much as myself.
The decor has certainly changed, and for the better. Warm chocolate brown walls with touches of green and sketches of bamboo here and there - I really liked it. I don't recall music, but the ambience was still very good, even though you were close to other diners the mood was still relaxed and voices were kept low.
Due to the promotion currently available, the menu is a limited $25/person (plus wine) choice of one of three appetizers, one of three entrees and one of two desserts. Generally a meat, seafood and vegetarian dish are the offerings.
The wine menu was paired with the individual menu selections and we went with a trusty Wolf Blass yellow label. Our server was very knowledgable and professional. Went through the menu describing each dish before ordering, then quickly returned with our wine choice.
My first course was a warm beet noodle salad with sunchokes, goat cheese and mint - very tasty, the mint leaves really added a great punch to the dish.
All three of us went for the Bison rib-eye steak. Delicious! Served with asparagus, cooked to perfection, and some amazingly prepared yams, we couldn't stop talking about the yams. I'm pretty sure we all cleared the plates with ease it was so good.
Dessert was a tough choice: raspberry infused nanaimo bar or Shiraz poached pears. I went with the nanaimo bar, it too was very good, very rich, but good. One of my friends who had the pears was equally impressed.
Throughout the night one thing that really stood out and impressed me, and you're starting to not see this much anymore, was when I lifted the wine bottle to pour my friend a touch more wine, our server was quick to appear and request that we allow her to serve us. Call me a snob, but that is service I look for and appreciate! Bravo Bamboo!
I can't wait to take my husband here, so delicious!
Overall rating has to be an easy 4.75 - can anyone really be perfect?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Dessert Sinsations - Feb '08
Me and my girlfriends ventured to Dessert Sinsations for a little get together last week. We wanted to try the Ciao Winnipeg "Dine About" menu and of course try a new to us restaurant. Fairly pleased with this choice.
http://www.dessertsinsations.com/
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4.5
Music .......................N/A
Food............................3 (Dessert....5)
Service........................2.5
Menu Selection..........4
Wine Selection ........N/A
Price...........................3*
*price is based on quality of food
Finally, I was the not first to show up and arrived on time, not my usual 10 minutes too early (something I'm working on). The atmosphere I really liked. Very modern and warm. High ceilings, bright colours and the smells of cakes and pastries in the air - what's not to love about that??
The 'Dine About' menu looked fantastic and we each opted for the chicken, salmon was the other offering. Soup was some sort of chowder and apparently good, I opted for the salad but was rather disappointed with it. It was supposed to be mixed greens with potato, bacon and sundried tomato. I did not see any tomatos and searched high and low for a dressing.
Our next course was the chicken with mixed veg, rice pilaf and a creamy dijon sauce. Basically it was chicken cordon bleu. Not much flavour here, aside from the lump of pepper the server dumped on my plate without me requesting it - and no apology for doing so.
Finally dessert came. mmmm! This place is called Dessert Sinsations for a reason. Three of us chose the cheesecake with warm apple compote, and our 4th guest decided on the chocolate parfait. Both equally delicious, although mine was better the next day, a little less frozen.
I can't/won't comment on the wine as I just had coffee and didn't even look at the list.
I wasn't overly impressed with our server. She appeared to be either pre-occupied or really not excited about her job. And this reflected on the service.
I will return to try a different dish, will definately return for the desserts and will give them another shot on the service.
I think my overall rating would have to be 3.5.
http://www.dessertsinsations.com/
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4.5
Music .......................N/A
Food............................3 (Dessert....5)
Service........................2.5
Menu Selection..........4
Wine Selection ........N/A
Price...........................3*
*price is based on quality of food
Finally, I was the not first to show up and arrived on time, not my usual 10 minutes too early (something I'm working on). The atmosphere I really liked. Very modern and warm. High ceilings, bright colours and the smells of cakes and pastries in the air - what's not to love about that??
The 'Dine About' menu looked fantastic and we each opted for the chicken, salmon was the other offering. Soup was some sort of chowder and apparently good, I opted for the salad but was rather disappointed with it. It was supposed to be mixed greens with potato, bacon and sundried tomato. I did not see any tomatos and searched high and low for a dressing.
Our next course was the chicken with mixed veg, rice pilaf and a creamy dijon sauce. Basically it was chicken cordon bleu. Not much flavour here, aside from the lump of pepper the server dumped on my plate without me requesting it - and no apology for doing so.
Finally dessert came. mmmm! This place is called Dessert Sinsations for a reason. Three of us chose the cheesecake with warm apple compote, and our 4th guest decided on the chocolate parfait. Both equally delicious, although mine was better the next day, a little less frozen.
I can't/won't comment on the wine as I just had coffee and didn't even look at the list.
I wasn't overly impressed with our server. She appeared to be either pre-occupied or really not excited about her job. And this reflected on the service.
I will return to try a different dish, will definately return for the desserts and will give them another shot on the service.
I think my overall rating would have to be 3.5.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Dalat - Chinese/Vietnamese
Saturday night we felt as though some Asian food was needed. We were planning on skating on the river later on and weren't really in the mood to make a mess of our kitchen. So we headed to Dalat, on Taylor...meh.
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................3
Music .......................N/A
Food............................3
Service........................1
Menu Selection..........3
Wine Selection ..........1
Price...........................3*
*price is based on quality of food
I'll start with the atmosphere. It's quite modern looking, basic and for the most part clean. We didn't enjoy starring at the multiple dirty, empty tables. We were there for over an hour and not one table was cleaned during this time, despite the numerous staff who appeared to be working.
The service...hmm, what service. We were promptly seated then for about 15 minutes sat with our menus closed as the servers huddled at the till or walked passed us.
We ordered the house wine which was okay, weren't expecting spectacular wine, and the price was decent. Server didn't know the name of it and failed to pour us glasses - we don't like that.
Dishes came quickly and were plentyful. Shrimp in black bean sauce was good. Chow Mein didn't have much flavour, but the vegetables were fresh and lots of them. We also ordered a spicy chicken/lemon grass dish - we don't think we got it. It tasted more like a sweet ginger sauce, but alright.
Not sure I'd go to this restaurant again, might order take out if they deliver and try a few different things to better judge. Most dishes seemed to be in the $8-12 range depending on meat choice.
Overall rating = 2.5
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................3
Music .......................N/A
Food............................3
Service........................1
Menu Selection..........3
Wine Selection ..........1
Price...........................3*
*price is based on quality of food
I'll start with the atmosphere. It's quite modern looking, basic and for the most part clean. We didn't enjoy starring at the multiple dirty, empty tables. We were there for over an hour and not one table was cleaned during this time, despite the numerous staff who appeared to be working.
The service...hmm, what service. We were promptly seated then for about 15 minutes sat with our menus closed as the servers huddled at the till or walked passed us.
We ordered the house wine which was okay, weren't expecting spectacular wine, and the price was decent. Server didn't know the name of it and failed to pour us glasses - we don't like that.
Dishes came quickly and were plentyful. Shrimp in black bean sauce was good. Chow Mein didn't have much flavour, but the vegetables were fresh and lots of them. We also ordered a spicy chicken/lemon grass dish - we don't think we got it. It tasted more like a sweet ginger sauce, but alright.
Not sure I'd go to this restaurant again, might order take out if they deliver and try a few different things to better judge. Most dishes seemed to be in the $8-12 range depending on meat choice.
Overall rating = 2.5
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Tomato Pie Co. January 16, 2008
My husband and I enjoyed a quick bite to eat at Winnipeg's Tomato Pie Co. before attending the theater last night - Fiddler on the Roof, very good!
http://www.tomatopie.ca/
We heard some good things about this restaurant and decided to give it a shot. I liked it. We made a reservation which is recommended, even on a Wednesday they were filling up and at one point I overheard the Hostess indicate they had only one table left available.
It's a decent size restaurant, the atmosphere is somewhat casual, you certainly feel comfortable wearing jeans, but wouldn't feel out of place in a suit either. Location is great - Osborne Village, and I love the sense I got of being at home when you walk in.
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music .......................N/A
Food..........................4
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........3
Wine Selection ........3.5
Price............................4.5*
*price is based on quality of food
We ordered a Messina pizza (Italian sausage & meatball) and a pasta dish (Penne w/Tomato Basil & Spicy Chicken) to share which came with a tossed salad. Salad was fragrant and simple but tasty. Pasta dish was decent, cooked to perfection but the sauce failed to WOW me. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but just wasn't calling me back for more. The pizza was great. Reminded me of the simple pizza's we had while in Italy. Thin crust with just enough toppings!
Wine list wasn't extensive, but seemed to have some nice offerings. We thought perhaps having the option for a 1/2 litre would be beneficial (??).
All in all I would return and look forward to trying other pasta dishes available. The service was very good, couldn't ask for much more there. Overall rating = 4.
http://www.tomatopie.ca/
We heard some good things about this restaurant and decided to give it a shot. I liked it. We made a reservation which is recommended, even on a Wednesday they were filling up and at one point I overheard the Hostess indicate they had only one table left available.
It's a decent size restaurant, the atmosphere is somewhat casual, you certainly feel comfortable wearing jeans, but wouldn't feel out of place in a suit either. Location is great - Osborne Village, and I love the sense I got of being at home when you walk in.
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music .......................N/A
Food..........................4
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........3
Wine Selection ........3.5
Price............................4.5*
*price is based on quality of food
We ordered a Messina pizza (Italian sausage & meatball) and a pasta dish (Penne w/Tomato Basil & Spicy Chicken) to share which came with a tossed salad. Salad was fragrant and simple but tasty. Pasta dish was decent, cooked to perfection but the sauce failed to WOW me. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but just wasn't calling me back for more. The pizza was great. Reminded me of the simple pizza's we had while in Italy. Thin crust with just enough toppings!
Wine list wasn't extensive, but seemed to have some nice offerings. We thought perhaps having the option for a 1/2 litre would be beneficial (??).
All in all I would return and look forward to trying other pasta dishes available. The service was very good, couldn't ask for much more there. Overall rating = 4.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Chocolate Shop - January 2008
A friend a I dined at the Chocolate Shop recently for lunch. It was pretty good. I like the idea of the restaurant in that it is a Culinary Arts School for Northern Aboriginals aspiring to to work in the food industry.
The restaurant is quite big with high ceilings and both booths and tables for serving. The service was very good and very attentive.
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music .......................N/A
Food..........................3.5
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........5
Wine Selection ........N/A
Price............................5*
*price is based on quality of food
We both ordered the Bison burger, which I was disappointed in as I had hoped for homemade and it appeared to be a pre-packaged sort. The taste was okay, but nothing over the top. I did like that it came on bannock as opposed to a bun. The fries along side were heavenly. I generally don't opt for fries, but every now and then a girl needs some grease and salt, and these were fantastic!
The prices can't be beat, I don't recall anything over $10, and our more than filling meals were around $7.50.
I'll certainly try this place out again as it's close to work and I'd recommend it for a very casual lunch. My overall rating would be around a 4.
The restaurant is quite big with high ceilings and both booths and tables for serving. The service was very good and very attentive.
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music .......................N/A
Food..........................3.5
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........5
Wine Selection ........N/A
Price............................5*
*price is based on quality of food
We both ordered the Bison burger, which I was disappointed in as I had hoped for homemade and it appeared to be a pre-packaged sort. The taste was okay, but nothing over the top. I did like that it came on bannock as opposed to a bun. The fries along side were heavenly. I generally don't opt for fries, but every now and then a girl needs some grease and salt, and these were fantastic!
The prices can't be beat, I don't recall anything over $10, and our more than filling meals were around $7.50.
I'll certainly try this place out again as it's close to work and I'd recommend it for a very casual lunch. My overall rating would be around a 4.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New Year - 2008 - Oui
As a New Years resolution/goal I decided to start a Winnipeg restaurant review blog. Lots of friends ask me my opinion on restaurants my husband and I have tried and I think I have a pretty good grasp of what's good and what isn't. I like to look at not only the food, but the atmosphere, service, music, menu selection etc. I'm trying out a rating system and then will give some details. So here goes my first review...
My husband and I dined at "Oui" for our New Years Eve dinner. It was fantastic!
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music...........................5
Food..........................4.5
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........5
Wine Selection...........5
Price............................5*
*price is based on quality of food
We made a reservation and were given our table on time! Our server was knowledgable and gave us ample time to decide while offerring suggestions for both food and wine. The atmosphere is quite nice, high ceilings, murals on the walls, clean windows and good lighting. Given the age of the building you could see the pipes (which are painted) and the exhaust system is a tad loud - but not enough to have to yell at each other.
The wine list is quite big and given the restaurant is French, you won't find many Italian or South African wines on the list. Needless to say we opted for a Bordeaux and were pleased with it.
I started with the "Crepe de Homard et Crabe" a seafood stuffed crepe. It was delicious, not what I expected, but very good. Real seafood, lobster, crab (not pollock) and prawns, wrapped in a crepe with a buttery herbed sauce. I expected more cream but was pleasantly surprised with the full seafood taste! My husband chose the French Onion Soup, which of course was delicious, and certainly not lacking in size.
Our next course consisted of Gnocchi a la Parisienne for me, and Jambonneau d'Augneau (Lamb) for my dining partner. Again the Gnocchi wasn't what I expected, but very tasty. I expected a cream sauce and received a buttery herb sauce with the yummy gnocchi and fresh asparagus and tomatoes. mmm! The Lamb was simple but good and not at all greasy like I've had elsewhere.
We ended the meal with Profiteroles and vanilla bean ice cream. We split this thankfully as there is certainly more than enough. I didn't sense the profiterole (cream puff) was fresh - and my rating takes this into consideration, but the ice cream was very good!
The overall menu is reasonable and dishes range from roughly $15-40 per person.
My overall rating would be a 4.5 out of 5 and I will definately return and recommend this restaurant to others!!
My husband and I dined at "Oui" for our New Years Eve dinner. It was fantastic!
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................4
Music...........................5
Food..........................4.5
Service........................5
Menu Selection..........5
Wine Selection...........5
Price............................5*
*price is based on quality of food
We made a reservation and were given our table on time! Our server was knowledgable and gave us ample time to decide while offerring suggestions for both food and wine. The atmosphere is quite nice, high ceilings, murals on the walls, clean windows and good lighting. Given the age of the building you could see the pipes (which are painted) and the exhaust system is a tad loud - but not enough to have to yell at each other.
The wine list is quite big and given the restaurant is French, you won't find many Italian or South African wines on the list. Needless to say we opted for a Bordeaux and were pleased with it.
I started with the "Crepe de Homard et Crabe" a seafood stuffed crepe. It was delicious, not what I expected, but very good. Real seafood, lobster, crab (not pollock) and prawns, wrapped in a crepe with a buttery herbed sauce. I expected more cream but was pleasantly surprised with the full seafood taste! My husband chose the French Onion Soup, which of course was delicious, and certainly not lacking in size.
Our next course consisted of Gnocchi a la Parisienne for me, and Jambonneau d'Augneau (Lamb) for my dining partner. Again the Gnocchi wasn't what I expected, but very tasty. I expected a cream sauce and received a buttery herb sauce with the yummy gnocchi and fresh asparagus and tomatoes. mmm! The Lamb was simple but good and not at all greasy like I've had elsewhere.
We ended the meal with Profiteroles and vanilla bean ice cream. We split this thankfully as there is certainly more than enough. I didn't sense the profiterole (cream puff) was fresh - and my rating takes this into consideration, but the ice cream was very good!
The overall menu is reasonable and dishes range from roughly $15-40 per person.
My overall rating would be a 4.5 out of 5 and I will definately return and recommend this restaurant to others!!
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