Bean Bar, Westdale, Hamilton

4 years at Westdale and I have never stepped into this posh place...i heard they have fabulous martinis...but what of the food? They are, after all..a restaurant. The purse strings are a little loose today...so I will give my taste buds a Bean Bar experience.
For starters. we ordered sliders...and it was by far the best mini burgers I ever had! The buns were toasted just right and the beef patties, a perfect combination of herbs and meat. Yum! It was at an affortable price too! CAD 4.99 for 3 sliders! I was one happy camper. ^_^

My friends opted for their famous sandwiches. There were the winners and there were the losers depending on your palette. The Bean bar sandwich was the obvious winner though, with its abundance in meat. As much as they called it the Bear bar sandwich, it did remind me of a extravagantly loaded clubhouse. Plagiarism anyone?
Never the one to go for the tried and the tested, I opted for a Chocolate Supreme and a Salmon fillet set. The Chocolate Supreme lacked the sweetness I was anticipating but it more than made up for it in its presentation. There was enough chocolate in it to call it Chocolate Moderate. I learned to appreciate its subtle sweetness after my entree came through. The presentation was splendid as expected...but the rice pilaf was bland and disappointing. The salad was a stunner..with its sweet and tangy vinaigrette. It did not burden the taste and the freshness of the spinach at all. Well done! I have always been a fan of salmon...but this particular salmon cut was too thick for my liking. The fact that there was soooo little of the lemon butter pesto to go around was what crushed me. I could see myself thoroughly enjoying the salmon if not for their petty amounts of butter pesto.Overall, it was an acceptable experience. Ambience wise, excellent. Service was impeccable. Food...memorable display, expected delivery. If you have CAD 60 to spend, you might want to throw it in here, or you could opt for a less posh place? I am divided on this. I would come back again for the sliders and the butter pesto...but otherwise..Bean Bar needs more tricks up their sleeves.

Verdict: 6/10

DQ Blizzard, Limeridge Mall.

Bollocks. Dairy Queen was a huge disappointment for me. Their new Kit Kat Blizzard was a sad attempt to increase their sales. Quantity on the menu without accompanying quality makes for nothing at all. They just lost me as their customer. Remember their oreo blizzards? Their to die for strawberry cheesecake blizzards? Those are heavenly. Pure bliss. Their new Kit Kat whatever you call it is pure hell.


It was nothing close to their previous standards. All this Kit Kat rubbish was literally chopped kit kats thrown into vanilla ice cream. To top the disgrace, they gave it a ceremonious swirl and passed it off as Kit Kat Blizzard. @#$%^&* This is when bad things happen to good ice cream joints. It will be a long while before I would give DQ another chance. They should strike that darn kit kat garbage off their menu before they disgrace themselves any longer.

Verdict: -2/10

Sapporo Restaturant, Peterborough, ON

I have always been a regular patron of Sapporo... and I was delighted to unearth a new Sapporo branch in Peterborough. Absolutely fantastic! The decor is impeccable..it was brightly lit, with a nice ambience. The waitresses were so accommodating and friendly, a far cry from the flippant servers in Hamilton. It was all you-can eat Japanese buffet. From CAD 20 bucks, you can have your choice of sashimi to udon soup to teriyaki skewers. Mmmnnn...the sashimi was fresh, the sushi was well rolled. The rice was of the right consistency and the fillings were seasoned just right.

The spicy beef udon was one of the spiciest I have had in a long while. I highly recommend the beef with enoki mushroom, their stewed beef steak, grilled salmon steaks and fried tempura tofu. Enough raving about the quality of the food, I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Verdict: 7.5/10
Afforable Japanese Cuisine.

Dragon Court, Westdale, Hamilton.

It was a nice day for a stroll... warm and sunny. Perfect for a girl's day out. A new chinese restaurant sprung up in Westdale a couple months ago..I have been there a couple times and decided that its time to call for a review ^_^

It is aptly called Dragon Court... must sound pretty exotic to em white folks. They serve common asian fare but the decor was impeccable. For a second, I thought I was at a French restaurant. Very posh and in style; cream colored walls, brown leather seats, art pieces framing the walls and classical music as the backdrop. AND, really awesome washrooms! They even provided cucumber and aloe vera hand cream! I was one impressed customer. The food on the other hand did not live up to the image it was projecting. Quality decor...less than memorable dishes. (Awkward sounding names on the menu too...)
We ordered fried green onions cakes...that was my favorite out of the meal . It had enough green onions and was surprisingly flaky. It was nice that it crumbles in your mouth..not your hands. The cakes were nicely fried and tossed; taste like the Indian prata but with a fancier name and a chinese vibe. That was dish worth coming back for although the price was a little unforgiving...CAD 4 for that few slices.Bummer.

The Kung bao chicken was a major major disappointment...it was filled with so much green peppers , corn and cashew nuts that the chicken was playing second fiddle. The saving grace was the impeccable roasted cashews in this dish..I was picking away at it. Argh, should have ordered King Bao Cashews instead.

The third dish -beef with broccoli. Once again, the vegetables upstaged the meat. The broccoli was tastefully done (how hard is that? Hoisin sauce, here I come!), it had enough gravy to excite the tastebuds, all the while retaining the broccoli's natural freshness and crispness. The beef was a huge flop. First of all..it was unattractive, lying around on the broccoli like some flimsy cheap ass jerky. Secondly, it tasted like sponge soaked in gravy (not that I taste it before...). Lastly, it was too damn expensive for it to be that bland. Save for the broccoli, I did not even wanna touch them suspicious looking meat.

Verdict: 5/10
I will stick to my tried and tasted Asian joints around Chinatown. Screw posh-ness.

LimeRidge Mall -- FoodCourt

I was pleasantly surprised by Thai Express's delivery of a simple chicken noodle soup. For CAD 7, I was brought back to Singapore...the dish articulated the softness and chewiness of the rice noodle, the chicken stock was well established and I could not get enough of it. It delivered the spiciness and sweetness with a punch. The lack of grease left me impressed. Thai Express was very generous with their tender chicken slices. Who says one need to go to Toronto for good asian food?
Manchu Wok looks like your typical whitewashed Chinese joint---I could never understand chicken balls; isnt that the rounder version of chicken nuggets? That aside, I vow my allegiance to Manchu Wok's mixed vegetables and their sesame chicken! YUM. Limeridge's food court delivered surprises after surprises...The two sides portions were so well done, I did a double take. The vegetables were lightly sautéed; delivering broccoli's natural crispness and taste. The chicken was by far one of the best I have had from any food court. It was not coated with flour like others and was mixed well enough to manage balance. The sauce was an awesome accompaniment to the rather bland chow mein. On the whole, the mixed plate blended well together. Although, the chow mein was rather dry and tasteless; the side orders did an awesome job, bringing enough Asian flavor to the table.

Verdict:
Thai Express: 8/10
Manchu Wok: 7.8/10

B &T Restaurant, Hamilton, Ontario

B & T is conveniently located behind Jackson Square, near the Asian grocery store downtown. The ambiance was passable, with comfy black chairs arranged somberly. The layout was functional, definitely not a place for lovey doveyness. It is perfect for the busy individual on the run though. The food came out quick and it was done tastefully. Presentation skills was acceptable from a family oriented joint. We ordered 3 dishes today,the mixed meat rice with fish sauce, Fried Beef rice noodles (Thai Style) and the grilled lemon grass chicken.

The mixed meat rice was passable at best. I am not particularly impress with the chunks of meat littering a huge bowl of rice...but the fish sauce did a good job flavoring the whole combination. I would recommend it for the hungry males. Ladies, this meal is heavy and the cal content is way off charts.
The fried rice noodles was savory with the right amount of beansprouts and garlic. The beef was soft and tender. Overall, an awesome dish..except for the greasy aftertaste it left. Not for individuals who watch their calorie intake. But what is a lil grease for such awesome flavor?


The grilled lemongrass chicken was a disappointment. Contrary to its taste, its aroma was seductive; smoky and tangy. The taste was another story, it was stringy and there was barely enough lemongrass to even called it lemongrass chicken.

The meal was satisfying, what with it amounting to CAD 30. Service was brisk albeit impersonal.

My Verdict: 6.3/10

Life in a Can

I was bored. Essay is gonna be due in 2 days. 50% of the grade. A starving university student...i rummaged through my 'Junk Trunk'. Voila. Food in the Can.

Clover Leaf's Tuna Salad.

It looks fishy...but i was so hungry. I decided to give it a try. The crackers were crunchy and complements the tuna perfectly; lightly salted and mixed well with huge chunks of tuna, I was satisfied. Alas, there was not enough crackers in the package to finish up the can...

Not something I would want to eat again, if I had any choice; but it was a healthy alternative to cookies and chips. It fills you up quite a bit...but the aftertaste was disappointing.

My Verdict; 6.5/10