Monday, December 10, 2018

Acqua & Farina (Roma Termini)

First thing you do when you get to Italy? Well, you look for food. Italian food. Duh. Pasta or pizza, I seriously didn't give a flying f*ck. You know, those kinds. 

On our first day, my travel buddy Em and I were walking, trying to find our way to the Colosseum, where hundreds of thousands of gladiators and animals fought, thousands of years ago. You know, the usual day. As we were going down the via (street) Principe Amedeo, our nostrils flared up and we turned to see tasty looking pizza in this tiny restaurant.

Basically, they make rectangular pizza, and they cut the piece that you want. You then pay by weight. Peeerrrfect. I'll have a whole one please. We went there twice. We would've gone at least 6 times, but we kind of lost track of where we were... and got lost more than once. Ugh. How annoying is it to get lost whilst looking for your true love? True love being this yummy pizza, of course!

The first time, we both had a pizza that had just been taken out of the oven: the zucchini pizza. Our first thought was this: 'well, let's just have the freshest one'. But then, it became so much more than that. Watch out, sh*t's about to get deep. Basically, they cut it, they fold it, you eat it. We had a pizz-gasm on our first bite, for shizzle. Em and I looked at each other and were like daaaang we going back fosho. The crust was perfect: not too thick and not too thin. The zucc was almost buttery and melted in your mouth with cheesy goodness. Ugh... I'd like to go back right about now. Just look at it up there. And say hello.
When we went back (after trying to find it for what seemed like an eternity), we both had the mushroom pizza. This wasn't a normal run-of-the-mill mushroom pizza! No, no. Sliced thin, the mushroom had that woodsy, almost meaty flavour that we oh so love. OK, this sounds like a love story. Well, it IS. 

I think we would've continued going back every day, for as long as we could have. That pizza was a revelation, man. A damn revelation. You think I exaggerate? Then go. Just go to Roma Termini, take a left and then another left (or was it a right?).

And now, le score!

Pizza: 9.5 ONLY because the second time, they didn't have the zucc one, good and ready

It's obvious that I'll be going back next time. When in Rome, am I right?


Acqua & Farina Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Monday, September 24, 2018

Café Clarke

Café Clarke is a small and cute little café on Centre street in Pointe St-Charles. Let me make this clear, Pointe St-Charles has, like, one good restaurant worth the detour and that is Machiavelli. There are a couple other good spots like Miel and Bloom, but I wouldn't necessarily come from, let's say, the Plateau to eat there.

The now defunct Boulangerie Clarke in the Mile-End had a little baby. Frank Servedio, the owner, use to work at the boulangerie, which was owned by his parents. This is a big great family story! Café Clarke is basically a sandwich shop that serves awesome coffee (or so I've heard!). What differentiates them from other sandwich shops is the fact that their sh*t is fresh as can be. Sandwiches are made to order AND they cut their own meat. Hello. What a difference that makes!
The place feels very homey and warm. Feels like you want to bring all your friends there, you know? I also really loved the color scheme: green, white, and light, classic brown. Yes, 'classic' brown. It's a thing.
I started with the pasteis de nata, because it was already right there! I was a bit dispointed that it wasn`t A: made in house and B: not supes fresh. Obviously, it was a day old. I just went to Portugal, see. I KNOW what a day old pasteis de Nata tastes like. I am used to the yummy, crunchy, soft, pastry. Not the dry one. Don't get me wrong, it was still OK, but it just wasn't worth it. I got so excited! And then I got so annoyed. At them. For selling me a day old nata :/
La sandwich in a croissant! I loves me a good croissant sandwich! A good looking sandwich, without any fla fla. Dunno if that's a thang in English, but I'm dsoin it. It just means that it is simple. Thinly cut ham, almost like paper: THAT's the dream. The croissant was buttery and right about melted in my mouth. The only negative, if you can call it that, is that the tomato was a tad too juicy.

The only thing I'll say about the service (which was at the counter.. so I won't rate it), was that it took the dude a while to even say hello to me. Just say hello, and tell me I'll have to wait a couple minutes. GEEZ.

And now, le score!

Food: 6.5

Well, I'm bound to go back now, aren't I?! When it's only 15 steps away from where you live, you go back.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Sushi Pro

Everyone knows I'm a sucker for some good sushi. I'd even say that I'm a sucker for OK sushi. But do not fret, I know how to recognize it. I mean, as some of you may know, I rolled sushi for a good five years. For some people, that's, like, a quarter of their life. WHAT! I had a sushi craving the other day, so I hauled my ass supes close to my house to Sushi Pro, on Centre. Basically 200 meters from my place. You know, a long walk :o

I called to order because I was being super lazy: what's better than to order in advance so that everything is already packed and ready to go when you get there? I was ordering an avocado roll, a spicy salmon roll, a salmon nigiri and ---. That woman crushes my sushi dreams when she said 'no avocado roll, we are out'. How? How is that possible? Do NOT tell me that there aren't any more avos! So yes, basically their supplier had brought them unripe avocados. And they were paying the price. I remember, when I worked at Sushi Taxi, and I was ordering our supplies... the avocados were a very tricky game. How many do I want ripe, how many do I want almost ripe, and how many do I want green. They were supposed to have all three but it wasn't rare that they, themselves, didn't have any ripe ones. I had to do all the grocery stores in the area to find avocados. THAT was a pain in the ass.
The nigiri. Since when are nigiris sold separately (by Maden!)? By separately, I mean by unit. Who gets ONE nigiri? Well, except me, hahaha! Didn't they all used to come in a pair? Anyhoot. The salmon was ubes fresh, and the nig was well... nigged :p You could see she knew what she was doing.

The spicy salmon roll. I loves me a good spicy salmon roll! As with the nigiri, the salmon in this was melt-in-your-mouth fresh. And it had just the right amount of spice. I likes me some spice, but sometimes, it's like, dude, don't ruin it with too much.

The salmon kamikaze. Salmon, tempura, avocado, cucumber, goberge (apparently "pollock" in English?!?!), tobiko, some house mayo. House mayo= probs just mayo + sriracha or sambal. Maybe a bit o' yogurt. There wasn't nearly enough salmon in there. If you're not gonna put salmon in it, don't call it a SALMON kamikaze. Geesh! The flavours were all awesome together, and it was well rolled, i.e. it wasn't falling apart like some sushi I buy at the bio grocery store in Galéries du Parc.

And now, le score!

Food: 7

I'll go back next time I'm home and I have a craving, but I would prefer other places!

 
Sushi Pro Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Monday, September 10, 2018

Uncle Tetsu

Uncle Tetsu just recently opened in Montreal and it is EVERYTHING. Maybe not for you, but for someone who follows food trends and what have yous, it's somethin. Uncle Tetsu is over 30 years old and just made its entrance to Montreal, from Japan. Yass. Anything that arrives from Japan, I'm interested in. Well, except Pokémon. Anyhoot, when my friend Laura came over to my house last week, I immediately thought of this.

Uncle Tetsu is located in Montreal's second Chinatown, or Chinatown West, as some would call it. It's only a counter, with a big waiting line. OK, I went at an irregular time, so it wasn't very busy (only about 9 people in front of me), but usually they have a pretty legit waiting line overflowing on the sidewalk right outside.
We could almost say that the cheesecakes are made to order: all day, every day, the little worker bees (really seems like that) make those cheesecakes! Mine was EXTRA fresh because I got it off a new batch that was in the oven. And then they put the cheesecake (1 max per person!!) in a cute little box, and then a cute little bag. Uncle Tetsu's cheesecakes are made of cheese (duh), cream, milk, butta, sugar, flour, and lots of eggs. Actually, when you get inside the shop, it smells of cooked eggs. And then I thought about my past Asian dessert eating experiences and realized that they ARE more eggy than the usual dessert. This is not a regular cheesecake, people. It is a Japanese cheesecake. Basically, you can keep this cake at normal room temp for 24hrs or in the fridge for 72 hrs.
I found it cool, and also a nice touch that they put Uncle Tetsu right on the cake. As Laura said, 'I want him as a grandpa'. It had time to cool down between the time of purchase and the time of eating. I prefer my cheesecake cold anyway! Also, I have a feeling it would've tasted eggier when warm (let's face it, everything tastes more when warm or hot). One thing, out of many more complicated food reactions (OR footions... OR foodactions) of having more eggs in there is the fluffiness. You know what's better than fluffiness when it comes to cake? Nada. It seriously melted in my mouth. I'm totes serious about the melting, mmkay?! It was very tasty and not overly cheesy, and it wasn't as eggy as I would've thought. Or as I was afraid of. I didn't order an egg cake, damn it! Or, I guess that would be called an omelet. We kept on saying 'ok let's stop' or ' that's enough now'. 10 minutes later, it was gone. A gonner. Gonzo! Bebye. I would recommend this, but not to someone thinking they will get the traditional cheesecake. This is NOT the cheesecake you are used too, girl. Dsont dso it. Do it, if you want to try something new (and yummy).

And now, the score!

Le cheesecake: 7.5

I would definitely go back and buy one for a soirée or something like that. You know, to be that cool chick that brings Japanese cheesecake :) Let's face it, I'm ALWAYS that cool girl. OK, I'm not. Geez.

ps: Uncle tetsu also serves honey Madeleines, which looked oh so good (but I was there for le cheese)

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Barros Luco

One of my coworkers, who is Chilean, told me more than once that her and her mama's fave Chilean resto is Barros Lucco. When someone tells you this, you can't ignore it. You GO! And so, I went. With ma girl Clo!
 
Barros Luco is right on the corner of Fairmount and St-Urbain, a very busy intersection. The restaurant still manages to have TWO dining rooms AND a terrace. WHAT! Both rooms and the outdoor space seem kind of run down, or, I guess, were never new to begin with! It was somewhat dirty (ugh, the washroom), and the floor had a layer of I don't know what on top. Yikes!
 
We were going to share everything, because, damn it, that's how we do! We ordered a barros lucco (a typical  Chilean sandwich), the fried fish, and, to top it off, a churro, of course! Name me ONE person that can resist a churro. I dare ya.
The barros luco: beef, avocado, cheese and tomato. I like it when I order something with avocado, and there's actually avocado in it. Not a tiny piece or some kind of fake puree. Meh. The bread was like a cloud of butter. So basically the best kind of cloud. A fattening cloud, but a good cloud. The avocado was just the right amount of ripeness, which is always good in my book! The tomato was too juicy, and the meat was a bit dry. The cheese was a tad on the salty but we still liked it. I like it when it's cheesy. Ya, I'm like that. Although there were good aspects to this sandwich, the whole was a bit on the disappointing side.
Fried fish. It was a smart choice deciding to share this dish. DAMN! There were like 4 portions of fish on the plate. I TEND to exaggerate as you may know. The rice was, well, normal. Nothing to write home about. Salad: same. The fish was very moist, and the batter was thin, which is always appreciated. I felt like it could've been tastier. Again, butter was very present.
The churro! Mama likes her churros. I remember eating those in Spain. Ah, the life. The churro was good but there wasn't nearly enough dulce de leche in there. Obviously, knowing me, you know there's never enough. ALWAYS more dulce de leche please. Always.

Service was somewhat off the ball. Like, the opposite of 'on the ball'. The waitress barely spoke French OR English, so I had fun practicing my Spanish, but even then...At some point I think the language barrier was why we didn't get our churro in a timely fashion. Meh. And by the by, if you're looking for the Chilean mafia, they are located at Barros Luco. Hahaha!!! When I went to the washroom, they were all sitting at a table, whispering in Spanish, probably about killing some member of another clan. OR they were talking about the menu. OK, most likely just the second option. OK, it's 95% the second option.

And now, the scores!

Food: 6.5
Service: 6.5

I probably won't go back, but I AM open to eat more of that Chilean yumminess...somewhere else.
 

Barros Luco Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

No. 900

I bike passed No. 900 pretty much every day on my way to work. And every damn time, I tell myself I could go for a good pizza. Yes, even at 7am. I'm like that, you know. SO, the other day, when Val called me to tell me she was there and needed someone to share her pizza with, I was like mmmya j'arrive. I mean, I gotta say I was going more to see my girl, but a bit of pizza would also help. Hahaha. Pizza ALWAYS helps.
I left my house quite quickly, and I was interrupting a very chill session watching somethin' on my computer, so I got there in jogging pants and a sweatshirt. Ya, that happened. I mean, it wasn't a chic place by any means, but come on, girl could've made a bit of effort. Yes, I'm talking about myself.

All pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven, for 90 seconds, at 900 degrees. dang that's hot. It's also why it's called No. 900. They so smart! BTW, there are, like, 120 No. 900 in Québec. I exaggerate. I believe there are 18. That's a lot of dough. A LOT of dough. It also makes for very quick service, which is what everyone wants. Show me ONE person that likes slow service. I dare you.
Val had ordered the caclocavallo and porchetta pizza. These pizzas were quite big and, in my head, obviously not made to be eaten by only one person. Let's face it, people, it's for one and a half person. I was more than happy to be the half person in this case. On top of that lovely meat, this pizza had pecorino romano, fior de latte, parsley oil, and roasted mushrooms.

With the pecorino AND the fior de latte, it was veeeery cheesy, veeery lactose intolerant non-friendly. Hahaha! But who gives a sh*t. Cheese is so good, I was just going to suffer the consequences later. The crust, even if it was super thin (just the way I likes my crust), it wasn't falling apart like cray. The mushrooms were charred to perfection, and the pesto was quite a great addition. Who knew parsley could be so good?! To make it even better, you know what you dso? You put some spicy oil on yo pizza. For me, that's pleasure X 100. Our hands were all oily and nasty by the end. And then, you know what we did? We licked those hands. YASS!!!

Service was great! I got there, sat down in my stupid jogging pants, and the waiter came by, asked if I wanted to order food or drinks. When we said that we would share, he brought me an extra napkin AND a plate. Oh, and much needed water (that oil was a bit a on the spicy side!).

And now, les scores!

Food: 9
Service: 8.5

Oh ya, I'm going back.


Pizzeria No 900 Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Le Petit Sao

Le Petit Sao is the new little baby in Pointe St-Charles. You know how much I love babies! Well, AND new restaurants :) It's not the BEST location, located almost at the end of rue Centre in PSC. It used to be no man's land, but it's getting a bit more popular. A bit.
The place itself is supes cute, with a bit of a tropical feel (the best kind of feel!), vibrant colours and plants on tables and along the walls. It was empty when I went because, like an old lady, I was eating dinner at 5pm. What??? I was hungry!
I had the table d'hôte, which included a soup, an imperial roll, and a grilled chicken 'bun bowl'. I loves me a good Viet bowl. The soup was pumped with MSG, like my colleague Margo would say, but hey, no one ever died from MSG consumption. It tasted so damn good! It kinda created a layer on my palate, you know, the way McDonald's does?! Mmmya. The chicken was perfection, and the green onions added a bit of a tang :) I just love myself some good green onions. The noodles were also perf, not overly cooked. I hate overly cooked noodles. I also hate underly cooked noodles. Bah.
The roll was hot, but not scorching. It brought me back to my young days in St-Laurent, when my mom used to bring us to Chez Lien. OK, I would never go back there in a million years, but Chez Lien used to be good (and clean), once upon a time. The grilled chicken was perf and tender and, cringe, moist. I actually wrote in my notes that it was like meat candy. Haha. I could've done without the salad and I wanted more mint. Mint is such a key ingredient when it comes to Vietnamese goodness like this bowl! This is what you have to tell yourself: ALWAYS more mint. Always. I think you get the point. I really loved the marinated veggies and also appreciated the hot n' cold aspect of this dish. Mama likes a good mix! I asked for more nuoc cham, and the guy said 'sure, I'll bring more fish sauce'... and I was like, wait a second. He just needs to learn a bit more about the culture and the food, it's ok. HAHAHA, said the expert. OK, there IS fish sauce in there, but to just call it 'fish sauce' would be a mistake. AND I'm OUT! The noodles were good and, mixed in with that sauce, were even better. I'd put that sauce on anything: noodles, meat, boobs. You know.

Service was supes quick, but I only got water refilled at the end of my meal. The waitress even joked about the fact that she was refilling it at the end of my visit. Why? WHY would you joke about my water? GOD! Hahaha. I kid. But not really. Also, she kept on calling me 'ma chère dame'. Honey, I am not 70. I appreciated the politeness but it was too much!

And now, the scores!

Food: 7.5
Service: 7

I went back yesterday for a sick day lunch and it was quite satisfying! Can't say I won't go back a third time :)


Le Petit Sao Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Perles et Paddock

I've had my eye (well, eyes) on Perles et Paddock for a while now. Ever since I wondered what the f*ck had become of that old garage on Des Seigneurs in Griffintown. Well, they did a hell of a job. A HELL of a job. And so, this is where Jer Bear and I went for brunch on a lovely Saturday morning (let's face it, I can't afford their actual dinner menu :o ).
Perles et Paddock, as previously mentioned, is located in an ultra renovated old garage that was quite the eye soar on des Seigneurs in Griffintown. They made it into a legit wonderful looking restaurant. Like, a WOW restaurant. Like, a WOW WOW WOW one. You get the point, iz nice. Compared to what you see from the outside, the inside looks much grander: a big mirror at the back makes it look like a much bigger space than it already is and it seems like the never ending restaurant. Plants everywhere, two big garage doors that open up onto the street, and a huge skylight make it seem like we're still outdoors. The bar was quite spectacular, all dressed in marble, with uber comfy seats (along with a step for short people like me!), and quite an array of bottles under very favorable lighting.
I loves me a good brunch and I was excited about this one, fo shiz! Jer bear had the guédilles aux crevettes de Matane (the best of the small shrimp...). The shrimpies were not in the usual hot dog bread; they were in a home made brioche. They had been mixed into this mayo-ish sauce that was supes taste. Just enough that we still tasted the deliciousness of the shrimp! They were like butta in ma mouth. You know what I'm gonna say though: not enough shrimp!!! NEVER enough shrimp. But I am also the person that, at 6 years old, was eating an actual PILE of shrimp in Maine on family vacays. I go cray for shrimp. Kinda like Bubba from Forrest Gump, you know. I found the brioche was too hard `n' dry for me. Jer bear found it alright. He's too easy to please, pffff. The coleslaw was on the effin ball. One of the best coleslaws I've had, like, ever.
I had the surf and turf! Cod cake, hollandaise mousse, salad, and a big ass slab of bacon. I loves me a good big ASS slab of bacon. The salad was cut on the mandolin and was just dressed enough. You know, I'm talking skirt... not pants. The fish cake was a bit dry, and not even the hollandaise on top was saving it. It did taste good though, with just the right amount of dill and the yolk from the egg atop it, melting onto it. Mmmmm. The bacon was, you know, bacon: fatty and smoky awesomeness.

Service was a bit on the slow side. We had a nice welcome and quick water service at first, but then we waited what seemed like 8 hours for our food (I tend to exaggerate) and did not get more water until the end of our meal. They also didn't ask us if we liked it. I will also mention that they seemed to be overstaffed. Take care of yo peeps, especially when you are overstaffed! On the other hand, I must say that the dude at the bar, in front of us, was really quite nice and did flash his million dollar smile more than once :)

And now, the scores!

Food: 8
Service: 6

Ya, I'm going back for more brunch!

Perles et Paddock Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, August 3, 2018

King's Head

Fish n' chips first appeared in the 1860's in England and was spread throughout the UK in the 1930's. It's f*cking amazing and it's FRIED at its best. And THAT is all you need to know.
 
When Boo and I were in Galway, Ireland, in early July, two questions arose. ALL the time. 1. Are we having our next drink? And 2. Where are we having more fish n' chips. Fish n' chips is pretty much life over there, you know. OK, it is MY life. Same dif.
 
We had passed by King's Head in the Latin Quarter, on the main street, a couple times, before we went in. The place had a nice terrace at the back of the restaurant, also accessible by a little tunnel from the street. That is SO not well explained. Deal with it. The restaurant itself was quite big, with lots of movement! I just LOVED the pub ambiance. And this was more of a restaurant than a pub, so just imagine an actual PUB. I think we could've spent all day, every day, in a pub. Not necessarily drinking, but just hanging out, talking to the people, listening to awesome live music. And there I go, reminiscing. Ugh.
Let's begin. I really liked the way this cod (I'd say a LOT of the fish that is fried for this dish is cod) was deep fried. I liked the batter. It was different from other batter. I ain't no battexpert (ha, get it), but this one was so much fluffier and actually, rather lighter! The fish was perfectly moist (not sure what 'imperfectly moist' means.. I guess the word is dry) and that tartar sauce was just SO good. I think I legit fell in love with tartar sauce whilst in Ireland. You know what else I fell in love with? Well, except for a couple cute redheads, of course! That pea puree. Oh, that pea puree! With mint in there, it was the freshest thang on this side of town. Again, I'm making no sense. Anyhoot, that heavenly puree was just salty enough, and just tangy enough. Just imagine having, on your fork, a little piece of fish, slathered in tartar sauce and topped off with a bit of pea puree. HEA-VEN. This puree was LIFE!!! The chips, I could only describe as, well, larger and fatter fries. I loved them, but Bridge wasn't too keen. You know what that means, right? More for me! No wonder I gained, like, 4 pounds in one week!

Service was great throughout! We got our food quickly (in those cute-ass plates, no less!), and our drinks in a timely fashion too!

And now, the scores!

Food: 9
Service: 8

Yes and YES. Well, obviously, I ain't going back anytime soon. I can only WISH.

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Marusan

I was looking for a new resto to eat at with my Asian connection, Jer bear, and he told me about Marusan. I was like hells YES. And that's all the intro you need.
As soon as you step inside, the environment is so peaceful and loungy and very pleasant! It's quite a narrow space, so on one side, you have tables against the wall, and bigger ones on the other side. There's also a long counter at the bar, which makes the place look way bigger.
We shared everything, because, damn it, that's how we dso! We started off with the takowasabi. Lemme be clear here; anything with wasabi, I will taste. When I worked at Sushi Taxi, in Griffintown, I used to participate in wasabi eating competitions. Ya, I'm cool like that. Just making some kind of wrappy thing with the octopus in the nori was just freaking lovely. It was so fresh! The wasabi was strong, but hey, you don't order a dish with wasabi without thinking it'll be at least 15000 heat units on the Scoville scale. Duh. 15000 is highly approximate. Depends on the wasabi. I also have never used the scale. Whatever.
Otsumami cha-shu OR braised pork belly. Just by looking at it, the meat was falling apart. The tenderness on this was at a whole other level. The sauce was made out of mirin, sugar, sake, and according to our waitress, yuzu. There wasn't any yuzu in there. But, you know, good try :p This was such a simple dish but oh ma gawd was it ever good.
Tan tan udon. Sesame paste, ground pork, chili oil, sesame seeds, udon noodles. I loved the noodles, which were cooked to perf, and the crunchy veggies gave a nice contrast to the less crunchy thangs in there. This was just spicy enough. You know, just enough to make Jer bear cry a bit :p The sesame paste made it a thicker broth, which was quite welcomed. Yes, I WELCOME thick broth. The meat somewhat lacked in taste though. It just made the whole thing a bit bland. It was hard to believe, since there were so many tasty ingredients in there.
Pressed sushi: grilled mackerel. I lurve myself a good pressed sush! Hey, I didn't work in TWO sushi restos for FIVE years for nada! I am a sushi expert, yo! The sushi queen, some might say. That mackerel legit melted in my mouth and I loved the citrusy, gingery aspect of it! BUT, it wasn't the best, well executed, pressed sushi around: it kept on falling apart, which, let's face it, kinda sucks, especially for pressed sush.

Service was quick and efficient. Our food came quite quickly, and we had water on the table before even asking for it (now, THAT's the way you're supposed to do it SON!).

And now, les scores!

Food: 8
Service: 9

A great little Asian experience in a cute little Asian resto. Definitely on my I-might-go-back list!
 

Marusan Comptoir Japonais Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Café Parvis

Every time I eat breakfast with my dad, we eat at chains. OK, almost every time. I ain't supes fond of chains: always the same thing, plastic eggs, over/undercooked potatoes, too much sauce, tiny sausage (hehehe...tiny sausage :p ). When I have the opportunity to go to a non-chain resto with my dad, I jump on it. Well, it's more like I send him an email saying we should hit up that place. I'll send him the menu AND point out things that HE could eat. I have to be thorough if I want to eat a nice breaky! And so, a couple weeks ago, we met at Café Parvis!
The place itself is quite cute, but also a tad too hipster for me. It ain't bad, it's more like 'oh, we have bowl haircuts, and round glasses, and clothes from the 1980s'. Hahaha! I did enjoy all the greeney in there and the high ceilings, but it was a bit too much on the dark side for me. The atmosphere, at 7:30 am was calm and actually quite nice! I really dug the place itself, but the location, on a weird side-street kinda street, was kind of out of nowhere.
They have a small selection of breakfasts, written on a board at the cash: a small menu, just the way I like it! I had the pain doré with tomates confites (translates to candied tomatoes... but I'm not supes fond of that), lots of herbs, bacon, swiss cheese, and balsamic syrup. Mmm: balsamic syrup. That thick liquidy goodness makes everything better. Everything. I LOVED all the herbs that made everything more flavourful, but I found that they had thymegerated (come on, get with it!). The tomatoes were just lovely: not too oily and very savory! I was a bit disappointed by the bacon: it could have been thicker. I like me a good, nice slab of thick bacon. Let's face it, I love me some bacon. The bread was way too eggy in the middle; it was basically one big runny egg :p The cheese was, wait for it, cheeeesyyy! It completed this savory pain doré quite well.

The service was at the counter so I shant rate it, but I will say that we waited a sh*t long time for our food. For a girl that's hungry as soon as she wakes up, this did NOT please me.

And now, le score!

Food: 6.5

I'll probs go back, this time for lunch or dinner!


Cafe Parvis Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, June 29, 2018

Villa Wellington

I visited Villa Wellington a couple weeks back with ma gurl Bridge, because who isn't hungry after the gym? I had returned a couple weeks before from Cartagena in Colombia and really wanted to have South American cooking again and that lovely taste in ma mouth! And so, we headed to the Peruvian for lunch!

The place itself is lookin' somewhat out of style (ya, I KNOW style): old, wooden tables and chairs and an outdated wall colour. The music was all over the place: Spanish, French, English... dang!

The menu was also all over the place and way too big. Guys, know that a smaller and simpler menu is always better. Always. For yourself, for us AND for the kitchen. I'm gonna quote Nike and say JUST DO IT.
The guac. I'm a BIG sucker for a good guacamole. I love it. Every time it's on the menu, I order it. Every time I have avocados at home, I wanna make some. I just want to eat it all the time. I loved the fact that there were peppers in there, it gave it a good crunch! It was a REAL good guac; the only thing lacking was a bit of salt, we found. Apart from the lack of salt, it was totes up there, flavor AND texture wise. YUM.
I just HAD to have the ceviche. You have no clue how cray cray my friend Em and I went over a good ceviche when we were in Colombia. I'm serious when I say that if we could've, we would've eaten it 3 meals a day, every damn day. Every. Damn. DAY. It's funny because as soon as I mentioned to our waiter that I had been to Cartagena and that I had absolutely LOVED their ceviche, he quickly stopped smiling and said 'it's not the same'! Dang, competition much? Apart from the sweet potatoes (what the), it really resembled the good cevich (NOT a mistake, say it with assurance) we had in Colombia. The pieces were a tad big, but there were lots of onions, just the way I like it, and it wasn't too sour with the lime. There were also some hot peppers in the mix, which was just lovely and spicy enough! All in all, a great little cevich that ALMOST won over Colombia's :p The bestest and simplest was found at this resto close to our hostel called Tecado. 7$ went a LONG way! We might even go back to Cartagena just for a little bite of that ceviche. Just sayin'.

Service was very quick and efficient. Apart from the tiny bit of attitude I detected when I told him I had just come back from Cartagena, he was quite good at his job :) We also got water rather quickly and he came to ask if our meal was good.

And now, les scores!

Food: 8
Service: 8

If I do crave ceviche at some point, I'm for sure going to think about going back to Villa Wellington!

Villa Wellington Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Monday, June 25, 2018

Pimms -- the Francesinha

I went to Porto recently with my friend Mona, because, damn it, that's how we do. On our before last day, we went to a restaurant called Pimms and we decided to try what every Portonian (it's happenin') is eating/talking about: the Francesca. No. The Francisconiah. NO. The Francesinha! Hahaha. This was only to illustrate how we tried saying that word 28 times before getting it right once, and then f*cking it up the other times.
A Francesinha is an abominable looking piece of food. Seriously. It is FULL of things. Listen (or read) to this: bread, ham, sausage, steak OR roast beef, covered with melted cheese and a tomato and beer sauce. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat! It reminds me of a sloppy joe, no? This dish was surprisingly way more expensive than anything (no wonder, with all that meat!) on any menu. So, we SHARED a HALF. Hahaha! Go big or go home, but the opposite.
 
I believe I wrote that it was 'a pile of stuff''. That pretty much sums it up. Whoever had this idea was on some hard drugs. But probably just too much pot. HAHAHA. Munchiiiiies! The whole thing was somewhat overcooked and the meat was hard. The sauce was quite tasty though! Silver lining... always find the silver lining. It was kind of like a grilled cheese on steroids.
 
All in all, we were disappointed with the experience.
 
Score: 5
 
And they never ordered a Francesinha again.

Pimms Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato