Ren@41 - Review

This past Friday I decided to take some friends out to a nice dinner for a little taste of luxury in downtown Kitchener at The Ren@41.  It is an interesting looking little building with a cool modern city design. As we arrived, the hostess took our coats and brought us to our table. I liked the lengthy layout of the restaurant because although there were quite a few tables, it felt like a cozy little bistro. Shortly after we were sat, our waiter came to get us something to drink. I was pleasantly surprised with the drink menu, there were quite a few original and innovative cocktails to choose from which made my decision rather difficult. I decided to try the coconut mango margarita and could not have been happier. It was tangy, sweet, and refreshing - a great way to start my meal. The four of us decided to share two appetizers and we chose the fried risotto balls and the pistachio crusted brie. What I enjoyed most about the appetizers was how well everything on the plate mingled together. The risotto balls had a rich, creamy, smoky flavour and was well balanced with some peppery arugula and a bright tomato sauce with just a little kick. The brie was also a good choice, it was warm and gooey just like it should be and the port soaked cherries added a lovely sweet element to the dish. I enjoyed the classic combinations - crisp and creamy, salty and sweet. Overall the appetizers were wonderful and perfect for sharing,



Next was the main course, I was happy to see Cornish hen on the menu as it is slightly less common. The display of the dish on a long plate provided an elegant effect to the presentation. The use of symmetry on the plate kept the dish looking tidy and organized. The flavour of the Cornish hen was lovely, especially paired with a glass of Chardonnay. The hen was well seasoned, instead of covering up the natural flavour of the hen they accented the flavour and let the hen speak for itself. It was served on a bed of beet relish, which accompanied the hen quite nicely. The legs, stuffed with bacon, leeks and goats cheese, was delicious however the meat was just slightly rubbery - not under cooked but the texture was just not quite right. The flavours of the hen mixed well with the herb mashed potatoes, while they had a unique flavour they did not overpower the dish. 

Lastly was the dessert, although the server forgot to ask about coffee or tea when we asked about dessert our server brought us a plate with the a display of the desserts available, I chose to get the raspberry panna cotta and was pleasantly surprised. The presentation was nothing special but it tasted delicious, it was light, airy and not too sweet. It was a nice way to end the meal because it was not too heavy





Overall, the restaurant was a lovely experience, I really enjoyed the flavours and they mingled well together creating a real composition. The only complaint was that the dark meat was just slightly rubbery, however I would absolutely go back for another night out!

Nick and Nats Uptown 21, Review

This weekend, I decided to indulge a little bit and took a trip to Nick and Nats Uptown 21 with a friend. As we arrived the hostess took our coats and lead us to our table. Very soon after we were seated, our server came to welcome us, she filled our water and offered us a drink. I took a sip of my water and was pleasantly surprised by the crisp clear taste that does not normally accompany Waterloo city water. We then took a look at the menu and lo and behold they offered an a la carte menu as well as a choice to have a 3 or 4 course meal with a set price. I, of course, chose to get the 4 course meal. Each course had two options. For my first course I chose a whitefish ceviche. It was very fresh, light and the beet chips added a nice crisp texture. Overall it was a lovely dish to start with, however it was slightly too bitter. My next course was mussels in a tomato kalamata broth. The mussels were cooked perfectly, many restaurants overcook the mussels and they end up dense and chewy however these mussels were light and tasty. The broth used canned tomatoes which normally I would be opposed to but it gave a heavier more winter-ish composition. The mussels were also served with fries as opposed to garlic bread which was a nice change. Once again, it was heavier but still delicious.

 My main course was a boar chop with a Mediterranean couscous.

 The couscous had a deliciously strong full flavour, however the boar chop was too salty. I definitely preferred the boar to pork because it was beefier, and not quite as lean, however the seasoning seemed to be overdone, particularly salt. There was too much salt and unfortunately it took away from the entire plate.







 Lastly was the dessert, I chose the Mexican spice pudding and was pleasantly surprised. It was not too sweet compared to most desserts I have had in the past. It was bold, creamy and rich. I would absolutely order it again but after three courses it was a little large.












Overall Nick and Nat's had some very powerful flavours, most of which were great, however in some cases they used too much salt bringing the overall dish down.

King Street Trio - Review

This afternoon I decided to pamper myself a little bit, so I decided to have a nice lunch with a friend. We were walking down King St.and stopped in a lovely little restaurant called King Street Trio and I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered the oysters as my appetizer and they were great! I mean, its not difficult to have great oysters as long as they're fresh, but what I enjoyed about these oysters was that the dressings (chillies, grated horse radish and cucumber mignonette) came on the side so you could add as much as you like. It was a lovely combination, however, I did not anticipate the strength of the ingredients which caused me to overdress my oysters. They were obviously still great but a little too strong. Next was my main - a mushroom risotto with manchego cheese, rapini, and pearl onions. It was absolutely gorgeous. The presentation was beautiful and the flavours were inspiring. It was a lovely gooey creamy risotto which came with a side of baby broccoli. The broccoli could have been great but there was a clear lack of attention. This is something I have often noticed with a majority of fine dining restaurants - the main dish is wonderfully done but the sides are given little to no attention. What would bring these restaurants to the next level is for them to put in enough care for the vegetables as they do for the meat. I mean, I love meat as much as the next carnivore but I love vegetables just as much and I would love nothing more than to enjoy the side dish as much as I enjoy the main course.

Service is another important part of fine dining. Of course we pay for delicious food but we are also paying for excellent service and King Street Trio had wonderful service. We were checked on frequently, but not too much that the server was pestering us, and most of all, we felt taken care of. Overall it was a great meal. Going out for a luxurious meal is one of my favourite ways to pamper myself and I definitely felt pampered! I will gladly visit King Street Trio again!

Angies Kitchen Review

This weekend after a long, but fun, night out, my friends and I decided to go for brunch. We went to Angie's Kitchen in downtown Waterloo. It is a cute little restaurant and bakery and although the restaurant is not anything exceptional the bakery is pretty great, specifically their cinnamon buns!

 Cinnabon has a reputation for making the best cinnamon buns however the cinnamon buns at Angies were amazing. They are fresh baked - warm and soft - and they have the perfect balance of cinnamon, sugar, and icing! Not too rich, not too bland. Angies is a humble little bakery that has a few very nice pastries and baked goods, the restaurant side provides brunch, although the brunch was not exceptional it is good quality for your money. They have a wide range of breakfast options that are within the student price range. It has become a favourite for my group of friends after a night out. The atmosphere is pleasant, the food is good and the price is reasonable. My suggestion is to definitely get a cinnamon bun and I can guarantee I will be back to try some other items from the bakery!