Located in the midst of all the crazy shopping on Queen Street West, this cafe is always packed with people regardless of the time during the day. The food usually takes a while, perhaps a standard 15-20 minute wait. However, the service received was always prompt and polite.

Unique and rustic decor

The restaurant is a little over-crowded, I must say. The booths are wonderful but individual tables are arranged too close together. It was not a problem over-hearing the couple at the next table discuss about their day during a weekday dinner, or the group of girlfriends talk about their latest purchases during a weekend brunch. Maybe a little too close for comfort. However, this did not stop me from returning for five meals!

One late snowy night, I went to get take out from Queen Mother Cafe. It was a long 20 minute wait before my order came but the server considerately provided a glass of water while I was waiting. WHY, did I still go in when it was insanely packed with people on a weekday night and wait so long for a take out?! Well, my brother came to visit from Waterloo and our conversation went like that:

Maple: You HAVE TO go to Queen Mother Cafe!

Brother: For?

Maple: The Ping Gai!

Brother: The Ping… what?

Maple: Ping Gai Ping Gai Ping Gai!!!

As he was too lazy to venture into the cold for that dish with a name typically unheard of, I bravely volunteered my services as I desperately wanted to share this lovely dish.

The legendary Ping Gai

The Ping Gai ($16.95) simply means Laotian Barbecued Roast Chicken. It was one scrumptious meal with juicy flavourful chicken! Served with a side salad, steamed jasmine rice as well as a spicy lime coriander dipping sauce. The chef is definitely not stingy with the portion of perfectly roasted chicken served.

I consider myself pretty adventurous when it comes to trying out new dishes at restaurants. However, I ordered this dish three times out of my five visits. Other dishes which I tried with my various dining partners were the Curry Vegetable Roti ($14.95), Grilled Flatiron Steak ($21), Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni ($14.95), Crispy Calamari ($9.50) and Spicy Pumpkin Dip ($8.95). The items seem a little pricey but serving portions are generous. There is also a separate Sunday brunch menu.

If you ask me what kind of restaurant this is, I will not be able to answer you.

Thai? It serves Pai Thai.

Laos? It serves Ping Gai.

Chinese? It serves Dim Sum.

Western? It serves steak and interesting salads.

Indian? It serves Curry Vegetable Roti.

Italian? It serves Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni.

Cafe? It serves good cappucino.

Bar? It serves a variety of drinks.

Awesome? Yes it is!

This will be the place to go if one is undecided on what type of food they’d like because Queen Mother Cafe seems to offer everything! I might not be brave enough to order something else other than my beloved Ping Gai though…

This is Maple’s first entry blogging from fair Toronto, as part of her foreign assignment :)  More K/W reviews, as well as other Toronto reviews, to come! – Dariusz

I love crepes. They are like pancakes’ mysterious cousin – there are always hidden treasures in them. Even just a simple sweet banana and Nutella crepe, or the savoury ones with cheeeese, I love ‘em all. After trying out numerous crepe restaurants in Waterloo, Toronto and Montreal, I have yet to find one that is better than the The Art Square Cafe & Crepe, which is located right in downtown Toronto.

Located directly opposite the Art Gallery of Ontario, this cafe doesn’t have the look of a typical modern downtown restaurant. The signature red patio umbrella and crepe sign board with information of weekly specials is what I look forward to everytime I head over to Toronto.

Crepes with Illys coffee

Walking into the cafe, the outer half is an art gallery while the inner half is a cafe. There are many unique art pieces for sale for the art lovers. The cosy place only holds about 8 tables so reservation is recommended if heading there during the busy weekend brunch hours. There is also a nice enclosed patio which will be open when it is not -20 degrees.

Chef at work

Art Square Cafe has an open concept kitchen. You can see your order being freshly prepared with high quality ingredients. Having gone there countless times, I am proud to say that I’ve tried most of their menu items. With a wide variety of savoury and sweet crepes, I shall recommend two of my ultimate favourites.

The smoked salmon & goat cheese buckwheat crepe ($11.95) and chocolate fondue for two ($16.50).

You have a choice of white or buckwheat but I usually opt for the latter, which is nuttier and flavourful.

The smoked salmon is served with goat cheese and a small organic salad. There is a mystery green sauce spread between the crepe layers, which is made from dill, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. I love how the dish comes with a whole chunk of cheeeeese!

The Art Square Cafe has various  dessert crepes with fruits, nuts or berries. There are also special desserts like the homemade truffles, profiteroles as well as Tiramisu with vodka flambe. However, the chocolate fondue still remains as my favourite. Made with rich dark chocolate, I was initially worried that two of us will not be able to finish the generous serving. However, that wasn’t a problem at all. It was SO GOOD!

What sets the crepes here apart from the rest is its texture. With savoury, the crepes are crisp and thin, yet not dry and too crunchy. With the sweet fondue, the crepes are extremely chewy and soft. Every bite feels like heaven (to me!).

Wow. Just wow.

Compared with other establishments where crepes are pre-prepared and stacked, waiting for orders, or where crepes are just made mindlessly without sincerity, this place shows them what a good ole’ crepe should taste like.

Anyway, off on my hunt for new crepe places!

]]> http://loudlunch.com/2011/02/art-square-cafe-crepe/feed/ 6 http://loudlunch.com/2010/12/sad-news-cafe-bolero-is-closing/ http://loudlunch.com/2010/12/sad-news-cafe-bolero-is-closing/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:31:19 +0000 dariusz http://loudlunch.com/2010/12/sad-news-cafe-bolero-is-closing/ Last night I went to Café Gallery Bolero on Water Street downtown Kitchener, had some espresso, and heard some bad news.  Bolero is a very popular business lunch restaurant, one of the few approachable-yet-fine Italian dining places in the area.  Like most of their guests that night, I was very surprised to find out that they are shutting their doors in a week.

The Record reported on the upcoming closure.  I had a chance to speak to some of the staff about it, and sure enough it’s due to complications arising from the situation that the Eaton Loft block is in.  The restaurant was supposed to move to the MCL building at the corner of King and Water (where Desire2Learn used to be before moving to the Tannery), but City Hall red tape and nit-picking discouraged everyone involved (or that was the gist of it).

Loudlunch would like to lend our vocal support to the restaurant and its ownership.  If you can, please continue to operate in the area.  I understand that the family also owns a Bolero at the Kitchener Market, but the atmosphere, lunchability, and operating hours there just aren’t the same.

Get in there while the getting’s good.

At least they have nice doors.

I’ve read many reviews about the terrific food and terrible service at Hometown Eatery and was very prepared for them. Perhaps a little toooo prepared, both my visits were met with the total opposite. Perfect service and mediocre food.

My server’s name is Becca and she’s definitely one of the best server I’ve had in Waterloo so far – friendly, prompt and very welcoming. In addition, a lot of thought has been put into the menu. There are interesting names for dishes such as The KISS (Keep It Simple Sandwiches), Purple Velvet (Beet soup; daily special) and Yummy/Snoppy/Flirty Burgers. I tried the grilled salmon sandwich ($14) and gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with brie ($10).

$10 for a grilled cheese?

The exotic brie grilled cheese was definitely better than the grilled salmon, contrary to what I expected. It was warm and simple whereas the grilled salmon was dry. Hometown’s Eatery is supposedly famous for its cakes so I tried a strawberry cheesecake. Being a huge cheesecake fan, I was a little disappointed. It was okay, but nothing too fantastic. Perhaps the wrong cake?

If I ever return for another meal, it’ll definitely be for the cosy atmosphere, awesome service and quirky menu items. For the food? Meh, maybe not.

Also, it might be a bad idea to visit on an extremely cold day because they charge $1 for just a cup of warm water.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about the service.  Well, they weren’t mixed, they are universally so-so.   To be quite frank, it’s a cafe that deals mostly in dessert and sandwiches, so I don’t expect much in terms of service.  I’ve had coffee at a cafe in France and wanted to knock the server out with a punch to his mouth. I’ve dined in the Southern US where I wanted to hug everyone that worked at the diner.  Symposium falls somewhere in the middle, and that’s about right.

All Day Breakfast and Burgers, Together at Last!

Our table ordered two breakfasts, and I had the Symposium burger.  Everything was good-to-go, nothing to write home about, but the burger was much bigger and tastier than I expected. The fries come with some garlic mayo, and it’s a great touch.  I should’ve asked for more.  Jeff ordered a side of sausage, and he got a really tasty treat.  It’s not the lame, pinky breakfast sausage you get at most places, it was some sort of large, tasty, spicy sausage that he had wrapped up to go.  Get the sausage, skip the bacon, if you’re ordering breakfast!

The cafe is, of course, popular for its fancy coffee.  The cafe mocha I ordered was not what I expected .. much sweeter and richer (more rich?) than I was ready for.  If I can make one suggestion to the barista: unsweetened chocolate would take it down a notch and make the drink less Tim Horton’sy.

Cafe Mocha, Half-eaten Burger, Jeff with Breakfast

But yeah, overall the experience was positive (it has been every time I’ve gone).  Decent food, decent prices, decent coffee, decent service … the whole being more enjoyable than the sum of its parts.

The Loss of a Close Friend

As some people in real life (irl)  know, I have this favourite mug that I stole from someone some time ago.  The mug has a picture of Spongebob Squarepants going to the office, all disheveled and unshaven, toting his little briefcase.  He’s all fucked up, obviously had a big weekend.  On the other side of the mug, it simply says: Mondays.  This mug is perfect.

Correction, was perfect.  Until I dropped him down the stairs at the office, trying to get my stair-ercise in for the day.

Obviously, it happened on a Monday.  Have a great week everybody!

Rest in Peace, Spongebob Monday Mug

Burger at Bobby’s

So as many downtown drinkers know, there used to be this really popular pub called The Still in downtown Kitchener. It got taken over by those London/Guelphites at Partytown, renamed Bobby O’Briens, and boasts some pretty great daily specials!  The special wings are tiny, but the burgers on Wednesdays are a huge hit.

Their cheeseburger is called the Shanahan Burger, and at $4.99+ with fries it’s the best lunch burger ever a refreshingly great deal. The salad-substitution is a reasonable $1.50. Order a Rickard’s White to accompany and you have yourself some lunchtime conversation.

Six Burger Specials, Please!

Nougat Bakery, One Day

The Nougat Bakery and Deli, for those that are lucky enough to live in the Victoria Park area of town, is the hidden treasure on Queen’s Blvd that is not only popular for lunch, but has a solidly stocked Polish deli, a great cafe, and a wicked sweets selection.

I stop in for Illy coffee for take-out every once in a while and highly recommend it for a stop-over on the way home.  This blog will feature something about their lunch special at some point, I’m sure.  The KW Record published a great review of the cafe last spring.

Cross Cultural Food Love

My friends at the Toronto Review published a really great photo essay on food in Palestine.

TorontoReview.ca: Mana'eesh in Palestine

The attention to aesthetics and the social nature of eating is a nice change from Canadian working lunch reality, and the pictures remind me of street food at its finest. We need inspiration for more street food, and street vending, in this country.