Before heading to Elmira, I was trying to figure out the perfect plan to avoid the crowd. Should I head over early in the morning, or late in the afternoon? However, I soon realized there was absolutely no way to avoid the crowd.

It was like that ALL DAY!

It is best to go with a small group of friends or family. In that way, you will be able to try out as many different food as possible but not lose each other in the crowd. Important tip – pace yourself! Never start with eating a gigantic gyro or you’ll be too stuffed to have any other delicious items on sale there.

A typical Maple eating style – dessert first.

Funnel Cake with whipped cream & berries - $10

After eating the deep fried dough,  there’s the legendary deep fried Mars Bars…

Deep Fried Mars Bars - $6

… not for the weak-hearted. Some crazy profit though, $6 to deep fry mars bars which typically cost around $1!

Why Mars Bars, I’ve been wondering. Deep fried KitKat? Deep fried Hersheys? Deep fried Snickers? Deep fried Kinder surprise!!? Just don’t think about the calories. What you don’t know won’t hurt you… right? ;)

German potato pancake - $3

We couldn’t decide which condiment would be the best so a bit of everything – ketchup, mustard, sour cream… and maple syrup. The syrup was in a huge container which labeled Apple Cider so I had to ask the vendor -

Potato pancakes goes with apple cider?!

That was a small pancake appetizer before our pancake entree. To the right of the main crowded street were pancake tents. Many volunteers helping to serve piping hot pancakes with generous portions of maple syrup. I spoke to a vendor at around noon and they’ve already sold more than 3000 pitas. Imagine the number of pancakes made that day!

Thank you for making pancakes!

$4 for one and $5 for two. Both options include a drink – milk, coffee or tea.

Eat your pancakes with Maple and Syrup

After an overdose of sweets, we decided it was time for some savoury.

Potato and Chedder perogies - $6

Pulled pork burger - $5

Maple Burger - $3.50

We were about to leave at this point, but did not want to go without having arguably most popular item there. The vendor ran out of them and had to re-order from St. Jacobs. However, the traffic was terrible so it took quite a while. After a grueling 1 hour wait…

Turkey Drumsticks - $8

The triumphant feeling

A Saturday well spent – 5 hours there! If you missed out this year, be sure to check it out next year!

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…

As winter approaches, I’m constantly craving for two things – a bowl of warm comforting soup and a plate of greasy flavorful  BBQ. Hidden in a small plaza at Laurelwood  is Hog Tails BarBQue, Waterloo’s first down home barbecue restaurant.

Tucked away from the major areas in Waterloo, this place is rather tricky to find, something intended by the owner. This family restaurant is modeled after the best barbecue joints in the States, where the good ones are always located at hard-to-reach spots. Entering the restaurant, I was greeted by walls covered with pictures of adventures and BBQ competitions which the owners participated in at US.

Wall of memories

Brightly coloured walls accented the jolly atmosphere. As a cosy family-owned restaurant, the store is rather small so many customers prefer ordering take-outs. I shared a dish with my lady dining partner – serving size was so huge that we could barely finish!

BBQ sampler platters - BBQ chicken, Southern Style pulled pork and Texas beef brisket

The BBQ sampler platter($16.99) includes three meats (choice of ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken or hot wings) and two sides (I chose sweet potato fries and molasses baked beans). My favourite was the BBQ chicken. Not usually a huge fan of chicken, I was so pleased with the tenderness of it and agree with what’s written on the menu:

We bet this chicken is the juiciest smoked chicken around!

Oh, did I mention that they have AWESOME sweet potato fries?

Hog Tails is an excellent restaurant with sincere service, generous portions and reasonable prices. Check out their website for some barbecuing tips and check out their store for some authentic Southern cuisine.

Happy holidays! Stay safe, warm and continue visiting loudlunch in the new year!

The casualty of this down-home goodness is, alas, the presentation and general dining experience.   Finding a Carribean place that you would willingly take a new girlfriend to for Saturday lunch is … often challenging.  Rest assured, Rainbow Caribbean Cuisine suffers from all of these conditions, especially the dripping rich, homey food part.   We went for lunch this week, and lost one on the way because the place looks like an expensive cafeteria.  Once we finally ordered the “small lunch” for $9, seriously enjoyed the soup on a cold winter day, and barely finished our meals we knew we did the right thing.

Soup Goat Love

I’ve been complaining a lot about the poor restaurant feel in Kitchener lately. The lunchtime vibe downtown is pretty weak unless you’re willing to shell out $20 every time you leave the office (ie. go to Bolero). And seriously, Rainbow is one of the worst offenders. It feels like a high school cafeteria, especially since there’s a crowd of people lined up at lunch getting styrofoam to-go orders.

Yet the reality is that there is a line-up. Every lunch, a crowd of young people come in for the most filling, non-deep-friend lunch special on King St (just north of Frederick St.). For $9+ you get a soup or salad (get the soup), plantain, and your choice of meat.  The choices are standard Caribbean fare like curried goat and jerk chicken. My friends got the chicken, I got the goat, and either way you can’t go wrong. It’s coupled with rice, noodles, and tastes very home-made.

Small Lunch aka lies.

What else is there to say?  The “small lunch” describes this feast poorly.  Get some Irish Moss if you like Mexican horchata (or milky seaweed products).  This is my third time here for lunch and I’ll be going back whenever I have a cold and feel the need for comfort food.  The soup alone constitutes a small meal.

Downtown Kitchener is actually blessed with two top-notch Caribbean joints, Rainbow and Ellison’s Bistro.  Ellison’s I’m a fan of (as are many people), and will write about a little later.  In the mean time, feel free to stop by Rainbow and congratulate them on how little their decor changed given that their storefront was torn down and replaced a few months ago.  And enjoy.