loudlunch » patios

Marbles Casual Fine Dining

Maple — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 01:56:04 +0000

If you’re driving along King street in Uptown Waterloo, Marbles might be difficult to spot due to ongoing construction. This restaurant is housed in a lovely little cottage with fantastic patio, and has been in Waterloo since 1977. Its quirky vintage stone-house look made me excited even before entering.

I was pleasantly surprised by the interior deco of the restaurant. With expectations of a bar atmosphere, I was greeted with cozy booths and wooden seats. The brick wall on one side, in combination with the dark red wall on the other, gave the ambiance a deep, romantic and mysterious touch. Wooden pillars with flowers and round bulbs also contributed to a unique dining experience.

Cozy Interior

The service was prompt. Despite reading about Marbles being extremely busy on the weekends, it was unusually quiet at noon on Saturday. Perfect for a lazy afternoon. I ordered the Ratatouille ($14.99) and the Lamb Burger with Chevrai ($12.99), with spinach salad instead of fries for an addition of $2.

Similar to how Blackberry and Apple are no longer associated with fruits at first thought, Ratatouille triggers an image of the Pixar rat instead of a dish. It is actually a traditional French stewed vegetable dish. The one at Marbles has zucchini, sweet peppers, eggplant and tomatoes topped with cheddar and mozzarella. You can also substitute it with chevrai (goat cheese) for $2.

Served with whole wheat bun

My dining partner enjoyed the Ratatouille very much but I prefer the Lamb Burger. The lamb patty was very tender and flavourful. However, the burger was served with raspberry mint sauce on the side which I did not quite fancy. Unique but strange combination I should say. The Ratatouille was simple, warm and nice but perhaps a little pricey.

Marbles is definitely a place worth visiting again. It has various specials everyday – 2 for 1 burgers on Monday, 2 for 1 wings on Tuesday, pasta Thursday, prime ribs Saturday etc. Hopefully the construction right in front of it will be completed fairly soon.

Cora’s: The Healthy Brunch

Maple — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:15:35 +0000

Brunch is a genius combination of breakfast and lunch. Who can resist a hearty meal of eggs, sausages, toast, waffles and pancakes? I can have breakfast foods for all three meals without getting sick of them.

Though I’ve never been a huge fan of restaurant chains, I’ve been very addicted to Canada’s 113th Cora’s Breakfast & Lunch at The Shops in Waterloo Town Square.

Located in the heart of Waterloo, Cora’s markets herself as a healthy breakfast place. It offers the typical diner breakfasts with a healthy twist – loads of fruits together with your french toast or pancakes drenched in maple syrup. The exciting variety of fruits and generous serving size is what constantly draws me back to Cora’s. Fruits are delicately carved, which means orders sometimes take a while. However, do not be intimidated by the long line up for weekend brunch, turnover is usually pretty fast and you’ll get seated in no time.

Heaps of fruit!

My favourite is the Buckwheat Blessing. Sausages in buckwheat crepes, topped with cheese. Yumms. However, I think the Crepomelette won in terms of uniqueness – crepes stuffed with omelette!

The cosy atmostphere and booths of the restaurant sets the right mood for a great meal, especially now that the patio is open. Service is prompt and friendly, perhaps a little slow when they get too busy during the prime brunch hours on the weekends. Other than that, everyone’s all smiles like the Cora’s sun. They also feature interesting fruit facts. Did you know that pineapples are berries and strawberries aren’t fruits?!

There’s always freshly made fudge at the cashier so feel free to grab some before leaving.

Instead of see you again, see you tomorrow!

If only Cora’s was open all day instead of only till 4pm, then I’ll start eating breakfast for dinner. After all, they say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”!

Patios in Kitchener: The Hunt Begins

dariusz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:24:01 +0000

Oh Waterloo, ~~you less exciting version of Mississauga~~, you win this round! You have Ethel’s, the Duke, Rude Native, Morty’s, Fox and Fiddle, McMullan’s, and all sorts of awesome summer patios. Kitchener may have Bobby O’Briens, but it’s facing the wrong way! 5 PM beers with a slight shadow aren’t what I’m looking for on St. Patrick’s Day.

Help Me Help You! (by finding patio bars)

If anyone knows of any sweet, underrated patios between downtown Kitchener and uptown Waterloo, please share! I will update this list as I find awesome places. They will be in my unscientific order of preference.

Kitchener Patios

Bobby O’Briens – Large patio right dowtown, complete with beach volleyball court and a bar right there on the deck. Good lunch specials.
One Eyed Jacks – Sketchy and cheap, convenient location, inexpensive deliciously greasy food. Great for after-softball. Opens for the summer season only.
City Cafe Bakery – Small, quaint, and super busy on nice Saturday afternoons.

Waterloo Patios

Ethel’s Lounge – Great patio with questionable service. Taco Tuesday is the best day ever, weekly. The long patio season and a diverse crowd make for a local success!
Heuther Hotel – 2nd Floor – The serious local favourite. (Thanks CJ)
Symposium Cafe – Out the back of the cafe, which has great breakfast and fancy coffee.
University Plaza – McGinnis Front Row, Mongolian Grill all have fun patios. (Thanks Dave)
The Bombshelter – On campus but still a great patio (Thanks Dave)