Wurst (Restaurant & Beer Hall)

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Zooma Zooma

http://www.zoomazoomacafe.ca

Recommended to us after our visit to the family owned Calamus winery, we made our way after tasting some beautiful white wines.

APPEARANCE
light and lively
Not the easiest to find on Lincoln's busy Main Street, our friend was quick enough to spot the slab-serif "z" in a small red circle. From the outside, beige blue siding with blue and white details, the best part was the halved bowling pin door handle.



NOSE
rose petal, honeysuckle
The interior inside welcomed us with magenta red walls and a hand painted purple texture on top. Perhaps their inspiration was taken from the orchid flowers on the tables. My favourite part was the skylight area in the middle of the room with vinyl disks stylishly used for the interior decoration.


SWIRL
nectarine, litchi, hint of oak
As we settled down on one of their circular middle table, our menus arrived. Yes, Cheri felt special noticing the rectangle at the menu's header being almost the same wooden texture as our table. The young waiter let us know that their daily special was Breaded Parmesan Chicken and their daily soup - Cream Broccoli.
For drinks, ma sœur got a glass of the Calamus Pinot Gris we just tried, while I decided to give their Echos (Tawse) Riesling a try. Not one of my bright ideas, the Riesling was citrusy, dry and plane. The Pinot Gris was quite lovely though, sweet, peachy, off-dry. I slightly pushed Cheri for the Kensington beer, none of us had heard of it. He is not a big beer fan so we ended up switching. The Kensington Augusta Ale was great, smooth with a floral nose, I really enjoyed it.
I went for their special, with soup instead of salad in the side. Cheri got the Smoked Salmon Croissant. We also asked for their House Frites for the table. With light music in the background and lots of energy in the room, we waited. (perhaps it was the awesome company adding)

PALATE
a buttery character; smooth, a bit heavy and spicy; 
truly delightful
Turns out I also got their House Frites on the side anyways. The Breaded Chicken was between thick buns, with tomato-onion salsa - a very heavy dish. The broccoli soup was great, a tad spicy but perfect for the chilli day. It came with dried, flat bread topped by sesames. Their Frites were pretty good, they came with sea salt on them and two sides - an interesting curry-mayo and smokey ketchup. Cheri's Smoked Salmon Croissant had cucumbers, red onion and a creamy dill sauce to go with the smoked salmon - light and delicious. The croissant was a bit on the hard, crispy side, but I thought it was better than a fresh, tender one which would've flattened after the first bite.

FINISH
all comes together into a beautiful light aftertaste
Great ambiance, company, food and alcohol choices - definitely worth coming back!

Overall, a unique oaked Gewutraminer, definitely a new favourite.

Elle M'a Dit

http://ellemadit.com/
Baldwin in the summer.. charming, warm and full of life. (I used to live in the area) Ever since my chouchou sis mentioned of this new place opening, its been on our radar.

APPEARANCE
unique label, deep red wine
A black board with the menus clipped on the street, in front of this small brick house; adorable script wordmark on a bordeaux-red siding, and a food doodle-like illustration on the side wall. Before the entrance - a stone patio with long wooden benches, which I'd love to see it in the summertime!

NOSE
sweet oak, blackberry, plum
Once in, there are tall, narrow, wooden stairs leading upstairs. I sneaked a view of the charming bay window table and bar before we were greeted and walked upstairs. The place was roomy due to the lovely tall ceilings. It was also mysterious and elegant with its upstairs level all wood. The interior was completed with white walls, red window frames and four wooden beams in the middle which had hangers on them (a good design solution). 

SWIRL
hints of licorice, earth meld
We sat at a cute side table and a sweet, timid asian lady gave us our Modern Alsatian Cuisine Lunch menu. We got water very quickly and she informed us of their daily specials. The menu consists of Tarte flambées and Sandwiches mainly. It is very well organized with plenty of breathing space. Soon after we noticed the wine menu on the back and handwritten on the wall's blackboard. After some time of being excited to spend some time together and forgetting we need to make some decisions, the waitress was back. We asked about their wines. Sylvaner 2010 from Alsace, we saw and had to check what it is. She was relatively knowledgable. By the sounds of it, Sylvaner would be definitely one my sister would enjoy. I asked for their Pinot Noir after agreeing on their Tarte Portobello and daily Sandwich.

PALATE
sumptuous textures, round tannins, one-of-a-kind character
We had so much to catch up on, that I would be a poor judge on our time before all arrived. The Sylvaner was lovely - light, fruity, hints of minerals and semi-dry. The Pinot was worthwhile as well, very typical.My sandwich arrived with mixed greens, cranberry, sunflower seeds salad on the side. The sourdough bread was grill-pressed and inside was the intense combination of caramelized onions and sauerkraut on top of the marinated hanger steak with a hint of their unique horseradish mayo. Perhaps a dish more suited for dinner and to be enjoyed with a heavier red wine. The Tarte Portobello had chunks of portobello, tad of sundried tomatoes and grated gruyere on top. The tart itself was like a very thin pita bread, oven-baked with all the lovely ingredients on top. It was an artisan dish - more for snacking then a substantial meal. However sharing both with my sis, it all worked out.
We lingered on our flavourful food, light wine and lovely company. We felt very private as it was getting later on in the afternoon.We next decided to share their famous tart flambée for dessert with some of their Kusmi-Tea. I picked their St-Petersburg (citrus, red fruit and caramel) while my sis got the classic Darjeeling black tea. They came very quick together with the flambee. I was not that fond of this tart flambée - apple, cinnamon and some cinnamon formage blanc. I would definitely recommend some honey to it, as opposed to the described cinnamon sugar (and something more..perhaps some nuts). The flambé would be a dream-come-true for any cinnamon lovers out there, though. With the lovely tea, it really made us feel like its snowing outside, on this light, sunny day.

FINISH
long, ripe, smoky finish
And so with the light french music in the background, time just seemed to slow down..it turned out we spent hours in there, we realized, as we were the last ones in the restaurant; an hour after it was supposed to close for lunch.. oooops!
I must add, we got our bill with a lovely business card.. thick, symmetrical, well spaced out - a pleasure to my eyes and fingers. thanks!

overall.. a complex Bordeaux with a strong character.

Chinese Traditional Bun

http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/chinesetraditionalbuns

A good friend of mine brought me here once a few years back and I loved it.

APPEARANCE

brick red, unattractive, crammed bottle design

A shabby, basement-like entrance, thank god for their sign sticking out for people to notice it off Dundas. Next to it, on the tiled wall are 4 food shots leading to the main large red sign with yellow letters screaming for attention.

NOSE

bourbon, maple scents

Once you enter, the metal kitchen on the left really adds to the aromas around. At lunch time you can see the chef stretching and hitting the long noodles near the entrance. This time cheri and I were one of the few people there. We were rather early for dinner though. There is a small arc between the two dining areas. Beige walls, brown lines on them matching the brown chairs, yellow lights, red carpets and tablecloths. I've seen their efficient clean up, since all the tables are covered with layers of white plastic; once done, the ends are placed to the middle and all on the table is wrapped up and taken to the kitchen. 

A younger lady told you to sit as we wish. Each table has their own pile of sauces/spices. She placed the menus on the table with a sheet of paper and a pencil, so I figured she might not feel too comfortable speaking english. It turns, her english was great. She asked what we want to drink. Cheri just asked for tea and the served us a teapot with regular green tea, along with two tiny cups.

SWIRL

a lot going on; hints of bread-yeast smell

Their menus were red with white type and yellow boarder and chinese style ink art - very festive. To our advantage all dishes were translated. Aren't chinese characters efficient in space! 

The choice was wide. So after a long list and a bit of a confusion, we decided on what we wanted. We were not bother to hurry, as we had to write our own order down. We got one of their specialties Xi'an Cured Pork in Bread to share, followed by a Noodle Soup with Bokchoy & Chunky Beef Soup as well as Dried Noodles with Shredded Chicken. As the lady came by to look at what we wrote, she gave us a choice of noodle types. We asked for their house-made ones. She also checked how spicy for the Shredded Chicken, and we asked for mild.

PALATE

medium-bodied, smooth, sweet and herbal

Sipping on our tea, the bun came in no-time. The bread was rather flat and a bit dry (for a restaurant with bun in its name), but inside was one of the best pulled pork I've tasted - no bloody smell, all saucy strings. There were also a few herbs with a pronounced smell of cilantro. As much as I hate that herb, in this subtle case I actually found it light and refreshing.

Next, the soup was soo hot that I couldn't get my senses to flavour. Plenty of cilantro though, which I managed to fish out. Also some green onion, carrots and, of course, bokchoy. The meat inside was thick but lean and clean.

Overall the soup was a bit bland, but it was perfect together with the Shredded Chicken which turn out to be quite spicy. The julienned cucumber and carrot, together with the light chicken tried to contrast the spice in that thick sauce. Either way, the noodles were something else..a perfect texture and a light gummy tension in them.

FINISH

heady with hints of nutmeg

We took some time to finish it up as a few more more tables filled up.

It hit me that last time, there was a little silver barrel on the side with warm soy milk on self-serve basis but this time it was all dried up.. perhaps a lunch thing.

On our way out, cheri did notice a bow on the side. We weren't sure what they were but we took a few beans to go - raw soybeans. As Chinese call it, the bean of happiness.

overall, a traditional huangju wine

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

http://fiveguys.ca/en

My dad talked about this place opening next to his work, and how everyone was saying it has the best burgers in town.

It was about time I put it to a test.

APPEARANCE

thin, light-medium

My dad and I went for lunch on this corner plaza. This place was bright and hard-to-miss. Red type with Burger and Fries in a rectangle - all in a comic sans-like sans serif - friendly and cheap.

NOSE

hoppy

Once we entered, the line up was clearly created with piled large brown bags of potatoes. At the entrance, on top of them, there was a bag of salted, shelled peanuts and small, stacked, empty containers - a self-serve snack, without a note. (perhaps for the regulars)

There was a bit of a line up, but it was moving. On the side there were quotes of newspapers and critics admitting that their burgers are indeed amazing - a sure way to get people's expectations up..

It was all white inside with red highlights - vents, lamps, checkered tiles everywhere.

SWIRL
a bit of citrus

At the cash we ordered. My dad encouraged I go for their main one - bacon cheeseburger. He got the veggie sandwich. You also get any of the toppings.. and they white a few. I went for their lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions and mustard.

We took a seat, at one of their wooden tables. There were quite a few of us waiting. So now it comes to waiting your turn. My dad asked for a side of cajun mix. He said a lot of this colleagues eat it along with the fires. The burgers and made and dressed behind a low counter, everything is easy to see, but far away. I felt very disconnected from a process, they seemed to want to show.

The peanut snacks made sense, now that we sat waiting for at least 5min. My dad was saying that if people weren't pretending be so well behaved, they would be all tossing their empty shells on
the ground.

PALATE
light, dry, zingy

And so, they called our number. The burgers came in a paper bag with number on them, and covered with warm fries. Thats a smart strategy to keep the food warm.

So the burger was not too impressive. Firstly, I will never get grilled veggies again. They are tasteless, the mushrooms especially - soft big chances. They felt more marinated and dipped in a grill-smelling sauce. The patty was very plain, hardly any spice, the cheese was process and the bacon, hardly there. Appart from that, the side of cajun spice mix was a nice addition for their fries.

FINISH
bitter, short, leaving you feeling heavy

Overall, great atmosphere but perhaps it was my faut for going for grilled veggies. I noticed the had a bunch of their burgers in Little sizes and interesting cheese, bacon hotdogs..

Overall, a simple pilser.