The Oakwood

We took my parents to The Oakwood last weekend. As usual, everything was solid.

As it is a place to share dishes, we decided to order three "appetizers" and three "main dishes" to share:

Flying Porks, maple mustard: This was well marinated and well cooked. The meatballs were tender and juicy. The only downside is that the sauce drips down the sticks so your hands get kind of sticky after touching the sticks.

Fried Octopus, bacon aioli, pickled shallots, komatsuna: The octopus was wasn't as crunchy as I had hoped, but the flavours mixed well together. The only downside was there wasn't enough on the plate.

Halibut, bacon lardon, shimeji mushrooms, lentils, kale, crackling: The halibut was so perfectly cooked, it melts in your mouth. It went really well with the lentils and kale. The crackling didn't really add much to the plate and was kind of distracting. The sauce spread on the side of the plate was also unnecessary.

All Canadian Poutine, brisket, fries, curds, gravy: I didn't realize this poutine had meat in it. All I saw on the menu was the word "poutine". I'm glad the brisket was there though, as the rest of the dish was really, really salty and needed the sweetness of the brisket to balance out the flavour. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough brisket to balance off the fries and gravy.

Saltspring Mussels, tomato coconut broth, cornbread biscotti: I think this dish would be better if it were served with baguette or a softer type of bread. While the cornbread "tasted" interesting, it did not serve the purpose of absorbing the sauce at the bottom of the pot, which was very Asian, extremely flavourful and rich.

For dessert, we had the trio of masons, which included: the Maple Creme Caramel, Pecan Shortbread, Cranberry Gel; Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mousse, Coffee Pistachio Feuilletine; and Goats Cheesecake, Blueberry Compote, Ginger Crumb. Although all three were delicious, the party favourite had to be the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mousse. The Goats Cheesecake was my favourite in particular as the balance of flavours between the tartness of the blueberry and the creaminess of the goat cheese went really well together.

All in all, we had a really good time and will definitely return.

Regal Beagle

It was a late Sunday when we visited Regal Beagle - because Evelyn's was closed. We pass by it often and every time we're surprised they serve brunch. They shouldn't.

I had the Sundried Tomato Pesto, Spinach & Goats Cheese omelette. It was flat and bland. The potatoes that came with it were not crispy at all. For $11, I expected something of the Crave calibre (theirs was $10). It wasn't. I suppose it's difficult to make a really good omelette, but the ones we make are pretty solid.

We also had the Banana Bread French Toast. It was really dense, but tasted alright and was really big. I guess it's difficult to go bad with sweets. But it was really, really dense and completely drenched in maple syrup.

Will not return for brunch, but will try their lunch at some point.

TUC

We went to TUC Craft Kitchen a couple weeks ago. As usual, the service and food were excellent! We had a group of six, which meant splitting bills, and everything was perfect.

As starter, we had the leberkaese dip and parsnip fries. The leberkaese dip was a new item on the menu (since our last visit) and it was delicious! If you like melted cheese dips, this will take it a notch up with the beef and pork pate infused flavours.

We ordered the parsnip fries because we had it before and thought it was light and crispy and just went well as a snack. It did not fail.

As main, we shared the pork 2 ways. At first, was I disappointed at the tiny amount of pork belly on the plate. There were basically four bites. After we finished the pork loin chop, we realized that it was just the right amount, otherwise, it'd be disgustingly fat and greasy. The espresso reduction was subtle, but appreciated.

As dessert, we shared some doughnuts. They were kind enough to give us six per bowl instead of the usual 5. As usual, it was deliciously crispy, painfully but satisfyingly hot (temperature wise), not too sweet and just a perfect way to finish the meal.

We will return.

Indochine

We went to Indochine Kitchen + Bar a couple weeks ago during a week night.

As usual, the food and service were excellent. We happened to be there on a game night so we got to enter a raffle for free tickets four times just for ordering two pitchers and checking in on social media sites.

As appetizer, we had the INDOCHINE Garlic Butter Chicken Wings. If you've ever been to Phnom Penh and had their delicious chicken wings, and you don't want to wait in line, this is a veritable replacement. Plus, you don't get rushed out of the restaurant like you do at Phnom Penh.

We also had the Enoki & Bacon. Although we loved the spicy sauce and just the complex texture of  the dish, we thought the Enoki was a little undercooked. It was really chewy and you couldn't eat it in several bites, but jam the whole thing in your mouth.

As main dishes, we had the Lemongrass Chicken and the Thit Kho. The Lemongrass Chicken was good - nicely seasoned, perfectly grilled. I like that it's served with an egg.

The Thit Kho had more flavour. The pork was very tender.

Overall, great experience. Will return.