Reseñas de grian1954
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Wellington Road South 1100, N6E 1M2 London
grian1954
el 9 Diciembre 2009
We stayed at the Days Inn hotel, London, Ontario for a few nights in mid-November. This is not in central London but more on the outskirts of the city. The hotel is surrounded by large drive-in retail outlets such as Wallmart and Best Buy.
We were located on the ground floor and found the room comfortable in every way as well being quiet both day and night. A fridge and microwave was available. We used the laundry service which was very handy. Our car could be parked right outside our window. Some tradesmen type vehicles appeared early evening and were gone in the morning which made me think the hotel was popular with travelling reps and people working in that area temporarily. We were very satisfied with the service at Days Inn hotel.Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/
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Collip Circle 200, N6G 4X8 London
grian1954
el 8 Diciembre 2009
Windermere’s Café nestles within the Windermere Manor complex and is virtually on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, London. The restaurant has a glass covered patio seating area. Although it was dark when we visited and a shade cool I imagine the patio could be very pretty in the summer. Naturally the place is very popular with academics and visitors to the university. A group of us met for supper one evening in late November. One deal offered which is popular and seems good value is the Prime Rib Dinner Buffet. Some of the group went for the buffet deal but not feeling hungry enough for more than one course I opted for a good old beef burger with fries and salad which was good and wholesome. I had a glass of Canadian dry white wine, the name of which I cannot remember, and it was ok but just a little bit acrid.
The service was typically Canadian, civil and pleasant and the bill was moderate.
This is a good place to eat if you are visiting London, Ontario and connected with the university in some way.Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/
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Thames Street N 75, Ingersoll, N5C 3C6 London
grian1954
el 4 Diciembre 2009
The brand name Tim Hortons is ubiquitous in Canada. Driving along Canadian city main streets it seems a Tim Hortons outlet appears every several hundred yards. There are some 3000 branches, the majority located in Canada with around 500 in the U.S. They began in the 1960s initially only offering coffee and donuts. Now they do soup and sandwich style lunches offering combo deals as well as a range of bakery goods. Good coffee has been a consistently strong feature of the brand.
We were travelling east towards London, Ontario on Highway 401 and feeling like a bite for lunch stopped at Ingersoll, a fairly small town close by. The Tim Hortons Ingersoll branch is strategically located being one of the first retail premises encountered as you enter the town. We noticed people eating there who appeared to be truckers and delivery drivers.
My partner and I both had some chicken noodle soup which at 2.59 Canadian dollars [equivalent of 1.47 GBP] was very reasonable. The soup, served with crackers of course and not bread, was just a little greasy but still very good. I had a chicken sandwich too was quite wholesome. It had some vinaigrette dressing which I would have appreciated knowing about beforehand. In Canada the sandwich default tends to be with dressing rather than without as is the case in the U.K. We both had a tea as refreshment poured in a Tim Hortons container, a familiar sight in Canada.
The bill in total was moderate and the service, Canadian style, was once again civil and cordial.Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/
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Wellington Road 1100, N6E 1M2 London
grian1954
el 1 Diciembre 2009
The Knotty Pine restaurant is located on Wellington Road, London, Ontario. The hotel we were staying in was close by. Feeling peckish one mid-November day around lunchtime we decided to try it out.
The seating area is quite large but a section was closed and of course I happened to stray into it which was rather naughty of me [geddit?]. OK, that’s enough of these kinds of corny jokes. The lady serving told me that the area was only used in very busy times and I was ushered into the main eating area. This was laid out in typical North American economy diner style with the utilitarian, vinyl, upholstered units that can take four adults. I expect much of the trade to the Knotty Pine came from passing truck drivers. We ordered some soup of the day, a beef barley broth, which was quite filling.
Cultural difference no. 1: In Canada, like the U.S., soup is served with crackers. In the U.K soup is invariably served with bread. I found crackers with soup a little odd but quite pleasant. I took advantage of a soup and sandwich deal which was bumper value. The sandwich was a chicken salad.
Cultural difference no. 2: Canadians by default will serve such a sandwich with some dressing – typically some vinaigrette mixture like caesar dressing. In Scotland and the U.K. the default would be a salad sandwich without dressing. I got kind of irritated with this Canadian presumptuousness on occasion. Despite that the sandwich was good.
Cultural difference no. 3: Instead of a sandwich my partner ordered a salad. In Canada and the U.S. they nibble like rabbits on a salad before having their main course. I can’t get my head round this odd habit! In Scotland and the U.K. we would have a salad with our main course hence the name – side-salad. I mean a side salad adds contrast and variety to a main dish: that is the whole point! Instead of being a herbivore and then a carnivore you must be an omnivore, all at once!!
The lady who served us was great. She worked very hard and yet again I was genuinely impressed with Canadian restaurant service. The bill was very reasonable. I put some notes on the plate and was waiting for change but it never appeared within a reasonable amount of time so I assumed it had been taken to be a tip. We were not bothered in the least having had a very good value for money lunch.Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/
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Wellington Road South 1090, N6E 1M2 London
grian1954
el 30 Noviembre 2009
Boston Pizza is a chain of pizza houses effectively based in Canada but extending somewhat into the U.S. Established in the 1960s, where an ex-R.C.M.P played a critical role [as well as getting his man, perhaps, he got his pizza!], Boston Pizza parlours now appear everywhere across Canada. The business has been a success story from a variety of perspectives: from the original concept of combining sports bar with family pizza restaurant to that of being an ardent supporter of charities.
Our hotel in London, Ontario, was located close to a Boston Pizza outlet and since my partner and I are both passionate about eating good pizza we thought we would give it a try for supper one evening.
We visited the Wellington Road, London, Ontario Boston Pizza branch in mid-November. At first we were going to seat ourselves in the sports bar section but the music was just a little too loud so we instead found a table in the family restaurant area which still had music playing but at a lower volume.
The atmosphere of the pizza parlour was predictably quite garish because of the posters and ads displayed; a few, not unpleasantly, vulgar stops beyond what I would term panache.
Our Canadian waitress was very good. We were made welcome in a friendly and sincere fashion that had become a pattern to us of Canadian hospitality. We ordered some Mondavi white wine. Generally, I am not a lover of Californian wine but La Maison du Robert Mondavi is an exception. I believe we had a dry white Sauvignon which would have been a district wine from the legendary Napa Valley in California; it was excellent. We then both ordered a small [6 inch] pepperoni and mushroom pizza. We were both hungry and glad the pizza arrived a short time later; it was delicious. There was something quite unique and hand-made to me about the topping, dough and crust. Half-way through our supper the Canadian waitress came and asked us very civilly if everything was ok. This engagement is another standard of Canadian customer service, something we see very occasionally in provincial areas of the U.K. but not a feature to be taken for granted. I ate all my pizza but my partner was struggling and left a few pieces. When were settling the bill we were asked if we would like to take the un-eaten pieces away. I said “yes” and they were presented to us in a box to take away.
The bill was very reasonable by my standards; naturally, as a Scot, I tend to equate Canadian dollars with British pounds. The waitress service was excellent and once again I was really impressed with the interpersonal skills of Canadian waiting staff.
Just writing this review and thinking of that delicious pizza is making me hungry!Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/
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Wellington Street, ON N6E 3N5 London
grian1954
el 29 Noviembre 2009
Our friends in London, Ontario, suggested this place to us for supper one night – on the 17th November. It had been recommended to them by colleagues who know London better than they do. The Timbers steakhouse restaurant nestles within the Radisson hotel complex in Wellington Street, London.
Canada is a confusing place for a visitor from the UK, especially from Scotland, like me, as familiar names of places appear all over the place in a juxtaposed way. Hence London or close-by Hamilton and so on... Canada should consider adopting a policy of giving the names of these localities in native Indian alongside their New World names just as Scotland did some years back with its bilingual policy of making place names on signs in both Gaelic and English.
Timbers is so called because of the design of the interior that allows large beams of timber placed in a robust and decorative fashion to appear part of the roof-supporting structures. The ambience is decidedly New Worldish! The atmosphere evoked from the lighting style is quite dark but restive.
We were brought menus by a very civil and friendly lady, civility being a feature that was emerging as a pattern in Canada. We decided upon a carafe of a Santa Carolina Chilean dry white, a good and reliable plonk. While the group opted for calimari as a starter, I, not being a seafood man, selected some lemon chicken soup which was good although being a Scot I do like my soup piping hot.
Timbers is the kind of restaurant I like in that you have ample time to enjoy a glass of wine before your main course arrives; it’s unhurried and laid back but not what I would call slow.
Since it is a steak, or chop, house I decided upon a sirloin steak, medium cooked, with fries and vegetables. The meal was delicious. My partner who had indulged in the calamari along with the rest of the group had seafood linguini for main course which she thought was also delicious. We shared a sumptuous ice-cream dessert.
Once again in Canada I was impressed with the civility and friendliness of the waiting staff. They seem to have more highly developed interpersonal skills than what I am typically accustomed to in Scotland: the ability to probe that bit deeper out of inquisitiveness and genuine interest without being intrusive or rude.
Equating the Canadian dollar to the pound Sterling I would say that the bill was very reasonable considering the quality of the food, service and environmental ambience. We would certainly eat there again.Publicado en: grian.wordpress.com/