I'm not even trying to get the dinners that consist of soggy deep-fried chicken in a strange-flavoured sauce. I order random things, and still get that meal.
Today I went to Golden Mango, which opened around a decade ago, not long after my arrival here at Waterloo, and which I ate at a single (disappointing) time. I remember that I was disappointed at the time by just how much my "Vietnamese" lunch missed of what I like about Vietnamese food: no cilantro, no mint, no fresh chili peppers, no zing of fish sauce. And I naïvely assumed I'd find that food with flavour would be common in a "Vietnamese" restaurant.
Well, I went back today, and ordered one of the lunch specials (#5, "mango chicken with rice and deep-fried wontons"). I really expected that the chicken would be stirfried breast meat, with mango pieces, maybe some garlic, maybe some scallions, and maybe a little chili heat. I really had no idea what to expect from the advertised wontons, and was hoping to avoid pork dumplings.
No worries there.
What I got was the aforementioned soggy deep-fried chicken in tart sauce alongside some weird pieces of mango, with red pepper (largely raw: it'd be neat if the plaza restaurants could figure out how to actually cook the food they claim to cook), served on yellow fried rice (which didn't even have frozen vegetable medley).
And the wontons were basically little pieces of deep-fried wonton wrapper sitting on top. That's it.
I guess I'm full. And still depressed.
I had: Combo #5: mango chicken with rice and deep-fried wontons
I paid: $6.75. (One hopes that they pay their taxes: have you noticed how many of the plaza restaurants don't actually use the register when you buy your food?)
Verdict:
Speed: Not super fast, especially since there were not-very-cooked parts of my meal.
Quality: Not at all exciting.
Value: I will admit that this was pretty cheap. Also, I did eat most of it: a lot of these meals have been enormous, but this was the right size.
Would go back: No.
Tuesday 30 October 2012
Thursday 25 October 2012
Grab-A-Greek
This is a gyro-and-pita-and-such place that opened a few years ago. It's in the plaza a couple doors down from Panda King (which I thought was Panda Express).
I actually went there today because I really felt like rice pudding, which they sell.
But I also got a chicken souvlaki. It was good! (This feels like it deserves an exclamation mark because, well, this has felt like we were totally stuck in the doldrums with this blog.) Though, well, how much of the tastiness is because of the squirt of rooster sauce in the souvlaki? Really, how much tastiness in general is due to rooster sauce?
It was drippy and gooey, but I at least enjoyed it. That counts for a lot.
I had: A chicken souvlaki pita, a bottle of OJ, and a large rice pudding.
I paid: $10.66 with tax.
Verdict:
Speed: Pretty fast. The line moves at a good clip, and it's assembled in front of you.
Quality: I enjoyed it. The bread was tasty, and the chicken souvlaki mostly tasted of the tzatziki and rooster sauces, but, well, that's okay, I think.
Value: This wasn't cheap, but they do have pretty cheap specials.
Would go back: Yeah, I would. The rice pudding was comforting.
I actually went there today because I really felt like rice pudding, which they sell.
But I also got a chicken souvlaki. It was good! (This feels like it deserves an exclamation mark because, well, this has felt like we were totally stuck in the doldrums with this blog.) Though, well, how much of the tastiness is because of the squirt of rooster sauce in the souvlaki? Really, how much tastiness in general is due to rooster sauce?
It was drippy and gooey, but I at least enjoyed it. That counts for a lot.
I had: A chicken souvlaki pita, a bottle of OJ, and a large rice pudding.
I paid: $10.66 with tax.
Verdict:
Speed: Pretty fast. The line moves at a good clip, and it's assembled in front of you.
Quality: I enjoyed it. The bread was tasty, and the chicken souvlaki mostly tasted of the tzatziki and rooster sauces, but, well, that's okay, I think.
Value: This wasn't cheap, but they do have pretty cheap specials.
Would go back: Yeah, I would. The rice pudding was comforting.
Monday 22 October 2012
Mikey's Eatery
So, why is "sesame chicken" entirely un-sesame-tasting? I mean, there's a handful of sesame seeds floating on it, but it's mostly unidentified deep-fried chicken bits in a salty sauce. It's practically Chicken McNuggets post-dipping-sauce, except I don't eat them. Why do I eat this? The McNuggets are probably tastier.
The "fried rice" that goes with them is in no way fried; it just lives on a steam table. It also features frozen vegetable medley, that international mix of peas, corn and carrot bits that seems to be necessary in order to make something unhealthy "healthy". Mostly, it's flavourless.
And the supply of mixed veggies was, of course our old friends broccoli and carrots, accompanied in this case by cabbage, instead of onion or green pepper. (The former is cheap, but the latter is not.)
This meal made me actively question my willingness to complete this project. I actually liked Waterloo SOGO, and I can't go back until after I eat another dozen (probably more) bad meals. This makes me sad.
But at least Mel's will re-open in there, too.
I had: Lunch special with sesame chicken and a can of ginger ale
I paid: $7.90
Verdict:
Speed: It's steam table food (again).
Quality: Not really great. I didn't question my will to live, but I did question my will to finish this project.
Value: Lots of meh food for not much money. What I'd give for a meal that gave me less food, but better!
Would go back: No.
The "fried rice" that goes with them is in no way fried; it just lives on a steam table. It also features frozen vegetable medley, that international mix of peas, corn and carrot bits that seems to be necessary in order to make something unhealthy "healthy". Mostly, it's flavourless.
And the supply of mixed veggies was, of course our old friends broccoli and carrots, accompanied in this case by cabbage, instead of onion or green pepper. (The former is cheap, but the latter is not.)
This meal made me actively question my willingness to complete this project. I actually liked Waterloo SOGO, and I can't go back until after I eat another dozen (probably more) bad meals. This makes me sad.
But at least Mel's will re-open in there, too.
I had: Lunch special with sesame chicken and a can of ginger ale
I paid: $7.90
Verdict:
Speed: It's steam table food (again).
Quality: Not really great. I didn't question my will to live, but I did question my will to finish this project.
Value: Lots of meh food for not much money. What I'd give for a meal that gave me less food, but better!
Would go back: No.
Thursday 18 October 2012
Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurant
This place is between Kismet and The Grill. It is moderately fast. It includes plenty of non-vegetarian food on its menu.
It's strikingly cheap, and while the food is somewhat (okay, very) one-note, it's at least not, well, bad. It also didn't feel like I'd been given starch with starch with starch. Instead, my lemongrass chicken did have some lemongrass flavour.
Mostly, we're in that long stretch of mehness: I wish there were cilantro in it, or chives, or garlic, or something. I wish the veggies were more exciting than boring carrots, boring broccoli and boring cauliflower.
I also wish to go to the festival. But instead, I went to the Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurant, and had chicken.
I had: #109, lemongrass chicken with veggies and rice
I paid: $7
Verdict:
Speed: OK, but not super-fast. They have steam tables, but there was almost no food in them.
Quality: Meh. There was lemongrass flavour, but the chicken was kind of bland bits of nothing special, and the veggies were in pieces that hadn't actually done much more than steam. The sauce was generic-soy-y-gravy. Meh.
Value: Pretty much average for the Chinese places in the plaza.
Would go back: I just can't think of why.
It's strikingly cheap, and while the food is somewhat (okay, very) one-note, it's at least not, well, bad. It also didn't feel like I'd been given starch with starch with starch. Instead, my lemongrass chicken did have some lemongrass flavour.
Mostly, we're in that long stretch of mehness: I wish there were cilantro in it, or chives, or garlic, or something. I wish the veggies were more exciting than boring carrots, boring broccoli and boring cauliflower.
I also wish to go to the festival. But instead, I went to the Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurant, and had chicken.
I had: #109, lemongrass chicken with veggies and rice
I paid: $7
Verdict:
Speed: OK, but not super-fast. They have steam tables, but there was almost no food in them.
Quality: Meh. There was lemongrass flavour, but the chicken was kind of bland bits of nothing special, and the veggies were in pieces that hadn't actually done much more than steam. The sauce was generic-soy-y-gravy. Meh.
Value: Pretty much average for the Chinese places in the plaza.
Would go back: I just can't think of why.
Monday 15 October 2012
Panda King
See, I even wanted this to be an easy return, after I'd been in Portugal these past ten days. I figured I'd just go to Panda Express, get some simple takeout, it'd be largely inoffensive, and no big deal.
Unfortunately, today's Panda Express was much worse than usual.
All I got was General Tso's chicken and some mixed veggies with tofu, on fried rice.
The Tso's is soggy and not spicy and not interesting. You could probably convince me that it was any other deep-fried-chicken dish. Except, well, it's mostly just soggy.
The mixed veggies are steamed, but not even fully steamed. I do like broccoli and carrots, but that's basically it, except for some blah tofu.
Really, this is a lot more disappointing than what I usually get from them. Maybe their cook is depressed on Mondays.
Unfortunately, this made this Monday more depressing.
I had: Combo #2: mixed veggies with tofu and General Tso's chicken on fried rice
I paid: $7.49+tax
Verdict:
Speed: Already made: this is steam table food.
Quality: Really disappointing. Soggy chicken. Boring. Undercooked, in the case of the veggies.
Value: It's a lot of food, but it's so boring that I'm not finishing it. "Veggies" could be more than broccoli and carrots.
Would go back: Actually, probably not for a while. This really wasn't good.
Unfortunately, today's Panda Express was much worse than usual.
All I got was General Tso's chicken and some mixed veggies with tofu, on fried rice.
The Tso's is soggy and not spicy and not interesting. You could probably convince me that it was any other deep-fried-chicken dish. Except, well, it's mostly just soggy.
The mixed veggies are steamed, but not even fully steamed. I do like broccoli and carrots, but that's basically it, except for some blah tofu.
Really, this is a lot more disappointing than what I usually get from them. Maybe their cook is depressed on Mondays.
Unfortunately, this made this Monday more depressing.
I had: Combo #2: mixed veggies with tofu and General Tso's chicken on fried rice
I paid: $7.49+tax
Verdict:
Speed: Already made: this is steam table food.
Quality: Really disappointing. Soggy chicken. Boring. Undercooked, in the case of the veggies.
Value: It's a lot of food, but it's so boring that I'm not finishing it. "Veggies" could be more than broccoli and carrots.
Would go back: Actually, probably not for a while. This really wasn't good.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
The Grill Burger Kitchen
I think this is the new name of the 6-or-so-year-old burger joint in the plaza. They've remodeled as well, though really, it feels surprisingly unchanged despite the new paint and new furniture. The menu is slightly more comprehensible, though.
The burgers here are fine, and today's batch of fries was not soggy (which has been my issue with times I've been there in the past several years). I think they're better at Fratburger, down the street by WLU, but I probably also think that because Fratburger is licensed and has Grasshöpper on tap, and I like Grasshöpper, even though I also vaguely object to the fact that it is one of the beers I drink that always seem to come with a slice of citrus fruit attached to them.
Where was I? Oh, right. The Grill.
I think this place did help, a lot, when it joined the plaza a bunch of years ago: the fries, in particular, were really good, and a 2-person lunch, where you each got a burger and split an order of fries, was not bad. Maybe I'm just tired of burger and fries (dear me, what the hell am I going to do when I get to Burger King, and to Harvey's?), but this feels not so exciting. I think part of the issue is that yes, I do eat veggie burgers at burger joints, and the one here just isn't that exciting. But I remember getting their turkey burger, and having it be dry and flavourless. The one at Fratburger is tasty.
So I guess we're back at our usual rating for the plaza: meh.
I had: A "Big Kahuna" veggie burger (with swiss and a small piece of flavourless grilled pineapple), in the combo with a small order of fries and a ginger ale.
I paid: $9.20.
Verdict:
Speed: Fine. My student, whom I was eating with, had to wait a little while for the chicken fingers in his wrap to get out of the deep fryer, but this was certainly reasonable in speed.
Quality: The veggie burger is boring. I realize that most of you will say, "duh", but the problem was that so was the grilled pineapple, which I'd hoped might make this more interesting.
Value: Worth $9? I guess. In Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8 Lee (yes, that's her real name) comments that white people like going out for Chinese food in part because then their meal includes vegetables. I kind of felt that way after today's lunch. Not fat, just, well, unbalanced. I realize that I am speaking ill of the holy trinity in saying that I don't view burger-and-fries-and-a-drink as a brilliant meal, but it just isn't my favourite. But maybe that doesn't really speak to value? Hm.
Would go back: I hadn't been in probably six months, and I expect that's likely to be my usual pattern. Fratburger is substantially more expensive, but I really do think it's tastier, and it's just one iXpress stop away.
The burgers here are fine, and today's batch of fries was not soggy (which has been my issue with times I've been there in the past several years). I think they're better at Fratburger, down the street by WLU, but I probably also think that because Fratburger is licensed and has Grasshöpper on tap, and I like Grasshöpper, even though I also vaguely object to the fact that it is one of the beers I drink that always seem to come with a slice of citrus fruit attached to them.
Where was I? Oh, right. The Grill.
I think this place did help, a lot, when it joined the plaza a bunch of years ago: the fries, in particular, were really good, and a 2-person lunch, where you each got a burger and split an order of fries, was not bad. Maybe I'm just tired of burger and fries (dear me, what the hell am I going to do when I get to Burger King, and to Harvey's?), but this feels not so exciting. I think part of the issue is that yes, I do eat veggie burgers at burger joints, and the one here just isn't that exciting. But I remember getting their turkey burger, and having it be dry and flavourless. The one at Fratburger is tasty.
So I guess we're back at our usual rating for the plaza: meh.
I had: A "Big Kahuna" veggie burger (with swiss and a small piece of flavourless grilled pineapple), in the combo with a small order of fries and a ginger ale.
I paid: $9.20.
Verdict:
Speed: Fine. My student, whom I was eating with, had to wait a little while for the chicken fingers in his wrap to get out of the deep fryer, but this was certainly reasonable in speed.
Quality: The veggie burger is boring. I realize that most of you will say, "duh", but the problem was that so was the grilled pineapple, which I'd hoped might make this more interesting.
Value: Worth $9? I guess. In Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8 Lee (yes, that's her real name) comments that white people like going out for Chinese food in part because then their meal includes vegetables. I kind of felt that way after today's lunch. Not fat, just, well, unbalanced. I realize that I am speaking ill of the holy trinity in saying that I don't view burger-and-fries-and-a-drink as a brilliant meal, but it just isn't my favourite. But maybe that doesn't really speak to value? Hm.
Would go back: I hadn't been in probably six months, and I expect that's likely to be my usual pattern. Fratburger is substantially more expensive, but I really do think it's tastier, and it's just one iXpress stop away.
Monday 1 October 2012
Marble Slab Creamery
I'm sorry I keep neglecting you folk. Thursday last week, the building I live in had an open house for realtors, which included tasty free food, and on Friday, I was at the Ontario University Fair, and after my shift, I had a very nice sushi lunch. And today, I was not in the plaza for lunch.
But!
Tonight I craved ice cream, so we went to Marble Slab. In the plaza! For my people! Er...
Anyhow, I'm really glad they now have a "small", which is 5 oz of ice cream. Previously, the "regular" was 8 oz, and that's seriously a lot of ice cream, particularly since their ice cream is 13% fat.
I think it's probably somehow déclassé, but I actually like this ice cream, and I have since they moved in. It's kind of anti-gelato (Gelato Fresco is more like 7% fat), but I enjoy the rich flavour of Marble Slab, and I like its texture.
It varies a lot what I get there: often, I get the fruit flavours, with fruit mixins, but this time, it was mocha, with coconut flakes added. I enjoyed it, and we had a good walk around campus with the dog. She enjoyed sniffing at trees and trash. All told, not a bad evening.
I had: A small cone of mocha ice cream, mixed with coconut flakes
I paid: $5.40.
Verdict:
Speed: Fine. It's made in front of you, so the preparation is part of the "entertainment" aspect of your ice cream.
Quality: So, this isn't brilliant, and it's "made in store", but I'm pretty sure that the "making" consists of dropping a bunch of mixes into ice cream freezers: Marble Slab is a franchise business. It's certainly consistent.
Value: Well, super-rich ice cream is expensive, and buying small-sized cones is the least money-efficient way to get it. They do sell by the litre and half litre, and I probably should just bring some of that home some time. I don't feel ripped off, though. Partly, it's expensive because the Canadian Dairy Board keeps milk and cream prices in Canada amazingly high.
Would go back: Yeah, sure. I probably should be more excited about either of the two gelato places here, but sometimes, you gotta eat the fattening stuff.
[And, sadly, because of this blog, I'll be eating at TCBY, before too long...]
But!
Tonight I craved ice cream, so we went to Marble Slab. In the plaza! For my people! Er...
Anyhow, I'm really glad they now have a "small", which is 5 oz of ice cream. Previously, the "regular" was 8 oz, and that's seriously a lot of ice cream, particularly since their ice cream is 13% fat.
I think it's probably somehow déclassé, but I actually like this ice cream, and I have since they moved in. It's kind of anti-gelato (Gelato Fresco is more like 7% fat), but I enjoy the rich flavour of Marble Slab, and I like its texture.
It varies a lot what I get there: often, I get the fruit flavours, with fruit mixins, but this time, it was mocha, with coconut flakes added. I enjoyed it, and we had a good walk around campus with the dog. She enjoyed sniffing at trees and trash. All told, not a bad evening.
I had: A small cone of mocha ice cream, mixed with coconut flakes
I paid: $5.40.
Verdict:
Speed: Fine. It's made in front of you, so the preparation is part of the "entertainment" aspect of your ice cream.
Quality: So, this isn't brilliant, and it's "made in store", but I'm pretty sure that the "making" consists of dropping a bunch of mixes into ice cream freezers: Marble Slab is a franchise business. It's certainly consistent.
Value: Well, super-rich ice cream is expensive, and buying small-sized cones is the least money-efficient way to get it. They do sell by the litre and half litre, and I probably should just bring some of that home some time. I don't feel ripped off, though. Partly, it's expensive because the Canadian Dairy Board keeps milk and cream prices in Canada amazingly high.
Would go back: Yeah, sure. I probably should be more excited about either of the two gelato places here, but sometimes, you gotta eat the fattening stuff.
[And, sadly, because of this blog, I'll be eating at TCBY, before too long...]
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