Afghan Cuisine

We went to Afghan Cuisine on Saturday night and the place was super busy, which was nice to see. This was our second visit, and we were hoping we wouldn't experience the sophomore curse, but our fears were misguided. Even though the place was packed with patrons, the service was impeccable. We were greeted promptly and the waitress took our drink and food orders with a smile. The food was fast, super tasty, and hot. I had hoped to try one of their tasty cakes for dessert, but they were all sold out so we shared a lovely walnut baklava. It seemed like every table had some sort of dessert assortment!
The only fault that I can pick with the restaurant is the atmosphere, but really when the food is that good I can't complain that it is lit like a cafeteria. Maybe the decor is something they will contemplate further down the road.
I really hope that Afghan Cuisine is here to stay since they really have a passion for their restaurant that few other restaurants in this city seem to have.

Bocados

Last night we had a bunch of errands to run in the east end of town, so decided to try Bocados for the first time. Apparently the building used to be the old Moxies, and Manos locations, but was renovated and reopened in November as Bocados. The renovation was nothing spectacular, new, or innovative.

The server was pleasant and even managed to bring us a couple of slices of lemon and orange when requested relatively quickly.

The menu was nothing spectacular, a sort of mish-mash of Americanized Italian food along with sandwiches, ribs, and appies. It seemed to be a selection of menu items stolen from Earls, Moxies, and Rock Creek.

My girlfriend had a salmon dish and I ended up getting a thin crust pizza. None of the food was especially scrumpious, but it was certainly edible. I could see white cheese on the pizza, but I couldn't detect any actual feta flavour and the chicken was extremely bland.

It was one of those mediocre experiences that you half regret on the drive home. I was not given a really good reason to make a second visit to Bocados.

Hotel Sask and Memories - Saturday Breakfast Bizarre

Saturday, my girlfriend and I decided to go for breakfast against our better judgement. I say this because out of all the meals that we have explored; breakfast seems to be the one with the most perpetual problems. This Saturday was no exception.

Our first choice, mine, was to head to the Fireside Bistro which had been good for a while. The last time we went they had rearranged the lounge seating so we sat in the stuffy dining room instead, that was strike one. My meal was fantastic, but my girlfriend’s food was cold and greasy, so we decided to take a break from visiting there for a while. We decided to give it another try to see if it could redeem itself, but it was only twenty after 10 and it doesn’t open until 11.

My girlfriend suggested Hotel Sask as the food is apparently of a high quality, and the coffee in high end hotels is usually very good, (a broad, sweeping generalization, I admit) which is very important.

The hostess at the hotel dining room approached us cautiously. From a distance as though we were dangerous criminals she asked, “For two?”. We both replied yes, but since she was 20 feet from us with her arms safely tucked behind her, she asked again, “For two?”. Again we confirmed this, and she pivoted on her heals and began walking away. We took this as our cue to follow, and she walked towards a table through a circuitous route, perhaps trying to lose us more than lead us. She didn’t take a drink order or leave menus. Thinking about it now, I’m not sure if she spoke to us again.

We sat in mild disbelief for about 5 or 10 minutes. No one approached us, or looked in our direction. My girlfriend stopped a waitress with an armful of dirty dishes on the way passed us and asked if they offered ala carte breakfast as well as the buffet. She replied with a curt “yes” and walked off. We could see her making some coffee rounds, but like the hostess, she didn’t want to make eye contact with the wild animals in fear that we might pounce with a menu request. After a further 10 minutes we gathered our coats and left. No one tried to stop us, or ask if everything was okay.

Where to now? How about Memories, it was suggested. Again, the lure of a “higher end” nosh was too strong to dismiss, so we drove east on Victoria in the pursuit of the elusive ‘good Regina breakfast’.

The main restaurant was closed, it still wasn’t yet 11 (because what law abiding upstanding restaurant would be open before 11am for breakfast?!?) so we were ushered into the lounge.

Memories is like many Regina establishments, such as Golf’s, the Cottage, and the Diplomat. It has a horribly dated decor, not to be confused with a cool retro décor like the Novia Café. Perhaps some restaurant owners have not yet begun to realize that the clientele are changing. New people are starting to flood into the city, as well as a lot of people moving back with more complicated and discerning palates after a stint in more metropolitan cities.

There were only 2 tables set for dining in the lounge, neither conducive to a quite meal away from the bar, so we requested to sit somewhere else. The server was a little weird with us, as though he didn’t expect anyone to actually come in. Wood was everywhere, probably 80’s oak, and the chairs had wheels. A TV was on, and I could hear the commentary of the newscaster between song snippets. Actually, between both song snippets as it seemed like there were two sources of music; one from the overhead ceiling speakers and another radio broadcast emanating from somewhere near the till.

The service was quick, but the coffee tasted weird. I ordered a spinach and feta omelette. I’m surprised that a place with a reputation for good food only had a selection of white or brown toast, no multigrain, rye, or even sourdough. The ‘hash browns’ were salty and seemed like they had been sitting around for a while, when the food finally arrived. The omelette tasted very strange, strange enough in fact, that even though I was famished at this point, I didn’t even eat it. I’m sorry that I am unable to be more specific about the strange taste, as it was not an unusual spice added or a new kind of feta that was annoying my taste buds, it was more of an indefinable ‘I don’t like this, it smells weird, and tastes worse’ sort of a flavour. I had some of the stale ‘hash browns’ and brown toast to sate myself.

We were not asked how our food was, not even when he removed the plates and mine was barely touched. I got the impression that the server didn’t need to ask.

Part way through the meal what I took to be the owner came in. He asked about the money, turned music up, then turned it off. While my girlfriend went to wash her hands, I paid the bill and said I would meet her in the hallway. I needed to extricate myself from the heavy atmosphere of 30 years of beer stained oak. The owner locked the door leading outside, and was getting ready to lock the door to the restaurant when the server reminded him someone was still using the facilities. We had to exit the building via the hotel lobby.

Another bizarre Regina breakfast experience.

note:both restaurants are listed in the 'Fine Dining' section of the Yellow Pages

First things first

Welcome to my Regina Restaurants blog!

Why?
Since moving to Regina just over 1 1/2 years ago, I have had (how do I put this kindly?) spotty experiences with eating at restaurants in and around the city. Since I haven't found a good source of restaurant reviews, I thought I would add my own.

A little background
I lived in the Vancouver area for the first 35 years of my life and enjoyed the rich and varied tapestry of culture and cuisine that the city had to offer. I then lived in Calgary for a little while and tried to hunt out good dining experiences where ever I could (loved the Moroccan place!).

What I am and am not
I do not consider myself a food snob by any means. I enjoy a good burger and fries as much as I do a 5 course meal at an expensive eatery. Everything from setting, atmosphere, service, presentation, taste and a variety of other sometimes intangible factors, combine to create a great meal or dining experience. If the meal was from a hotdog vendor, was the bun fresh? If it the dinner is at a fine dining establishment, was the server well versed in the wine list? If a problem arose, cold food for example, was it solved in a satisfactory manner?

I love to cook, so eating at restaurants gives me the opportunity to explore new flavours, ingredients, and eating concepts. It gives us all the chance to get away, and feel a little pampered at times. It can and should be a spa for your taste buds, and other senses.

I am a writer. I have two novels under my belt, but this is a different creature entirely. I am writing this on the fly, and I am not editing it for anything other than spelling. This is more of a guerilla foody blog, than a piece of fine art or studious literature. In other words, please forgive my grammer gaffs, but feel free to laugh at all my jokes. :)

What it will be
These will not be traditional restaurant reviews as much as experiences to share. Some may be as brief as a few lines, others may be more in-depth. Each time I eat out I will try to share my impressions and this may add up to a review of sorts, but they are completely subjective and open to interpretation. Based on experiences eating in and around Regina so far, these tales will be filled with humour, frustration, adventure, and hopefully the elusive good meal.