London Ontario Restaurant

[Madge]

Does anyone know the name of an Italian restaurant that is across the street from the City Market? It is opposite "Waldo's" (I think that is the name of it) I thought it was "Casa" something but can't seem to find it on the London site. I had a wonderful meal there the last time I was in London and want to go back this trip.

Thanks

[Stalder]

Does anyone know the name of an Italian restaurant that is across the street from the City Market? It is opposite "Waldo's" (I think that is the name of it) I thought it was "Casa" something but can't seem to find it on the London site. I had a wonderful meal there the last time I was in London and want to go back this trip.

Thanks

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The name of the restaurant is la casa.

[Madge]

Does anyone know the name of an Italian restaurant that is across the street from the City Market? It is opposite "Waldo's" (I think that is the name of it) I thought it was "Casa" something but can't seem to find it on the London site. I had a wonderful meal there the last time I was in London and want to go back this trip.

Thanks

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The name of the restaurant is la casa.

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Thank you

[chamekke]

I'd love to have some restaurant or cafe recommendations for London, ON. I visit my elderly father there 3 or 4 times a year, and he really enjoys eating out. In general he's a Swiss Chalet kind of person, but one of the great things about him is that he's willing to try something a little different. (Last year we discovered Bangkok Pad Thai, for example, and he absolutely loves it!)

I'm going again in three weeks' time (mid-August 2007), and am interested in trying something new. May I please ask for your suggestions?

Extra points for:

- Physical location in north or central London

- Any cuisine is OK, but anything ethnic (and especially Asian) is always of special interest :-)

On the whole, we don't care whether the ambiance is simple or elegant: we're just looking for delicious food. The only real caveat is that if the place is noisy, it's probably not so good ... noise can make dining conversation a stressful struggle for anyone with hearing problems (i.e. Dad).

Thanks!

[Pookie]

There are a couple of good places around. Hong Ping Chinese is the best I have found in town - and they do a decent dimsum too. They are on Horton St near wellington. Central London.

There is decent mexican on Wellington just south of Horton but the name escapes me at the moment.

Angelo's bakery does some great breads and has a wonderful deli selection for those days when you don't want to go out. It's just off wonderland between Sarnia and Oxford (and right accross the road from a swiss chalet)

There is good Ethiopean very close to Hong Ping. No great shakes on decor or atmosphere but the food is great!

Cafe one and village cafe (both on Richmond st near victoria park) are nice. Bertoldi's italian is accross the road. It's good but I find it expensive.

The Prince Albert is a real diner type divey place but the food is good (if huge!!)Can be noisy if you go when it's full of students or drunks. Probably not a concern with an elderly father. You are not likely to be there at 2am.

If you are willing to venture further out there is EXCELLENT gelato in a strip plaza at Wonderland and Commissioners. Little tiny shop tucked in beside a grocery store.

I think you will be ok as long as you steer clear of the chains. That's difficult but not impossible.

I don't know much about other places on the north side - I live in the south end.

Feel free to email me if you need more detailed directions or you have more questions.

[chamekke]

Thank you, Pookie! I really appreciate your recommendations, and I will certainly e-mail you for more information if I need it.

Quick question for now - is the Ethiopian restaurant the one near the train tracks? (I don't know London geography really well) There was one Ethiopian restaurant that was great - whenever we could get to it - but its hours were irregular and it was closed more often than not.

chamekke

P.S. We did discover the Village Cafe a couple of visits back, when we taxi-ed out to Bangkok Phad Thai but found it closed. It's GREAT.

[Pookie]

I don't think it is the one near the train tracks. It's quite close to downtown. There are a few in town.

I have always found this one open when I went.

Yes the Village Cafe is great!

[rgruby]

Hi,

My folks, who live there, like Black Trumpet on Richmond Row. High endish I think. There's also supposed to be a decent place around Masonville, in what was formerly a Burger King. It's on the northwest corner of Richmond and Fanshawe, and I think part of it is called Crave (there's two restos - one more casual, the other a bit higher end). I've been to neither, but again my folks thought it was decent. And it's in the north end.

There's a Peruvian place (Rocoto maybe?) thhat is (or was - I'll get to that) that is alleged to be the best Peruvian place in Canada. (I read about it in the TO Star - the ambassador to Canada from Peru was the one calling it the best). Anyways, my parents and sister tried it out for brunch, and found it awul. Apparently it's moved, and may have slid downhill. Service can be iffy. But, maybe my familyy just hit it on a bad day.

Good luck. Please repot back if you find anything worthwhile.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[chamekke]

Thank you both for all the excellent suggestions! I'll check these out as best I can (i.e. according to my father's whimsy as well as my own ), and will let you know which ones strike us as outstanding.

[chamekke]

I don't think it is the one near the train tracks. It's quite close to downtown. There are a few in town.

I have always found this one open when I went.

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Sounds like this one (found on a London Free Press web listing):

Enat Ethiopian Restaurant

379 Horton St. E.

Region: Downtown

Phone: 519-432-8113

This Ethiopian establishment offers many traditional dishes served in a communal fashion. Diners can enjoy a honey wine or Ethiopian coffee and spiced teas with their meal. Licensed, catering, takeout/delivery. Wheelchair inaccessible.

Hours: Open Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 3 to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 to 10 p.m.

I have an idea it might be the Ethiopian restauarant we tried before. (If so, you're right, the food is excellent!) Well, now that I have their phone number I can ring first to be on the safe side. In any case I hope we can try it out - thank you!

[CaliPoutine]

Pookie and I ate at Taco Del Mar tonight. Its a Mexican fast casual chain out of the US. They're known for big fat burritos and fish taco's. Its at 607 Richmond.

There is also a schwarma place further N on Richmond called Pita Pita. Its a few doors down from Sebastian's market.

There is another Vietnamese place that Christine( Pookie) and I visit. I can't remember the name but its at Huron and 2nd street.

[Pookie]

That vietnamese place is called Thran Qieu or something similar.

I have tried the peruvian in it's orriginal location and it was fine, I have not been to the new location.

Taco Del Mar was find for fast food. But it was a huge log of burrito. I could not finish. Log.

[chamekke]

That vietnamese place is called Thran Qieu or something similar.

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Sounds like Thuan Kieu at 1472 Huron Street? Sounds like a possibility, especially since it's not too far away. The reviews for it on Restaurantica are not bad. Any recommendations on what to order? Aside from the pad thai and pho that is... I love pho, but doubt that my father could manage it very easily. (And while pad thai is always tasty, I tend to prefer to eat Vietnamese when at a Vietnamese restaurant; it's such a great cuisine in its own right.)

[CaliPoutine]

I usually order the pad thai, the singapore noodles or a curry shrimp dish. I dont eat red meat or like the taste of dark meat chicken so my choices are limited. I wouldnt call it a vietnamese restaurant per se, its more a fusion type place. They have a huge menu.

[chamekke]

A quick note to report on how the visit went! In terms of trying out new restaurants, my father and I ended up going to Thuan Kieu and Hong Ping - and loving them both. (In fact, we went to Thuan Kieu twice during my visit! Thanks, CaliPoutine, for recommending the Thai curry shrimp - that was really good.) And at Hong Ping we tried out the dim sum, which turned out to be a great hit with my Dad... he actually liked all four items we tried, including the turnip cakes which at first he'd been a little scared to taste!

Incidentally, Hong Ping recently started offering delivery - including dim sum dishes, despite the fact that the dim sum doesn't actually appear on the takeout/delivery menu. So those of you who are as crazy for dim sum as I am might enjoy giving that a whirl.

If anyone's interested, I can give details of the particular dishes that we liked at Thuan Kieu and Hong Ping. In any case, we have found two firm favourites now, thanks to your kind recommendations, and I'm sure we'll go back and work our way through those menus over the coming months

One bit of sad news - I phoned the Village Cafe on Richmond Street to make a reservation, only to discover that the business (plus its phone number) has been taken over by a new cafe called the Dragonfly Bistro. When I asked the man on the phone if the menu was the same, he said that it was "similar", and obligingly ran through the lunch menu... which, alas, didn't have the items on it that we'd especially enjoyed. So we didn't have the heart to go try its replacement. Apparently the Village Cafe closed its doors in June 2007. That yummy teriyaki beef is now a dim memory {sob}.

Edited August 24, 2007 by chamekke (log)

[Pookie]

What a bummer about the Village Cafe, but I am glad you enjoyed Hong Ping and Thuan Kieu. I love them both.

[CaliPoutine]

What a bummer about the Village Cafe, but I am glad you enjoyed Hong Ping and Thuan Kieu. I love them both.

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I love them too. As Pookie can attest to, I have a few fav's in London and I pretty much stick to those.

[maggiethecat]

I'll be staying in London at the end of September for my mother's interment in the old McArthur family plot in Glencoe. Can anyone suggest a few restaurants? We'll be staying off the Wellington exit of the 401, but, hey, we can wander about for a good dinner, any style or ethnicity. Whassup in London dining?

[chamekke]

I'll be staying in London at the end of September for my mother's interment in the old McArthur family plot in Glencoe.  Can anyone suggest a few restaurants? We'll be staying off the Wellington exit of the 401, but, hey, we can wander about for a good dinner, any style or ethnicity. Whassup in London dining?

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First of all ... please accept my condolences on your loss.

As to your question, have you checked out this thread:

Restaurant recommendations for London

I asked for recommendations upon visiting London last month. Pookie, rgruby and CaliPoutine kindly made several suggestions. The two places I tried - Hong Ping (Chinese) and Thuan Kieu (Vietnamese) - were fantastic, and I look forward to returning to them upon my next visit. Bangkok Pad Thai, which was an old favourite from previous visits, is also superb, although a little more expensive than the first two.

You might also want to browse Restaurantica London for ideas!

[maggiethecat]

chammeke: Thanks for pointing me towards that excellent thread. I'm taking names . It's great that there's so much Asian food going on in London, and I'm sure we'll hit one of these places.

But: have you any recs for what I call a white hair-white tablecloth restaurant? Well prepared meat and veg, comforting, conservative and quiet? I know we'll need a quiet upscale WASPY place for one of those dinners with a good wine list and locovore tendencies Maybe Michaels on the Thames?

[jayt90]

My mom's internment in neighbouring Alvinston was in June. Some visitors enjoyed a diner on Centre St.; I forget the name Flo's or something like that, but good home cooked meals, and friendly service. It's in the building that was Tiny Prince's garage.

If you are heading back to Chicago through Sarnia, there is Salvatore's, a family run place under the Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward. There is no menu, you have their selection. All reports on this place are good.

Edited September 9, 2007 by jayt90 (log)

[CaliPoutine]

chammeke: Thanks for pointing me towards that  excellent thread. I'm taking names . It's great that there's so much Asian food going on in London, and I'm sure we'll hit one of these places.

But: have you any recs for what I call a white hair-white tablecloth restaurant? Well prepared meat and veg, comforting, conservative and quiet? I know we'll need a quiet upscale WASPY place for one of those dinners with a good wine list and locovore tendencies Maybe Michaels on the Thames?

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Oh Maggie, you're going to be sadly dissapointed in London restaurants coming from Chicago. I know I feel that way moving here from California.

We did eat lunch yesterday at Hong Ping and once again it was great. Very authentic Chinese Food. I've eaten at Michaels and I wasnt that impressed( but bare in mind I'm always comparing to California restaurants)

Here is another casual place that gets rave reviews. Its a portugese Chicken place, very casual

Imperio Dos Frangos

741 Hamilton Road

There is a new place that opened with a female owner/chef. Its Aubergine something or other. I've heard some good things about it.

When are you coming? I'll gladly host you for a meal if you want to travel out to Exeter.

Edited September 9, 2007 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Madge]

We had dinner at The Tasting Room this past summer and it was quite good. Not sure if it fits your white tablecloth criteria as it was Saturday night and quite busy and noisy. However, the food was good.

I went to nursing school in London where our idea of fine dining was beer and burgers at the Ceeps.

[GordonCooks]

I'll be staying in London at the end of September for my mother's interment in the old McArthur family plot in Glencoe.  Can anyone suggest a few restaurants? We'll be staying off the Wellington exit of the 401, but, hey, we can wander about for a good dinner, any style or ethnicity. Whassup in London dining?

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Just saw this - heartfelt condolences to you and your family

[rgruby]

Please accept my condolences as well.

Not sure what I can add to what I nattered on about in the previously mentioned thread. It has been almost 20 years since I lived in London, and I visit as infrequently as possible as I despise the place.

And, I don't know the south end at all really - but the Wellington St. strip towards the 401 is/was vile foodwise from what I can remember. I was gonna go on, but I'll leave it at that.

Last visit (July) I was going to visit a Mexican place in Wortley village (I do like Wortley village), but coming from Chicagoland - well, it isn't going to be something you couldn't get better there, I'm guessing.

Michael's is probably ok though for the white tablecloth thing - but it's been many moons since I've eaten there.

Los Imperios dos Frangos. Hamilton Rd, east of Highbury. South side. By Brisbin St. I know this, because 20 years ago, they were my neighbours - I lived on Brisbin, and their stinky stinky garbage made the back yard of the house I was living in unusable in the summer. Huge, slightly greasy, definitely salty beef ribs. Flintstone ribs. It's bringing me back. Not sure they even had tables - living right beside it we always did takeaway.

I dunno, I suspect there are some decent places, but I'm too out of touch to know at this point. There's always Kools - you're coming from Chicago, but TO has been deep-dish pizzaless for a few years now since Uno closed. Kools fills that niche for me, but I really gotta be in the mood for that place. I think I'm too old! Or maybe just too cranky.

Best wishes,

Geoff Ruby