The Ladies Who Lunch (Part 3)

[Anna N]

 

 

 

So Kerry was able to sneak another couple of hours away from  swabbing  and vaccinating. She picked up food from our favourite local Vietnamese place. Above is Kerry‘s meat lovers special and below is my meatball bánh mì. 

I think Kerry’s request for “not hot” got mistranslated as hot hot!! We both struggled with this spice level. 

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Very good to see ladies lunching up north!  

 

I shared a ladies lunch with 3 former work colleagues yesterday and it was a treat to actually socialize with other human beings.   We went to Made in Italy, a rare (for this area) non-chain restaurant open for dine-in lunch.  With so many office people working from home, lunch business has dwindled.  Here's the menu.  I ordered the pizza bianca with zucchini, mushrooms, caramelized onions, pesto & pecorino and a glass of vermentino,  two ladies had the veggie panini with grilled zucchini & eggplant, caramelized onions, avocado, sprouts & pesto and pinot grigio while the third had penne alla bettola, a tomato sauce.  

I left my phone in the car so I don't have photos but one of my friends shared this one from which you can gather that the portions were very generous and we all had leftovers to take home. 

I will also note that all three of my friends used to color their hair but quit during the pandemic while I took it up as a new hobby 🙃

 

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

I think Kerry’s request for “not hot” got mistranslated as hot hot!! We both struggled with this spice level. 

 

There was a restaurant in Hunan that I used to frequent very often. I never really thought about it, until a friend from England came to visit and she had rather low chilli tolerance levels. So I warned the cook to rein it back for my friend.

Said friend took one bite and almost screamed. I guess two things happened simultaneously:

a) after years of normal Hunan cooking, the wok was infused with chilli heat .

b) "no chilli" in Hunan translates as "less than usual, but anything less than volcanic isn't edible!

 

[Anna N]

I can’t begin to tell you how much I have been longing for this lunch. It is from the restaurant Sakai in Burlington. My plate includes rock shrimp, shrimp tempura, my absolute favourite beef sashimi, and some beef bulgogi. 
 

@Kerry Beal opted for the bulgogi lunch plate and we shared some of the appetizers. 

 

 

[lindag]

I haven't seen any posts for a time from @Anna N

I do hope everything is alright.

[Anna N]

Thanks for your concern. I have faced some challenges with the one that is most responsible for keeping me away is my eyesight. Blurry photographs, badly proofread and perhaps in advertently insulting comments make me very nervous. But to assure you that I am still alive and eating here are two lunches that I recently shared with 

 

On Saturday, October 23, we enjoyed a meal from the Egyptian restaurant, Karioka. 
 

 

I mixed grill for Kerry. 
 

 

Lamb chops and salad for me. 
 

 

Today we had Ramen. 

For Kerry Ramen and a plate of appetizers including Gyoza and a pork dish.

 

my Ramen. my appetizers. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

This is the most heart-warming post I've read in some time.    So good to be at your lunch table, Anna.  

[Duvel]

Happy to hear all is fine, @Anna N 🤗 

[Shelby]

Great pictures and great typing!  (((hugs)))

[KennethT]

@Anna N I can't imagine anyone being insulted by you advertently or inadvertently!  Glad to hear you're ok...

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

But to assure you that I am still alive and eating here are two lunches that I recently shared

 

I'm very sorry about the challenges you are dealing with, especially the vision issues, but otherwise delighted that at least one thing is right with the world and ladies continue to lunch!

[liuzhou]

10 hours ago, Anna N said:

But to assure you that I am still alive and eating here are two lunches that I recently shared with 

 

Glad to hear it. I was thinking the same as @lindagand about to ask the same.

[Anna N]

Once the weather turns cold, @Kerry Bealand I are happy to enjoy some Indian dishes. We are still not dining out but it works very well as takeout food. 
 

 

Since both plates looked almost identical I will only post Kerry’s. 
From upper left - bhuna chicken , lamb tikka, paneer fritters, onion bhaji.

 

.Basmati rice, mint raita, salad, naan, tamarind dipping sauce. 

[Smithy]

Please describe bhuna chicken. The other dishes I've had.  It all looks tasty!

[Anna N]

5 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Please describe bhuna chicken. The other dishes I've had.  It all looks tasty!

Perhaps the best way to explain it is to point you to this link

 

Bhuna chicken

 

point you to this link

[liuzhou]

10 hours ago, Anna N said:

Perhaps the best way to explain it is to point you to this link

 

Bhuna chicken

 

point you to this link

 

I like me a good bhuna. Last time I had one was in Hong Kong about 10 years ago. Good Indian food in HK.

 

[Anna N]

Once again I was tasked with the job of deciding what we would have for lunch today. I thought I had it nailed and was ready to give @Kerry Bealmy decision when I thought to check on the hours. My first choice is not open for lunch on Saturday. Damn. We batted ideas back-and-forth and settled on a Filipino restaurant in Mississauga. Kerry ordered our lunch by pointing at what she wanted from the selections so I do not have any proper names of the dishes to offer you. 

 

 

I will spare you two photographs of pretty much the same food and hope that this one is not too blurry!

 

That is a giant lumpia in the back (by itself  it was a whole meal). The server said regardless of the size it was still lumpia. In front of that is some crispy pork. Over on the far right are some  noodles and the skewer in front is marinated, glazed and grilled pork. 
 

The dipping sauces are both vinegar based. 

Damn, but this was tasty food. 

 

 

[Anna N]

Hard to believe that these two ladies who lunch haven’t  lunched since December 4!  That is what omicron  did to me. I even admit that when  @Kerry Beal  suggested lunch I had to hesitate for some hours before I thought I had worked up enough courage. How awful but you have to think even for a moment by the to accept such an invitation from your BFF. 
 

So Kerry picked up lunch from Rose in the Kitchen.
Our restaurants will be allowed to open for indoor dining at 50% capacity at 12:01 AM tonight. We will not be rushing to take advantage of that I can assure you.

 

 

 

Chicken kebab for Kerry. 

Iskander for me. 

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

Im very much smiling 

 

looks so delicious 

 

enjoy

[ElsieD]

@Anna N  What, no dessert?  Glad to see you're lunching again.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

@Anna N  What, no dessert?  Glad to see you're lunching again.

Oh how we wanted dessert! I particularly had baklava in my mind although I had said nothing. But unfortunately since they are only doing takeout they did not make any desserts. I guess very few people who order takeout also order dessert.  Damn. But I would order that entrée again. It was extremely good. 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

@Anna N 

 

Im very much smiling 

 

looks so delicious 

 

enjoy

Thank you. I did so enjoy! I am hoping one day soon I will overcome Covid anxiety!

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

baklava

 

you bet 

 

[quiet1]

On 1/30/2022 at 4:59 PM, Anna N said:

Thank you. I did so enjoy! I am hoping one day soon I will overcome Covid anxiety!

‘You’ve got a lot of company with that struggle. We haven’t been out to a restaurant since before the pandemic hit. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 hours ago, quiet1 said:

‘You’ve got a lot of company with that struggle. We haven’t been out to a restaurant since before the pandemic hit. 

 

A thought from this saddens me:  last spring, during the lull in COVID and after being vaccinated, we had an electrical emergency at work, and I stayed with our manager until an electrician could be found who would come make a temporary repair.  As we were leaving she mentioned she was going to eat at the local restaurant, and would I like to join her?  It was 8:30, but still daylight, so maybe that counts as a late lunch?

 

That is the only time I've been in a restaurant since COVID.  The kind woman resigned and left four days ago.