Habit Lounge on Main Street

[Andrew Morrison]

Habit Lounge (warning - website is content light) opened up on Main Street tonight (from the people who brought us Kitsilano's Tangerine. Awesome dinner in an awesome little room). I've jotted down a few pre-review lines down here, but I'd like to hear what you all think of the place after you check it out for the first time.

To pair with my 1516 Bavarian?

Moroccan spiced free-run chicken wings glazed with orange-chili and pomengranate.

Best wings ever, but there were only 7 of them for $10. I'm used to indulging in 25 cent wings of the deep-fried and grim kind (mild, hot, or suicidal - you know the score). It was the only shocker.

Small wine list, 5 seat bar with four 16oz pours on tap.

Fun and pretty.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Andrew Morrison (log)

[kurtisk]

Fun and pretty.

←

No, YOU are!

Fun times abound at the Habit tonight. Great Sablefish Cakes and my bite of Jeff's Sheperd's Pie was fantastic!

So fun!

Main Street, yo, I'm tellin' ya...

k.

[fud]

^ I walked by it last night on my way home from Sandy's and I was exhausted so i couldn't pop in. It looked PACKED! People inside, people outside. It was like a mini block party. I'll actually go INSIDE next time

[JasmineL]

I am going to check out Habit in about half an hour. Hmmm...what to eat?

[JasmineL]

Here is my account of lastnight's visit to habit.

I arrived around 7pm with a friend and got a seat right away. The room was about 90% full and I saw no less than 3 familiar faces enjoying drinks and food, the locals all giving it the trial run. I observed that the decor is a fun mix of Canadiana and 70's. My friend said it felt like a very hip cafeteria. The seating was comfortable and we scored a spot by the big windows...perfect for watching the twinkle of snow coming down.

The waitress who was very friendly came by with menus and informed us that it was designed for sharing. I ordered a Strong Bow (bottled) and my friend ordered the Bavarian 1516. The service from here on was a little bit slow...but we were not in a hurry so it wasn't anything to have a fit over.

We decided to start with the Trio of Dips and homebaked bread (all these names are from memory and are probably different on the menu). The basket of bread contained a n India style flatbread (Puri?) and a triangled and toasted selection similar to foccacia. Two of the dips were a variation on humous, one of them had a strong olive flavour. The other dip was a working of baba ganoush...I liked that one the best. This appetizer was $9.

We opted to try the Sweet Carrot and Brie Perogies. I am a perogie snob from years of making perogies from scratch at the now non-existant Perogy's Perogies on Denman. These definitely met my high standards. They were large in size (3 per $10 order) and served with an herbed sour cream. I would have liked them to be a bit heavier on the brie...it's all mixed in with the carrot filling.

The next dish we tried was the Buffalo Flatiron with corn torillas and black beans. I believe this dish was about $14. The steak was medium rare, layered between and on top of the beans and tortillas. There was a drizzle of a chipolte dressing and some other condiment that wasn't particularly flavourful but did add some needed lubrication to the dish.

Finally, we had the Brownie with nuts and Mocha ice cream for dessert to share ($6). It was a large portion of warm brownie, not too cakey. The single scoop of ice cream was contrasted nicely. I could have eaten one to myself easily...but I'm crazy like that. I was very tempted by the menu listing of Mexican Hot Chocolate and Cookies...but decided to leave that for another day.

The bill came to $63 between the two of us...$20 of that being drinks. We left satisfied but not stuffed. I was actually happy that I had already eaten a small meal before I had arrived. Next time I go, I will order 3 entree items between 2 people plus appy and dessert.

Pleasant experience all around and since it is so close to home I can see myself becoming a regular...atleast for dessert!

[fud]

^ Thanks for the review JasmineL!

I am suffering from 'too close' syndrom - a mental state caused by the proximity of a restaurant to one's home being less than 2 blocks thereby causing the afflicted to say to him/herself "well it's so close so I'll go later".

[makanmakan]

we checked out habit with some friends last week and had a great time! we were there around 8:30 and the place was about 3/4 full. it was nice to see familiar faces in the staff from tangerine and they were just as friendly. there were 5 of us and beers and wines were flowing about. i quite liked the wine list, small but well thought out. i had wanted to try their house red as it was well reviewed a couple of weeks ago by anthony gismondi (remembered him saying to buy this by the case!). it was the heartland stickleback, a blend of cab, shiraz and grenache. we quite liked it for an easy everyday table wine. it was definitely nice to see some different selections on the list, rather than the usual suspects.

food!

we started with the pan fried oysters with a cornmeal crust served with a creamy dip of some sort. it was so good that we forgot to take a pic of it before it disappeared! the oyster was perfectly cooked, very fresh and moist and the aioli was a nice pair with it.

mezze platter.

duck sausage (delicious), pepperonata like spread, mixed marinated olives, cheeses (gorgonzola and a firmer spanish cheese), steamed cold marinated mussels (very good). served with a basket of mixed bread.

carrot and brie perogies and morrocan spiced chicken wings

the perogies were a disappointment for us. flavourwise, it was not too bad, could have used a little bit more brie. for me, it was the texture. the dough was overcooked, hence with the soft, mushy filling, it was all a mushy mess in my mouth. i would have rather had a more al dente dough for more of a toothy texture.

the chicken wings. my god, we ordered another batch the moment we tasted our first ones! it was deliciously spiced and glazed. one of our hilites of the night.

the trio of dips.

a red pepper dip, an olive homous, and a baba ghanoush with a basket of mixed bread. the dips were all good. by this time, i was well sauced with the wine, so i can't recall much in detail of the food from now on.... but i will try.

sablefish cakes on top of potatoe latkes and a horseradish aioli

this was also one of my favourites of the night. the fish cake was so flavourful and the fish was fresh. the aioli was subtle and didn't overpower the dish. the latke was y least favourite component of the dish.

buffalo flatiron steak with tostadas and black beans

this was my absolute favourite of the night. upon the first bite, there was a party in my mouth! the buffalo was cooked med rare to perfection, with such a nice mexican flavour. the beans were delicious and the crunch and the smokey flavour of the tostada was a nice addition to the dish.

ceasar salad with pumpkin seeds

this was alright. not bad but not memorable. the lettuce was fresh and well dressed. the pumpkin seeds were a nice add on for the delicate crunch. my only grumble was that it didn't have enough of an anchovy kick for me.

lamb shephard's pie

we loved this dish. so comforting and a great twist on an old favourite. lamb curry topped with mashed potatoes. c'mon people, how can you go wrong with this?!! the curry was nicely spiced and delicate in flavour, the lamb was tender, with chunks of veggies in the stew. the mash was good, simple and well done.

dessert menu! as you will see, we ordered all the desserts. not that we weren't already full, but y'know how it is!

apple and fig roll

i hate to admit this, but i just realized today that i forgot to taste this! i was told that it was quite good.

creme brulee with ginger snaps

deliciously spiced with a mix of fall flavours. nicely textured and you've gotta love that sugar crust! the ginger snaps were so good.

chocolate brownie with mocha ice cream

oh, chocolate goodness. warm, soft, rich chocolate brownie. rich, smooth ice cream. need i say more?!!

well, there you go. we left stuffed and drunk after a bill of $270 after tax and tip. we loved our experience and the food. we tried almost everything on the small but interesting menu. i hope that the menu will see changes periodically. we will be back for sure. the room is very cool, simple and clean, very canadiana. perfect blend into the main street scene.

last and only gripe about our night. while our whole experience was great, some of us ended our meal with tea. i was so disappointed to see that our teas were twinning and safeway select brands. with so many great artisanal tea companies in the city, i was hoping for something a little more interesting than what we were given. it felt like the tea purchasing was an afterthought for them. i know i'm being somewhat picky, but i like my tea and i like to have quality tea after a quality meal!

[fud]

Wow thanks for the pictures! Sablefish cakes and Wings it is then!

The desserts are reasonably priced too. Nice stuff. They also look fairly sizeable.