m for mediocre - m:brgr

Our lunch visit yesterday to the new burger bar m:brgr left much to be desired. The burgers were good, yes, but definitely overpriced for what they're worth. And it wasn't anything that couldn't have been made at home for tastier. The reasonable burger price of 8.75$ doesn't reflect your total bill (as expected - I'd already peeked at the menu on their website) since toppings add up. A few toppings later, and your burger ends up being closer to 18$. The portobello on the boy's burger were slightly lacking in flavour, and unable to hold up against the beef. My burger, topped with house-smoked bacon (which I will admit was quite tasty) and cheddar that was too mild for my liking (especially against the pickle). Moreover, our foodie companion's fried egg was overcooked (isn't the whole point to have the runny yolk meld with the sandwich?).

The one saving grace? Excellent coleslaw (also as expected - it's the same stuff served at Moishe's, and it's the stuff that turned me onto coleslaw in the first place). Okay, and their lightly battered sweet potato fries were pretty tasty as well. But aren't burger joints supposed to highlight burgers?

I'm glad I tried the restaurant, but the hype is overrated and my first visit was likely my last. Don't be fooled by their tagline "required eating".

2025 Drummond; 514-906-2747
Dinner for 2, before tax, tip and drinks: $45-$75

tasty olive oil and.... good customer service (?!!!)

We (the boy and I plus a friend) discovered a tasty olive oil from New Zealand whilst dining at Casa Tapas one day, and I've been on the prowl for the stuff since. Of course, leave it to trusty Vieille Europe to carry such things!

Anyway, the boy had baked fresh ciabatta for opening night of The Mikado yesterday, for which he had baked 6 loaves of ciabatta for patrons to munch upon. Sadly (well, not so sadly for us), one of the loaves was on the not-so-aesthetically-pleasing side of things, meaning attaching Nankipoo's name to it would've been a little bit of a silly idea. So, we ate the 1/2 that was a little flat.

To celebrate the grand occasion of tasty bread, we opened the bottle of stuff I had picked up from Vielle Europe not too long ago: The Village Press's Barnea Olive Oil. First taste = bitter, flat. Bitter and flat?! Definitely not the way I remembered it at the restaurant. A quick google search convinced us that yes, the oil had indeed turned rancid. Must have been the poor seal of its cap, which of course would've bled air into the bottle.

All of this left me, of course, a little bit sad. I'd been waiting to have my very own coveted bottle of this stuff to consume! Next course of action = email the folks over at the Village Press with a firm but pleasant tone, letting them know that I wouldn't accept anything other than a replacement bottle for this mishap - you know, the standard product complaint email, here's the UPC code, etc etc except that I tried to make it as friendly as possible.

I received a reply from them, one hour later!! I've never heard of such speedy customer service in my life, and was taken aback (pleasantly). Plus they were apologetic - in a rather sincere way (as sincere as one can be in that sector), unlike other customer service representatives I've dealt with in the same domain. And now, a bottle of this stuff is getting shipped here - shipped! I actually only expected to get a voucher for them instead, and I didn't think ask for me to "please send us your address ASAP!!" (!!'s placed by them, not me).

Anyway, I'm pleased. Quite so.

I haven't forsaken you, blog!

Yes, I'm guilty of having disappeared for the last few months.

It has been a indeed a lengthy while since I've updated here. In fact, there's a massive backlog of tasty photos on my laptop, with many side dishes of accompanying stories. I've been rather busy with the school thing - between working on my thesis and practicing French (yes, I'm taking a French class this semester!), I barely have time to host dinner parties!

And I'm hoping to make-over the blog sometime in the near future, but of course that's yet another form of procrastination. Quite unnecessary as my plate for these 2 weeks has been loaded with 2 presentations, a midterm, and the first half of my thesis due.

I'll be back soon, I promise.