O&B Canteen

Date Visited: Brunch on Saturday Sept 13, 2014

Company: Walk-in for 6

On the second weekend of TIFF, we somehow decided to go to the O&B Canteen for Saturday brunch. For those of you who don't know, it's a restaurant attached to the TIFF building and also very close to where most of my friends live downtown. +Will and I were the first to arrive and they said it would be a 20 minute wait. We hung out in the TIFF building and found a spot to sit and wait for everyone since we had a beeper which would call us when our table was ready. We waited over our 20 minutes and decided to go back to ask what was up with our table, all they told us it would be ready soon. It was very busy but they didn't seem too concerned that we had been waiting along time already and they weren't giving us anymore information than we had 30 minutes ago. When we were finally seated we got a nice corner table surrounded by their large windows.

I wasn't very impressed with the selection they had for breakfast/brunch, it was a tad limited overpriced. I decided to go for their $17 Canteen Burger with bacon, aged cheddar, pickled jalapeño, herb mayo, and hot house tomato. Our waiter had a bit of attitude but tried his best in getting us all our drinks and orders. I wanted to order an orange juice but it was $5, no way I was going to pay that. I know that it was O&B but I couldn't justify it knowing it would be a small glass. We had some nice conversations while we were waiting for our food and I had to help +Gisele pick a movie to see for TIFF. We left a bit to look at the schedule outside when +Rosemarie texted us that our food was there!

I was impressed with the look of my burger, the portion size was better than I had expected and the herb mayo sauce smelled awesome. The burger was very lean and less juicy than I would have liked but all the toppings were delicious together. It was better than the average burger and very meaty, the herb mayo was awesome (I want that recipe!). The fries were also great, lightly salted and crispy. There was a lot of mixed reviews of everyone's dishes at the table. They all seemed pretty good although the Gnocci portion looked a little small for +Will although +Gisele claims that she ordered it last week and couldn't finish it.

Food: 3/5 - My burger was pretty good but had higher expectations for the menu.

Decor: 3.5/5 - Loved all the natural lighting and modern decor, the isles are a bit small though and you have to go upstairs the TIFF building for the bathroom.

Service: 1.5/5 - Not vey impressed, a bit snooty.

Willingness to return: 2/5 - I would return if it was suggested but I can't think of a good occasion where I would to suggest going there again, neither the food or prices were enticing enough.

Overall: 2.5/5

Website: http://oliverbonacini.com/Canteen.aspx 

Petit Thuet

Date Visited: Lunch on Sunday Sept 8, 2013

Company: Grabbed a quick bite for myself on the way to a TIFF volunteer shift

As I was walking along King Street after leaving Roy Thompson Hall after a TIFF volunteer session, I randomly glanced upon Petit Thuet, a small bakery very close to Will's place that I had never seen before. Thinking back, I was a bit nippy so I was probably looking around for a place to grab a small bite. I walked by and it looked a bit intimidating truthfully, so I continued walking, contemplating whether or not I should have gone in. The next morning however, I walked by again on the way to RTH for another volunteer shift and took the steps into the bakery this time. The place was very lighted from the sun outside, shining through the windows with high ceilings. There were a few people in there, sitting and having coffees. They didn't seem to have very much selection that Sunday morning with about 3 choices of sandwiches. I also noticed that they were also pretty pricey, about $8 for a small sandwich. 

I ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich off the top of my head and got it heated to go. I regretted not getting a croissant while there as I read on Foursquare right after that they were a signature item. They also had a few macaroons that also seemed popular from reviews. I had a nice conversation with the waiter about TIFF and he said that the bakery caters to celebrities and it's where they get their bread from while in Toronto. The owner's son who is also an employee gets to meet many of the celebs while delivering their food (fun fact!). The owner also has a book on display and for sale near the cash register.

Anyway, I got my sandwich and ate while walking down King St. The sandwich was nice and warm when I took it out. It's pretty standard sized but just a bit thinner than usual, so I thought that there wasn't much pulled pork between the buns. However, the it was packed a lot of flavour despite its look. The sauce was very sweet and the cheese was melted which added a nice texture. The bread was crispy fresh and the sandwich wasn't too heavy and very delectable.

Food: 3.5/5 - Excellent quality, but over priced.
Decor: 3/5 - Simple, spacious and classy.
Service: 3.5/5 - Kind of pretentious but friendly.
Willingness to come back: 1/5 - Too pricey for me, unless I wanted to try a macaroon or croissant.
Overall: 3/5
Website: http://www.petitethuet.com/