Bier Markt

Date Visited: Dinner on Friday Mar 13, 2014
Company: Reunion Dins for +Stanley

As a last minute dinner plan to get together for +Stanley's visit home for his birthday weekend, he made a reservation for 6 at the Bier Markt on the Esplanade. I've always loved the Bier Markt for Friday/Saturday nights out as they have a great selection of beers and fun live entertainment to dance to. With their lunch/dinner menus however, I never really knew what to order as their selection is very limited. They don't serve your typical bar food... it has more of a German/seafood theme than anything and a bit pricier also. But despite my reluctance, it was another fun opportunity to do a blog post with my friends around giving their critiques (and not being embarrassed by me taking pics!).

We all met outside the restaurant on a warmer than usual Winter night on the lovely Esplanade. We had made a reservation for 6 but knew we were expecting 3 more later on. When we told the hostess, she said she'd see what she can do as they had many reservations that night but we were in a small secluded area in the back so it might be easier to add tables. The place was already very lively with people standing around and drinking already. The restaurant is very dim which sucked for taking pictures because I had to use the dreaded flash. 

We all ordered drinks and I decided to get one of their Beer Cocktails, the Peach Cider Bellini which had Blackthorn Cider, house-made ginger syrup, Ciroc Peach-infused vodka, fresh lime juice, and a dash of peach bitters. It was a nice mix of sweet and bitter, the ginger flavour was very prominent but didn't overpower the sweet cider. 

For my main dish, I decided to get the Merchant Burger which was the only burger on the menu for $25. It came on a large circle platter with the burger, fries, and 3 types of sauces. As +Brian pointed out, we didn't get very many fries. I could have definitely had more as they were very delicious, all soft (no crunchies!) and lightly salted. The patty of the burger was pretty big and grilled perfectly on the outside. The inside was nice and red, but not bloody. The patty tasted amazing, so juicy and tender, and still held together well. The bottom bun was drenched in oils from the meat though which made it very messy. It kind of reminded me of the Stn Burger from Richmond Station (my favourite burger of all time) with the quality of the beef, but that burger was actually drenched in sauces, not the oils like this one. 

Our waitress was very sweet and friendly, when our other friends came we were able to pull up another table to accommodate them. There was a bit of fuss as there were empty tables all around us and we need to rearrange them but in the end it worked out. It was weird being so close to where the dance floor usually is as you feel like it's already late and you're out for the night already when actually we were just grabbing dinner. Everyone else there seemed to be pre-gaming to stay the whole night. It's a pretty classy bar though that seems to cater to the yuppy crowd telling by their menu. I love their bar scene, but not so much an fan of the restaurant side.

Food: 2.5/5 - The best meal I've had from here by far, but there's nothing else on the menu I'd want to try. Overpriced and limited menu.

Decor: 3/5 - It's a pretty big and nice bar/restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere, good for drinking. 

Service: 2.5/5 - Nice waitress, but she definitely took my drink before I was finished with it!

Willingness to go back: 1/5 - I wouldn't go back there for dinner, but it's nice for summer patio drinking/casual lunch with their huge beer selection. (That doesn't include going back for a Fri/Sat night out because you'll see me there for sure!)

Overall: 2/5

Website: http://www.thebiermarkt.com/

Wine Bar

Date Visited: Summerlicious Lunch on Saturday Jul 13, 2013

Company: Catch-up session with +Will

For a last minute lunch date, I booked +Will and I a reservation at Wine Bar the morning of. The location was close to where we were and it had an entree that I knew that Will would enjoy (pulled pork sliders). I had passed it a few times before, walking on Church down to the Esplanade, but it never really stuck out to me to give it a try. Upon further research, I discovered that it's a tapas style restaurant that uses local and natural ingredients in their dishes. 

We arrived at noon on the Saturday and were one of the first diners there. We were seated in a small dining area near the main window to the right of the door where there were about 6 tables. There was a long bar leading to the kitchen in the main area but I didn't get to walk around to see what the rest of the restaurant looked like. It was quite fancy and authentic though, with a wide assortment of wines at the bar.

They had a pretty cork material menu customized for Summerlicious to match their main menu and every dish had a wine pairing. Upon ordering our meals, we received our appetizers almost immediately. I had ordered the Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Dip. The presentation of the dip was very lovely and they also provided a fancy butter knife to scoop the dip. The flavour was subtle and not as heavy as I had expected. I also thought it would be thicker but it was more runny which made the knife helpful. The crostini's were rather crispy, but it complemented the dip nicely. The pickled roasted red peppers and red onions were delicious too on the side. It was a excellent light start to the meal.

For my main, I ordered the Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich. I'm not sure why there's 'Almond' in the title because I didn't taste anything almond related in the sandwich. The chicken salad was quite refreshing and had a nice combination of vegetables mixed in. The foccacia wasn't as heavy as it's usually made and toasted to a crispy, but not too hard texture. The shoestring fries with the spicy mayo dip was also fun to eat.

To end, I decided to have Creme Brûlée for the first time. I'm not sure why I never had an interest in it before because I do love custard. Maybe because I'm not a fan of the hard syrup texture of the top layer because it gets stuck in your teeth. Despite this, the brûlée was very tasty with strong egg flavour, and the strawberry was a nice complement.  

Overall, this was a very light and somewhat healthier Summerlicious meal that may be good for first-timers to try to introduce you into the fine-dining experience.  I was very content after the meal and felt just a bit better about myself knowing I supported the community :)

Food: 4/5 - Fresh ingredients and well-planned dishes.
Service: 5/5 - The waiter was so attentive and eager, too bad we didn't need much service.
Decor: 3/5 - Nice ambiance and well established.
Willingness to come back: 2/5 - I'd be a little lost ordering if they didn't have the fixe price menu.
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.9church.com/