La Belle Patate - Review 2

Restaurant: La Belle Patate - Review 2

Cuisine: Canadian/French/Fast Food
Last visited: February 19, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1215 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: n/a (Met the owner, so I’m biased – but he’s really nice to everyone)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Owner Pascal Cornier from Montreal, Quebec
• Specializes in poutine
• Very authentic
• Recently opened (couple months now)
• Original location in Victoria, BC
• Offers 30 different kinds of poutine
• Offers vegetarian poutine - Traditional poutine is vegetarian
• Poutine sauce imported from Montreal
• Fresh, made upon order
• Fast food
• Take out/Dine in
• Open daily 11am-late

**Recommendation: Traditional Poutine

This is where I started my quest for Vancouver’s Best Poutine on Davie Street. Since then I have re-visited La Belle Patate on a couple occasions to try their other items. In my opinion their poutine wins the most traditional and authentic poutine.

The cheese curds are definitely what makes these poutines stand out and memorable. They're real cheese curds - that squeak becuase they're so fresh!...and they don't melt, it's the real deal. However now that I've revisited on a couple occasions, my rating goes beyond them having excellent cheese curds.

On this visit to La Belle Patate’s it was to try their other items at my own expense. I’ve tried 4 of the poutines now, but of all of them I still think the traditional poutine is best. They're all still very good, but that’s the one I still recommend. I'll still keep trying others just in case...I want to be sure.

La Belle Patate - Review 1

On the table:

Smoked Meat Poutine 3/6

• Small $7.50 Medium $8.50 Large $9.50
• I got the small size – which is enough for one – they’re quite heavy and filling.
• Besides poutine, La belle Patate focuses on their authentic Montreal smoked meat as well.
• I thought this poutine was good, but the smoked meat was a little too salty for me. The flavour was really simple, not many spices (if any) – just salty.
• The smoked meat is almost like ham rather than a brisket and it has a charred-barbeque taste rather than a smoked taste.
  

• It’s not like deli ham, but like a ham you would have on Christmas. It’s a cross between that and a brisket - but it is beef. They’re pretty lean pieces and they give you quite a bit, but I wasn’t crazy about them.
• The gravy was the smoked meat gravy, but it still reminded me of the vegetarian poutine sauce they use on the traditional poutine. I actually couldn’t tell much of a difference.
• The fries are made of red potatoes and they’re a thicker hand cut fry.
• Again the best part was easily the cheese curds, however overall I still like the traditional poutine better.
• 

Breakfast Poutine 4/6

• Egg, bacon, onion Medium $10 Large $12
• The smallest size you can get is a medium for this one – which is what I ordered. It’s huge!
• I prefer the breakfast poutine at La Brasserie hands down. This one is still very good, but after the one at La Brasserie – I don’t think any breakfast poutine can beat that one. It was so delicious!

• The egg was a scrambled egg and I wanted more of it. It was a bit dry and overcooked (front piece that looks like a wrinkled cheese curd in the photo).
  
• I know a poached egg is too ‘gourmet’ for La Belle Patate, but I wanted the egg to have a runny yolk to mix in with my gravy. I would have even liked a fried egg – which isn’t ‘gourmet’.

• I loved the onions and how they were sautéed nice and soft, and sweet. They weren’t to the point of caramelized, but almost there. I could have used more of this as well.
• The bacon pieces were those standard bacon strips that are quite fatty. I think it's about 2 strips of crumbled bacon - it's cooked on the spot upon order but they're too salty, fatty and not crispy enough. I'm not a fan of bacon in general (yes, I can almost HEAR all the jaws drop...but bacon should always be crispy I think)
  
• Overall I enjoyed this poutine, but I wanted more eggs and onions. It was also quite expensive at $10, considering La Brasserie’s gourmet breakfast poutine is only $12…and just a couple blocks down the street.

Galvaude 3/6

• Chicken and peas Small $7.80 Medium $9.90 Large $12
• They have a BBQ Galvaude version which has a meat based poutine sauce. The original galvaude is served with a vegetarian poutine sauce.
• This one had lots of peas, a decent amount of sliced grilled chicken breast and cheese curds.
• Needless to say – but the cheese curds were best as always.

• The peas are not the frozen Green Giant peas, but they're those dark green canned mushy ones. They're not as sweet or crunchy and I prefer frozen ones. But I think it might be more authentic with the canned ones.
• Authentically I’m pretty sure Galvaude Poutine is supposed to be served with shredded chicken and not grilled sliced chicken. I would have preferred shredded chicken for a poutine, but the grilled was still good.
• It’s a very basic and simple recipe.

Traditional Poutine

BONUS - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. If I do put it in the competition, their breakfast poutine takes the lead hands down. For a gourmet poutine on Davie Street, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?)

1^st place Most Authentic French-Canadian Poutine - La Belle Patate.

1^st place Best Tasting Poutine - La Brasserie’s Breakfast Poutine

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel. Thanks!

La Brasserie offer 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Saturday and Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both!

The breakfast poutine will keep you full until dinner and maybe even a bit sleepy…but it’s totally worth it!

On the table:

La Brasserie Breakfast Poutine 6/6

• Poached egg, bacon, truffle oil, Hollandaise sauce, cheese curds, pork gravy $12
• I’m really mad I didn’t get a picture of this for my blog entry, I totally forgot. You can see it in my “Best Poutine on Davie” video though.
• Poutine for breakfast? Really? Yes, really…and don’t complain. But again, why would you? You won’t for this one at least.
• Oh my gosh...could I have died and went to heaven? Figuratively and literally? Yes, quite possibly. But would I have at least died happy? Yes, because this breakfast poutine is freaking tasty.
• Ok first off, put an egg on anything and I’m there. Poach it like the way their chef did it…I’m so there! It was a perfectly soft poached egg and when you poked the yolk it ran all over the fries and mixed in with the Hollandaise and gravy. I’m drooling all over again.
• This was a very well prepared poutine. Many things stood out, but the first flavour I got was surprisingly not savoury, but actually tangy! The tang was from one of the best parts of this poutine: the Hollandaise sauce. It’s made in house and from scratch. It’s buttery, creamy, thick, rich and intensely flavourful with a strong lemon taste. There’s also Worcestershire sauce to add to the tang and give it a kick, it’s one of the best Hollandaise I’ve had.
• The bacon was fresh pieces of bacon. Not those thin bacon strips, but actual pieces of bacon meat. They were lightly pan fried, and not that crispy ( I kind of wish they were though), but they almost had a dry chewy quality to them. It was salty, but not too salty. This is a Franco-German Bistro so they know their pork…thus the pork gravy is great too. The same pork gravy in the truffle poutine they serve at dinner.
• I could definitely smell the truffle oil even though they used less than they did on the truffle poutine. However the truffle oil became secondary to the Hollandaise and to everything else going on. To be honest, it didn’t even need to truffle oil because it was that well prepared.
• With everything combined it really is something can’t be missed. It's surprisingly only $12 too, totally worth it! It’s super hearty, filling, and rich, but really who cares when there’s so much to enjoy? I highly recommend this…but park further away so at least you’re walking back to your car…

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street - Conclusion

This is Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 4 of 4.

Follow this link to watch my final thoughts on the poutines I had on Davie Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Ev9NJibIA

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie Thanks!

The following is the written conclusion and summary of The Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street with material that may not be included in the videos.

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

In terms of authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate. It’s pretty much the real deal in terms of authentic poutine. However this doesn’t necessarily mean it was the best tasting…for that ___________ takes the win! You'll see that blank filled in next week...in a bonus episode ;)

Overall the cheese curds at La Belle Patate stole the show, yet La Brasserie had the best gravy. As for the poutine at Fritz European Fry House, it was always a solid choice until I took on this challenge...I know…what a “challenge” I had right? Well to be fair, you try eating so much poutine and going to work afterward…that was a challenge! (I could have easily taken a nap…and I don’t know if I would ever wake up…)

The following is a quick recap/summary of the 3 poutines:

Poutine 1 - La Belle Patate:

This is not representable of what is actually ordered. I'm so embarrassed...I forgot to take my picture before I started eating it. I didn't follow usually routine because this was for the video blog.

La Belle Patate Traditional Poutine 6/6

• Small $5.50 Medium $7.50 Large $9.50
• Red Potatoes, hand cut, skins on, freshly fried
• The “gravy” or as they call it the “poutine sauce” is actually completely vegetarian. (A wheat based sauce)
• They do offer meat “gravy” or meat “poutine sauce” and it’s under the name of “BBQ”
• Best cheese curds - fresh, firm, squeaky, don't melt
• Authentic Montreal poutine
• Foil to-go containers
  

Poutine 2 - La Brasserie:

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9
• Kennebec potatoes, hand cut, skins on
• Gourmet poutine
  
• Best pork gravy with lots of truffle oil, a bit of a kick and freshly cracked black pepper
• The cheese curds were part mozzarella cheese rather than an actual cheese curd.
• It’s savoury, very aromatic with the truffle oil
• Comfort food with a gourmet twist.

Poutine 3 - Fritz European Fry House:

Poutine 4/6

• Small: $4.50 Medium: $5 Large: $6.50 Jumbo: $7.50
• Russet Potatoes, hand cut, skins on, freshly fried
  
• Firm and a bit crispier than the other two.
  
• Layer their poutine - fries, cheese curds, gravy and repeat.
• Good ratio of ingredients.
• European Fry House - focus on dips
  
• Gravy enhanced with black pepper and some dried herbs.
  
• Mozzarella cheese curd - stringiest of all 3 places.
  
• The most ooey gooey, saucy and cheesy poutine.
• Muchies/Hangover food
• Styrofoam to-go container

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, and Fritz European Fry House was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

La Brasserie - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

This is Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4.

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The next stop: La Brasserie! For the next episode please subscribe to the Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie or visit back for updates!

This video blog/review/post will be the post for Monday Feb. 1 and Tuesday Feb. 2. The following is the written review as well as more details about La Brasserie that are not included in the video.

Restaurant: La Brasserie

Cuisine: German/French
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1091 Davie Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (Based on Truffle poutine only)
Service: n/a (Due to this special review, I'm biased)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: n/a

Additional comments:

• Franco-German restaurant
• Specializes in Franco-German bistro food
• Casual fine dining
  
• Seats 35, intimate setting
• Opened by brothers Michael and Stephen Wiese
• Neighbourhood gem
• Everything made from scratch
• Lunch daily 11-2:30pm
  
• Dinner daily 5pm-12am
• Brunch Saturdays & Sundays 10am-3pm
• Busy for dinner
  
• No reservations
• Offers a charity brunch on the 1st Sunday of every Month
  

**Recommendation: n/a (I've tried food here before, but I'm staying poutine focused)

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

La Brasserie was my 2^nd stop for my quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. For a gourmet poutine on Davie, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?) However when it comes to authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate.

Originally I was only supposed to compare the poutines from Fritz European Fry House and La Belle Patate. La Brasserie was unexpected and a last minute entry because I wasn’t aware that they served poutines until I randomly scoped out their menu while walking by.

La Brasserie offers 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both! For those of you that are reading this, and did not ONLY watch the video...here's a "secret": I'm featuring their breakfast poutine in a bonus video ;)

What is Poutine?

Using the most common definition a poutine is fries, cheese and gravy. However the real authentic definition of a poutine is fries, cheese curds (specifically fresh cheddar cheese curds), and poutine sauce or “gravy”. (Some people will object to the word “gravy” – but it’s supposed to be a chicken based sauce).

On the table:

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9
• Why are you paying $9 for a poutine? It’s the Truffle oil! The first thing this poutine triggers is your nose. They’re not skimping on it either. It’s seriously the first thing I could smell and I could taste it throughout too. This isn't an authentic poutine as much as it is a poutine with a gourmet twist.
• The fries are hand cut, skins on, Kennebec potatoes, and were nice and freshly fried. The fry held really well and didn't lose form or texture. This potato is rarely used for fries and I was surprised that it wasn't a Yukon Gold. To be honest, I couldn't really tell, but they became secondary to the gravy and truffle oil.
• The gravy is pork gravy that’s made in house and it was really flavourful. It had a bit of a kick to it and I’m not sure if it was just from the freshly cracked black pepper it was served with or if it was from an additional sauce...perhaps Worcestershire sauce? The gravy was the best out of the 3 places I tried.
• The cheese curds weren’t as fresh as the ones at La Belle Patate and they were using a mozzarella cheese rather than an actual cheese curd.
• If you like the stringy, ooey gooey quality to your poutine (which isn’t authentic, but still really good) then you’ll love this poutine. It’s savoury, very aromatic with the truffle oil, and has a slight kick.
• This is really the definition of gourmet comfort food or comfort food with a gourmet twist. I mean when truffle oil is an ingredient can you really lose? On the rare occasion maybe…actually no, not even on the rare occasion.
• I wasn’t a fan of how it was served though. It was all packed into a really tiny bowl so I found all the ingredients on the top. I would have liked to see a shallower and wider bowl or dish.

• Note: I had other Vancouver food blogger friends visit on a another night and they ordered this truffle poutine and didn't experience the strong truffle taste...so I can't speak for consistency.
  

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

La Belle Patate - Vancouver's Best (Authentic) Poutine on Davie

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

This is the first vlog for Follow Me Foodie. My quest for the best poutine on Davie Street started off at La Belle Patate. For the next episode please subscribe to the Follow Me Foodie youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FollowMeFoodie or visit back for updates!

The Quest for the BEST POUTINE on Davie Street Part 2

To launch the 1st Follow Me Foodie video blog this review/post will be the post for Wednesday and Thursday. The following is the written review as well as more details about La Belle Patate that are not included in the video.

Restaurant: La Belle Patate

Cuisine: Canadian/French/Fast Food
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown/West End)
1215 Davie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5 (Based on just the original poutine)
Service: n/a (Due to this special review, I'm biased)

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Owner Pascal Cornier from Montreal, Quebec
• Specializes in poutine
  
• Very authentic
• Recently opened
• Original location in Victoria, BC
• Offers 30 different kinds of poutine
• Offers vegetarian poutine - Traditional poutine is vegetarian
  
• Fresh, made upon order
• Fast food
• Take out/Dine in
• Open daily 11am-late

**Recommendation: Traditional Poutine (only thing I've tried)

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

My quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street started off at La Belle Patate!

In terms of authentic French-Canadian poutine, I’d have to give 1^st place to La Belle Patate. It’s pretty much the real deal in terms of authentic poutine. However this doesn’t necessarily mean it was the best tasting…for that you have to keep watching/following my video series!

I discovered La Belle Patate driving up Davie Street and from the outside it kind of looks like hole in the wall. I thought it was a take-out only kind of place, but I was really surprised with the inside. It’s actually very spacious and there’s actually a nice sitting area that makes it more of a “dine-in” kind of place rather than simply “eat-in”.

My expectations started to rise as I saw a Montreal Canadian flag hanging and I also heard the owner speaking French. I knew I was in for a very authentic poutine. The menu is extensive and they offer 30 kinds of poutine. There’s a lot of different styles of poutine and a lot of meat options, so I was very surprised to learn that their traditional poutine was actually vegetarian!

What is Poutine?

Using the most common definition a poutine is fries, cheese and gravy. However the real authentic definition of a poutine is fries, cheese curds (specifically fresh cheddar cheese curds), and poutine sauce or “gravy”. (Some people will object to the word “gravy” – but it’s supposed to be a chicken based sauce).

On the table:

This is not representable of what is actually ordered. I'm so embarrassed...I forgot to take my picture before I started eating it. I didn't follow my usual routine because this was for the video blog.

Traditional Poutine 5.5/6

• Small $5.50 Medium $7.50 Large $9.50
• The fries were hand cut, skin on, Red Potatoes and very fresh. They were a bit thicker cut with a crispy outside and very soft and fluffy inside.
• The fries were completely covered in gravy and the bottom layer got a bit soggy, but that’s expected.
• To my surprise, I was very surprised…the “gravy” or as they call it the “poutine sauce” is actually completely vegetarian. It wasn't obvious it was vegetarian unless you knew. It’s a wheat based sauce and it carries a shine, so it gives the illusion of being a bit oily or greasy. It is salty and it still has a meaty flavour so I was surprised to hear it was vegetarian. I'm pretty sure it's thickened with quite a bit of cornstarch because it's pretty thick and jelly-like or glutinous in texture.
• They do offer meat “gravy” or meat “poutine sauce” and it’s under the name of “BBQ” – so anything with the words “BBQ” will be meat based. I actually want to try that and do another comparison.
• I didn't get to try the "BBQ Poutine" at La Belle Patate. I wish I did because I actually feel like that version should have been the "Traditional Poutine".
• Cheese curds
• The cheese curds are the best cheese curds I’ve had in Vancouver so far. The cheese curds are definitely the highlight here. They’re very fresh and they squeak when you chew them. A sign of very fresh curds!
• They’re really generous with them and there are big chunks of it and they don’t lose their texture or shape because they don’t melt. Yes they don’t melt, so don’t expect the ooey gooey stinginess you may be used to. An authentic poutine isn’t supposed to have cheese curds that melt because that would mean they are using mozzarella.
• He gets them in from the Fraser Valley and it’s not even a mozzarella or a white cheddar cheese. It’s actually called “cheese curd” and it has the texture of very firm mozzarella so I thought it was a white cheddar cheese, but it’s not. The flavour is similar to mozzarella, but a bit deeper and it's so firm it breaks apart when you chew it.
• I really love how they served them in foil to-go containers. It was perfect! It literally retained heat until my project was done...2 hours later!
• A few things that bothered me…
• I really think they should call the “Traditional Poutine” a vegetarian poutine and then the “BBQ Poutine” the traditional poutine…for me, a real traditional and authentic poutine should be meat based sauce.
  
• The cheese curds are super squeaky and fresh, but from my research and knowledge an authentic poutine should have white cheddar cheese curds.

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Belle Patate was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery - Review 2

Restaurant: Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery - Review 2

Cuisine: Brunch/Lunch/Teatime/Bakery
Last visited: December 26, 09
Area: Delta, BC
#112-6345 120^th Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: Sweet: 4 Savoury: 1.5
Service: 2

Ambiance: 6

Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• New owners, a couple new items eg: Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding
• Very quaint, very cute, traditional country style tearoom
• Child-like tea party feel
• Atmosphere is unreal – literally, and figuratively
• Offers high tea - $20/person (Reservations required)
• Everything is homemade, but also pre-made and sits there until ordered
• Really "just like Grandma's..." kind of place
• Popular to locals, females, and seniors
• Local/hidden gem (tucked away location)
• Baked goods really good, savoury items - pretty bad
• Baked goods are $1-2 more if you eat in
• Homemade fudge
• Savoury and sweet items available to go
• Part restaurant, part gift shop selling stationary, aprons, tea sets etc.
• Reservations recommended for high tea - gets busy
• Accepts Debit/Visa/MC

**Recommendation: Scones with “the works” devonshire cream and homemade jam, Cloverleaf buns, Rhubarb upside down cake, chocolate brownies

This is almost the only place I will keep returning back too even though I’m not impressed with their food, except for the baked goods I recommend. The atmosphere is what draws me back, that, and the lack of options in the area.

I’ve been here on several occasions and it’s always the same stuff (for the last like 7 years…talk about traditional right?!) so I always try something new. The last time I came to Applewood Bakery I was really disappointed. Since then they have changed owners and not much has changed except for a couple new menu items. The new owner saw me taking pictures of the tearoom and kindly asked what they were for. I told her that it was for a blog, and to my surprise she had already read it and seen my review. I was a bit caught off guard because 1) it wasn’t a good review and 2) it was the 1^st time I’ve experienced this situation – but nonetheless, with her permission, she was kind enough to continue letting me do my thing – photos and all. I appreciate that.

I’ll be totally honest and say that I’m still not impressed with their savoury foods. Pretty much every time I’ve gone the savoury food is always a miss; except for their quiche which is decent and cloverleaf rolls which are fantastic. Other than those items, they just do nothing for me. The baked goods on the other hand are usually quite solid. They’re very grandma’s homemade country-style baked goods that suit the atmosphere perfectly. However even some of the baked goods I find just good…they could easily be better.

The atmosphere is insanely cute! It’s girly, delicate and you feel like Alice in Wonderland. From the tearoom, kitchen, to the bathroom – you just can’t help but to feel like you’re in a life size playhouse. You really won’t find anything else like it.

I spoke briefly with the new owner and she told me that she will be keeping some old traditions and slowly bringing in some the ones. It’s the kind of place that has a niche market and local clientele so I can see how it would be risky to change around too much. She’s going to be improving some recipes…and thank goodness for this because their savoury foods seriously need some attention. I’ve tried all of them and they’re pretty much all bland and dry.

I really can’t justify the price I’m paying for that quality of food, because it’s surprisingly pricey here (I can easily spend $20 + tea for brunch) and the portions are quite small (although they should be for a dainty place like this). The owner could see where I and others who feel the same way are coming from, so she plans to change this too. Therefore I can’t wait to see what she has in store, I’m excited.

My 1st review: Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery

On the table:

Quiche Meal 3/6

• Quiche of the day (almost always ham and cheese), side s alad with you choice of raspberry vinaigrette or lemon poppy seed dressing, and cloverleaf roll $9.99
• The quiche is a bigger than this but we shared a quiche and cup of soup so they split it for us in the back before serving it.
• If I’m going to order a savoury food here it will probably be th e quiche. Nothing else impresses me, and the quiche doesn’t really either, but at least it’s good.

  

• Cloverleaf roll 6/6
• This meal starts off with their famous homemade Cloverleaf roll.
• I reviewed the Cloverleaf roll last time and it’s still a 6/6.
• The cloverleaf roll is 3 types of buns combined to make one bun. The bun has 3 flavours - 1/3 multigrain, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 plain. They come warm with butter. The texture is amazing. Really good bread! The texture is really soft and fluffy; my favourite side is the multigrain side.
• Ham and Broccoli Quiche 3/6
• I’ve already done a review on it last time, but again it’s the safest savoury item you can order. I thought it was better this time, hence the +1, but there was more ingredients last time.
• The quiche isn’t a French-style quiche but more of a country-style quiche. It has chunky pieces of ham, diced broccoli (not much), bell peppers and green onions. It’s quite rustic with lots of roughly chopped ingredients and a layer of cheese on top before they bake it.
• It’s pre-made and warmed up so it has that “been sitting there” look and taste. The cheese layer just lifts right up rather than melting into the quiche. The quiche part is flavourful and moist though, and the veggies are tender.
• The crust is homemade crust and it’s perfect. It’s not too thick with nice crisp edges. I wonder if it’s the same crust for their pies. It wasn’t really flaky but still tender in texture and buttery in flavour.
• Green Salad with Homemade dressing 4/6
• The salad is romaine, a couple slices of cucumber, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds. Very simple.
• They should really just buy pre-washed lettuce. W e were biting into sand and it was not the poppy seeds from the dressing. We had to spit it out…very non-lady like, but it was really gross. We let the server know, but the reply was “really?...interesting…”…and nothing else. Yes until now I am as confused as you are.
• I usually go for the lemon poppy seed dressing over the raspberry vinaigrette. It’s quite sweet more than it is tart, more honey-like than lemon tasting but I like it. It could use the fresh zest of a lemon though. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy it with the salad.

• Lentil Soup 1/6

• Soup of the day: lentil soup Cup: $4.50 Bowl: $5.50
• The soup is made in house and from scratch but it was not good at all. I almost want to give it a 0, but it’s not on my scale.
• It tasted like an experimental soup and it was the most basic recipe with poor execution.
• There was no flavour at all. It was so bland and even adding salt and pepper wouldn’t and wasn’t helping.
• It had onions, carrots and celery, but it was all pureed in a food processor not until smooth but just little bits. It was a tomato based soup but it was very watery. All the ingredients were at the bottom and it reminded me of either baby food or senior food .
• I had 2 spoons and left the rest.

**Cranberry Scone with “The Works” 6/6

• Seasonal fruit and cheese scones available $2 to go $4.25 w/butter & jam $5.50 w/"the works"
• They offer around 3-4 flavours that change often: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cheese, rhubarb pecan (rare), raisin, strawberry etc.
• I’ve reviewed the Raspberry scone last time, and this time I tried the cranberry scone.
• I like the raspberry scone better because I found the cranberries too tart, although I liked the option for the holiday season.
• These are still the best scones I’ve had. Nice and big, thick and fluffy. They’re not flaky or crumbly, but almost cakey. They have a slightly crispy and perfectly browned outside, soft inside, buttery flavour and loaded with real fruit. It’s not really sweet either, it’s a perfect recipe.

  

• This one has whole plump cranberries throughout and extra on top for presentation. It’s served with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• It’s a pretty expensive scone and it’s definitely best enjoyed if you order it with “the works”. This will bring you to $5.50, but it’s a must if you come.
• “The Works”
• “The Works” just means with Devonshire cream and homemade jam. I reviewed it last time too, but I want to correct it because I think it’s actually better than I thought.

• Devonshire cream: I still doubt it’s real clotted cream (heated up unpasteurized milk), but it’s still really good. I was looking for the cheese taste this time and I found it, but it was hard. It was thick, but still not as thick as the real clotted cream and it wasn’t pale yellow like the real thing is. I’m pretty sure it’s whipped cream mixed with mascarpone, but it still tastes great. It’s lightly sweetened, has a mild cheesy taste, and very slight tang. It could use more mascarpone, if that’s what they’re using.
• Homemade jam: I reviewed this last time. Still great!

**Rhubarb Upside Down Cake 4.5/6

• You can order this with “the works” so we did and it came to $4.95. It’s $4.25 as is and if you get a piece to go it’s $2.95. I don’t think an extra $2 is very reasonable for eating in, an extra $1 is ok.
• I wouldn’t recommend “the works” totally unnecessary because it’s just whipped cream from a can. I thought it was going to be their homemade Devonshire cream so you could imagine my disappointment.
• It’s a pretty big slice of cake and it’s very moist. That’s what I love about it.

  

• The cake part is so moist and perfectly baked. It has a cinnamon flavour and it’s a simple coffee cake recipe. There are a few chunks of rhubarb throughout the cake batter which I really enjoyed. It was almost like apples, but tart and nice and stringy from the baking process.
• There’s not much of a rhubarb layer though. The rhubarb is very tender and slightly tart, but also sweet. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and tart for me. I just wanted more rhubarb in the top layer.
• This has nothing to do with the rating I gave, because colour doesn’t affect flavour of rhubarb…but I wish the rhubarb they used was redder in colour. It would simply look nicer.

Tea

• Small pot $2.50
• Large pot $4.50
• They have an extensive tea list, but the teas aren’t house blends. They’re brought in from another company.
• The table sugar is coloured - mix of regular sugar with some pastel pink, blue, and yellow sugar crystals. Really cute touch!

  

The Fudge

• Complimentary sample that comes with your bill and you can buy it to go as well.
• This time we got chocolate peppermint and candy cane.
• I still feel like they’re too sweet, not chewy enough and too artificial tasting.