Restaurants
C'est What
Amidst my group of friends, C'est What has earned a reputation as a great "first date place". With a mixed crowd, warm atmosphere and diverse menu, it welcomes most anyone like an old friend.
On this occasion, I arrive in a large group (including a couple dates) and settle in somewhere between the bar, pool tables and a fireplace lounge area. We kick things off with drinks from the 35 beers on tap and then look over the menu.
Dubbed "ethno-clectic", this menu is clearly not limiting itself to pub standards. We order up Moroccan Stew, Jerk Chicken Roti, Vegetarian Roti, a "Lamburger", and a Veggie Burger.
Both roti come without sides, as they take up most of the plate on their own.
Pictured at the top, the jerk chicken ($9.95) is mixed with vegetables, sauce and chick peas while the vegetarian roti ($7.95) packs huge chunks of baked potato along with chick peas and veggies.
Crossing continents, the garlicky Moroccan Stew ($9.95) proves to be a hearty and nutritious choice. Served over basmati rice, it was rich with chunky vegetables, chick peas, beans, apricots and raisins.
The Greek-influenced "Lamburger" ($9.95) is one of the most popular dishes at C'est What and it's not hard to see why. You get a juicy minced lamb patty, grilled and topped with melted Swiss, alongside herbed "frites" and a side of tzatziki. We ordered two of 'em at our table alone.
While the menu describes the Veggie Burger ($8.25) as being served on a toasted bun, I was delighted when mine arrived on thinner slices of toasted multigrain. With just a little added mustard, it was savoury and well proportioned. A huge side salad made this a balanced dish I'd order again.
As for dessert, what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in flavour. A messy honey-crumble-topped Apple Pie a la Mode ($7.25), and a whip-cream-drowned Hazelnut Brownie Sundae ($6.95) are both are delicious and sized generously. Ask for extra spoons... even if you're alone. You'll make lots of new friends.
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C'est What
67 Front Street East (at Church)
416-867-9499
11:30am to 2am everyday
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But lately, I'm feelin' like if I was the last guy on Earth with the last box of chocolates and flowers tied around my neck, I still couldn't get a date:- )
Not to kvetch, but did they reduce the size of the lamb burger patties? I love them , but they seemed to be smaller in the past few month.
mmmmmmm, Hazelnut brownie....sacraliscious.
C'est What used to be my fave pub. I had been going there since I was old enough to drink legally. But somewhere in the last few years they changed ownership or management and it has lost all its appeal.
A friend and I arrived at a half-empty pub on a Thursday evening and was told to wait to be seated, even though there were clearly tables available. I said we were expecting a third to join us but she wouldn't let us have a table and told us we'd have to wait for a table for two. I could hardly believe it!
I'll never set foot in there again. What a sure way to lose business from long-time regulars.
Next, I made a late evening visit with a friend who was layed over at the airport. I ordered the apple pie. The waiter gave me the same "it takes a while to bake" speech, and I was fine with it. The pie was DELICIOUS.
By the time my best friend came to visit us I had hyped this place up considerably. I took him there for dinner before the Destroyer show at Lee's Palace.
It was awful. Terrible.
My girlfriend sent her dish back and ended up sharing the mediocre sheppard's pies that my friend and I had ordered. Then we ordered that pie, which had become legendary in my mind: it was utterly disgraceful. Judging from texture, temperature and flavour, the pie was baked, refridgerated, nuked, and doused in plain cinnamon.
I won't be going back for a long time.
I do agree with a number of the other postings though. Been going to the Rebel House and the House on Parliament for years without disappointment. Suprised that a number of classics didn't make it to this list, including the Doragh Irish Pub and Allen's beside it (whuch probaly has the best lamb shank in the city, btw...). Another well kept secret is Smokeless Joes, a teeny, tiny little basement pub with pages of small-batch foreign beers, fresh oysters and a rollicking crowd. Get there early becuase there isn't much space and it packs in fast...
The highlight here is definitely the beer selection. Everything's single-batch micro-brewed, and the bartenders generally do know something about the beer you're drinking. I would say this is at least worth checking out. Judging by what others have said, the safe thing to do is to eat elsewhere first, then come here for a brew.