Sapphire Martini Restaurant Reviews

A new beginning

2011-11-04T22:05:00.002-04:00

If there is anyone out there still following us, we have, for better or for worse, made the move to the GTA. It was a little sad leaving the familiar tastes and cuisine behind, but we're looking forward to having some new places to explore! Stay tuned...

Uptown 21 -Tapas Nights

2010-07-08T11:47:00.011-04:00

In honor of Uptown 21's prestigious inclusion in the 2010 edition of Where to Eat in Canada, we decided to pay them a visit on their Tuesday Tapas night. This regularly weekly night features an all-you-can-eat option of tapas dishes (small, appetizer like plates) that the kitchen keeps sending at you until you beg for no more. And then desserts come. There is a $25 (vegetarian) option and a

Fireside Deli & Family Restaurant

2010-06-08T22:02:00.005-04:00

Fireside Deli & Family Restaurant800 Ottawa St. S., Kitchener, Ontario519-581-1200When a door closes, a window opens. With the arrival of Baby Martini, our chance to dine out has been limited. On the other hand, we've been wanting to visit the Fireside Restaurant for a while. Now with a kid of our own, we seem to fit in better in this family restaurant.We went there around noon on Sunday. The

Hashimoto Kaiseki Yu-zen

2010-03-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

Hashimoto6435 Dixie Rd., Unit 10Mississauga, Ontario905-670-5559http://www.kaiseki.ca/This review is in response to Ms Kates' review published in the Globe and Mail. I have been putting off writing a review of Hashimoto; I feel I'm obliged to describe the food and the experience as a whole at the same artistic level as the art-form/meal presented to us. Ms Kates' review is certainly the catalyst

The Bauer Kitchen

2010-03-11T13:25:00.003-05:00

The Bauer Kitchen187 King St. SouthWaterloo, OntarioI really wanted to like this restaurant. It has a long and successful pedigree (Charcoal Group - owner of Charcoal and Wildcraft, amongst other local places), it's participating in the urbanization of Uptown Waterloo which I heartily support, and it has a great industrial chic vibe to it inside. The decor is interesting and it seems to have

Nick and Nat’s Uptown 21

2010-02-12T00:22:00.013-05:00

Nick and Nat's Uptown 2121 King St. NorthWaterloo, Ontario(between Erb and Dupont St.)Lunch 11:30AM - 2PM, Tuesday - FridayDinner 5PM - , Tuesday - SaturdayIf my memory serves me right, Uptown 21 first opened its door December 2008. Both proprietors, the chef and the manager, were originally from Hannah’s Bella Bistro. The decor is mostly the same from the now defunct Salute with some personal

Cora's Breakfast and Lunch

2010-01-11T15:32:00.003-05:00

Cora's Breakfast and Lunch75 King St. SouthWaterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2(Waterloo Town Square)725 Ottawa St. SouthKitchener, Ontario(Across from Laurentian Centre)Going out for breakfast (at anytime of day or night) is a sinful indulgence for me. I'll eat anything greasy and unhealthy for breakfast, from thousand plus calorie McGriddle sandwiches, to eggs drowning in a buttery Hollandaise sauce with

Opening Soon

2009-11-13T10:51:00.004-05:00

There hasn't been a lot of restaurant news to talk about recently, although that's not too surprising in this economic climate. Even The Record seems to be recycling their reviews -- every time they have a new reviewer the same spots are revisited. However, there are a few new openings that we're looking forward to sampling in the near future. Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill - This is a full

Empress of India

2009-10-05T14:38:00.001-04:00

Empress of India103 King Street North Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2X5In short, I was not impressed by the Empress. I had fairly high expectations going in; this was their second location (first one is in Guelph) and their website shows some beautifully photographed Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, the food presented at the restaurant came no where close to what I had anticipated.But let's

Loire Casual Gourmet

2009-06-15T16:10:00.015-04:00

119 Harbord StreetToronto, OntarioOnce in a (very long) while we're able to get away and venture into the big city of Toronto to sample the latest culinary trends. Sadly, it seems that the era of fine dining in Toronto is coming to a close with many high end establishments falling victim to the shrinking expense accounts (and employment, for that matter) of bankers and financiers. So far, we in

Kitchen Wok

2009-05-04T12:31:00.008-04:00

668 Erb St. WestWaterloo, Ontario N2T 2Z7Being new parents and all, our opportunities for fine dining are few and far in between. It feels like we've turned in our foodie credentials, and any opportunity to eat out (anywhere!) is a luxurious indulgence these days. Out here on the west side of Waterloo, there aren't many choices other than strip mall Chinese take-out, which seems to be a design

Matter of Taste

2009-04-11T22:12:00.005-04:00

119 King Street WestKitchener, Ontario, N2G 1A775 King Street SouthWaterloo, ON N2J 1P2(Waterloo Town Square)We heard a lot of good things about "Matter of Taste" soon after its opening at the Waterloo Town Square. On my first visit I ordered a cappuccino. The drink was absolutely superb but what really surprised me was the creamy, pretty leaf on my cappuccino. No, it was not my first encounter

Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn

2008-08-26T18:27:00.007-04:00

Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn1430 King St. NorthSt. Jacobs, Ontario N0B 2N0Benjamin's Restaurant and Inn is located at the north end of "downtown" St Jacobs. Although I never quite understand why St Jacobs attracts so many tourists, it is indeed a small pretty town. There are unique shops and studios, and plants in the planters are so perfect they almost look unreal. Most of the restaurants, if not

Sabletine

2008-07-01T22:55:00.016-04:00

Sabletine203 King St. SouthWaterloo, Ontario(between Allen and John)TripleQ and I have frequented Sabletine since it was first open. I could have posted a review of this patisserie a few months ago; however, there's always a voice whispering in my head, "Why not write about it after you try everything?" Ahem, what a sweet goal!It is reasonable to assume that TripleQ and I are not into desserts

King Crab Oyster Bar & Grill

2008-03-07T13:38:00.002-05:00

King Crab Oyster Bar & Grill907 Victoria St. NorthKitchener, OntarioKing Crab is the younger sister of King St Trio, a restaurant that has been in Kitchener-Waterloo for quite a number of years. With an experienced sibling, it has the chops to be a good restaurants, but is just missing out on that intangible je ne sais quoi that makes a decent place good. Let's see if we can figure out what it

Village Creperie

2007-12-17T14:38:00.001-05:00

Village Creperie703 Belmont Ave. WestKitchener, OntarioAfter our unusually critical reviews on All About Crepes, we sometimes wonder if our expectations were set too high. So when we heard about the opening of Village Creperie, we decided to give it a try.If a restaurant's appearance can speak for its personality, Village Creperie strikes me as a slightly reserved, down-to-earth, yet chic place.

Niko Niko Roll & Sushi

2007-10-24T22:19:00.001-04:00

Niko Niko20 King St. EastKitchener, OntarioDuring our recent trips to Ye's we had noticed that the quality of the food had taken a turn for the worse, not to mention an implicit hike in prices (canned pop was no longer included in the all you can eat price). This, combined with the fact we had gorged ourselves far too many times in an effort to get our money's worth, led us to try Niko Niko Roll

Baby Martini

2007-09-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

It has been quite awhile since our last review, but never fear, dear reader, we are still alive and dining. A couple of months ago Baby Martini joined the family which put our restaurant outings briefly on hold. We will be training her in the art of fine cuisine as soon as possible as to avoid reviewing places like Chuck E Cheese and East Side Mario's. Look for some more reviews coming in

Wok Wagon Express

2007-04-23T00:22:00.001-04:00

Wok Wagon450 Columbia St. WestWaterloo, OntarioEvery time I pass by Columbia and Fisher-Hallman / Bearinger, I can't help but to take a quick look into the parking lot, see if I can spot the "Wok Wagon". Eh, no, not the store, I am talking about the little white truck with the "Wok Wagon" logo and contact info.The first time I ordered something from Wok Wagon (the restaurant) was several years

Ellison's Bistro

2007-02-22T23:15:00.001-05:00

Ellison's Bistro14 Charles St. WestKitchener, OntarioLast month we went to Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas. We couldn't help but to compare the food we had over there with Ellison's, and I must say that the Caribbean cuisine in the resort didn't impress us much. Ellison's Bistro, to us, is a hidden gem in K-W area. We initially learned about this place through word of mouth. Since then we've

Wildcraft

2007-02-08T22:33:00.001-05:00

Wildcraft425 King St. NorthWaterloo, Ontario N2J 2Z5It's almost impossible not to have a huge buzz surrounding the opening of this new restaurant. With a lavish new building that catches your eyes even in the middle of the cold, dark winter, the veterans behind Charcoal Steak House and del Dente are attempting to bring a new upscale dining experience north (or is that west?) into Waterloo. We

Johnny Fresco

2007-01-24T23:25:00.001-05:00

Johnny Fresco3-244 Weber St. NorthWaterloo, Ontario, N2J 3H4A couple of days ago a colleague insisted on going to this new place he previously remembered driving by. Of course, he didn't know the name of the place nor the type of food it served, but at least he knew where it was (corner of University and Weber). Turns out it was Johnny Fresco, which about two months ago took over the space

China Garden

2007-01-24T00:30:00.001-05:00

China Garden31 University Ave. EastWaterloo, Ontario N2J 2A2I can't believe we never write anything about China Garden. How can this be? We have had numerous meals from this restaurants ever since we first came to Waterloo. I still remember "the good old days", biking to China Garden for a bowlful of congee with dough fritters. We are no longer students and we've switched our main transportation

All About Crepes

2007-01-16T22:03:00.001-05:00

All About Crepes (Closed)75 King St. SouthWaterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2After giving this place a scathing review, I felt like I should give them a second chance and returned once again for lunch. I must admit, the plating and presentation was much improved over their first efforts, but the menu wasn't changed at all and featured the same oddly priced list of crepes. Portions were still small,

Thai Sun

2007-01-16T20:16:00.001-05:00

Thai Sun75 King St. SouthWaterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2After what seemed like an interminable 6+ month wait, Thai Sun is finally open, capping off a small row of shops and restaurants on the newly built Willis Way. I visited the place for lunch a few days after shortly after the opening. The decor was very contemporary, with flowing curves, designer oriented highlights and changes in elevation for