SIAM DISH 

7-1477 Lakeshore Road, Burlington On. (905)632-2525, Sun. to Thurs. 11:00 am to 9 pm, Fri. and Sat. 11:00 am to 10:pm Delivery 7 days a week 4:00 to 9:00 pm

Located near the intersection of Lakeshore and Brant Street in Burlington, Siam Dish is a Thai restaurant that has a small outside patio in the summer.

We came to Siam Dish recently and tried their appetizer assortment for two, which was a great light meal with lots of flavour.  We began with their house red which was light and easy to drink.

The appetizer selection platter for two is a great choice for $14.95. It consists of a couple of tasty calamari, chicken satays, two spring rolls, a couple of deep fried shrimp and shrimp surrounded with hard noodles.

This dish is accompanied by two different and very tasty sauces.  One of them is a sweet chilli sauce and the other is a Thai peanut flavoured one.

We also came back to try their chicken Pad Thai and it too was delicious and flavourful and only $9.95 including soup and spring roll or 2 spring rolls.

The interior is themed in Thai and is clean and simple.

They have a very good tea selection which is $3 for a teapot.

http://www.siamdish.ca/

BLUE ELEPHANT PUB AND RESTAURANT 

90 Norfolk St. Street South,  Norfolk On. (519) 428-2886 

A group of us went to the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Pub on a Friday afternoon for an early dinner. It is located in Simcoe Ontario.  It is quite a large space and has a good variety of spaces.  

It has it's own brew store where you can buy beer that is brewed in their own brewery on the premises.

Daily specials are posted at the entry which makes it easy to see them in one place.

A rather large collection of craft brew bottles and cans is displayed in the bar area.

They have their own brewery that can be seen through a viewing window.

A couple of rooms are used for evening dinners.

The bar area is a good size and with a good view of the patio in the back.

The menu begins with a brief description of the brew house and its philosophy.  The menu is easy to follow and includes most typical pub dishes with a few twists. The prices are reasonable, with most mains costing less than 20 dollars.

The menu explains how the establishment has evolved over the years and become the first brew house in Norfolk County.

The menu is easy to follow and has a good variety of offerings with nothing over twenty dollars.

One of us began with a cosmo martini.

One of us began with a white wine.

the rest of us had a red wine.

One of us ordered the quiche special with onion soup. She liked the onion soup, but found the quiche rather ordinary.

One of us had the quiche special with spinach salad and feta and she enjoyed both.

Two of us had the fish and chip dinner one had one piece the other had two.  It was a typical fish and chip pub meal.

I had the lake erie whitefish pan fried in butter with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.  This was a pretty good meal except the fish could have been hotter.

There is an outdoor patio with a variety of seating.

All in all it was a typical pub experience with a few twists and an interesting craft brewery.  We will come again when in the area.

http://blueelephant.ca/

EL FURNITURE WAREHOUSE 

410 Bloor Street, The Annex, Toronto, On., (778) 938-7077, Monday-Sunday  11:00 am to 2:00 am.

My sons and I decided to try a new restaurant in the Annex area of Toronto.  It is one of the newbies in the area and boasts that all dishes are $4.95.  Although a new arrival in the city, it is the tenth version of the original one, hailing from Whistler B.C..  It is based on a simple premise - cheap food that is good in an environment that is very casual and hip!!  It delivers on all fronts.  The workers wear Vans shoes, the walls are decorated in a boarder theme and boarder and extreme biker videos play on the tv screens.  It is not a typical sports bar - it caters to hipsters and has found itself in the perfect location in the Annex.

The menu here is extensive and yet simple - everything IS $4.95.

There is also a good list of drinks at reasonable prices.

Mark and I had the garlic prawns.  They consisted of large tiger prawns sauteed with garlic, onions, tomato, jalapenos, chipotle butter, avocado, grilled bread and fresh lemon.  We both agreed they were delicious.

Thomas tried the maple bacon potato skins with cheddar and mozzarrella cheese, crispy maple bacon, green onion and sour cream.  He found them typical, but worth the price.

Mark and Tom both had the pulled chicken on a bun.  It consisted of pulled chicken, smokey bbq sauce, cheddar, crispy onion strings, macho sauce (like a thousand islands dressing), shredded lettuce on a brioche bun. They both liked this.

I had the braised beef dip au jus with slowly braised beef, horseradish butter, crispy onion strings on a toasted baguette with rosemary au jus to dip.  It was accompanied by a small kale salad with fresh kale leaves, creamy caesar dressing, croutons, parmesan cheese, maple bacon bits and fresh lemon.  It was a little short on beef, but still worth every penny!

We had a Bud draft that was warm and didn't hit the spot so we switched to Mill Street Organic.  It was a much better choice.

All in all the Ferny was worth the wait (no reservations).  We enjoyed the food, the vibe, the service, the prices and will DEFINITELY return.  Well done guys!!

http://warehousewhis.ca/