One Fine Food

April 7th 2018

I shop at this store and restaurant fairly regularly, but had not considered it for brunch, until yesterday!
One Fine Food 800 Erskine Ave, Peterborough, ON K9J 5V1

This lovely place is tucked behind Landsdowne place, somewhat across from the Bulk Barn.  It carries specialty products, oils, mustard, spices.  It carries produce and cold cuts, and even soaps and cleaners that are environmentally friendly.  It also has a beautiful meat and cheese counter, and a freezer filled with unusual meats, broths, delicious savory pies, casseroles and pasta dishes.  The bakery is probably the busiest place in the store, their breads and bagels are fabulous.

The adjacent restaurant is famous for its thin-crust pizzas baked in a beautiful stone oven, and food with an Italian flair.  We arrived around 11:30 AM, there were several tables to chose from in the large restaurant.  The eggs Bennie were good, although the Hollandaise was a bit on the thin side, and not very abundant.  Mike's breakfast bowl of homefries, brussel sprouts and poached eggs was good, but not spectacular. My breakfast special was delicious, especially the ciabatta bread and the smoked salmon which was served as thick luscious yet delicate slices, lightly smoked and reminiscent of sushi.  The arugula salad was also lovely.  The home fries served with home made ketchup were good also, although perhaps a bit heavy on the oregano. The service was good, but surprisingly slow for a restaurant that was 2/3 empty and where 4 servers were around.   I was impressed that our server memorized the order, however she made two mistakes on our plates: the eggs Bennie should have come with smoked salmon and not bacon, and my eggs were ordered as soft-boiled, but arrived poached.  But since it was all pretty good, we let it slide.

We will probably go back, but it was a bit on the pricey side of the spectrum, with breakfast ranging from $12-$16, not including coffee and juice.

8/10

Monaghan Café

March 2018

We have been going out less regularly through January and February, but recently have revived our weekend brunch outings, which is really fun.

It was a post on FB which lead us to
Monaghan Café 1017 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough, ON K9J 5K9

Just South of Chamberlain, on the West side of Monaghan, this recently re-opened café was a wonderful surprise.

The breakfast-brunch menu is fabulous, everything looked so good, it was difficult to select!  I opted for the chef's unusual breakfast bowl of potatoes, vegetables and boudin noir.  It was fantastic.  Everything was served fresh, with lovely fruits, greens and sprouts.  Coffee was excellent and the fruit smoothies delicious. The only slight disappointment was Mike's Mexican burrito which perhaps lacked pizzaz.... no cheese ?

They were very busy, but table turn-around was prompt.  We also glanced at the lunch menu and it looked fantastic.  Prices were very reasonable. We will most definitely be back!

9/10

Aji Sushi

Since November, and every 2-3 weeks or so...

.... we break down and go for an All-You-Can-Eat feasts at

Aji Sushi 667 Reid St, Peterborough, ON K9H 4H8

Yes, I know, it is a chain.
Yes, I know, maybe not the very BEST sushi in Peterborough....  

But is is very nearby, and the lunch price makes it very worthwhile for big eaters such as Mike and Robi, and fun for me to be there because of the great variety of sushi we can sample.

I would not go there for only two people:  it becomes difficult to have a variety and eat it all.  This being said, the time we did go only two of us, we got to 'purchase' the last 10 pieces we could not eat, and brought them back home for Mike, who was too sick to come out.  This worked out great.

We always make sure to order the edamame (warm, salted fresh soy beans in the pods), and some sort of tempura (I like the sweet potato and asparagus).  We stay away from deep fried sushi, or those that contain cream cheese (I find that concept repulsive).  I always make sure to have a few of the true sushi (fish on top of rice) which they make very well.

Note on Sushi in Peterborough:  Everyone used to agree to Matsu was the best.  Matsu expanded and opened on Hunter, while the location on Park was sold.  Matsu on Hunter now has also been sold.  My opinion is that the location on Hunter went seriously downhill, and I've had a couple of times when sushi on a platter were made from rice that was dry and cold, not good at all.  Party Platters are made with a lot of 'cheap' rolls of cucumber and carrots, rolls becoming smaller and smaller.  The parks street location is much better.  I have been sick twice after eating at Madoi (on George street), and so will not go back there. I find Hoshi to be the very best sushi in Peterborough, but I have not tried Hockey Sushi out on Landsdowne west.

Nicholls Oval Restaurant

Mid November 2018

We went two days in a row to
Nicholls Oval Restaurant 116 Parkhill E, Peterborough, ON K9H 1R1

It was recommended to us by a good friend, and we were not disappointed.

On the Saturday, it was just my husband and I, we each selected one of the breakfast items and coffee.  When our breakfast arrived (fairly standard: eggs, toast and home fries (delicious homefries!)), I inquired about their lunch and dinner specialties: haddock, halibut and cod served with fries or salads.  The waitress was very enthusiastic about our inquiry, and proceeded to bring us samples of fish which were delicious!  

We came back the very next day, and I had.... Waffles and fried fish for breakfast!  Made me very, very happy.

We have been back since, with Michael's sister and a friend, and our daughter also, for a delicious lunch feast of fish, salads and fries!

We disagree on rating for this one, so I have to make an average of our scores:

8/10

Square Plates Family Restaurant

Early November 2018

It was a cold Sunday, we were hungry and ready to eat quite early, so we settled on nearby

Square Plates Family Restaurant 836 Armour Rd, Peterborough, ON K9H 2A2

This is a small restaurant, but set up to accommodate a large group if necessary with its long row of tables in the center of the room.  Owned and run by our friendly neighbor, Goron, this is a place where you are greeted with a loud and cheerful GOOD MORNING!

Two of us chose the eggs Bennie, one had the pancakes.  Food was made to order, served hot, and very delicious.  No extras though - no decorative fruits or leafy greens - strictly what you ordered.

This is a great place for a quick, honest breakfast for a real decent price, and no frilly stuff.  This restaurant also serves dinner, and anything made by Goron (the special of the day) will be good.  Tuesday night this place makes the best livers in town!

Thanks Goron!  We will likely be back.

7/10

Two Dishes Cookshop

Late October 2017

On a Sunday at 10 AM, we were patient enough, and made it to

Two Dishes Cookshop 261 Charlotte St, Peterborough, ON K9J 2V4

And we have been back since, several times.

WOW!   

The menu changes regularly, so it is always exciting to go.  Each dish is carefully accompanied by vegetables and fruits, everything is freshly made, coffee is superb, and service is outstanding. I think our favorite dish so far has been the waffles and chicken, but absolutely everything has been fantastic!  And yes, their Hollandaise is real.

This is not a large restaurant, so one has to be prepared: the wait is usually about 20 minutes.  This being said, we have been lucky and have not had to wait that long ever !  Pick a Saturday if you can (less busy than Sunday), go right at opening time, or go late (after 1 PM).  Or pick a day when the weather is really really bad.  Worth the drive through ice and snow.  So far, our favorite place in Pboro!

10/10

Ricky's All Day Grill (and Electric City Bread Company)

October 2017

Our next attempt was:
Electric City Bread Company 165 Sherbrooke Street, Peterborough, ON K9J 2N2

I say attempt, because we did not get any food, which was very disappointing since I LOVE their breads so much!

We were greeted rather abruptly, right at 9AM (opening time), and refused one of the several (all empty) tables which were by one of the two walls.  Instead we were seated immediately in front of the serving counter, in the center of the small restaurant.  Menus were brought to us, but no coffee offered! We hesitated, but agreed on how uncomfortable this was, and we stood, explained briefly our decision and left, with the waitress saying "...have a nice day!"  And so, we will probably never be back!

0/10

-----------------------

We drove West and South to Monaghan Street, near Landsdowne to

Ricky's All Day Grill
898 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough, ON K9J 5K4

We were greeted with a smile and warmth, and seated in a lovely booth by the window, and warm coffee was brought immediately!  Now this is a chain, well known for their breakfasts of generous home fries bowls.  One of us selected an omelette, the other the waffles, and I had the eggs Bennie.   Food was fair to good, price was certainly reasonable, but I must say that the Hollandaise was.... not really a Hollandaise.  More like a starchy thickened yellow sauce.  The waffles were OK, the syrup was table syrup (not maple - but I've given up on that!).  The omelette was perhaps a bit over-done, but well seasoned.

I would probably go back, especially if we had a large group to feed, because this place is quite large, service is quick, and food is generous.


7/10

Ashburnham Ale House

Late September 2017

Ashburnham Ale House
128 Hunter St E, Peterborough, ON K9H 1G6

I was excited to go for breakfast to one of my favorite spots in Peterborough. They now open at 9 AM for breakfast Saturday and Sunday, but back then they were not opened before 10 AM.  We were there exactly at 10 AM, happy and famished. 

We were not disappointed: the friendly service, the amazing coffee, and the food was fabulous!   

The only "complaint" my gang had was that the breakfast menu is not very exhaustive, and even though we did go there 3 times over the last 8 months, they feel that we had everything on the menu already...

I still love this place so much, I love the atmosphere, and ALL the food is delicious!

8.5/10

Chez Cora

September 2017

Chez Cora
815 High St #4, Peterborough, ON K9J 8J9

We were very familiar with this chain, about 12 years ago, between the period my dad suffered his stroke, and my two parents passing away, we traveled frequently to the Ottawa-Hull area (now Gatineau), and our usual spot for breakfast was Chez Cora at 1 rue Gamelin.  We liked it for its generous plates, beautiful fruits, lovely smoothies, and side of pork spread ("cretons") for the toasts.

Chez Cora opened in Peterborough 3 or 4 years ago, I'm not sure.  So that Saturday morning, when Robi came back from work, we decided to head to the Landsdowne location, just across from Landsdowne Place Mall.

It was fairly early, and there were only two other tables of people; we were seated one table away from the second table, where 6 fairly loud customers were already enjoying their breakfast.  (We were a bit disappointed - why not give us a bit of privacy????).  I can't remember for sure what we selected, but I know mine came with syrup.  When I requested maple syrup, I was brought a small container of a syrup for an extra charge. Unfortunately, it was pretty bad maple syrup.  Asides from that, the breakfast was good, fruits as abundant as we remembered, but nothing special really, and that "chain" feeling was hard to ignore.  Breakfast for 2 was close to $80.  Ouch.  We probably won't go back.

I'd give it a 7/10.

Welcome to Ptbo Palate!

Peterborough, Ontario is not a very large city : about 80,000 at the last census.  It is a university and college town, it has a large hospital and beautiful parks, other industries have flourished and changed over the years.  We were sad last year to witness General Electric close its doors after having been around for over 120 years.

A variety of people have migrated here over the years, from the early Irish and Scottish immigrants, to international students and professors working at Trent University and Fleming college, people coming to work for the industries, or moving away from larger centers such as Toronto.  This has generated a steadily growing interest in an adventurous gastronomy.  Combined with efforts to return to natural roots, healthier eating, and appreciating locally sourced foods, we now have an impressive diversity of places to eat.  In other words, for its size, Peterborough has a LOT of restaurants, and a LOT of very good restaurants.

My husband, my son and I have decided to sample as many as we could in order to find the best breakfast or brunch, the best value for the best food possible. We started this last September, and have been overwhelmed with the options.  While we do have favorites that we have returned to many times, we are still on the discovery path, which is really fun and exciting.  It occurred to me this morning that it might be wise to keep  blog on our experiences.

And if all goes well, perhaps some readers will add their comments, which would be great!