Locations:
939 Eglinton Ave E
Toronto, ON
815 Britannia Rd W
Mississauga, ON
Growing up in Africa, I remember eating Nando's chicken and absolutely loving it, so when I first discovered a Nando's in the east end of the city, I was thrilled about the prospect of once again tasting the flame-grilled Peri Peri saucy chicken. Now this was pre-Foodhogger but I recall it not being as tasty as my memory had me believe...I walked away disappointed a little.
Then recently, I found a Nando's in Mississauga and those same childhood memories came flooding back; I just had to try it again. This time it did not disappoint...there was heat, there was flavour and there was plenty to go around.
The spicy fries were mighty deeelush.
The rice was nowhere near as good as it was back in my childhood days.
And there's definitely nothing spectacular about the salad...definitely could have done without it entirely!
But it's possibly the sauces that make Nando's Nando's. The sauces! First the garlic...
And then the all-important hot sauce...
The chicken was great...and we'd ordered some skewers as well...
We got a hot and a medium spiced chicken, but either they'd gotten mixed up or it was all very hot (although not hot enough for some).
All in all; satisfying and a fair recreation of my fond memories....I suppose the only thing missing was the African scenery...
Boathouse Grill
Location:
207 Queens Quay W, Toronto
Cost: $10-15 per entree
Take a look at their menu on the site, here:
www.boathousegrill.sites.toronto.com
Now...
Yes, the food tastes as bad as it looks on the menu.
Let's see, where should we start? Perhaps with the veggie burger?
Vegetarian Burger - soy based vegetarian patty made from our special recipe (which one would that be, the especially gross one?) and topped with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and feta cheese 9.99
Pardon me, but are those slimy, slug-like onions, caramelized? AAH, I see! And the giant-ass dollop of feta cheese? Was that to mask the fact that this is ultimiately a giant, rugged piece of leather?
Wait, how about that Caesar salad...
BoatHouse Chicken Caesar - crisp Romaine lettuce and garlic seasoned croutons tossed in our house caesar dressing, topped with grilled shaved breast of chicken 11.99
The word 'seasoned' was a typo, I'm sure? Or meant to be taken very lightly? Or did you mean perhaps the winter season...very stark, bland....cold?
Let's move on to the pizza then.
Tucson Pizza - Grilled breast of chicken, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, seasoned tomatoes and goat cheese 12.99
Oh lovely, managed to get "caramelized" and "seasoned" altogether in one sentence, eh?
And that, um, bottle of seasoning...must have been all out, hmm? Or perhaps used up on the wings??
Chicken Wings - "Plump chicken wings, tossed in seasoned flour and fried to golden perfection. Served with your choice of hot, medium, mild or honey garlic sauce. 1lb - 12.99. 2lbs - 19.99
'Fraid not! Again the word "seasoned" used so carelessly to describe what is probably a mixture of flour and what, salt? Let's take another look at those carrots, too, shall we?
Please sir, may I have some more? Nay, me thinks even Oliver Twist shan't have wanted more.
Beware, Boathouse Grill is an absolute dud of a restaurant. It's good for a view of the lake, but that can just as easily be taken in with a simple sit-down on the boardwalk with a Timmy's drink & donut. THAT is much more satisfying, I assure you.
Frugal Fare #1: CJ Lunch Box
"Frugal Fare" is going to be a new feature on Foodhogger, where we'll cover the more affordable places to dine for lunch/dinner in Toronto and still get great food & service.
CJ Lunch Box (but everyone refers to it as "Lunch Box") is one such place.
Location:
409 Richmond St., W, Toronto (Spadina/Richmond)
Cost: under $10 (cash only)
There used to be something else in it's place, but I can't recall what it was (anyone remember?) and now it's very clear what's there.
Lunch Box is a small lunch time spot serving little containers of sushi, deep fried chicken, noodles, edamame and dumplings...for as little as $3 - $5! What a steal (and tasty too)! These days business is booming and it's our first in Foodhogger's : Frugal Fare.
Salmon sushi with chicken combo $5.97 (with free miso soup)
Veggie Dumplings: $3 - a bit on the greasy side, but it makes a good side or snack.
Although Lunch Box has started increasing their prices (almost everything is one or two dollars more than before), the raised cost hasn't seemed to deter the crowd. The line-ups are almost always curled around the counter in the tiny restaurant, where in cafeteria-like fashion you pick your boxes.
Chicken? $4.
The staff are cheery and highly efficient (one at the cash register, one packing your lunch, one making the sushi, one warming the dumplings; there's at least 6-7 people behind the counter). Not to mention that the turn-over is so high, the food's fresh. In fact, if you don't see any more sushi of your desire, they'll roll it up for you in 2 min! (Sushi connoisseurs [of which, I am not one] beware: it's not gourmet sushi, but it's great for lunch)
Salmon sushi $4
There are also a handful of tables if you wish to dine there, with a newly added flat-screen TV playing concerts by different artists everyday (last time it was Celine Dion and before that Beyonce) to keep you entertained.
Also, I hear that with every purchase you get a free miso soup but I will have to confirm this (as I found out only after my purchase, sans soup) and this should be relatively easy considering I'll most likely be back there next week!
They're open from 11am to 5pm on weekdays only - so if you wanted some chicken or noodles to take home after work, you're out of luck. I think they would do well to stay open for dinner, but then it would have to be called CJ Lunch/Dinner Box...which doesn't have the same ring to it.
Happy Valentimes: Butler's Pantry
Location:
591 Markham St. Mirvish Village, Toronto, ON
Cost: $28 incl tip
www.butlerspantry.ca
How fitting a name for a place that serves everything that could possibly exist in a Pantry! (On a side note: A butler's pantry was commonly used for the storing, cleaning and counting of silver by the butler...).
Whatever the name, this cosy nook in the Annex serves brunch until 4pm.
And forget the Butler, who's the chef? His pantry must be huge! There's such diversity to the 2 page menu, that we're too confused to know what to order. There are a lot of indian inspired dishes which made us question who the chef was. Apparently the owner is from Bangladesh and married to an Egyptian lady and they hired a chef who was working in a palace in Egypt! He must have been well versed in international foods 'cause although the brunch side of the menu is simple...Eggs Bene, French Toast, Omlettes, Scrambled Eggs, Scones....it's the other side that amazes us: Bul go gi, Tandoori penne, Biryani, Seafood Quiche, Jambalaya, Khowsway (a Burmese dish) , Shepherd's Pie, Veggie curry pie, Moroccan Veg Tajine! And the list goes on...with loooooads of vegetarian options included! It's incredible...we wanted to order it all!
We especially wanted to try the Zuchini pancake but learned they were out of it but our server also confided that she enjoys it paired with a beer as a greasy pub meal since it's very similar to potato pancakes (latkes). Worked out well then 'cause I don't like latkes.
We finally decide on the chicken bastilla pie and the french toast.
Another thing to note is that the main dishes (except for a select few) are served with a fresh garden salad and Butler's famous dressing (pictured below).
Also, and as you know by now, a must for me is an Earl Grey tea, which arrives in a lovely ceramic teapot. The loose-leaf bagged ORGANA tea is divine...almost candy-like in its sweetness.
It doesn't take long at all for our food to arrive!
The Butler's French Toast at $7.25 (side of bacon - $1.25) is a steal! Such a humongous portion ; it's ideal for sharing. It comes with two thick slices of bread, a generous helping of fresh fruit and dallops of whipped cream. The toast is not at all soggy even though the maple syrup has already been drizzled on top. It's just the perfect consistancy. A must for anyone who, like me, loves french toast. 
The Chicken Bastilla Pie is a popular order and we wanted to try their version of the famous Moroccan dish - which is pastry stuffed with chicken, omlette, cinnamon & almonds. For $10.25, it's a hearty meal for one; which we split into two. It was very tasty, albeit on the salty side. Traditionally the cinnamon appears on the top of the pie along with powdered sugar...but in this case it was incorporated into the filling, which was nice but altogether a bit too "cinnamony". 
The salad it came with really balanced out the saltiness of the pie and the "Butler's Famous Dressing" was fantastic!
Looking more like a gravy than a dressing, it had a nice sharp taste to it and paired really nicely with the onions in the salad.
The next time you're strolling around the Annex, keep the Butler's Pantry in mind. 