Ghost of Christmas Repasts

For the last post of 2015, I'll cover meals that I've had over the last several weeks. Being the Holiday season, there was more group dining than usual. It all started with 4 lunches at work.

The first was a Thursday lunch at Sashimi House. Despite being a low-end sushi joint and tucked inside a  nondescript suburban plaza, it was packed for lunch. I had one of their "boat" ($17). It seemed like a good deal for miso soup, salad, ice cream, tempura and 14 pieces of sushi. But it really wasn't. Most of the sushi were maki rolls (12 pieces), and the extra sides were run-of-the-mill. For contrast, Mazz Sushi offers a similar combo for $14 with a selection of all nigiri rolls.

The following Thursday, we trekked to Richmond Hill to have dim sum at Dragon Boat Fusion Cuisine. It was a first for some people, but a second time here for me. Astonishly, 24 dishes only came to $130 with tax and tip. That was about $13 per person, an amount that you can't even get for a cheap brunch outside of an old-school diner. Yet the service was prompt and the dim sum top-notch: flavourful and huge.

For the 3rd Thursday, we decided to have an office pot-luck. There was the usual mix between store-bought (e.g., Portuguese chorizo rolls, samosas, latkes, veggie dip platter) and home-made dishes (e.g., chili, vegetarian lasagna, ice cream, carrot cake). The trick is to select options that complement each other. Finally and out-of-the-blue, we had Nando's chicken on Tuesday thanks to Corporate largesse. Perhaps it had something to do with the recent surge of staff turnovers.

Just before Christmas, I met up with friends at The Works in Ottawa. I don't think the gourmet burger trend has come to the Capital because this chain could use some competition. There was nothing wrong with my $15 patty, covered with horseradish and goat cheese. But for a joint that does nothing but burgers and the usual sides (fries, onion rings, etc.), it was decidedly bland. I suppose if I was the young teenagers on a double-date a couple of tables over, I might be more excited over the ambience.

There was no turkey for Christmas day. Instead, it was a pot-luck lunch of chicken wings, asian cabbage slaw, Ethiopian-style samosas (brought by myself from Toronto), Vietnamese rice rolls, sweet meatballs, and more. The variety made for a nice meal. But I did get my turkey after all. A few days later, I had leftovers at a friend's that included turkey, mash potatoes, gravy, and even cranberry sauce. There was also home-made salsa and a slice of savoury tourtière.

The rest of the Holidays was spent eating home-made food and sleeping the afternoon away (with a yoga class here and there to keep the weight gain reasonable).