Day 1 - Popeye’s chicken on the first night was disappointing, maybe I was jet lagged, maybe it’s the just the Canadians but the gravy was some sort of lumpy, currish mush and they didn’t serve any dirty rice. This was the second restaurant we visited as the first smelled like a sewer. “That’s Canada!” says GO.
Day 2 - First morning we hit Fran’s diner on College Street, the menu is basic grub. “Try something new.” Was GO’s only demand so I plumped for the steak (6oz medium rare) and eggs (over easy) and GO went for Morning Glory.
We bypassed lunch as breakfast was huge and popped into Tim Horton’s for coffee and a donut. We had seen one in Altrincham but had decided that our first one should be in Canada . Well neither the Indian nor the Somali girl could cope with the volume of customers (there were six) and were frantically taking orders and just generally being unhelpful. We had two scalding hot coffees and a tasteless maple donut. Definitely not worth the wait.
Dinner that evening was a complete accident, we found a food court in the Eaton Mall, how we found it I’ll never know, it was quite early in the evening but as we passed a Chinese outlet they were making up boxes of dishes and selling them at a reduced rate. GO had a box with chicken, veg and beef and noodles. I choose a box with orange chicken, beef and what looked like chicken but turned out to be tofu. Interesting, is like a very soft and light jelly without any flavour. I ate most of it but couldn’t stomach all of it.
Day 3 - we had a day trip to Niagara planned the coach was arriving at 8.30 so we dashed to MacDonald’s where I had a breakfast wrap, it was tiny and made up of an omelette and some peppers, GO had a breakfast waffle sandwich.
Lunch was included in the trip but we were never told what it would be so it was all a mystery. We were taken up to the Sheraton hotel overlooking the falls and were shown to a buffet, we had to pay for the drinks but everything else was included in the price of the trip. I filled up my plate with salad, returned for some pasta and finished up with some desert. We had a 60 minute turnaround which for buffet professionals like us was no big deal.
For our evening meal we returned to Fran’s as we still hadn’t sampled any Poutine and I wanted some before we went west. The waitress was lovely and suggest that with GO and I both ordering sandwiches we sauce out the fries for a portion of Poutine split between our plates. I had a Newyork steak sandwich (like a philli cheese steak but with mozzarella) GO had a maple sandwich.
Day 4 - transit day, we got to the airport and had a Tim Horton’s Sausage Homestyle Biscuit meal with French Vanilla coffee and it was delicious, there was a reason the queue was twenty minutes long. Tim Horton’s for the win, GO wouldn’t stop taking about the coffee.
Lunch was not provided on the plane so we devoured the crisps/chips we had bought along in our hand luggage.
By the time the evening rolled around we were starving, I spotted what looked like a Wendy’s over the rooftops of our hotel so off we went. GO had never been to one before so was surprised by the square burgers. We are into a groove now so we both knew we’d have ice tea to drink and enjoyed the burgers. I had a Dave triple which I had to deconstruct and eat each patty separately.
Day 5 - a relaxing day for us breakfast was another farmhouse style biscuit meal from Tim Horton’s with French Vanilla to wash it down.
For lunch we had a Burrito bowl, GO went with a Southwestern steak I had Jalapeño peach chicken bowl. I commented that either I have become accustomed to spice as I didn’t feel any heat or the sever could sense that I am a wimp and made it milder, either way it was yummy and made a change from fried junk.
On reuniting with the outlaws they had strict plans for what to eat and we went for and A&W. It was not pleasant, everything was dripping in grease and the whole place felt grubby. It’s a no from me.
Day 6 - starting off with a complimentary breakfast of a giant waffle, powdered eggs and a flat sausage that looked like a hash browns.
Lunch - was non existent, I struggled with the fact that the outlaws don’t do lunch!? I did manage to get them to have a Beavertails. GO had an avalanche, cream cheese and Skor (like a Daaim) bits. They were huge and absolutely scrummy.
For our evening meal we had a Swiss Chalet, apparently I used to eat here all the time when I lived in Canada but I can’t remember. Roast beef, chicken, jacket potato, slaw and a roll. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Day 7 - hotel breakfast, I wasn’t looking forward to it but I had a plan. Toasted bagel with peanut butter, always fills me up till lunch. We supplemented the food with a Tim Horton’s French Vanilla coffee. The outlaws had never had one and they devoured them.
Lunch today was at a saloon called the Last Post it was a proper sawdust on the floor hole. GO and I shared some fries and gravy and honey garlic wings, we have lost our appetites and I’m starting to get sick of burgers and fries.
