Sunday 20 January 2013

Heart and Soul (Dunrobin)

This morning we got last minute reservations at Dunrobin's popular Heart and Soul Cafe. Good company, fantastic food, and the cozy atmosphere made it a perfect morning. Every breakfast go-er needs to eat here, but reservations are a must.


The restaurant is a converted farm house with a special charm. It is small so when the kids are loud, it does fill the room as much as it would in, say, your own dining room. We used both of the available high chairs for our group, only one of which is equipped with a seat belt. If you are coming with babies, it would be wise to bring your own booster seat/high chair. One of the high chairs was an antique in need of some repairs, so we would have been more comfortable had we brought our own. Despite these slight drawbacks, the restaurant goes above and beyond to offer a special experience for children. Upon arrival, each child's space is prepared with a Melissa and Doug placemat (clean and in great shape) with twistable chunky crayons, and a plate of fresh cut fruits. Water was brought out in a glass decorated with an umbrella and fruit. That umbrella was cherished for it's entire short life! Toys are available for purchase at the counter, should you child need a little extra distraction. The waiter (owner??) was very friendly and explained that he could get us anything we would like whether it was on the menu or not, stating that many regulars create their own menu, and anything can be turned into a child's portion. Our coffees were nice and strong and kept full and hot.


The menu is one to drool over with meals like crepes, waffles, and several benedicts. It took a while to decide on which options to choose. In the end, we ordered: the ham, cheese, and asparagus crepe; a smoked salmon benedict, an order of child-sized gingerbread pancakes, the heart and soul special, and the breakfast special. It took a little longer to get all the meals (truth be told, I didn't notice because I was chatting, but Toast Man mentioned it afterwards), but they were all served fresh, warm, and delicious!


The ham, cheese, and asparagus with scrambled egg crepe was fantastic, with just the right blend of all the ingredients and drizzled with Hollandaise sauce. It was served with home fries, which were mini potatoes, halved and seasoned and garnished with fruits. The specials looked fantastic and the pancakes were heart shaped and served with cinnamon apples. The gingerbread flavor was delicious. Even Toast Girl's best Toast buddy (age 2) ate all of his breakfast, which is a rare occurrence!


We loved eating here! Would come back again and again!

The menu is available online here

Kids "Welcome" fruit plate (minus a few bites from a very hungry Toast Girl)

Asperagus, ham, and cheese egg scramble crepe

Neptune Benedict

Side heart shaped gingerbread pancakes

Kids Gingerbread pancakes

Heart and Soul Special

Breakfast Special


Affordability  (While some meals were closer to $15, the heart and soul special is only $6.50)
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Heart and Soul Cafe on Urbanspoon

Saturday 19 January 2013

Zak's Diner (Kanata)

The Toast family and some Toast Friends did the breakfast thing at Zak's this morning. Accommodating 3 kids was not a problem for this family friendly establishment. They have plenty of high chairs and booster seats to go around. We greeted our friends at a booth in the middle of the restaurant, which is colorfully decorated and has a bounty of TV's airing cartoons. The tables are long enough to fit 2 families and, from past experiences we know that bucket seats fit nicely on them as well. Each child was provided with a coloring placemat and crayons. Another thing they offer is a little basket of saltine crackers on the table for the kids to munch on while they wait for their food. This little gesture makes a world of difference to keep little mouths happy and is very appreciated by us Toasts.


We ordered our drinks, browsed the menu and chatted. The service wasn't super speedy, but not noticeably long. The coffee was decent and the kids' drinks came in paper cups with lids and straws. While my toddler was insisting on spoon-feeding me my coffee, I grabbed napkins from the dispenser on the table and it became even more apparent that the restaurant was geared towards families.


Our orders included a breakfast burrito, the Zak's Big Breakfast, Pancakes, and a bowl of Special K cereal. There was also a kids breakfast menu consisting of pancakes, french toast, or eggs and meat, but the kids had other plans this morning. The cereal was brought before any other foods. It kept Toast Girl Busy, but her Toast Friend didn't have something to eat yet. The rest of the food came a few minutes later. They were all at a decent temperature and generously portioned. The home fries were average, but not bad. I think that could be said about all the food. None of it was exceptional but it hit the spot and we left full and content. The scrambled eggs seemed pre-made and the contents of the burrito were jarred, not fresh. They fruit was decent and ripe. They were bowls of pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, and strawberries.


The washrooms are equipped with change tables and the entire place is quite family friendly. We were happy and felt comfortable there with our kids. 

The Menu is available online here

Big Breakfast

Lumberjack Breakfast

Breakfast burrito

Plain and Chocolate Chip Pancakes


Toast Rating
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Zak's Diner on Urbanspoon

Sunday 13 January 2013

Moxies - Kanata

 

If you have some extra cash, and some well behaved kids, check out this eye-catching restaurant in Kanata Centrum. Then place is upscale and beautifully decorated, but surprisingly family friendly. Upon arrival the hostess helps open the door and greets you warmly.

We were seated at a booth and provided with crayons, an activity placemat, and menus. Highchairs are also available. The breakfast menu is small but none of the options will disappoint you. There are 2 meals listed for kids- An egg sandwich, or French toast with fruit. We discussed the menu after ordering coffees and a kids milk. The beverages arrived quickly and we placed our orders: A breakfast enchilada, a bacon and cheese omelet, and the kids French toast. They all arrived in less than 10 minutes and our coffees were kept full and hot. The kids milk came in a fancy glass with a straw. That is really our only criticism of the place. The food arrived nice and hot (but not too hot) and presented beautifully on our plates. The enchilada was delicious and I could taste guacamole and cilantro in the blend of flavors. It was composed of scrambled eggs, cheddar, black beans, corn, and salsa. The omelet was delicious with just the right amount of cheese in it. The French toast was decadent and served with strawberries and other fruits. Both adult meals came with grated potatoes which were nicely seasoned and crispy, as well as fruit. After breakfast, I brought Toast Girl to the washroom to clean her hands. Can I just say, that the bathrooms are beautiful! They have a fireplace, big lounge chairs/makeup chairs, and closed in stalls. The change table is located in the stall at the end of the row, farthest away from the door. I wouldn't have known this, if it hadn't been for a past visit with newborn toast girl in arms. The manager personally came out to congratulate us on the baby and had the waitress escort us to the washroom to show us where the change table was.

Once we had pottyed and de'sticky'fied, we returned to the table where one of the chefs(??) was waiting for us with a surprise for Toast Girl. I didn't realize that each kids meal came with an icecream, regardless of it being breakfast time! But this was extra special. After placing the bowl in front of Toast Girl, he poured some water into the edges of the bowl, which was actually a double bowl (one inside the other), and it began to flood the table with a low lying fog! There was liquid nitrogen in there!!! Now that was one of the coolest things I have ever seen a restaurant do! We marveled as we watched the fog spill across the table and curtain down, and Toast Girl and Toast Boy dug into their breakfast icecream.

The price tag wasn't great, so unfortunately they loose points in that department. However, this was a special treat and the experience (SMOKING ICECREAM!!!) was worth the cost. We will be back as soon as we sell all of our valuables. It came out to over $40. Coffees were not included but the milk was.

The restaurant is upscale and though the staff is extremely friendly and all seemed to adore the kids, I'm not sure if the other patrons enjoy kids as much. The booths are enclosed, though and it is actually quite private. Luckily, ours were also pretty well behaved today.

Sadly, our camera died before we got to take pictures of the food today so we had to settle for Toast Man's less than ideal phone camera. The pictures do not do it justice. We must go back to redo them :P

Kids French Toast

Breakfast Enchilada


Bacon and Cheese Omelette
The erupting volcano icecream (So Cool!)
 
 

The menu is available online here

Toast Rating:

Affordability
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Moxie's Classic Grill on Urbanspoon