Bannock

Good service, really heavy food, n healthy options, but our group of five had no complaints. Impressive cocktails.

Got the gnocchi for dinner. Found it to be dry, overdone and overpriced. The elderberry drink I got here was yummy but I won’t be coming back for it.

I ordered the octopus last summer and my octopus was SPOILED. The seafood had a strong, unpleasant smell and it was confirmed by the server and the chef himself. I was not charged for this dish.
So disappointed in this restaurant after that — I had been here once before for my birthday and the food I had ordered then was decent. But this was a traumatic experience and I am disgusted by how the establishment can give customers spoiled food to consume. Will not be returning.

I always walked by this place and one day me and my friend decided to give it a try. Our server was great and very attentive. I decided to have the Northern Woods Mushroom Gnocchi, it was a great choice. It was flavourful, and the texture of the mushroom bolognese sauce was somewhat similar to a classic bolognese sauce. For dessert I ordered the warm s’mores pie, I highly recommend this dessert, it can be a little too sweet so it will be a good idea to share it with somebody.

We came as a group of 7 people around 11:30 AM on a Sunday morning and tried to get a table as we noticed the restaurant had open tables. There were probably two customers at that time.
We were rudely greeted and the host recommended we go to Eggsmart down the street instead because they were ‘full’. Not sure if they were trying to say their food is the same quality as Eggsmart.

I came here for lunch this week with two of my Co — workers. We made a reservation online, which I love, I hate when you have to call! It was a pretty close walk for us from work which is nice. The restaurant is spilt into two, one side for pick up and go and the other for dine-​in. It is very very loud and packed at 1pm, it is a hot spot for lunching.
They didn’t have a ton of vegan options on the menu, so I had to go vegetarian. I got the miso soup and cornbread and I got the drink of the day which was pear, mandarin, and cranberry I believe, all fresh squeezed. My coworkers got the Mac n cheese and the fish and chips.
The soup was way too salty, I mean WAY TOO salty. It really kind of ruined it. The tofu in it was smoked and great, lots of mushrooms and not too much seaweed. But you could hardly tell over the overwhelming salt. The corn bread on the other hand was a 5, it was amazing. Pan fried in butter lol hot and crispy outside, I could go for some right now!
The Mac and cheese was apparently very good but the fish and chips were lacking. My drink was fantastic.
I wouldn’t mind coming back and trying something else, maybe the soup was not their strength.

Cute little place with both a sit down restaurant on one side, and a ‘Grab and Go’ counter on the other side. What most impressed me here was the service — our waiter was spot on: great food descriptions, thoughtful recommendations on both food and drink, and he took it as a challenge to keep my water glass filled, instead of getting grumpy.
As we had an early dinner planned, we really just wanted a light snack. The «bannacos» I had were the perfect size. They were soft tacos filled with rutabaga, caviar tartar sauce, and other interesting ingredients. Served with an apple and cucumber salad on the side. I absolutely loved the interesting combinations of flavors — every bite was delicious, and I had to stop myself from exclaiming each time.
I had The Mighty Canuck to drink, a mixture of vodka and maple lemonade. It was so very refreshing, I could easily have consumed another gallon or so of it.
Great experience start to finish, and I definitely recommend a visit.

Should be 3.5, but this is not possible. Have been dying to come here for ages… service was the best part of the experience. Our server was super friendly, the model for great service, he was a little goofy and very attentive, but not obnoxious. Our waters were always full too!
I had the duck poutine pizza, it was okay. I personally think poutine fries should be crispy and not soft and cheese should be gooey and not congealed… overall a big disappointment. But the pizza was crispy and the serving ample, easily intended for two… or three.
My friend had the marguerita pizza which he said was good, not great (but he’s old school Italian, so I consider this pretty good).
Glad I came, but I don’t know if I’ll be coming back too soon.

Wanted poutine to go while I was in the city. I stopped by and wished I had eaten it in the restaurant. The restaurant was very modern and comfortable inside. I ordered to go from a very nice man. The poutine took no longer than 10 minutes. The poutine was good, however there was a lot of rosemary on top which changed the overall flavor. (not so good if you aren’t a fan of rosemary) Also when the poutine was reheated, the fries get a funky taste so it’s better to eat as soon as you get it!

Came here with few friends to celebrate a birthday.
We made reservations ahead of time so once I got there we got seated right away. They save 2 sides to the restaurant. 1 for dining and the other seemed like a take out /​grab and go set up. The restaurant is undergoing some construction on the outside so it wasn’t that easy to find the entrance.
I ordered the duck poutine from the reviews and I’m
So glad I got it. It was so flavourful and huge portion! I could only finish half of it. My friends ordered buyers that came with root chips. The chips are pretty unique but bland, we suggested they should serve it with a dip or sour cream.
For my friends birthday we ordered the smore pie! It was sooooo good! We split that and it was enough since everyone just wanted a bite. It came with a candle and we sang happy birthday once it came. We asked if they could have decorate the plate with her name or happy birthday on it but sadly they said they don’t do that.
The restaurant itself, it didn’t look too nice in the dining area. I would expect it to have more of modern look and romantic ambience but that wasn’t the case. Kind of felt like a Swiss chalet. This restaurant attracts people from all ages. I saw a small child beside us, a date on the other table and a couple of seniors enjoying a bottle of wine.

On a snowy April Sunday morning what else can a guy want? Brunch, DUH! And not just any brunch but one that will amazed him with warm and fuzzy … in his tummy! Gosh, this is Unilocal you know =P Of course, I dreamt about this on Saturday so I had amble time to put my name onto their reservation list. To my surprised, you DON’T need it! At least not at 11:30a Wooo, btw if you are planning to walk around The Eaton Centre (TEC) after or check out the new Saks, you should really consider parking at TEC so that your entire adventure is paid for … when it comes to parking.
Checking out the menu, I was all excited about the special 1 weekend Canadian Maple Syrup brunch menu, but shortly after i took a peek at the menu, I was drawn to … «POUTINE»! Yes, that’s actually what guys want in the morning. But to 110% justify it, it’s a Brunch Poutine! For a decent 12 dollar it comes with curds, corned beef brisket and a fried egg :) Aside from that I’ve also ordered the free-​run turkey burger (tempura onion and avocado really got my attention), but since I don’t want to look like a fat-​so, I told them the Brunch Poutine is for the table LOLL … NOT!
The service was great! Waiter was really promoting cocktail inspired drinks for this fine morning. He was very attentive and the food came out quickly. At 11:30am there was only 1 big group (12+) at the far end of the restaurant. When you first work in from Bay it looked almost like an upscale diner, but once you hit the main dinning room you know the in something fancier :) Fancier enough to simply just do the «walk of shame» in of course, your fancy bar/​club attired you wore last night hahaha (yes, I’m laughing at my own dumb humour)
OK — back to the poutine. Lets cut to the chase … it’s worth more than $ 12 (@Bannock, plz don’t raise the price) but I’d paid $ 20 for this dish! OMG, it was SO GOOD! In order to have the full experience I’ve cut the egg into 3 (so we can allow the other 2 to try … a bit). The fries where NOT soggy, it was mixed nicely with turkey gravy. The curd was soft and not overly stringy. It was JUST mouth watering tasty! Somehow the mixture of egg yolk, gravy and fries just works! … Reminds me of steak and eggs + RICE! :)
I’d touch on what other has or the free-​run turkey burger, but the highlight of this adventure is definitely the brunch poutine! We’ll come back again! and maybe try the brunch poutine pizza. But YESSSS the turkey burger is also awesome! It wasn’t dry as expected. The choice of bun was well picked, not too soggy or greasy. You know what? if they also add a fried egg in it then it will 1+ in my book too. I might ask for that next time =P

Came in for a quick dinner a couple weeks ago. What we ate:
Fish shrimp cake and duck fat kim chi potatoes: pretty good, interesting/​funky flavour with the kim chi. Not spicy, very mild.
Chicken pot pie: pretty yummy, nice big chunks of meat.
Grilled pickerel bannacos: nice flavour, but drips everywhere (if that matters at all)
I would come back and try the other comfort food. They put interesting twists on some dishes. Great service as well.

Must try: Arcadian Court Chicken Pot Pie
Been here a number of times for lunch and it’s been consistently meeting and exceeding expectations. It’s casual dining for the hip and the professional… On one side you see the well-​groomed men with their Macbook pros, and the other groups of accountamayben suits, it knows its demographics and it serves them well. Service is fast and wait staff attentive, décor is modern but not pretentious. It’s a feel good place.
The food is quite good as well. The chicken pot pie was creamy and comforting. The best dish I had was this beef cheek specialty (I don’t think it’s on the regular menu) and that was flavourful and extremely tender, with complementary sides as well. The duck poutine pizza is obviously a must try for the curious, it’s quite a treat and definitely a creative addition to the menu. The venison and pork shoulder tortiere is quite meaty and maybe a little too gamey for me. But I like the root veggies that it came with. Not a big fan of the ketchup packets though…
Overall a perfect restaurant for a work lunch… But maybe I shouldn’t say in case it lowers my chance of getting a reservation when I need it…
WYWH

Great atmosphere and service!
Food was good, but nothing too memorable.
Reasonable price for great-​looking plates.
Overall, I would recommend to people who are visiting Toronto since it is located in the heart of downtown.
We went there for brunch on Sunday, and their brunch menu offers traditional brunch dishes with some twists. All the components on the plate were cooked to perfection. Home fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and seasoned well. I ordered french toast
topped with berries and apple butter. The first few bites were heavenly. Good balance of sweetness and richness from the toast and apple butter and sourness from berries.
If you are looking for hearty breakfast/​brunch with a lot of food on the plate, this is not the best option for you.

I ate here for Winterlicious this week. All three courses were incredible and such a great value for $ 25!
I had curried pumpkin soup to start, oyster mushroom/​Gouda pizza and panna cotta for dessert.
Such a warm and cozy atmosphere too! Highly recommend!

Took some out-​of-​town friends here for Winterlicious two days ago and we had a very enjoyable meal! Plus, $ 18 for a three-​course lunch is great value for the quality of food that we received.
Appetizer:
We ordered the pumpkin soup and the ten vegetable slaw. The pumpkin soup exceeded my expectations — super savoury and not at all sweet like some pumpkin soups can be — and I heard good things about the slaw as well.
Main course:
I had the mushroom pizza and it was SO good — a simple but delicious medley of oyster mushrooms, gouda, arugula, and onions atop a thin, crispy crust; I really liked that they used gouda for the cheese, it complemented everything perfectly! Unfortunately, the smoked haddock was not as well received, but both of my friends couldn’t stop saying how good the sausage was.
Dessert:
All three of us opted for the sugar beet and chocolate cake on the recommendation of our waiter. Although I really wanted to love the adventurous flavour pairing, this dessert kind of fell flat for me because I just couldn’t get past the overpowering beet taste. My friends seemed to enjoy it though and the chocolate cake itself was very good.
Overall, the food was great and the service was even better. Definitely one of the better Licious restaurants.

Came here for the Winterlicious 2016 Dinner $ 25 Tasting menu.
I’ve always seen Bannock, because it’s located RIGHT beside the Eaton Center, but have never visited and I’m glad I decided to go in this year, even though it’s under renovations. O&B are Torontonian faves of course! Making reservation at 6pm and dining at that time is great because not many people eat dinner at this time. Bannock began to fill up by 7pm, and for those who go as couples, you might feel a little squished in their seats.
It’s really interesting to note that dinner is $ 25 though lunch is $ 18, I suppose it’s because much less people show up for lunch — however they offer mainly the same dishes and I’d like to believe that they are the same size. It’s a really interesting marketing technique because most people aren’t available for lunch.
For $ 25, you were able to have a starter, a main and a dessert. There were three choices for the starter, four choices for the main and three choices for the dessert. I love being able to go with someone else because we were able to try 6 dishes!
STARTERS:
1) Winter Greens and Wheatberries (vegetarian/​local) ermite blue cheese, apples, tarragon:
I’ve never had winter greens raw before and though that the texture of the leaves were really interesting — especially in a salad form. It’s much more «bubbly» than other types of leaves. I thought that the granny smith apples were super complimentary to the salad because it added to the sour taste, which could replace the balsamic vinegar.
2) Suhas’ Curried Tamarack Farms Pumpkin Soup (vegetarian/​local)
pepitas, crème fraîche
This was my favourite one. Curry with thick creamy pumpkin soup, sprinkled lightly with toasted and seasoned pumpkin seeds — absolutely to die for!
MAINS:
1) Griddled Pork Shoulder Steak (local) beer mustard, warm sherried lentils, collard greens, screeched prunes:
We got this because it was the only item different from the lunch menu. This dish really reminded of the food I had in Europe when I went on a tour and had three courses everyday for lunch and dinner for two weeks. The pork shoulder was extremely tender, but like most European dishes that I dislike — too SALTY. But hey, that apparently is a cultural thing and I only learned that from travelling to roughly 30 cities in Europe when restaurants have told us most Chinese tours tell them to decrease the salt.
2) Northern Woods Oyster Mushroom Pizza (vegetarian/​local) mushroom and thunder oak gouda mornay, arugula, onions:
I had no idea 王子菇 were called Oyster Mushrooms. Definitely a HUGE dish on a thin sliced of pita, sprinkled lightly with their mushroom, arugula and cheese. Not overly filling, but just the right amount.
DESSERT:
These portions were a little smaller than others. Someone with such a big sweet tooth — I really wasn’t too overwhelmed with their dessert, but I guess O&B isn’t famous for their desserts.
1) Moonshine Pannacotta (local) nice spice, stewed apples, cranberries.
Smooth Pannacotta drizzled with cranberries and stewed apples on the side.
2) Warm Sugar Beet and Chocolate Cake (vegetarian/​local)
Tasted like a huge brownie.

Came here for the $ 25 Winterlicious Dinner fix prixe. Got the opportunity to try 6 different dishes because I went with another person. For those who don’t know what Winterlicious is, it’s an event where a set of restaurants offer special set of courses at a cheaper price than regular meals so people can try new restaurants.
I had the Winter Greens and Wheatberries with blue cheese, apples and tarragon. For my main I had the Griddled Pork Shoulder Steak with beer mustard, warm sherried lentils, collard greens, screeched prunes. Finally for dessert I had the Warm Sugar Beet and Chocolate Cake. My friend had the Curried Tamarack Pumpkin Soup, Oyster Mushroom Pizza with gouda cheese and onions, and for dessert she had the Moonshine Pannacotta.
Overall, the meals were pretty good. The pork shoulder was my favourite, not too salty and it was super tender and I loved the subtle additional flavour of the onions, mustard and the greens. The pork basically melted in your mouth. I also enjoyed the pumpkin soup because I love those vegetable thick soups because I haven’t had it in a long time and reminds me of a friend who makes excellent squash soup that has almost the same texture. Finally, I enjoyed the mushroom-​oyster pizza. I like how the cheese on it was gouda cheese so it was quite different from your typical pizzas and it was freshly made, the crust was thin and crispy. While the actual pizza itself was easy to cut and eat.
I’ll definitely be back again to try this place again. The second O&B restaurant that I’ve ever been to and they don’t disappoint!
The service is pretty good, there are a lot of servers and they always seemed to notice when my water was empty or when we finished a dish and took care of it accordingly.

More like 3.5
I found out about this place and had come here with the intent on ordering from the Summerlicious menu. Advertised as a «Canadian comfort food» place and being a Canadian, I thought I’d give it a try.
In the end though, while sitting in the restaurant, I gave up on the Summerlicious menu and gave in to my cravings. Yeah… I ordered the infamous Duck Poutine Pizza. Accompanying that is the Get Your Greens Salad. What? One appetizer and one entrée for two people? Why, yes. That pizza cannot be tackled on your own. The crust had an extremely flat crispy texture, which was great. I wish the duck had a bit more distinction in flavour since it just seemed to kind of blend in with the fries and wash away into the gravy. Salad was a healthy blend of spinach and kale and the dressing was pretty good.
Now, onto the exciting part. Dessert. Now, this was personally my absolute favourite thing of the meal. My boyfriend and I got the O&B Artisan Butter Tart to share. Absolutely delicious. The tart was warm and flaky. Scoop some of the provided berry jam and whipped cream into the center and you’ve got a heavenly experience. We wanted to lick the plate when we were done. One of us may have actually done so.
Drinks-​wise, I just settled for a Peach Juice. It had a large slice of lemon right inside of it and may have had a bit of lemonade inside of it. As refreshing as it was, $ 5 doesn’t really justify it (it’s in a pretty small glass).
Overall, Bannock’s a-​ok! The service here is friendly and it’s cool that you can see the food getting prepared in the open-​concept kitchen. The décor is lovely, with a mix of casual and elegant. Some items have the perfect portion size for sharing, keeping your tab on the affordable side. The items aren’t too memorable but they weren’t bad.

I was downtown the other night and after walking past this place for a while I decided to finally check it out and I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered the tortilla soup and the grilled cheese sandwich.
The soup was amazing, super tasty and pretty hearty. If you got the large I’m sure it could be a meal. The grilled cheese has some thinly slices apples in it and it was a good touch and gave the sandwich a different taste making it different from all the other grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve had. The sandwich was HUGE! It was full of cheese and super filling.
The poutine here looked delicious so I’ll definitely be back here to try that because I love poutine i can consider myself a poutine expert.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is really nice and Id recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to eat in the downtown core. The wait staff was friendly, I will be back soon!

Merveilleux endroit très accessible niveau prix, très bien placé et vraiment bon.
La Poutine était très bonne et il y en avait assez pour bien se nourrir !
Je regrette de né pas avoir goûter la pizza à la Poutine.
Le dessert était vraiment bon, une merveille !
Le service est excellent.
En tout cas je recommande à tous de s’y arrêter.