Brasserie Bistro

My friend bought me here because she had a "special" for a 3-course dinner for $20 at this hotel restaurant. The restaurant is the hotel restaurant of the Coast Plaza Hotel in the West End of Downtown.

The restaurant itself was quite nicely decorated, the candle-lit tables created a nice ambiance. I could tell that most of the patrons were hotel guests though :). I started off with the Manhattan Clam Chowder. It was my first time having Manhattan-style Clam Chowder, this was actually my favourite item in the 3-courses surprisingly :). It was rich in tomatoes, bacon (yum!), and clams (yum!). The bread was disappointing because it was so hard it felt like eating a rock almost!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Next, was the entree. My friend and I decided to get different entree so that we could try each others out. I ordered the Spaghetti with beef & chorizo meatballs, tomato sauce & garlic filoncini. This dish was really bland, the spaghetti didn't taste anything special, it tastes like something I get out of those microwave meals. The meatballs were nice and juicy though. I wouldn't say it's "bad", just very standard fare.

My friend ordered the Wild Mushroom Ravioli with a lemon caper sauce. This one was ok, I didn't really like the taste of the mushrooms and the peas though. The peas tasted really salty but maybe that's what it's suppose to taste like, I don't know, but I didn't really like it.

At this point, I wasn't expecting much from the desserts, but let's see what they give us because both desserts look good on paper :). I got the New York Cheesecake. The presentation wasn't very decorated, the cheesecake itself didn't taste fresh compared to other cheesecakes I've had. The bottom of the cake was a bit too soft for my liking.

I didn't get a chance to try the Creme Brulee, But my friend seemed to enjoy it.