General Food, Dining and Nightlife News

[tomh009]

I think AYCE Japanese restaurants are todays Chinese Buffets (in terms of popularity).

Yes ... and in spite of the fact that I love Japanese food (and not just sushi, either), I am boycotting these, too.  I am hoping for the appearance of a decent non-AYCE Japanese restaurant in uptown/downtown in the not-too-distant future.  Will probably need to be somewhat upscale to avoid competing directly with the AYCE restaurants.

[BuildingScout]

I am hoping for the appearance of a decent non-AYCE Japanese restaurant in uptown/downtown in the not-too-distant future.  Will probably need to be somewhat upscale to avoid competing directly with the AYCE restaurants.

Erh, isn't that what Watami in Uptown Waterloo is?

[JoeKW]

Kinkaku was that too but they gave up when every other customer asked for AYCE.

[tomh009]

I am hoping for the appearance of a decent non-AYCE Japanese restaurant in uptown/downtown in the not-too-distant future.  Will probably need to be somewhat upscale to avoid competing directly with the AYCE restaurants.

Erh, isn't that what Watami in Uptown Waterloo is?

I had forgotten all about Watami, thanks for the reminder!  Need to head to uptown more often (where is the LRT when I need it?).

Kinkaku was that too but they gave up when every other customer asked for AYCE.

I was very disappointed by this (even if I understand it from a business perspective).  An izakaya is a place to sit and sip beer or sake, and food should be only incidental (and then shared).  It's very much the opposite of the AYCE-induced gorge-fest.  Sadly I have no expectation of seeing a proper Japanese-style izakaya in K-W in the near future.

[ookpik]

Yes ... and in spite of the fact that I love Japanese food (and not just sushi, either), I am boycotting these, too.  I am hoping for the appearance of a decent non-AYCE Japanese restaurant in uptown/downtown in the not-too-distant future.  Will probably need to be somewhat upscale to avoid competing directly with the AYCE restaurants.

That's what Dake tried to be and failed. Maybe their location was ahead of its time now that the King and Victoria is booming. But their food, especially the sushi, was by far the best in the region. I miss it.

Anyway I wanted to post this yesterday but ran into ISP problems:

Maybe someone else can come along and do better. Or maybe there just isn't enough demand in Waterloo.

Have you ever tried to get into a Mandarin, any location but in particular the one in south Kitchener, at meal times? 

If only the ex-Chen location at Bridgeport and Weber were large enough for a Mandarin it could be a better money maker than a printing press (or whatever the mint uses these days to crank out twenties.)

[MidTowner]

That's what Dake tried to be and failed. Maybe their location was ahead of its time now that the King and Victoria is booming. But their food, especially the sushi, was by far the best in the region. I miss it.

I'm a bit of a Japanese cuisine neophyte, and I love the all-you-can-eat sushi places (maybe because my standards aren't particularly refined), but I really liked Dake and thought their food was great. However, I had a hard time convincing anyone to go with me over Ye's.

[REnerd]

I don't believe Dake failed due to their concept - they failed on their location.  The physical location was terrible - located in the back corner of a failing aged plaza.  As well, they had way too much space - imagine the rent they paid?  If they had an Izakaya sized space, they might still be around.
I miss them dearly....

[ookpik]

I don't believe Dake failed due to their concept - they failed on their location.  The physical location was terrible - located in the back corner of a failing aged plaza.

Agreed. But this is about to become a booming area with lots of trendies and high-techers with lots of money. I'd imagine word-of-mouth about the best sushi in the region would have generated traffic.

As well, they had way too much space - imagine the rent they paid?  If they had an Izakaya sized space, they might still be around.

I noticed that too. Also the leaseholds must have cost a small fortune. The first time we went there my first reaction was to wonder if all that opulence was some sort of money laundering exercise. Then we tasted the food

[MidTowner]

I don't believe Dake failed due to their concept - they failed on their location.  The physical location was terrible - located in the back corner of a failing aged plaza.  As well, they had way too much space - imagine the rent they paid?  If they had an Izakaya sized space, they might still be around.
I miss them dearly....

I'm still surprised they didn't make it work. Zeke's was in that location for quite a while, and it always seemed odd to have a restaurant that was completely invisible from the street. But you're right that the plaza is failing even worse lately, and there would have been less and less people coming in to the plaza for other reasons to learn that the restaurant existed at all.

[ookpik]

But you're right that the plaza is failing even worse lately, and there would have been less and less people coming in to the plaza for other reasons to learn that the restaurant existed at all.

ISTR reading that someone like Zehr or Perimeter had bought the plaza. If so there should be better days ahead for this property considering its location. Perhaps they're just waiting for LRT construction to end.

[MidTowner]

There's extensive discussion about the plans for this plaza in the King's Crossing thread; supposedly work is supposed to start in late 2017.

You're right that Zehr Group owns the plaza, but I don't think that's a new development: they've owned and managed it for a long while.

[Andy]

So it seems we're moving backwards on non-AYCE japanese restaurants in Kitchener. 3 have closed or switched format in the past couple years

Personally I liked Niko Niko's and I'm sad that it closed. It was great for a casual date night, and I have no intention on going to any AYCE places. The one exception may be Pizza Hut buffet , but those seem to be closing recently too.

[tomh009]

A sign went up today on the door of the former Entertaining Elements/Bistro Nash (179 King St W) for a new place that will be called "Rhapsody" - a whisky/wine café - sort of a cross of DVLB and B, perhaps?  The woman putting up the sign told me that they hope to open in March.  That is a large space with lots of potential - could be another nice addition to the growing Downtown scene.

There is now a liquor licence application posted in the window, for Rhapsody Barrel Bar (as of about two weeks ago).

[Elmira Guy]

I still maintain that the neighbourhood around (the now former) Chen's Buffet would be better served by a sports bar/pub than an ultra-specialized restaurant.
The closest place outside of uptown is Crabby Joe's which is very average at best. I think the idea of neighbourhoods having a "local" pub is a brilliant idea and would better serve the neighbourhood.

I'm certainly not against specialised eateries and I do consider myself a foodie. But I'm not going to visit a speciality (Japanese as has been suggested by many here) restaurant every week. It would be nice to have somewhere to go within quick walking distance.
I realize that sports bar are somewhat common, but that is the Canadian equivalent of a pub, and their common/popular for a reason. A place with a decent to good selection of beers, and consistently good food would be a welcome addition to the area.

I lived in the UK and spent a lot of time there, and there is something exceedingly fantastic about having a pub within walking distance in your neighbourhood.

Just my two cents as a local resident for what it's worth.

[BuildingScout]

I lived in the UK and spent a lot of time there, and there is something exceedingly fantastic about having a pub within walking distance in your neighbourhood.

Just my two cents as a local resident for what it's worth.

Are there enough houses near it to justify the local pub label? the entire area seems surrounded by schools, used car lots, and other commercial establishments.