Eatdrink Waterloo & Wellington #1 June/July 2018

28 | June/July 2018 — Premiere Issue
locations. Enjoy a different course and beverage at
each stop. Suggested destinations include: Charcoal
Steakhouse, dels Enoteca Pizzeria and Martini’s
in Kitchener; The Bauer Kitchen, Wildcraft Grill
+ Bar in Waterloo; and Beertown Public House in
Waterloo, Cambridge and London, and the familyfriendly
Moose Winooski’s in Kitchener is also in
the Charcoal Group fold. Great for company parties,
celebrations or just a luxurious night out, other
custom options are available. Call 519-894-0110 or
go to charcoalgroup.ca/events.
Foodtruckers at Breakfast Blues and Barbecues are
building a bricks-and-mortar version of barbecue at
the former Sing Lee Chinese Restaurant at 105 Victoria
Street South, between Oak and Michael. The word is
that they will be open by June. breakfastblues-bbqs.ca
Meticulously designed, The Walper Hotel provides
a unique, modern boutique experience. Built in
1893, architects combined contemporary building
technology with the best of the hotel’s heritage
features during the hotel’s most recent refurbishment.
The Lokal is the striking piano bar and lounge on
the second floor. We enjoyed craft cocktails and
conversing with friendly upbeat staff in TWH Social,
the subterranean bar/bistro. Chef Jeff Ward — his
business card identifies him as Chief Cook and Bottle
Washer— has a culinary pedigree that includes
Stratford Chefs School, Langdon Hall, Toronto’s Canoe
and Auberge du Pommier, and Kitchener’s former
Marisol. The menu is touted as “local ingredients
done well, with a thoughtfully sourced menu focused
on sustainability and diversity.” Breakfast at the
Barristers Lounge is a treat. walper.com
New to Waterloo Region, and about to open, is The
Wooden Boat Food Company. The brainchild of
Chef Thompson Tran, Wooden Boat has floated in
from south Vancouver and now resides on Hurst
Street alongside a couple of other food and beverage
businesses, creating a small food hub. The company
is a food store for authentic Vietnamese sauces and
a take-away shop for banh mi, Vietnamese fried
chicken, shredded rice paper salad, sticky rice and
more. Says Tran, “We’re using local, sustainable highquality
ingredients to make authentic Vietnamese
dishes. There’s a motif from the mid-1970s, the
time of the Vietnamese boat people, with black and
white pictures, some memorabilia from the era,
and a television playing old MuchMusic videos.”
woodenboatfoodcompany.com
LOT42 is a 17-acre “global flex campus” providing
a unique collection of flexible spaces for use in the
arts, technology, manufacturing, athletics, and
community events, at 41 Ardelt Place. Expect to see
more concerts and public events here, in addition to
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private and corporate gatherings. Amongst Lot42’s
partners are B•Hospitality, the owners of the
Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre, B•Elegant
Catering, The Bruce Craft House restaurant and
The Bruce Caboose food truck. Promising event
services with “a commitment to crafting incredible
guest experiences that leave a lasting impression,”
here’s a great resource for your wedding, special
event or festival. lot42.ca and bhospitality.ca
Gilt is an open, airy and sophisticated resto
with a millennial vibe in the heart of Kitchener’s
Innovation District that recently celebrated the
fourth anniversary. Owned by Trella White and Chef
Stephanie Randall, the bar, lounge and 65-seat
restaurant on the ground floor of the office tower at
305 King Street West is their second venture; they
also operate Cork Restaurant in Elora. Chef de cuisine
Alex Janke has been at Gilt since the beginning, and
incorporates his favourite Thai and Mexican flavour
profiles while using local ingredients, but expect
pleasant surprises. Korean Fried Chicken with honey
bourbon and hoisin has a super crunchy kick. Janke
serves an excellent steak tartare. Try the Curried
Oxtail Gnocchi with dukkha sweet potato gnocchi,
candied ginger cream, parsnip chips and curried
tomato butter. giltrestaurant.ca
Relish Cooking Studio has moved to its new home
in downtown Kitchener at 70 Victoria Street North.
relishcookingstudio.com
Abe Erb Brewing Co.’s brewhouse, in the Tannery
building near the corner of King and Victoria, boasts
a full production facility on site, including a canning
line. Part of the appeal of Abe Erb is pairing both
brewing and restaurant experiences. The tongue-incheek
mission statement reads “Our trifecta is the
combination of beer, food and live entertainment.
We take your patronage as seriously as we take our
beards and moustaches.” abeerb.com
Public Bar and Kitchen is a small, indie restaurant
on Lancaster Street, in one of Kitchener’s oldest
neighbourhoods. Chef/co-owner Ryan Murphy and
partner Carly Blasutti take pride in making small,
shareable plates and well-crafted cocktails. The
Spanish-themed chalkboard menu changes on
an almost daily basis. Think, potted foie gras and
chicken liver pate with house-cured pickles and
sherry gastrique or crostini of salt cod brandade with
shaved Manchego and pickled shrimp banderilla.
The wine list features new and old world wines and
there is an all-Ontario craft beer list. kwpublic.com
For more than 140 years, the Kitchener Farmers’
Market has offered meat, produce, dairy products
and more. Saturdays 7 am–2 pm year-round.