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View Full Version : Review: AKA Winebar



Maxt
06-09-2012, 09:13 PM
AKA Winebar
709 Edmonton Trail North
Service: 5/5
Ambience 5/5
Food 4.8/5

A suggestion from a family friend led us to try this place out for brunch/lunch. It is primarily a wine bar, but is open earlier for the brunch crowd.
We had our 1, and 4 year old children with us, its not setup to be a family restaurant, but the staff were quite accommodating with the children. Most of the staff are Japanese, so you get the typical Japanese service, conscientious, and attentive.
The menu has very different twists on traditional breakfast choices.
My Wife had the Domo Arigato Omelette , it was a version of Tenshin Han, what the Japanese call a Chinese egg dish. It was a dish of rice, crab meat, bean sprouts and mushroom covered with omelette ,topped with green onion and sauce. My Wife was please with the taste and the quantity, as was my 4 year old who, as fussy as she is, loved it.
We ordered my 4 year old the yogurt/granola bowl that came mixed with various fresh fruit, she ate half, then my 1 year old devoured the rest.
I went as traditional as I could, ordering the 3 egg omelette , which includes 3 choices of ingredients. I chose mushroom, ham and cheese. There is a wide choice of fillings to choose from, red onions, bacon, sausages etc. The omelette was accompanied by chunky seasoned hash brown potatoes, and 2 slices of sour dough toast. The omelette was quite good, it really had a lot of body to it, for a 3 egg omelette. The provided ketchup and jams are apparently made in house.
The coffee was great, strong but not bitter, its a coffee that could easily be left black which I find to be a rarity. I like stronger bold coffee, but most of it is almost sour and requires cream to tame down the bitterness, but not this cup.
The food style is gourmet, and with this style of presentation, the dishes are typically smaller. The food quality is very good, the only thing that left me wanting was the quantity, I like to eat, and I like a lot of food when I eat. I am the kind of guy that orders the Famous Cowboy at Humpty's and then orders extra toast.
I would like to go back and try dinner, I am not a wine aficionado or even a wine drinker for that matter, but the wine list looks to be large and varied for those that like to sip.
The bill came to About 39 bucks + tax and tip, which was very reasonable for the amount of attention that went into the arrangement of the food in the dishes.
The restaurant is a small place in an older building, but the interior is tastefully decorated and modern. The restaurant is spotlessly clean, as are the washrooms. There is limited parking in the rear and 2 hour parking on the nearby streets.
Will go again.

Euro_Trash
06-11-2012, 06:14 AM
We used to go here once per month, but in the last little while I have found service is terrible. After a couple experiences with shitty service we haven't returned.

Maxt
06-12-2012, 05:19 PM
Really, hmmmm .. It was good for us there.. Was it busy when you were there?

austic
06-12-2012, 05:34 PM
went there a few weekends for brunch with about 8 people.
had the eggs benny which was really disappointing, hollandaise sauce was bland, the eggs were small and there was not much potato hash. Overall the coffee was a saving grace.. my breakfast including tax and tip was $20 and for that much I expected more.

Server must have been a family friend as she was god awful. forgot orders, forgot drinks and overall seemed to have no clue what she was doing or what was going on.

Maxt
06-12-2012, 07:24 PM
We didn't know any of the servers, but friend does know people there , I will pass along your experiences.. I guess everywhere can be hit or miss..

markelickt
10-09-2012, 04:00 AM
Although, I love to drink wine, so I regularly drink it with brother of friends. Here, nice to read the information AKA Winebar which you shared above. I use to go there to drink wine.

bspot
10-09-2012, 09:56 AM
^Except they went under and now it's some Japanese fusion place. Anyone been?

blitz
10-09-2012, 10:07 AM
I went for Brunch, they kept the same menu but it's not executed as well.

I loved the FSH Hash they had, but it wasn't nearly as good. The chicken and waffles was excellent though.

Can't comment on the dinner menu.