The Lakeview Restaurant

I love diners.  I love everything about them.  Not sure if it’s my vivid childhood memory of my family and I travelling by bus from Toronto to Hamilton to visit relatives and stopping off at a local diner, but I have a bizarre fascination with diners. 

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I’m not really into ultra fancy, gourmet cuisine —it truly does not impress me at all. Gimme a strong cup of coffee, a fluffy pancake with sausages, or a condiment laden hamburger (BTW, my mouth would never touch the cronut!), and I am in my happy place. #happygrrl

I’m sure you can gather from the above statements that I am a HUGE fan of the food network TV show- Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  A show dedicated to exposing greasy gastronomical pleasures. 

I’ve waited several seasons for Guy Fieri- the host of the show, to venture to Toronto and check out some of our diners, and early on this year he made it a reality.  

He visited a number of diners in that episode, but for some reason I only remember The Lakeview. Not sure if it was that cornflake chicken club that he ate or the apple pie milkshake.  I just know that after that episode aired, I picked up my phone, opened the Notes app, and typed in, “Must go to the Lakeview Restaurant.”

I finally made it to the restaurant in late June and I have gone 2 more times in less than a month.  Yep, the food was that tantalizing.



top- Chick 'n' Waffles, bottom- Cornflake chicken sandwich

 

What I ate

I am a breakfast junkie so I ordered from the brunch menu.  I had the Chick’n’waffle - a waffle topped with cornflake chicken (psst... a perfectly fried chicken breast) and 2 fried eggs (it's normally served with 2 poached eggs, but I’m not a fan of poached eggs) smothered in sausage gravy. The meal also came with a mixed green salad and some fries.  I’m actually ashamed to admit it, but on my first visit I ate ALL of that. It was sooooo worth it.

The waffle was soft and had a distinct vanilla flavour.  The chicken was nicely fried and not oily at all.  The gravy.......damn that gravy!  It was sooo good that I made sure to sop it up with everything on my plate.  That gravy made me a believer!!

I ordered this meal the first time I dined at the restaurant and it was fantastic, and the second time I ordered the dish it was outstanding. I have no idea how they made something that was already perfect, more perfect.

I still have love for the chicken and waffles served at Harlem Underground (nothing can touch Carl’s fried chicken), but this dish was just yummy.

The atmosphere

Very chill and hip.  I spotted an indie Canadian film director having lunch and he looked just as happy as me.

Prices

Very affordable.  Plus you can’t go wrong with a place that serves $3 mimosas!

Um, can you tell I enjoyed this place? Lol.  I think you will too. Check it out at:

The Lakeview Restaurant

Address: 1132/1134 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1X2

Phone: 416-850-8886

URL: http://thelakeviewrestaurant.ca/

Michelle

Hmmm, street food!

Okay, is it me, or are you addicted to the Food Network’s mouth-watering, totally delish ode to street food TV show, Eat St?  Cool, I knew I wasn’t alone. 

Who could possible resist a show devoted to displaying the culinary delights cooked on a food truck?  Not me.  Each and every week after I watch an episode, I always utter the same phrase, “Why aren’t there more food trucks in Toronto”?

Looks like someone heard me!  I recently found out (via my sis) that there is a website called Toronto Food Trucks that can help you find and track down food trucks in the Toronto area.

They deliver you the latest news on the burgeoning food truck scene, and it even boasts customer reviews—so you’ll know which one to check out. 

It’s better if you sign up (don’t worry it’s free) and they will e-mail you the location of the food trucks.  If you don’t want to sign up, you can always follow them on Twitter and get the details.

Can’t wait to nibble on some sweet street eats!  Yay!

Michelle