the Parkdale Drink

This is a cute resto/bar/lounge/ hangout in Parkdale which is owned by Catherine Thai who has been a local Parkdale resident for most of her life. Her family also owns Saigon Flower (near the Drake Hotel) which has been a staple on the Queen west strip for over the last 20 years so they seem to know a little bit about the neighbourhood and it's needs.

I've had a good-bye party here so the drinks are good and reasonably priced, I've stopped by and checked the scene out at night and it's seems to have a lively crowd sometimes with a DJ spinning good beats and recently my department dined at this place for winterlicious and the overall consensus is to definitely come back again!

We were given the option of a homemade chili, deep fried California rolls and a beet and feta salad for appetizers. Those that ordered the chili were satisfied both on the portion size and the heartiness and spice of the dish. The maki rolls were very bland and I felt like they needed soy sauce for dipping. Salads are just salads but my colleague loved it.

For our mains- we had the choice of gnocchi in a tomato and pepper sauce- the gnocchi were very tiny and it seemed to be just okay; the trio of mini burgers were delicious - however they weren't so mini- they should rename them - medium burgers b/c while they weren't quarter pounders, they weren't sliders either!! But I loved them - cooked to medium rare, all with different cheeses and served with sweet potato french fries which was delicious! There was also a sesame ginger chicken salad served in a tortilla bowl that my co-workers who ordered it finished it without any hesitation.

The desserts- there was a crepe with caramelized apples which seemed delicious, the trio of chocolate moouse which my boss seemed to enjoy stating it was slightly thicker moouse than the Board of Trade's moouse.. (whatever that means) and I decided on a green tea creme brule- the dessert consistency was much thicker than what I'm used to however it still had the Matcha flavour that I love!

I am surprised at how empty it was during our lunch hour but perhaps that's just the sign of the economy. Anyway it's a cute place in Parkdale to

hang out when you're in the hood!

Parkdale Drink- 1292 Queen Street West
Queen and Dufferin

*** stars (out of 5)