Thaifoon - London, Ontario

 

Pad Thai with Chicken ($11 excl. tax) and an extra $1.75 for the spring roll

rice noodle, egg, sprouts, cilantro, scallions, thaifoon sauce, lime, roasted peanuts

When I first tried the pad thai, I didn't like the sauce and it was only after I mixed in the peanuts and lime that it eventually tasted better. Unfortunately there wasn't enough peanuts and lime... 

I thought the pad thai was relatively bland compared to other kinds of pad thai I've tried before. 

The spring roll was crispy, but only had vegetables inside (I love the Vietnamese spring rolls with meat - hands down my favourite type of Spring rolls). I tried to add the sauce to make it taste better (the sauce was tangy and a little spicy), but it didn't taste any better after I had it. Overall, not really a place I'd recommend since they couldn't really make a tasty pad thai and it was super expensive especially for lunch.

Website: http://www.thaifoonrestaurant.com/

The Works - London, Ontario

I loved the interior of the restaurant - it was really different and I thought it suited the theme.

Yes, my water came in a measuring cup...

Strawberry Kiwi Milkshake

Great! I thought it was more strawberry than strawberry kiwi, but my friend Megs who doesn't like Kiwi said that she could "taste a kiwi tang at the end of a sip" - so I'll have to trust her word on it!

 Sorento Sunset - simple is sooo good - fresh avocado slices & Monterey jack - $11.93

First off - the menu here is INSANE! You choose your burger (they had Elk! Who does that?) and then your topping combinations (of which there is a crazy two-paged long list) and then your gourmet side (with some option for upgrades). It took me forever since it felt like I had unlimited options, but I eventually picked the Sorento Sunset with huge avocado pieces and gooey cheese on top of my chicken breast burger. It was really simple, good, and filling and the sweet potato strings were good - all served in a little trough box (so we can pig out). 

Overall, I really liked it here and apparently they're opening up a Toronto location soon - so there's something to look forward to.

 Website: http://www.worksburger.com/

Joe Kool's - London, Ontario

Snazzy little hang out in London

Mitch Albom! (Before he was famous)

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich 

Shaved ribeye, grilled peppers, carmelized onions, provolone topped with cheddar cheese sauce for $10.99 (excl. tax)

Fantastic! The juice from the sandwich kept dripping all over my hands as I ate it (good sign in a philly cheese steak) and there was lots of beef, green peppers and cheese all on a toasted bun. The soup was a cream of broccoli and slightly salty, tasted like canned cream of broccoli. 

The Just Huge Panzerotti

You could get your choice of 4 toppings with really great meat sauce and mozzarella. They took 20 minutes to make it but it was huge --> Perfect deep fried goodness for $15.99 (excl. tax). You definitely have to come try this out when you're craving a big meal (great value)

Overall, it's understandable why this establishment has been around for more than 25 years - good food, quick service and decent prices all conveniently located down town on Richmond Street.

Website: http://www.joekoolsrestaurant.ca/Index.php/

Covent Garden Market - London, Ontario

I just realized that London, Ontario has a lot of similarities to London, UK.

For one, they both have a Covent Garden Market:

We grabbed our lunch here and what a great lunch spot! There's so much offered here from Shawarma to Sushi, Churrasco Chicken to Chap Chae. 

It resembles St. Lawrence Market in Toronto...

View from the second floor (near the Tea Haus)

I grabbed my lunch at Nate's Shawarma which is near the west side entrance of the Covent Garden Market 

The plate is such a good deal for less than $10 including tax ($9.03 to be exact). 

You get to choose two sides, a meat and a type of hummus - there was a selection of roasted red pepper, dill, garlic and regular hummus. 

I chose the red pepper hummus (delicious) and the Tabülè and potato salad as my two sides. For my main course, I got the shish taouk which is a chicken skewer with grilled green peppers. The chicken was marinated well and jam packed with spices - it was really good, but it was slightly cold (even though I knew it was already cooked), they just didn't warm it up enough. The chicken pieces were huge so it was a big lunch making it a good deal! The Tabülè was much saltier than I was used to and I wasn't really a fan, but the hummus and potato salad were good.

Website: http://www.coventmarket.com/nates-shawarma-2/

On the south end of the Covent Garden Market, there is a bakery called the International Bakery-Deli-Cafe

My manager recommended the Orange rolls from here so I decided to try it. They had a Monday special where orange rolls were 2 for $2.39 excl. taxes - definitely worth a try. 

It was different and kind of interesting, the roll was kinda sticky and there were clearly orange rinds in the cinnamon roll-like bun. I think it was a little too sticky for me to fully enjoy and I wasn't really a fan (it could also be that it was kinda left in my purse until the end of the day). 

Website: http://www.internationalbakery.ca/