Oliver and Bonacini
When chain restaurants and stores that are only in Toronto (or in bigger cities) come to Waterloo, it's significant. To me, it's a statement that puts Waterloo on the map, in line with bigger cities.
Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill
Conestoga Mall
550 King Street North
Waterloo, ON
519.772.0783
O&B's website
Date of visit: December 2, 2009
Restaurant
Oliver & Bonacini's was scheduled to open in Waterloo early December (though the mall sign said Spring 2010), but they had already been open for 6 days on our visit. I had neither visited an O&B before nor their sister (and famous) restaurant Canoe in Toronto, but they also partner with SOMA, a place that offers quality gourmet chocolate in the Distillery District.
O&B seems to cater to the young professional crowd, much like Wildcraft does. The interior is casually grand, with modern dim lighting and color, along with high ceilings and edged corners. The dark and light wooden chairs add to the "cafe" feel, but there's a feel of space limitations: the entrance foyer is tight, the tables are close to each other, and the meeting/party room has a glass divider that makes it look like a fishbowl (or aquarium to be more accurate). Whether it's a space issue or for another reason (like the demographics), there is no access from inside the mall though, which has its disadvantages as well.
Meal choice, food quality
The menu offered a variety of food choices (but maybe more leaning towards Italian dishes), along with a reasonable range in prices. Most of the dishes are under $20. After much debate on what to try, we decided on the spice & pepper fried calamari to share as an appetizer, followed by a duck, pineapple and coriander bruschetta and a mushroom soup for myself as a main, and the mac&cheese for him.
After taking our order, we were served with two complimentary mini bread buns (ciabatta?), which were hot, soft, and moist. This definitely helped minimize the wait time between this and the appetizer.
The calamari was at the right texture: neither too chewy nor rubbery with light flakes of batter. However, I would likely try the grilled calamari next time (cheaper too!) as this plate was a little too salty and I wasn't a huge fan of the Indian spices (cumin?) they used despite it being light so that it wasn't overpowering.
The mushroom soup - this was unlike any other mushroom soup I have had. I'm used to cream of mushroom or a mushroom broth, but instead, it was as the server described it: thick, mushroom puree soup. Tasty, though I wonder if it would still be as good with less salt (though the calamari was much saltier)
The bruschetta (or "brus-k-etta" as the other server distinctly pronounced it Italianized?), was flavourful. My tasting companion commented on the strong smoky smell of the sauce, but it didn't hit your tastebuds when you ate it. Instead, the fresh chopped pineapple added a great contrast to the flavour. The toast might be less crumbly if it wasn't so crispy but I liked the fact that it was in bite-sized portions.
And, the macaroni and cheese thankfully tasted nothing like Kraft Dinner. This was more of a homemade baked variety: topped with breadcrumbs, (what could be canned) peas, and melted goat cheese; quite filling too.
Service
When our main server wasn't always around to serve us, another one would be available for our table. Our main server seemed to be very knowledgeable with the menu (and surprised at my knowing of SOMA) and the items on it, and instead of being put off, actually thanked me for my feedback (re: the calamari being on the slightly saltier side). There was a longer wait between the appetizers and the main, but I must commend their service: one server knew I had an intolerance to onions, but our main server didn't. Yet, our (main) server made sure to check with me and let me know that the mushroom soup had onions in it (though I don't think he realized that raw green onions are part of the onion family).
Conclusion
Closer towards the end of the evening, I asked my companion if this Oliver & Bonacini's is like the one in Toronto, and from the sounds of things, the themes and overall brand is definitely consistent. It's a place to try on Mondays and Tuesdays, especially if you like $4.95 cocktails (which are normally priced at $9.95). I would probably try their lunch menu next time, such as a pizzaette or even their grilled calamari.
