Jessica TangMy friend Téa and I have had a list of restaurants to go to for about a year now. Considering school work has been beating both of us down and an unfortunate lack of a compatible schedule, we’ve pretty much only been able to go to one restaurant on said list. When the opportunity to review a restaurant came up, the Sugarbowl was the first place I thought about going.
For drinks, I decided to order a London Fog (an earl grey tea latte that has hints of lavender and vanilla flavouring) and Téa stuck with just water. Considering my drink was four dollars, on our student budget, she was a lot smarter than me, money-wise. But if there is a London Fog offered, I will order it, no matter the price. While waiting for my drink, we took our time looking at the menu. I finally decided on the “Kale Caesar Salad” ($14) and Téa decided on the “Chicken & Waffles” ($16), which offered buttermilk and spice marinated chicken breast, maple butter, and watermelon salsa.
Just after our order was taken, my London Fog was delivered. I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best London Fogs I’ve ever had. It was the perfect amount of frothy and creamy on the top. With the right amount of stirring, the creaminess was blended within the rest of the drink making it thick in texture. They kept the tea bag in as well, which is great because then you can determine how strong you want your beverage. The drink came in a large glass as well, much larger than I was expecting. Tea lattes may be a bit on the pricier side, but this was four dollars I had no problem shelling out.
The first bite of my salad was amazing. I could taste the freshness of the kale and romaine. The temperature of the salad was just right, especially with grilled cornbread on top. The heat didn’t take away from the coolness of the salad at all, which is always a concern of mine when ordering a salad that involves a warm addition. The dressing and bread crumbs were spread evenly throughout the dish. Each bite was creamy and had a crunch to it added from the breadcrumbs. The dressing added a slight tang of saltiness from the capers, which mixed in well with the cornbread. The cornbread was thick and chewy, and added a savouriness to the salt of the dressing. Téa loved the way the maple butter blended with the fried chicken, adding a savouriness to the all over meal. She said the salsa added a nice sweetness to the dish along with the syrup. Once we both finished, we were just the right amount of full and very satisfied with our restaurant choice.
The experience we had overall was great. The service was fast, and our waitress was extremely friendly. We felt relaxed still after we finished our meals. There was no pressure to pay right away or leave — the restaurant was still pretty busy, and we could stay as long as we wanted. Overall, our experience was great. Excellent and efficient service, close proximity to the university, and the best London Fog I’ve ever had. I’d recommend the Sugarbowl to anyone looking for a laidback meal, and I definitely plan to return.
