Did I Mention the Time?
Did I mention the time we went to Up Front? No? Well, it was over a year ago and in that time something strange has happened to the group: almost everyone has had kids...and more kids...and even twins. In fact, the adult to child ratio was once 10:3 and we're now at 10:8. Needless to say, our once hipster news feed of Instagram food and sophisticated drinks has turned into baby pics and parental woes (read: our group has not gone out for dinner in over a year*). So let me tell you about the time we went to Up Front at the Market (located at The Covent Garden Market at King and Talbot) because writing about it is almost like going out again. Almost.
Up Front offers both indoor and seasonal outdoor seating. The outdoor area is good for people-watching and has a wide-open feel since it's located next to the market square. It's not-so-good for the homeless people (nothing like feeling like a horrible human being as you eat and drink well in front of the less fortunate) and the traffic. To start, everyone enjoyed their chosen appetizers. Goat Cheese Please enjoyed her goat cheese app--go figure--and Bok Choi Boy remarked, "appy good!"
For the main courses, the general consensus was a disappointment in the lack of flavour and sauce as One Reviewer commented, "I ate the eggplant without barfing but not saucey enough" (did I mention how sophisticated we used to be? I may have been exaggerating). The dessert, likewise, was unimpressive beginning with the small selection to the frozen nuts in the ice cream. But let's return to the homeless people--one hobo in particular. This is the part of the meal that everyone seemed to enjoy, in a despicable Roman-ruler kind of way: the hobo at our table.
As our dinner continued late into the night (did I mention the poor service?), we started taking pictures of our group. Silly shots around the table, artsy shots of the food, general hams (sophisticated, right?!) and finally a group shot. As we posed in front of an empty table by the patio partition, a hobo walked behind our group. The waitress took the picture, a flash of the camera, and a scuffle from behind us. As we returned to our collective seats we realized that the hobo was yelling at us: "I told you not to take my picture! Give me that camera!" He swore at us. He spat at us. He made as if to leave only to return still incensed that his soul had been captured by my camera--at least that's my assumption. In his anger, he approached the partition and he knocked over the empty table. Correction: he flipped the bitch!
We sat in stunned silence and avoided eye-contact with the man and each other. He calmed down and walked away but remained an odd highlight to the evening (are we horrible people?!).
Overall, the dinner itself was a poor showing. Sir Reviews Really Hard gave the experience a generous 2/4 followed by a "boo!" The restaurant was still fairly new, so perhaps the food and service have improved since then but at the time, the hobo was the only redeeming feature. Did I mention that we're horrible people? We're not really, but the dark comedy of the situation was irresistible, unlike the food.
*Going to Boston Pizza with the kids whilst spending the entire time nervously praying that your toddler does not have a public meltdown does not count as "going out for dinner."
Location: Up Front at the Market (130 King Street., London, ON)
Entree Cost: $15-20
Number of Reviewers: 6
Value: $ $ 1/2
Overall: * *
Up Front offers both indoor and seasonal outdoor seating. The outdoor area is good for people-watching and has a wide-open feel since it's located next to the market square. It's not-so-good for the homeless people (nothing like feeling like a horrible human being as you eat and drink well in front of the less fortunate) and the traffic. To start, everyone enjoyed their chosen appetizers. Goat Cheese Please enjoyed her goat cheese app--go figure--and Bok Choi Boy remarked, "appy good!"
 |
| One of the acceptable appetizers. |
As our dinner continued late into the night (did I mention the poor service?), we started taking pictures of our group. Silly shots around the table, artsy shots of the food, general hams (sophisticated, right?!) and finally a group shot. As we posed in front of an empty table by the patio partition, a hobo walked behind our group. The waitress took the picture, a flash of the camera, and a scuffle from behind us. As we returned to our collective seats we realized that the hobo was yelling at us: "I told you not to take my picture! Give me that camera!" He swore at us. He spat at us. He made as if to leave only to return still incensed that his soul had been captured by my camera--at least that's my assumption. In his anger, he approached the partition and he knocked over the empty table. Correction: he flipped the bitch!
We sat in stunned silence and avoided eye-contact with the man and each other. He calmed down and walked away but remained an odd highlight to the evening (are we horrible people?!).
 |
| Note: there is no hobo in this shot. |
Overall, the dinner itself was a poor showing. Sir Reviews Really Hard gave the experience a generous 2/4 followed by a "boo!" The restaurant was still fairly new, so perhaps the food and service have improved since then but at the time, the hobo was the only redeeming feature. Did I mention that we're horrible people? We're not really, but the dark comedy of the situation was irresistible, unlike the food.
*Going to Boston Pizza with the kids whilst spending the entire time nervously praying that your toddler does not have a public meltdown does not count as "going out for dinner."
Location: Up Front at the Market (130 King Street., London, ON)
Entree Cost: $15-20
Number of Reviewers: 6
Value: $ $ 1/2
Overall: * *
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