UAG Dines Out

581 Grand Lake Road Sydney, NS Whenever I travelled up to visit my grandparents at their apartment in London, Ontario, they would treat me to a nice dinner out. Grandma would put on her short-sleeved polyester dress with the matching belt and her plastic white pearls and Grandpa would give himself a good shave and change his shirt. The three of us would go down into the underground parking lot and climb into their brown Chevette. Somehow, Grandpa drove us across the eight lanes of traffic in front of their apartment building to the restaurant at The K-Mart. This memory is always triggered by a visit to Simeon's Restaurant. Perhaps it's the plastic tablecloths, the pine wainscoting, the pink colour scheme or the tiled bathroom - this restaurant screams the 1970s. But with this look, Simeon's is boldly saying that it knows it looks dated, but those were good years and we don't have to change because we both know that you're going to enjoy your meal here. ...

Bonnie Prince 50 Reeves Street, Sydney The April outing of UAG took us to the Bonnie Prince, just down from where the Canadian Tire used to be and across from where the Giant Tiger is going to be.  This restaurant has been in business and in the same location for many years, although its neighbours have changed. The Bonnie Prince restaurant has seen at least one renovation over the years, but some things haven't changed.  It's a wild and wonderful place to eat on a Friday night at supper time! Patrons in the line-up waiting for a seat ranged in ages from 6 months to those well passed the legal drinking age.  We had all noticed the delicious smell of cooking onions on our way in from the car to the front door and none of us were leaving the line-up. And just like at the Cedar House, we all knew someone either in the line-up or already seated. We were enjoying ourselves even before we sat down together to have supper.  Now, as most Cape Bretoners know...

Hong Fa Restaurant 462 Prince Street, Sydney      This month UAG spent an evening at Hong Fa Restaurant - February is such a tough month what with the cost of all of our monthly bills going up and up, we decided to have a cheaper outing. This decision attracted our largest number of members yet!  There were ten of us for dinner on Friday night. And how was our cheap night?  Were we disappointed in our decision to go downtown instead of uptown?       Not at all! Although none of us spent more than twenty dollars, and that's with dessert and a tip, we each had a wonderful meal. The atmosphere was relaxing, the service was not terrible, and the food, well, the food was delicious. The servings were so generous that several of us had a lovely lunch the following day. Here are the two appetizers that were ordered: Fried Wontons Hong Fa makes the best deep fried wontons - there is just no argument on this.  And look at the gravy b...

KIJU'S RESTAURANT 50 Maillard Street Sydney, NS Entrance seating area  Kiju's. You have just sucked in your breath, haven't you? Yes, Kiju's, known as the "Hit or Miss" restaurant; if you asked twelve people what they thought of their visit to Kiju's, six would tell you that it was a delightful experience and six will tell you that they would never return. Funnily enough, there are two Google reviews, and only two reviews, online and they illustrate exactly this split in opinion. Some of the UAG members that attended this month's outing had been before - and yes, one had had a very nice time and one was going to give it one more try.  So what is the problem at Kiju's? One of the spectacular views from this building Kiju's is located in the very centre of things; it is easily accessible from town or from the highway, with excellent signage, appropriate for a restaurant that sits in a well-designed conference centre just next...