Now although i have probably managed to capture this restaurant in one of the least desirable ways, on a dull rainy day – (for which i apologise!) These restaurants usually actually look pretty unique and stylish.
Now, remember what i said about all these restaurants generally having a unique point about them, if it isn’t the general style of their restaurants, Swiss Chalet’s unique point is their chicken. Swiss Chalet is best known for rotisserie chicken and smoked barbecue ribs, which are traditionally served with such side dishes as french fries, baked potatoes, salads, rice, and vegetables. Chicken dishes are also served with Chalet Sauce, a dipping sauce that is somewhat similar to barbecue sauce gravy.. well .. that is one interpretation of it. Their dipping sauce, something which Swiss Chalet are very proud of, is one of the strangest dipping sauces I’ve actually come across. It is fairly runny, rather than thick so it will coat anything dipped into it – lightly. I would probably describe it more of a light tomato sauce with a hint of BBQ, with possibly a cinnamon and or nutmeg twist. I think it’s for the spice’s reason that the sauce isn’t necessarily to everyone’s taste, though i like it – and that’s all that matters to me! — If you go – why not try it and let me know what you think to it!

When i went i had the chicken sandwich and soup. The menu states you can choose what chicken you can have on it, so you can choose either breast meat or brown meat. The only problem is that you will have to pay extra for the breast. I did kind of find that a little bit odd, since breasts are nice big chunky pieces easy to cut up, where as leg meat, which lets face it is where the majority of the rest of the meat on a chicken comes from – is fiddly, having to debone it first. But still i think we all know why you pay a little more for it.. because more people prefer breast meat! So hey – why not pay the extra for that extra special sandwich?
The dinner came, as a nice big sandwich, along side a nice big bowl of soup.. Now is it me or is the idea of a meal consisting of a bowl of soup – AND a chicken sandwich, the best idea for a lunch? It’s the best of both worlds, soup giving you that warming feeling, and then a chicken sandwich to finally fill you up! I don’t really understand why more places haven’t taken it up! They’d sure get my custom!

Still, for evening meals you can’t go wrong here. They have a really nice, varied menu which offers a number of things that give it simply a fresh feel to other places. It includes completely new ideas such as for starters, their Cheese Perogies: Cheese and potato filled dumplings served with Cajun sauce for dipping, or what about their Garlic Cheese Loaf, also on their starters menu: Oven-baked sundried tomato mini-baguette topped with melted Cheddar Jack cheese, diced green onion and tomato!

There’s also another little bit of intelligence gone into their menu, for example in addition to the genius that is Chicken sandwich and soup, If you can’t decide on whether you want to try their chicken, or their ribs – why not get both?! They do BBQ Ribs and Rotisserie Chicken Combos!

So, to sum it up, If you want to try somewhere different, with a fresh unique style, with plenty of choice and thought gone into its menu, as well as somewhere which serves great food and will also leave you with a unique experience – Swiss Chalet is definitely worth a visit while you’re out on your holidays!

The map below shows the actual restaurant i photographed above, though if you don’t get chance to go to a Swiss Chalet before you head to the airport going home .. and you’re flying from Toronto – there’s actually one in the airport, before you go through security – so no excuses to miss out!

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Montana’s is known for their ribs, steaks, rotisserie chicken and other lodge fare. The restaurant aims to be a family/casual concept, rather than fine dining. The theme of the restaurant is of a lodge/wilderness setting and they try to provide guests with an escape to simpler times and places. When you enter the restaurant you may be surprised to find various items mounted up on the wall and suspended from the ceiling .. one of the items being a truck!

Montana’s is somewhere we always try to go to at least once during our trips, and their menu is full of fantastic quality food at great prices. There’s one thing that we always try to have when we are out – and that’s the starter Nachos.. but don’t get it just for yourself! We made that mistake once, the first time we went out in fact.. if you do, you will get a heck of a lot of nachos, so get them to share, but with their mix of blue and normal corn chips, as well as the various toppings you can buy as extras to go on them – they’re well worth every cent. (Hint: get them topped with pieces of steak!)

Another of our favourites are their burgers.. They serve some of the ULTIMATE burgers. There’s no going home still feeling hungry with these, and with the variety of different burgers available – there’s always something you would want.. that’s if you’re not tempted away from burgers by their steaks, ribs or other dishes! Oh, and their Cedar-Roasted Salmon is fantastic too if you’re looking for a healthier option!

Let your waiter/waitress know if you have a birthday in the party as well, they have a particular routine to carry out if they do and you get a free small desert! Though the whole restaurant clapping with the staff crowning the birthday person with a large horned hat may not be to everyone’s taste!!

There are restaurants located in all Canadian provinces except for Quebec and the three territories, so if you’re in the right Provinces, keep your eyes open for them! You’re sure for a memorable evening!

For more information, as well as their menus and locations check out Montana’s Cookhouse’s website

When we’re out in Canada our usual Montana’s is in Orillia

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Now, the photo above is certainly not one of my favourite photos.. it was taken on the move so i’ll apologise for that! However, my trip to Arby’s was actually in fairly high expectation. I’d heard their roast beef in their sandwiches was so tender.. Given the recommendations i was thinking i was in for a pretty decent treat. And besides – I was in Canada, and along with the US, Spain and Australia, it’s a beef loving country – with good cause due to the quality of their beef.

We parked up outside the adjacent Tim Horton’s and went inside. Its interior was the usual comfy fast food restaurant feel, similar to most burger kings in the UK. Immediately i was a little surprised. I had kind of expected the sandwiches to have really nice thick pieces of roast beef in them, but from what i could see in the pictures was more of a very thinly sliced .. wafer thin in fact – beef on a burger bun. I quickly put that to the back of my mind though – it doesn’t matter how the meat is cut right? providing you have enough of it on the sandwich!

Well – we all know from McDonald’s in the UK that we should never trust the pictures on the menu, but i was thinking – this is Canada, half hearted doesn’t exist!
We decided to have just the Beef ‘n’ Cheddar sandwich, though not the Combo, as really we were hoping to just try their signature beef sandwich. Fries are fries ultimately in Canada, it doesn’t matter where you go – you wont be disappointed in them, and though the Curly Fries here at Arby’s are one of the things they are well known for, i would be surprised if they were any better than the particularly high standards that all Canadian fast food restaurants set across the board!

This is actually a pretty difficult review for me because as much as i want to give places the benefit of the doubt, Arby’s was truly a big disappointment.. For someone who was expecting to have thick pieces of nice roast beef on a nice big breadcake, the size of the sandwich was a little bit of a let down.. To be fair though, the bun was very good quality, nice and soft and it was onion topped so it gave it a nice complimentary flavour to the beef. As well as the bun the sandwich came with what i think was squeezy cheese, rather than real cheese – so the quality was the usual processed cheese flavour, pretty strong, but with an almost chemically side to it .. What was nice though was the tomato-y sauce that was on the sandwich, this did work really well. It was sweet and subtle – so it didnt overpower the meat or the cheese on the sandwich, which a lot of sauces tend to do.

So .. now we come to the beef. This is Arby’s signature beef, the meat which it’s business is about.. and i honestly was disappointed greatly by it.. The meat, whether it is cut from a real joint of beef, or actually taken from a reformed beef-roll which they cook on site, just simply did not taste as much as it should have.. The flavour was so subtle the cheese covered it up almost completely… The concept was also a little odd to me. This was what we’d call in the UK – Sandwich ham style beef. You know the stuff you can get in Sainsburys or Morrisons, pre-packed wafer thin sandwich beef, but it was warm, on a sandwich. The beef at Arby’s is actually just as good as the Morrisons Sandwich beef..

Still, Arby’s is not bad. I’ll stress that. You get a nice sandwich, it’s filling and you get the usual quality you’ll expect from anywhere which serves food in Canada, but for me, there’s nothing truly special, nothing that sets it high up there as somewhere you’d decide above other places to go for lunch.. Unless of coarse you wanted to try its Jacket Potatoes, wedges or loaded potato skins, or even their ham sandwiches. My problem ultimately was that i went in with expectations that were far too high.. Maybe i’ll call in again in october to try it out again!

I’d love to hear from people – to tell me what you think about Arby’s – what your favourite things are, whether you agree or disagree with what I’ve said, and I’m looking for people from Canada, the US and especially people from the UK who have tried Arbys after knowing what we can get in the UK supermarkets.

So to sum it up, Arby’s – its not my first choice for lunch, it’s a sandwich shop at heart, serving warm sandwich beef sandwiches. Why not give it a try and let me know what you think!

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The one we go to is in Lindsay, it’s a joint restaurant as interestingly this particular store has one counter, one set of tills but you can either get KFC or Taco Bell (or both if you wanted)!
One of the things i like about Taco Bell is that it has simple, cheap food which fills you up well. It’s also something that we have rarely seen, even though there has been Taco Bell stores in the UK.. they all closed down in the mid 90s.

The food items i usually get are the 2 taco combo, which you can choose from hard or soft tacos, or like we usually do – get one of both, and then upgrade it by having Supreme fries with it. Supreme fries are something that i believe is only available in canada. You get a cardboard tray with (skins-on) fries piled on it. On top of the fries you then have taco-mix mince, sour cream, onions, diced tomato and chives – i wouldn’t miss having supreme fries with my meal!

The other thing i like from here is the particularly cheap 1/2 lb burrito, that being a steak burrito. There are a number of burritos available, one being that or there is also the chicken burrito – which is spicy chicken in a sauce along with rice – these really do the job if you’re hungry and just need something to fill you for a couple of hours!

They serve Pepsi at these places, just like KFC – they also serve mountain dew (which for benefit of people in the UK is a very sweet citrus flavoured fizzy drink), iced tea, fruitopia, a lemonade and a fizzy orange.
In the restaurant in Lindsay, you are given a cup and you can help yourself to your choice of drink, and you are allowed to have refills at no added cost!

Just like all places in Canada, they have absolutely no resemblance to the UK KFC fries.. I think I’ve mentioned before – UK fries in KFCs here are soggy, usually under cooked and taste pretty awful. Not only that KFC have no idea how to use a salt shaker, so the chips are completely unseasoned. Be it for health or just being cheap, that’s how things are.. We are of coarse provided with salt sachets.. but to be honest the fries just are awful at UK KFCs… especially if you compare it to the Canadian KFCs or Taco Bells.. These fries at Taco Bell or KFC in Canada are skins on, and seasoned well. For me i think they’re actually the best fries you can get at any fast food place in Canada. Though, its a very tightly run competition!

So, if you’re hungry and you’re passing a Taco Bell, head on in and have a go at Mexican style Fast food!

Interesting Fact: If you’ve been to Canada or the US already.. or even expats from Canada or the US, then you may be interested in this news! Taco Bell opening a restaurant again in the UK at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essexhttp://www.bighospitality.co.uk/?page=articles&ID=205024

Link to Lakeside shopping centre’s taco bell information: http://www.lakeside.uk.com/store_profile-6200.htm

For more information about what’s on the menu and their Locations in Canada – check out Taco Bell’s website: http://www.tacobell.ca/

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That was it’s stumbling block for me.. But i promised i would go in and have a look – so i did!
When i first went in, maybe rather silly of me – i couldn’t see anywhere where it said it sold any other drinks other than root beer so i asked for just a burger rather than the combo, luckily though someone else with us had the combo and asked for a diet coke. Now I’m sorry to all those of you who love root beer.. but i really cannot stand it. For people in the UK who want to know what it is most like? Well, its most like dandelion and burdock, but it tastes completely of Germolene. . . which makes it very difficult for me to enjoy! At this point however on our trip i hadn’t tried genuine Canadian root beer, only British root beer found in a couple of supermarkets. But lets move on from my root beer dislike!

The menu does push the root beer an awful lot, all the combos are pictured on the menu with burger, fries and the trademark glass of root beer with the foam top – but worry not! A&W do sell other drinks as well as root beer, in fact they are one of the stockists of my favourite Cola – Coke. Not only do they do coke but they also do iced tea, sprite, minutemaid and a variety of Milkshakes.. oh yes and rootbeer floats too..

A&W in Canada have what they call the burger family, which for me makes me feel a little bit silly when i go up to the person serving me and ask for a Pappa Burger, but put that aside and actually look at the food and it is actually very good quality.

I had the pappa burger – which is a double patty burger with sliced onions, pickles, mustard and ketchup. This is generally the standard accompaniment which you get with your burgers, with lettuce and tomato usually being reserved for the special burgers that they do. One thing i will say – is that with the pappa burger being so filling, Grandpa must have had a big stomach, being a triple burger!

The burgers themselves i have to say were fantastic. I’d put the quality of the burgers on par with Wendy’s, not only do they have a really nice meaty texture they also are packed with flavour, and the pretty simple condiment selection really lets the burger shine through rather than it being generally softened by salad. Where the burgers differ from Wendy’s though is that they’re generally more of a ‘home style’ burger – they’re round and they are similar to how burgers turn out should you cook them at home – having a slightly ‘crispy’ texture on the outside – I actually liked it so much i was disappointed with myself that i had only had the burger and not taken the combo option.. so I’ll be going back again next visit!

One of the things i will praise A&W is something I’m sure every one of us has thought for years when we go to McDonald’s in the UK, or Burger King, you get a large drink and they fill half the cup up with ice!! A&W proudly state on their cups that they do not put ice in their drinks. They state they chill their drinks to the perfect temperature anyway, which removes the need for ice which not only reduces the amount of drink you get, it also reduces the taste. So, to all other restaurants around the world – Look at A&W and learn your lesson!!

A&W don’t just do burgers, they also do a range of “chubby chicken” which come in burger form, strips or pieces of chicken. I haven’t tried any of these yet – but if any of our readers wants to comment on exactly what this is like – please feel free to let me know and i’ll tag it into our article!

So to sum it up, A&W is actually a very good place to get yourself a burger combo lunch, don’t get worried that all you have to choose from is root beer – because you have all the choices of the majority of the burger restaurants out there. The burgers are good, the fries are good and the drinks aren’t ruined by ice – what more could you need?

Finally, i appologise again to all those who like root beer, and insist anyone who hasnt tried it yet – please try it, even with my warnings! You never know if you like something until you try it

The A&W we visited is in Orillia, opposite  the old Walmart store:

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One of the many things i love about Canada is the food. Not only do you get an incredible choice of places to eat, you also get quality which unless you pay top money for, you don’t get in the UK.

On May’s trip out to Canada, i set out to hold true to my word that i would visit as many places to eat that people will commonly see – since you have such a great choice of places, its always good to make an informed one right? So, on this quest i found myself at the doors of Harvey’s.

Harvey’s is a fast food restaurant chain that operates in Canada, with locations concentrated in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, as well as the Maritimes, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta. It serves hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional fast food fare. Harvey’s is the second-largest Canadian-established restaurant chain behind Tim Hortons, and is the fourth-largest burger chain in Canada. So when you’re eating here, you’re truly eating Canadian Food!

With so many different restaurants to eat, you’ll find each one has its own unique characteristic. Harvey’s i have to say was my favourite of all the restaurants in Canada as far as their special characteristic goes.. This is because they specialise in giving you the freshest burger they can.. Freshly grilling it and then taking it over to a counter. From here the member of staff will ask you what you want on the burger – so rather than being restricted, asking for a burger without blah blah blah, or with extra pickles – you can get your burger made up exactly how you want it.. SO if you want everything on – just ask for everything!
Some of the options you get when having your burger made up are Lettuce, chopped onion, gerkins (pickles), pickled hot peppers, green relish, tomato sauce, mayo, and mustard.

We had the double original burgers since we were pretty hungry, and they are BIG burgers! Harvey’s take freshness seriously and i have to say, the burger was the freshest burger i had at any of the restaurants in Canada. The burger its self was hot, juicy and tasted fantastic, almost flame grilled, though officially it isn’t. The only small criticism i would have with the burger would be that it doesn’t quite have the same texture as a wendy’s or even a&w burger has, though this is pretty insignificant when you look at the sandwich as a whole. It is simply pure satisfaction.

When you go for a combo, obviously you’ll want to know what the fries are like. I think the fries at the Harvey’s we went to were actually the best fries we had anywhere. They are your usual Canadian Fast Food Fries — that being nicely seasoned skins-on fries, something i really wish would catch on in the UK. Something you may also want to try while at Harvey’s is their Poutine. Poutine for those of you who haven’t heard of it before is a purely Canadian dish. It is made of French fries, covered in fresh cheese curd and then covered in brown gravy. Poutine actually originates from Quebec but has found its way through the rest of Canada, proving to be very popular! So don’t forget to try some when you’re out there!

Unlike a&w, Harvey’s don’t push a particular drink at you, so just like McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King etc – you have the usual choice of drinks, though Harvey’s do sell Pepsi, not coke – and Iced Tea. It’s a shame as I’m a Coke Cola fan, but i love my iced tea… another trend i wish the UK would get its act together on!

If you’re not feeling so adventurous they do have a drive through.. though as we didn’t go through it our selves I’m not entirely sure how the burger ordering works as they would still have to make the burgers up fresh and to order (If anyone wants to leave comments about going through Harvey’s Drive Through – please do!).

So to sum it up, if you want to eat a true Canadian burger, not having to worry about quality, what will be on it, or how fresh the burger will actually be – Harvey’s is the place to go! I would recommend you make this your first choice before going to any other restaurants!

Harvey’s Restaurants can be found in any of the provinces and areas i mentioned above, though if you’re in Newmarket you can visit the very one we did. It’s just off the main road (Highway 31 – Davis Drive) on the right as you drive in from the east.

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This is where we had lunch. If you head in – I’d recommend the Coffee, it was fantastic and with the added bonus of free refills its worth every penny! The menu has many classics – such as the BLT – or if you wanted to go for something more traditionally Canadian you could have the pea meal bacon on a bun. These sandwiches come served on a plate with veggy sticks (of cucumber and carrot), along with a separate dip, and a separate dressing for your sandwich. I had the BLT and it really was worth having – I’d recommend it to you – but .. what i liked the most? One of us couldn’t finish the Pea meal Bacon in a bun.. well there was my chance! Not only was the pea meal bacon cooked perfectly, it was really tender and thickly cut. The bread cake/bun was really soft – and of coarse it came with the veggy sticks and condiments.
Sandwiches are available on white, wholemeal (brown) or Dark rye bread – so you see you even get more of a choice of bread than in the UK!
The grill doesn’t just do sandwiches though, they also do all day breakfasts, lunch time specials, home made soups, wraps and even Quesadilla – so why not be adventurous and try something new?

We were eating indoors – obviously – due to the miserable weather, but even indoors the grill provides a pleasant atmosphere which will give you a sunnier feeling even on a rainy day.

However, if you head out to Gravenhurst, i can guarantee you’ll find better weather than we did that day – and if you are graced by the sun that day the Sunset Grill also has outside a beautiful area with chairs – so you can enjoy your meal outside with the breeze coming in off the lake – watching the steam boats take people on short cruises. Even should you be as unlucky as we were, there are still pretty views to enjoy from inside as you can look through the windows at the lake.

The sunset Grill’s opening hours in spring is 8:00am until 3pm Thursday to Sunday so you can head along for breakfast or lunch. To get the most up to date information on opening hours it’s best to visit their website http://www.thesunsetgrill.ca/index.html

You can find the Sunset Grill in Gravenhurst:

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So if your out and about in Muskoka – why not call in for lunch? Its not something you’ll want to miss!

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Ok, now before all the crazy legal stuff starts coming in – technically yes it is the same company but what I’m really getting at here is that there’s the food quality in the UK … and then a few hundred miles up is the food quality from McDonald’s in Canada.

Ok, where to start.. The problem is I’ve had so many unpleasant experiences with McDonald’s in the UK its difficult not to let this article become a giant rant about the UK arm, but let’s take Service first.
Now, it maybe that the McDonald’s restaurants round where i live are simply very bad, but I’d say 3/4 times i go there would be some problem.. Usually you ask for one thing and you get another, be it size or sandwich.. Or you ask for the chicken selects and you get no dips.. or what about you get your food in the drive through – set off and then remember you should have asked for salt or tomato sauce? I have been to McDonald’s in Canada far far too many times for it to be good for me! and I’ve only ever once had a problem with the order. Not only that, the people who serve you are extremely friendly and very happy to help – and the method they use through drive through is that when you put your order in, they ASK everyone, do they want ‘salt or ketchup with that’ so no more being without!

Ok, so what about the food? Well as I’ve said .. it is hugely better quality.. Every time i go to Canada i go to McDonald’s, and similarly to the episode of Spongebob Squarepants where someone tries a Krabby Patty for the first time, i can’t believe how good it tastes.. when i get back i go to a UK one and get completely depressed at how tasteless the beef is, let alone the rest. McDonald’s Canada truly do use some of the best beef.. not only that it’s AAA rated Canadian Beef. I’m going to say no more about that, i’m going to leave it up to you to try it!

McDonald’s World Famous Fries?? I’m 26, and when i was a kid i remembered McDonald’s fries to be the best fried potato you could ever eat.. but having grown up now, the fries just seem a bit .. well not very good. Certainly not as good as i remember them being back then. I always put this down to the fact you grow up – your tastes change.. but i was wrong. The first time i had fries out in McDonald’s in Canada i was instantly transported back to the time when my mum took me to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal after watching a film.. They’re not soggy, they’re not undercooked, and they are ALWAYS salted.

A Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle

Drinks – Well along with getting your usual drinks, In the UK I’ve always felt kind of limited – soft drinks wise you can get cola, lemonade, fizzy orange, orange squash .. but that’s about it. In Canada you can also get Strawberry Fruitopia, which is a flat strawberry drink.. or iced tea.. or even root beer if you really have to.. But if you do go to a McDonald’s in Canada, similar to everything else on the menu, the Milkshakes are better too. Try a strawberry shake. There are actually bits of strawberry in it!

As with all different countries McDonald’s is in, there are menu variations. In Canada you can get a Double BigMac, a double quarter pounder (as standard.. though i know it pops up here now and then too).. On the Breakfast menu there are Breakfast Burritos (which are really good) and the McGriddle! The McGriddle is basically 2 scotch Pancakes, with small blobs of maple syrup in them. You can have different variations of them like you can with muffins, but the one we always have is the sausage egg and cheese McGriddle.. it’s one of the things we cant come back without having once. You can also go Large at breakfast, so you get 2 hash browns and a large drink (even if it’s fresh orange juice).

hopefully by now I’ve justified writing about McDonald’s here on CanadaTrip! Although you’ll recognise the Logo, though it has a Maple Leaf on it in Canada, you really don’t know what you’re missing until you head in and pick yourself up something to eat! .. and if you’re health conscious? Get yourself a salad, even those are better there!

So to sum it all up, although McDonald’s are the most well known food company in the world – in Canada, there really is something new about them to experience.. and hopefully now instead of just passing by and dismissing it as something you can get in the UK anyway you may head in and try it out for yourself!

Have a look at McDonald’s Canada’s Website and play with the Nutrition Calculator to see what new things are on the menu

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Wendy’s is a burger restaurant chain, though it’s not really comparable to McDonald’s or Burger King for its food as it prides its self on serving ‘good old fashioned hamburgers’. The only chain you may know that is in the UK which serves food very similar to Wendy’s is Wimpy – though personally i think the beef in Wendy’s burgers is actually better.

The first time i had a Wendy’s burger was in 2005, at Niagara Falls. I actually chose the triple burger, which i think is about the same as a 3/4lber – Now, on that occasion i thought that Wendy’s made pretty greasy burgers, there was fat dripping out as i ate it, which didn’t serve as a particularly good first impression. However, the next year in 2006 we called at Wendy’s in Newmarket, and i had the same burger but it was so much better, and not a drip of fat escaped the sandwich.
I think the main thing about Wendy’s is that they really do give you real hamburgers, made with some very good quality beef. I’d go as far to say that Wendy’s is THE burger place (of all the chains) to go to get the best quality burgers .. so far as the beef is concerned anyway. Recently, i cut back on my triples, because seriously – double is way good enough!

One thing i like about Wendy’s is that their classic has onion, lettuce and tomato on it as standard, and i really love burgers with salad on – - though they do know some people just like a good mean burger with none of that rabbit stuff tainting it! The other burger I’m going to specifically mention therefore is aimed just at you guys! It’s called the Baconator! Similar to the classic you can get it in single, double and triple sizes – but rather than your lettuce and tomato you get Bacon!

Now what about the experience? Well, once again – the fries are fantastic. McDonald’s UK eat your heart out… Seriously McDonald’s in the UK could learn a lot from just looking at Canada (heck .. just look at McDonald’s in Canada.. more on that another day though!) – The chips at Wendy’s are  fries like they should be at a place like this, however they’re skins-on fries, and always salted.. The other slightly different thing is the packaging. The fries (at least in all the Wendy’s restaurants I’ve been in) come in what can only be best described as a cup.. Imagine a McDonald’s cup, but cut half way up to become a handy fries container! This means that instead of having a floppy fries box (like at McDonald’s) or a paper bag – it stands up neatly on the table!.. Also.. it brings me the challenge of packing all my rubbish into a cup.. (cup into fries box, burger wrapper into the cup along with all the other bits!)

Finally I’ll mention one last thing in the Restaurants – they do sticky covered chicken bites in 3 flavours, but i’d recommend BBQ flavour! – if there’s two of you, get one to share with your meal!

Wendy’s is one of those big chains of restaurants that you’ll see as i have said, but there’s plenty more, and all with their own unique selling points – so again over the next few months I’ll be featuring the others as well!

So, just as we don’t when we’re out – do not miss heading into Wendy’s for a lunch some time when you’re on your holiday!

For more information about Wendy’s check out their website: http://www.wendys.com/

The Wendy’s we go to at Newmarket:

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Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is a coffee shop, doughnut shop and a place to eat all rolled into one – and on top of that it’s Canadian! These places are dotted absolutely everywhere, so stop off, relax and enjoy their hot chocolate with a doughnut or two. Or, try their timbits, which are doughnut holes – you can either choose what flavours you want or you can ask for a random variety. The other fantastic thing about Tim Hortons, other than everything tastes so good – is the price. While we were out a couple of weeks ago, we got two extra large Tim Hortons Hot Chocolates (1pt cups), and a box of 10 timbits – and it came to exactly $5!

Doughnuts are a big thing at Tim Hortons, and they’re always fresh – as their slogan says – and there is a huge variety to choose from – one which I’d recommend if you like sweet is the Blueberry Bloom Doughnut – which is out right now, quite possibly for a limited time, so look out for it if you’re heading out to Canada in the next month or so!

So, that’s coffee, hot chocolate and doughnuts.. how about the food? Well, although i have meant to on two separate trips now, i have yet to try the BLT from Tim Hortons.. i have talked to a lot of people and everyone says these are fantastic sandwiches – so although i haven’t had one – I’m going to mention it anyway! .. And get out of bed early one morning and make your way to Tim Hortons for breakfast. Something very normal in north American food – is a Biscuit. And no i’m not talking about your average digestive. A biscuit in this context is effectively a savoury scone – and this is what i’m reccomending you get.. it is absolutely my all time favourite takeaway breakfast… The Tim Hortons Hot Breakfast Sandwich.

You can have it a couple of different ways – my favourite is the Sausage Egg and Cheese hot breakfast sandwich – although you can also swap the sausage for strips of streaky bacon – or if you’re a veggy they’ll keep the meat off and you can have their egg and cheese option. If you get the combo / meal you also get a hot drink and a home made style hash brown which truly puts McDonald’s Hashbrowns to shame! – They’re potato, onion and herbs all made into a neat and crispy hash brown. OH and while we’re talking about the breakfast..
The sausage in the sandwich is herbed – which puts it head and shoulders over its McDonalds rival the sausage and egg McMuffin patty, since in Canada the Canadian sausage patty is not herbed like the UK one.. so Although McDonalds has a secret weapon up their sleve when it comes to breakfast [which i'll cover in another article in the future] – i still think Tim Hortons beats it hands down!

I’ll give you the google map to the restaurant we’ve visited, but trust me – there really is a Tim Hortons nearly everywhere

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To get to this Tim Hortons, if you’re driving North on Highway 12, at the crossroads which you can see (which has traffic lights) turn right, and there’s an immediate left turn to take you into Tim Hortons.

So, Tim Hortons – do not leave Canada without visiting at least once.. or twice! And if you like their Hot Chocolate you can buy a tub of it to bring back with you!.. Oh and if you try the BLT before me – leave us a comment and tell us what you think to it!

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