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22 Church Street Bistro
3 reviews for 22 Church Street Bistro
3 reviews in English
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Review from Yvonne T.
1/30/2011 5 photos
Dined at 22 last night with my high school English teacher (yes I was one of those annoying students in school who put her hand up and answered every question, lol). She lives in Pickering, and so at least once a month I get to trek out East to experience a different dining atmosphere.
22 is a converted-house-restaurant. It is very quaint, and there are not many tables (probably can seat about 100 at maximum capacity), but I like it! The parking lot in the back is quite small, but it's free! When we entered the restaurant, there was no hostess at the front to greet or seat us, so we wandered upstairs and then back down and bumped into a waitress en route, and she said she'd be with usin a minute. We were seated on the second floor (be careful on the stairs, as they are quite steep, and so if you're taking grandma out for a fancy dinner, avoid this place, or make a reservation on the main floor!). I must say that although the food is 4 stars, the service was more like 2 stars. The server didn't do a very good job at checking up on us, and was MIA a few times when we needed her.
I ordered the 22 Salad to start, which is mixed greens served with roasted red peppers, tomato, blue cheese and a pomegranate vinaigrette. My DC had the Caesar Salad. For mains, I got the Bouillabaisse, while my DC opted for an 8 oz New York Striploin which came with your choice of sides (salad, potatoes or rice pilaf). I must say that my Bouillabaisse was quite flavorful, but I've had better. For starters, their calamari was very chewy, and I think I would've rather had a Bouillabaisse with fish as a substitute to the calamari. There were also scallops (which were very soft and tender) and shrimp (pretty substantial size!) Overall it was good. However, with most restaurants, you get bread to soak up the sauce after, which was not provided at 22. Hey, what do we know at 22 right?
My DC enjoyed her steak, and it came with a generous serving of sides. She opted for the garlic-roasted potatoes.
In terms of drinks, my DC got a half litre of their house white, and we both also ordered teas. Their dessert selection is very small, with only 2 desserts available for the day (no dessert menu, the server will just tell you what they are). It was either a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake or a Mango Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. We opted for the latter.
I must say that the cheesecake was one of the best I've ever had. Unlike most restaurant cheesecakes that weigh you down because they're so heavy on the cream cheese, this one was nice and light, and the cheesecake crust was out of this world!
Our total bill came up to about $94 with tax (but before tip). All in all, a great experience!Listed in: Shotgun!, Durham Region Eats
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Review from Brent W.
Ajax, ON
3/30/2012
Where to start? My first problem when arriving was the parking, I really suggest you park somewhere else and walk. The lot is small and tight, very difficult to get out. You will get the same feeling inside, very tight quarters and if busy the upstairs was noisy. The server was terrible, she seemed to forget about us. Once the food came it was no better, my medium steak was over cooked and very dry. The vegetables where over cooked as well. I was afraid to try dessert so we skipped it and left. The only good thing about our dinner was the wine and the company. My suggestion is look someplace else if you are looking for a nice place with good food, we will not be going back!
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Review from Kelly M.
Scarborough, ON
5/4/2011
Set in a charming older converted home the decor is pretty much what you would expect upon entering, quaint and charming, upon reaching the second level you are greeted by an antique motorcycle w/side car (interesting). Upon being seated for our anniversary dinner we were greeted by what I assumed was our drink/water boy..shy, nevous and not used to serving the dining experience we were expecting. He didnt have a wine knowledge not that I was expecting him to, he definately didnt have a great customer savvy at all...all that being said we were just ready to order and see what would happen. My husband had the prime rib and I had the chicken (that was tuff to find without spice and I asked if the wine/mushroom sauce could be subbed, which they did. The chicken was the driest version of bird I had ever had, and I sent it back barely eaten and stayed with some of the side and thank goodness some bread...my husbands beef he said was less than average, and not worth returning for based on the rest of our experience. We were really hoping for so much more. We dine our every Friday and Saturday and are really hoping to find "our special spot" one day soon! If you are looking for intimate and just o.k then this place will do, but not fantastic by any means, they really need to hire the right ppl to serve and offer a better variety of choices for menu.
