The Village Squire, 1981-07, Page 25Squire's Table
The food's the thing at the Tartan Snack Bar
If you're the sort of diner who's more
impressed by surroundings than good
food, you probably won't like the Tartan
Snack Bar. But if mouth-watering_ home
cooked meals are important to you, the
little restaurant on Richmond St. near
London's Victoria Park is like a visit home
to mother.
(That is if your mother was a fine
enough cook to be listed in Anne Hardy's
Where to Eat in Canada, as the Tartan
is.)
No, the Tartan's not fancy. just
spotlessly clean, comfortable and inter-
esting. The day's specials are chalked on
a blackboard behind the stool - lined
counter. (There are just four booths.) The
list of regular offerings, breakfasts,
sandwiches galore. (priced from 51 to
52.25), noon hour standards like spa-
ghetti, macaroni, chili and baked beans,
is painted on the wall.
The regular dinner menu is on the wall
too and offerings include salisbury steak,
pork chops, minute steak, sausage and
the most expensive, a 55.95 T-bone steak.
We opted for the evening's special,
curried eggplant soup at 95 cents. It was
excellent, smooth and spicey with Tots of
vegetables. The special entry, baked pork
chops, was baked in a mild tomato sauce,
just like mother used to make. It was
served with a cooked vegetable most of us
ignore, delicious creamed cabbage and
good old ordinary mashed potatoes. A
little lacking in colour maybe but the
assorted tastes were terrific.
Fellow diners had the T-bone steak .. .
excellent value and perfectly cooked...
and a bacon burger at $2, a homemade
hamburg patty topped with bacon and the
usual burger trimmings.
Tartan main courses had us too full
really for dessert but a look at what was
itemized on the daily special blackboard
talked us into it.
Pumpkin pie with real whipped cream
was a winner at 51.25. So was homemade
apple pie with ice cream. And we also
tried and enjoyed a light concoction called
lemon fluff. Rhubarb cobbler was another
choice.
If none of the above or the other fresh
daily desserts catch your fancy, the
Tartan has a variety of sundaes that
would do an old-fashioned soda fountain
proud and squares, cookies and carrot
cake that you can take out or eat in.
An assortment of homemade jams,
jellies, relishes and pickles is also for sale
at the front of the restaurant, and if you
take advantage, you can take some of that
as good as mother made eating home
with you.
We did and raised the tab for a very
reasonably priced meal for three up to
518, including tip. But we're still eating
the Tartan's red pepper jelly.
It's not a dress up, special occasion
type restaurant. But once you've tasted
the Tartan Snack Bar's food, you won't
care.
The Tartan Snack Bar, 599 Richmond
St., London. No credit cards. Unlicenced.
Monday -Friday 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed
Sundays and holidays. 432-1527. L1
fflARS HALL'S
of ST. FT1ARYS
"WHERE THE UNUSUAL IS USUAL"
IN LADIES' WEAR, CARDS & GIFTS
The GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL, built in 1847, was for decades a welcoming place to spend the night. Today it is a
group of three connecting shops. What was once the lane for horses and buggies to reach the stable at the back is now
a charming card and candle shop. The original bar is now the Ladies' Wear with its handcraft section. Browse on into
the Gift Shop, once the dining room, where full use has been made of the charm of this old building. Many of the
original antiques are used to display imports from around the world.
COME VISIT US SOON!
150 QUEEN ST. , ST. MARYS
284-3070
VILLAGE SQUIRE/JULY 1981 PG. 23