Village Squire, 1977-10, Page 26SQUIRE'S TABLE
Rundles adds excitement to Stratford dining scene
but the price is not for the timid
It seems only yesterday that people in
Stratford were crying the need for first
class restaurants.
Then along came The Church and along
with several already good eating spots such
as the Queens Hotel, it seemed Stratford
was well fixed. But once the snowball got
rolling it seemed to pick up momentum and
thus Stratford ' has seen several new
openings this summer.
Among these is Rundles, on Coburg
Street overlooking Lake Victoria. It
provides a stark contrast to The Church.
Where The Church is huge, Rundles is
small. Where The Church gives a feeling
of antiquity Rundles has a chrome and
plastic look. Where The Church is dimly lit,
Rundles is bright and airy with large
windows giving a view over the water.
Even better, in good summer weather
there is a patio dining area.
The surroundings for the simply -design-
ed, modern -cottage type building that
houses Rundles are not exactly elegant. On'
one side is a soft-drink bottling plant and
around the building are the hind ends of
various buildings. Still the environment
seems to enhance the clean modern look of
the building. Contrasted with the dirty old
brick elsewhere is the clean, modern
pinewood fencing and siding of the
building. Inside, are stark white walls,
exposed heating pipes, rough board
rafters, hanging planters and the bright
appearance lent by the large windows. No
attempt is made to create the phony
old-world appearance that so many
restaurants seem to feel is a necessary part
of any restaurant. That's a refreshing
change.
But despite the simplicity of design and
decor, don't expect to go to Rundles the
day before payday. Items such as wine at
S1.95 for a five ounce glass and coffee at
$1.00 a cup quickly tells you that this is not
the place for someone who thinks of
MacDonald's as an ideal place for a night
out. The tab for our dinner for two
including a glass of wine each tax and tips
came to $38. The management has the
courtesy to post all menus outside the
restaurant so that casual strollers can see
how much dinner is likely to cost them
before they step inside.
24, VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER1977.
Rundles is one of those places where the
owners realize how important it is to
sell the sizzle as well as the steak. The
meal, for instance, begins with a single
slice of Irish soda bread made with whole
wheat flour and accompanied with a plate
of butter molded into tiny, decorated balls
with a sprig of parsley.
Next comes the appetizer, some
cucumber soup for the lady served cold and
creamy with chunks of cucumber and for
the writer, a Florida cocktail with orange
and grapefruit intermixed and a single
fresh strawberry on top.
The lady chose Yorkshire Pie while the
writer took the special of the day which was
Chicken Charlotte._
The Yorkshire pie was an old
Elizabethan recipe and featured calf's
tongue, wrapped in a boned -out pheasant
which in turn is wrapped in boned -out
goose and baked in a pie with pork stuffing
and served with spiced beef and Scotch
eggs and served cold. It proved an ample
meal, more than the lady was able to
m:.nage. Her one complaint was a large
dob of hot mustard on the meat and
decorative apple slices which was too harsh
for her tastebuds. She wished it had been
served beside the meat so the customer
had the option•of using it or not.
The Chicken Charlotte was a boned
breast of chicken filled with filet of veal and
duxelle of mushroom. It proved tastey
indeed and was served with potato and
baby carrots. Both meals were accompan-
ied by a tossed green salad on a plate with
a simple oil and vinegar dressing.
Presentation is so much a part of the
effort at Rundles. The lady's potato salad,
for instance was decoratively arranged in a
mound while the writer's potato was
molded into a little swirled cone.
Dessert was chosen from a list of several
possibilities and both parties chose a
pastry that turned out to be a dentist's
best friend. Two hard super -sweet pieces
were joined with a large dob of whipped
cream. They were hard and proved a little
difficult to eat politely.
Service is another detail the restaurant
works hard on. Those entering during the
theatre season are asked if they're theatre
bound or not and they'll get a hurry -up
service if they are or a relaxed service if
not. The gentlemen serving give the
friendly, caring service you tend to get
more from a small establishment where the
owners are close to their customers.
Our one major complaint is the noise
level in the restaurant which at times
sounded more like a cafeteria than an
intimate restaurant. The sound seems to
carry well and echo in the high ceiling and
people around us seemed to be talking
louder and louder to make themselves
heard to their tablemates meaning the
decibel count just kept rising. Later in the
evening when the theatre crowd moved out
and the sound level dropped and the lights
were dimmed and street lights reflected on
the river, the atmosphere seemed much
more relaxing.
How good is Rundles? Well that depends
on what you expect from a restaurant. If
you can't afford more than $30 for a dinner
for two, then obviously it's out of your
class. If you can then likely you'll enjoy
yourself in this new addition to the
Western Ontario dining scene.
❑❑❑
Many restaurants seem to take the
attitude that all you have to do is open the
door and the business will flow in.
Rundles' management seems a refreshing
change. It works hard on providing
attractive literature and on keeping the
media informed of what's going on. And it
tries to promote business. The latest such
promotion is a 10 -week course called
"Spanish Entertainment" which begins
Oct. 11.
The course will take place each Tuesday
with a day session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
and an evening session from 7 to 10 p.m.
Chef John Walker who was sous chef for
Lord and Lady Worsley at their restaurant
at York, England and chef de cuisine at the
Wilson Arms Hotel in Yorkshire Dales will
demonstrate cooking techniques.
William Munnelly, one of the partners in
the restaurant who studied at the Dublin
(Ireland) College of Hotel management and
worked with various hotels in Britain and
Canada, will conduct wine tasting sessions.
James Morris, another partner will instruct
on menu planning, final presentation and
service. He is another graduate of the
Dublin College and worked in several
hotels in Britain before coming to Canada.
Before moving to Stratford he worked at
the prestigious Winston's in Toronto with
John Arena.
Cost of the course is $150 and includes a
three -course meal at the end of each
session. 0