Bella Managua (Nicaraguan food)
On our continued journey of finding affordable places to eat in Toronto. Yesterday my partner chose this busy little place on Bloor street.
Another comfortable diner with one wall covered in awards set me at ease. Having heard so much about the snapper and seeing the large portions being served, I ordered it for my entre and we started with the crispy calamari. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed calamari but these were very good. Crisp and tender. The main was served on the heels of the app and I was impressed with the look of it. The fish reminded me of something Jamie Oliver would serve with deep criss cross cuts, again crispy with a generous portion of a kind of avocado salad, rice and plantains. My first bit of the snapper left me uncertain, the second and third confirmed my first. Tasteless except for the crisp coating, it was worse than bland. I muddled through eating the whole fish with surprising skill having learned how to eat fish off the bone some time ago. The tres leches was very good and generous.
The cheque was around 75.00 with two drinks and here's where it got weird and uncomfortable. While my partner was counting out the money a server stood with her legs leaning on the table watching him like a hawk. I don't know if they have a lot of dine and dash but we were neatly dressed and if it were my turn to pay, I wouldn't have left a tip. Seems like a small thing, but when you have someone in your face watching like a hawk, well that's just me.
The next morning I woke up with what I call a fury mouth, not often as a result of eating as was the case. Another notch lost
I feel that sometimes people who give out awards become ambivalent and reviews become more of a statement of a love affair.
I'm not in any hurry to go back nor would I take a friend there like I would to some of the other places we dined. It was an interesting experience which is a criteria of our quest to explore interesting places to eat in Toronto on a budget!