Boilerworks: good food and service make for pleasant dining

Food and cultural amenities are important to our urban experience. Thus I've started adding my impressions of local dining as part of the discussion on this blog.

This evening I visited Boilerworks to celebrate a birthday. This restaurant, located at the former Keystone Kelly's space in Market Square, has a contemporary aesthetic and modern menu.

Tonight I enjoyed some spicy Thai wings to start. Presented on a long rectangular plate, the wings are served with more pride than 'pub grub' wings that are thrown in a basket. The taste matches the look, with a more sophisticated flavour, that sets aside the Buffalo style taste common to many wings served around town. The wings were plump and cooked well. The spiciness of the wings is balanced with a sweet taste.

I followed the wings with a Californian pizza. I went with the half pizza served with a Cesar salad. The salad was good, with real bacon rather than bacon bits used in places where cooks have limited budgets and time. The pizza is topped with pesto, pear, chicken and a bit of cheese. The serving size was more than I needed. The taste was good - it seems pesto and pear work well for my pallet. I recommend it to those who are willing to try a pizza that sets aside tomato sauce and pepperoni in favor of something a little different.

This was a good dining experience, with polite and able service. My past experience with Boilerworks has always satisfied my taste buds, but I have found service lacking before. It's good that service now matches the food.