The Oakwood Cafe

The Oakwood Café
4 – 660 Osborne St
204-475-4250
oakcafe@mts.net
http://www.oakwoodcafe.ca/


December, 2011

Buried along south Osborne among an increasing popular area, the Oakwood Café looks like little more than a forgettable diner where locals gather to have coffee and breakfast. Inside, the Oakwood lives up to its name with the abundant use of dark panelled walls and tables. The décor is not exactly elegant but it’s comfortable enough.

The Oak always has friendly and attentive service. In fact, the food arrives so quickly at your table, the place must have superhuman coordinated effort. In fact, I would have preferred to wait a little longer for the food’s arrival. We barely begin to generate a conversation before the food comes to clog our mouths.

The steak sandwich comes cooked as ordered, although a little tough. The mushroom accompaniments taste deliciously sautéed, and the slivers of fried onions add a lovely texture. The fries taste crispy and not the least bit oily. By itself, the fries stand among the best in the city; add some gravy and shredded cheddar and you have one of the finest fundamental poutines in Winnipeg. The gravy alone needs more seasoning. In concert with the cheese and fries, the flavouring balances perfectly on the most delicate of scales. However, used as an enhancer to the roast beef dinner, the sauce could use some more seasoning.

While most of the portions are monstrous, I would like to see a bit more beef in the roast beef dinner. Similarly, I would like to see a thicker patty on their burgers. While the Oakwood burger comes mile-high, stuffed with fresh lettuce and tomato slices and slices of bacon, a thicker patty and more cheddar would give this sandwich more body. As is, the patty comes seared perfectly on the outside and moist-juicy on the inside. Tangy mustard and just enough mayo complete this wonderful burger.

From Monday to Wednesday, the Oak offers dinner for two for $50. The package comes with two main courses, two glasses of wine and a dessert to share. While the house wines (Sawmill Creek and Proprietor’s Reserve) are nothing to rave about, they have rotating selections that don’t sit on the menu. The Oak also offers a hearty breakfast special and all you can eat ribs on Friday and Saturday nights. 

The Oakwood Café has a forgettable storefront among local favourites Bistro 7¼ and Luxalune in the south Osborne area, but the last thing you should do is forget to eat here. They serve genuinely good food with consistently good service.

**** /5

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