Garbonzo's Pizza Pub

Garbonzo’s Pizza Pub

University of Winnipeg AnX

2 – 471 Portage Ave

R3B 2E3

204-269-5000

Fax:  204-421-9384

http://www.garbonzos.com/about-garbonzos.php

January 2014

As an alumnus of both the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my time at the UofW much more than the UofM.  The profs were more approachable, the classes were smaller and the campus was cozier.  The only thing missing was a pub.  Yes, university is supposed to be a place for higher learning, but let’s be honest, learning doesn’t come without a few beverages here and there.  During my day, if you want a break from academia, you were limited to neighbourhood dive bars or sterile lounges.

Today, the area experiences a renaissance and new options pop up all the time.  It’s about time that the UofW campus catches up and Garbonzo’s fills a desperate need.

If you haven’t been, take a visit to the former bus depot.  It used to be old, grungy and beat up – no more.  When the bus depot moved to the airport, the UofW bought the building and completely gutted it.  Now, instead of a busted out building, the AnX is a modern, slick university addition, housing the book store and the new pub.

Bounded by a fenced stub wall, the circular exterior looks dark and intimate; upon entering, you see the cavernous size of the bar and all the available seating.  TVs line all the walls, providing unobstructed views of the current sports events.  The loud combination of punk, thrash and death metal isn’t up my alley, but I’m not exactly their target audience either.  

Garbonzo’s pizza has been around for a long time but they’ve always had a questionable food reputation.  Now that they’re part of the Canad-Inns behemoth, things have improved vastly.

Bonzo’s pizza comes on a perfectly crispy crust, baked to a nice shiny brown.  The plentiful meats cover the pie nicely and the ample cheese ensures that every bite is ooey-gooey good.  The vegetables taste fresh and crispy and provide a nice contrast to the heartiness of the pie.  I would like to see a bit more tomato sauce but otherwise, this is a well-made pizza.

If you prefer pasta, the noodles aren’t exactly al dente but they’re not mushy either.  I ordered the Creamy Seafood Bake, mainly because of the menu description “loaded with baby shrimp, scallops and pollock.”  I don’t mind pollock—in fact, I like it.  I just don’t like it when restaurants try to pass it off as crab.  It’s not crab, and it’s not imitation crab; it’s a fish. 

Alas, there’s not very much of the fish in this dish.  I poked through the entire plate and barely found any pollack.  However, there’s no shortage of shrimps, and they’re much larger than the advertised “baby shrimps.”  The scallops too are larger than expected, and Bonzo cooked all the seafood perfectly so they are far short of tasting rubbery.  As a note though, they neglected to pull the tendon off the scallops, so that’s the chewiest part of the meal. 

There’s a ton of alfredo here but not much flavour to the sauce.  The layer of baked cheese on top adds a dimension but there isn’t enough of it to make a huge difference.  The meal also comes with two breadsticks.  Bread is a great way to sop up extra sauce so if you haven’t had enough of the alfredo yet, the bread makes a great mopping conduit. 

This looks like a fun spot to me.  If I could turn the clock back 20 years, I’d probably spend a lot of time here.  Gees, you think I would have learned from my mistakes!

*** /5

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