Tips: - Make a reservation through OpenTable. It landed our table a complimentary appetizer. - This eatery has a weekday happy hour from 3 pm till 6 pm. There are also nightly and weekend happy hours, but we came here after work. - The white sangria is awesome! My former manager reached out to me about a few work-related questions. It was nice hearing from him. It's my usual self to ask if he'd like to go out for a meal. He was game with either the two of us, or past and current writers. I went with the latter, as it would be nice to have a happier meetup than what we did in November when he was let go. I hadn't been to Earls in a long time. I was a fan of this western Canadian chain when I lived in Winnipeg. Back then. it wasn't as upscale as it seems to be these days. The food was yummy and I liked dropping by. I asked him if he was good with this Earls across from CF Sherway Gardens. He was. There were a total of four folks who said yes. Another colleague said that he'd drop by to say hi. I didn't account for him in the reservation, as he'd be there briefly. I reserved online through OpenTable. It was party of four for 4:30 pm. It was great getting the occasional text message to confirm that we were still good to be here on a Wednesday at 4:30 pm. I was the first to make it here. I had no problem finding a parking spot and backed into an available one. I walked into the eatery. I was greeted by a friendly woman. I said that I had a reservation for four under my name. She found me and led me me to a booth. I looked at the happy hour menu. Red and white sangria were available. I went with the latter. It had peaches and oranges in it. It was delightful. We got water with ice. I waited for my friends and colleagues to arrive. Two of my friends had arrived, followed by the hi-and-bye friend. Two of them looked at my white sangria and order the same thing. Our other friend got a Moscow mule. My former manager texted me. He said that he was stuck in traffic on the 401 and he'd be late. I said that we'd be here. He eventually made it. Yay! He saw that most of us had sangria. He ordered the red sangria. Alcohol does hit him fast. Luckily, we were here for a few hours, so it eventually wore off. Even our server asked if he was okay, which was kind. Service was great. Our female server was attentive, making sure that our water was refilled and we were good. The manager came over and was looking for me. He said that to thank me for my "loyalty," he wanted to give us a complimentary Nashville crispy chicken and pickle skewers. I said that I wouldn't say no to free food! This appetizer was excellent. The pickle was a bit spicy. The crispy chicken was tender and not spicy. It was such a nice gesture. Our table got these items: - Baja taco (me) - Szechuan shrimp and pork dumplings (me) - Aburi salmon sushi press - Clam chowder - Bigger better burger with fries - Truffle tortellini I loved my baja taco. The fish was generous and flaky. It had a light, crispy batter.It was delicious. The szechwan shrimp and pork dumplings were excellent. The chili sauce had a ton of flavour. My former manager's aburi salmon sushi press needed more flavour. This place doesn't have wasabi. Instead, I said to dip his sushi in the szechwan sauce. He did and said it was much improved. I got to try a bit of his sushi and I also dipped it in the sauce. Yummy! My friends loved their meals. Everything was off the happy hour menu, except for the truffle tortellini that looked amazing. For dessert, we got these items: - Lemon meringue pie - Sticky toffee chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream Our friend had left, so we were a table of four. We devoured both desserts in five minutes. It was quite the feat to witness! The lemon meringue pie is seasonal. It should be on the menu all the time. It was fantastic. The lemon had the perfect tartness. The meringue was light and perfect. The sticky toffee chocolate pudding was moist and decadent. We loved the vanilla ice cream and the crispy wafer. Since I'm the fruit person, I had all the sliced strawberries. So good! We got separate bills. I paid with a credit card at the table. I tipped and tapped. Done! A few of us used the washroom before we left. The women's was clean and inviting. No complaints! My former manager was waiting outside. He noticed that my car was still there. It felt like old times chatting for a bit before heading our separate ways. The food and drink were excellent at this eatery. The company was perfect. Service was wonderful. I'd return here for more good eats and drinks. (147) read more