Chaud Cafe and Wine Bar

What I had here... THIS was a meal! Wow. Everything we've tried here has been brilliant... Even the fries. The fries! Best. Fries. Ever.

Best fries with arugula mayo, fried calamari with roasted pepper dip.

Chaud Cafe and Wine Bar, located at One Woodbrook Place is a friendly environment with amazing food at affordable prices. They have a variety of cuisines varying from pasta, sandwiches, soups and more. The soup of the day is a fantastic deal, and always the two different ones I've tried (so far) are quite good. The mussels soup was quite good, when dipped with the bread, it was amazing!

Mussels Soup with Toast and Herb Butter

I did notice something however, which I thought was worth mentioning. I saw some reviews by local (well-known) food bloggers from Chaud Cafe. The quality (and quantity) of food seemed to surpass what they actually serve to customers who might not be advertising for them. Or maybe they just choose who they want to serve in a particular way. For example, our scallops dish was significantly different from the one seen on the local food blog previously mentioned. It's unfortunate especially if an individual sees the photos and decides to try the restaurant based on that. They may be disappointed. I think it would be a good idea to acknowledge it on my next visit.
Regardless, the food is still very good, and the portions are quite good, especially for the quality of food and the prices. The soup of the day, for example, is TTD$30.00 (plus Service Charge and VAT). The mussels soup was very flavourful and included pieces of mussels, which is quite exceptional for the price.

Seared Scallops (with guava sauce), cheesy grits and sweet potato hash on top.

The restaurant never seems to be overly crowded so the service is always speedy and efficient. The servers are also quite friendly and willing to assist you with anything you need. Good service is a big plus in my book. Parking is readily available at One Woodbrook; the restaurant is just above the south carpark.

Smoked Salmon open-faced Sandwich

The steak salad... Wow. I had already started before I took the picture because it looked and smelled so good. And when I tasted it... Perfect to my specifications and properly seasoned (salt), which makes quite the difference. Most definitely one of the best salads I've ever had.

Steak Salad

You can't go wrong with Hot Chocolate. And at TTD$12.00...

Hot Chocolate

It's quite unfortunate that I am yet to try dessert... But I will be soon, and I will be posting. We just get a bit excited and order a lot of food and eventually become too full to have dessert. But, we won't allow that to happen next time!

Mushroom Ragout Pasta

The pasta was not bad. I love pasta and have tried so many different pastas, so it takes a really great pasta to impress me. This pasta did not do it. The ingredients were fresh and a good choice as a vegetarian option, but I probably would not have the pasta again. I did not say it was bad though, just not the best.

Overall Experience: Fantastic quality, quantity and taste.
Will I return?: Tomorrow, maybe? Those fries are calling my name!

Medford's Grill

Sometimes all we really want is slippers, shorts and a good home-cooked meal. But sometimes we don't have the time, energy or patience to cook a meal, and just feel like eating out. Of course, where we choose to go must have delicious food, or it defeats the purpose. "Homey" food is always supposed to be mouth-watering and comforting. That's where Medford's Grill comes in.
Medford's Grill has two locations, one primarily for their grill menu, and the other that serves local dishes as well as their (also brilliant) grill menu. The one I am referring to in this post is the latter, located just off the Medford flyover, right after the gas station (in the side street: Chan Ramlal Street). I enjoy eating there on a Saturday morning when they have a great selection of local and other dishes. It's designed as a fast food restaurant so there is no significant interaction between the customer and employees. However, they usually have a pleasant attitude and you are attended to promptly.

Pelau with Fresh Salad and, Curried Shrimp Box with Buss-Up-Shut

One of my favourite things to eat there is the pelau. It is one of the best I've had. We often have their curry and roti as well, which is also very good. In fact, everything I have tried from there has been pretty good thus far. It's definitely worth trying.
Some things may appear to be a little more expensive in comparison to other places, but they give you *a lot* of food, and you definitely get value for your money. Important to note is that they only accept CASH payments. However, conveniently, there is an ATM just behind the restaurant if you forgot to walk with your cash. The wide range of food makes it great for both the carnivores and herbivores... omnivores too. 😋
Parking is not always available outside the restaurant but the compound has a lot of other available spots for parking, so it's never really a problem.

Pelau with Fresh Salad and, Fried Rice, Potato Ball and Sauteed Broccoli

Some of the menu items include:

• Pelau
• Curried Chicken/Shrimp/Goat
• Stewed Chicken
• Fried Rice
• Potato/Macaroni Salad
• Mixed Vegetables
• Cole Slaw
• Pepper Roti
• Local Soups
• (They always have fresh salad and pepper sauces available.)

Did I mention that they serve Crab and Dumplings?

Crab and Dumplings

Rustica

Rustica, located at Upper Level, Trincity Mall, is a modern Italian restaurant, serving classic pasta dishes, paninis, salads, along with brick-oven pizzas. The restaurant is run by the proprietors of J.Malones; they share a kitchen, and a drinks menu.
One of my favourite elements of this restaurant is its calm ambiance. It is a lovely place to get away from the clamorous environment that is Trinicity Mall. The restaurant never seems to be crowded which allows for quicker service. However, they seem to be a bit understaffed, and the servers (or anyone at all) is often absent from the dining area of the restaurant. This may be inconvenient to some if they require additional service during the meal, but the servers do return mostly in a timely manner. However, this is not the norm, as I have visited this restaurant repeatedly and received good service. It may be a one time thing or it may signal that the service is worsening.

Steak at Rustica. Yes, it's as huge as it looks.

Being a repeat customer, I have tried a number of their appetizers and entrees. Some meals have been very good, others fair. Here's a brief account of some of the meals I have tried:

• Appetizer: Meatball Sliders - Most definitely my favourite appetizer of choice. Three open faced meatball sandwiches, each with two meatballs each, served on foccacia, topped with marinara and cheese. It's very filling, best to be shared among three. 
• Appetizer: Fried Calamari with Dipping Sauce - The sauce is delicious, compliments the calamari well and makes you want to keep eating. 
• Appetizer: Chicken Tenders with Artichokes - I adore the fried artichokes, probably moreso than the chicken itself. The tenders and artichokes are lightly battered and very crispy.
• Soup: Minestrone - The minestrone is light and refreshing but can be very filling as well. It could even be eaten as a main with a side salad.
• Main Course: Sausage Baked Penne - Fantastic! Cheesy penne with sausage and chicken baked to form a nice crust on top. 
• Pizza: Shrimp Alfredo - Pizza crust, sauce, ingredients are delicious... would like a bit more shrimp on the pizza though. Serves two.
• Main Course: Chicken Piccata - Tangy lemon and caper sauce over grilled chicken breast and fettuccine. I love lemon/lime flavours and the tangyness of it, but it may be more of an acquired taste.
• Dessert: Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream - One of my favourite desserts, I must admit. The apple crumble is served hot with the vanilla ice cream on top. A wonderful combination. It's pretty big though, so it's best to be shared since you wouldn't want to take away leftovers with melted ice cream on it.

The menu includes numerous vegetarian and pescatarian options such as the minestrone, three cheese lasagna, veggie pizza, eggplant parmesan, to name a few. I am unable to confirm any vegan or gluten-free options.

Shrimp Alfredo Pizza at Rustica

Most recent experience at Rustica:
Upon arriving, we were warmly greeted by the hostess, immediately seated and given menus. The server shortly returned to take our orders. However, the server seemed new and not very knowledgeable of the menu items including what was out of stock or unavailable. Once those issues were cleared, she took out order and headed to the kitchen. Unfortunately, she took quite a while to bring our drinks (all we asked for was water). After waiting a short while more, the appetizers came to our table. We did not receive any plates for our appetizers but then the server returned a minute after with the main course! At the same time! While we tried to eat the appetizer, our food was becoming chilled, so we were unable to finish our appetizers before starting the main course.
As always, the food was delicious. We ordered the seafood pasta (with shrimp and lobster in a cream sauce), the steak served over fettuccine Alfredo, and the Jerk Chicken Alfredo. Although the steak was cooked perfectly as requested (medium) it lacked a bit of seasoning. Just a tad more salt would've gone a long way, but our table did not have shakers. The Jerk Chicken pasta was more on the spicy side (moreso than the first time I tried it), but still very good, especially if you like spicy. The seafood pasta was good but did not contain a lot of shrimp and (imitation) lobster. We did not order dessert at this particular visit so we were ready for the bill shortly after.
The server had disappeared for a short while so we had to wait before asking for the bill. However, when she returned, the payment procedure was prompt. One brilliant thing about this restaurant is its prices. They are unbeatable.

Overall Experience: The overall experience was fair, though previously, the experience was much better.
Would you return?: I most definitely will return in the event that I am in the area, and craving some Italian. The food is most often very good, and though the service lacked a bit during my last experience, I may still give it another try, as the service has always been good before.

This is not intended as an official review; it's my personal opinion.