My best friend and I hung out yesterday. We shopped, followed by having a bite to eat. She is…read morevegan. I'm not.
She found Bond Street Snack Bar. It has a menu that suits both our food cravings. After spending several hours shopping, we drove over here.
I guessed that it would be street parking, as it's in the heart of downtown Oshawa. Parking is free on Bond Street on weekends. I parked and waited for my friend to arrive. We were tourists in this city. Eventually, she made her way over.
This building is interesting. There are steps up to the door. This place is not accessible to those needing a wheelchair. If you use a cane, it requires a lot of work going up several flights of stairs to access the snack bar.
The first floor is a music hall. If the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH had a more simplistic, modern look in a wider building, you'd get this music hall. It's a huge floor that would likely be general admission for a concert. If it were a more formal show, I can see seats being moved in.
The Mezz is indeed the second floor of the music hall, which threw me back to how Newport Music Hall is set up. I don't mind seeing concerts on the mezzanine of a venue. It's better viewing. It's what I did seeing Guster in Columbus.
The top floor is where Bond Street Snack Bar is. Tables are small. Seats are high stools with backs and padded seats. The menu features cocktails, mocktails, beer, and more. The food are small plates or tapas.
We had a nice server who was attentive. He let us choose where we wanted to sit. We chose by the window, but without direct sunlight hitting us.
My friend got the following items:
- Strawberry migration (mocktail)
- Fries
- Crispy chicken sandwich
I got these items:
- Snack bar sangria
- Diet Coke
- Hushpuppies
- Gyoza
- Sweet potato doughnut (shared)
We got water to start. It was in a wine bottle. It was chilled and hit the spot. We got a bottle refill because we both needed hydration.
My friend's strawberry migration mocktail arrived first. It looked refreshing. It had strawberry, lime, and orange flavours in soda. She enjoyed it.
My snack bar sangria came out next. The only fruit that you could see was a strawberry on the glass. However, this sangria was yummy. It had pino grigio, peach, strawberry, mint and earl grey flavours. It was different, but worked so well. This drink went down smoothly -- perhaps too much!
My friend's fries arrived. She loved the garlic aioli that came with them. She is also a ketchup fan, so both dips disappeared with her fries. She liked everything about them.
My gyoza came out. They were originally chicken, but are now pork. They were fantastic. The gyoza are small in size, but they certainly pack a flavour punch. They were carefully wrapped and pan-fried. The filling flavour was excellent. They were plated with a mixture of ponzu, chili, and chive sesame oil that was heavenly. It was nutty, savoury, and spicy. Excellent!
My friend's crispy chicken sandwich arrived. The patty was mushroom-based with some other goodies. It was on a soft roll, with pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce, and garlic mayo. This sandwich looked so tall that she was afraid that she couldn't get it in her mouth. She squished it down. All good! She loved the crispiness of the patty and how yummy the garlic mayo was on it. It was more of a slider than a sandwich.
I got hushpuppies. Ever since I visited Charlotte, NC, I dig hushpuppies. These ones were delicious. It had chopped jalapenos and corn kernels in each hushpuppie, which was super hot out of the fryer. I saw steam coming out of each one that I had. The dill ranch complemented the hushpuppies exceptionally well. I love dill in anything. This dairy-free ranch was amazing.
I felt like a Diet Coke. It was fizzy and yummy.
I also wanted dessert. I first wanted the swiss roll. Our server broke the news that they were out of it. Instead, I got the sweet potato doughnut. It's actually a set of four donut balls made with sweet potatoes, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and set in the best salted caramel that I have ever had. Both my friend and I were impressed by how yummy this dessert was.
We paid for our bills. A female server came over with a payment machine. I paid with a credit card and tipped. Done!
The washrooms for the snack bar are in the corner. There are two gender-neutral stalls. The one that I used was exceptionally clean and spotless.
I like establishments with a backstory. I'm still trying to figure out this one. This place used to be the Oshawa Music Hall. It shut down during the pandemic. The original owners got ousted from this Bond Street Music Hall / Snack Bar plan. I don't know why. It's like a soap opera that will need some digging into.
There was a cornerstone that stated UAWA AD 1951. This building used to be the home of the United Auto Workers Association, now known as Canadian Auto Workers.
Cool place. Delicious eats and drinks. Excellent find. Go!
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