"Middle-of-the-road, solid" is the best way I can describe Boaden's, a site I visited two weeks…read moreback for a graduation dinner.
"But Alex," you say. "You're not 18 anymore!" No, but this was a graduation dinner and scholarship awards ceremony held by the Franklyn Parker Foundation, a group that honors students in Peel that have shown exemplary commitment to their studies and gone above and beyond with community involvement.
I was invited as a guest to cover the event and took in the opportunity to review the hall (which has apparently moved down to the corner of Cawthra/Queensway), which i've passed plenty of times but never visited.
The first thing I came to realize is that "smaller than expected" is a good way to describe the site. Aside from the parking issues (it's on the side of a complex that's a bit unwieldy to get into - I didn't hear the end of it from some of the parents who attended with their kids), it's also just one single banquet hall from what I can tell.
I get the sense that this place is more of a budget option for those who can't afford Le Treport to the east, Oasis Convention Centre to the south or Livadia/Candles to the north. There's no doubt that the staff at Boaden's know how to handle the essentials, though.
Here's a tip: you can always gauge the quality of a banquet hall by how they handle their washrooms, and this was A-one. Nice white towels, modern design, clean... a great first impression.
Dinner itself was very enjoyable. I found myself starving (I had just done an hour-long walk earlier in the day) and loaded up on a buffet-esque spread of bread, chicken, salad, lasagna and potatoes. There was nothing fancy or exceptional about the meal (I'm unsure if they offer different menus here), but I do remember that they served cinnamon raisin buns, which were delicious and had me going back for seconds, thirds and fourths!
Dessert also consisted of a plate of small items for each table, and it quickly became clear that they knew the way to my heart - Portuguese tarts. Don't tell anyone that I scarfed down three of these before the end of the night, and I would have had a whole lot more if none of the guests were looking. The service was also prompt and quick, if not overtly friendly.
The ambiance of the site was good, and the acoustics for lead performer Ammoye (who just won a Juno Award this year, IIRC) were quite powerful.
I could see myself coming back for another event in the future. South Mississauga has a lot of banquet hall options (perhaps too many), but if the experience is as consistent and enjoyable as the one I experienced, Boaden's is a place worth coming back to.
Well worth a look.