Saturday, January 31, 2009

Canada - Over / Under rated?

Surprisingly, unlike my previous trip, this one did not suffer from 'the unexpected and unforeseen' symptoms. Instead, we arrived to another diagnosis that there are two types of tourism spot in Canada, one that is overly rated and another that is underly rated. 

In this informational era, one has no other options beside to trust those oftenly-biased reviewers who rate a particular attraction a five star. At the same time, one has absolutely no clue about what kind of person who bad-mouth that flawless restaurants. So, this post is dedicated to those places which I think fall under those categories: overrated/underrated?


Underrated. These chicken wings are ......... awesome. Located in Buffalo, NY (Elmo's Bar & Restaurant), this is the best chicken wing I've ever eaten in my life. Sounds like an exaggeration but believe me, I'm not. Try the original flavor, and the honey mustard, and the bbq sauce. Ah, just try everything. 


The overrated Bonsecours market. Listed as one of the top 10 'Must See' attractions in Montreal, this market really has nothing much to offer beside several restaurants and boutiques. Advise: unless you happen to run into it, there is really no urgency to visit this place (especially in a day like that day - biting cold weather with temperature showing -34 F). 


If you do not run into China Town in Montreal, pleaseee, run into it. Because.... you just can't afford not to! This mouth-watering picture was taken at Kam-Fung restaurant located in the underrated China Town. Frankly, China Town was not in our schedule at the first place (because of the bad review), but strangely and luckily, we ran into it and never regreted it since. 


Overrated CN Tower, for three reasons. First, it is no longer the tallest tower in the world. Second, there are hundreds of great restaurants in Toronto where you can put the $30CAD entrance fee to a better use. Third, even if you decide to get closer and take a picture, the tower is still too tall for your camera to fit in. Friendly advise: rule it out from your plan and go somewhere else. Eventually, you'll find a beautiful spot with CN tower on the background. 

Well, no review (from a sane mind) actually suggests Niagara Falls (or Canada for what it matters) during winter. But, whatever. Take note, Niagara Falls in winter is overrated! Now I share with you this insider tip: It is best enjoyed in summer. 

Overall, those are my picks for both the overrated and underrated places in Toronto & Montreal. If you're smart enough, then you may already aware at this point that my reviews are not biased-free. For a food-lover like me, skyscrapers may not excite me as much as a bowl of siu-may, steaming, with prawn protruded elegantly over the top. So, in closing, just like the old adage "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", reviews are also in the mercy of the writer.   

For more pictures, click here

2 comments:

Unknown said...

hm.. ada missing nih story nih?
hehhe chinatown is the best in montreal

Gerry C Joeng said...

hehehe, missing story ap yah? ga ngerti gua.

mau gua obral smua storynya, ntar aib lu ketauan smuanya lagi. hehe.