Dingwalls

Charming Canal Spot with Fast Service

In a world stuffed to its gills with nondescript eateries promising so much yet delivering little of significance, finding an establishment like Canal Bistro – or whatever trendy name it's chosen this month – feels akin to discovering a rare fowl amidst a brood of dull, earthbound chickens. Nestled snugly beside the canal, it's that urban oasis you never thought you wanted yet find yourself desperately in need of after staggering through consumerism's gauntlet more commonly known as shopping. The air is infused with that delightful hum of animated chatter – it feels as though everyone else in civilization had precisely the same genius idea for a post-retail wind down. The large outdoor patio beckons like an assembly where your people have finally gathered, and you're warmly welcomed into its eclectic yet elegantly scruffed bosom.

Experiencing Canal Bistro's service is a brisk affair – waitstaff here appear to recognize the universal truth that time stands still for no actual living soul intending to eat. Our orders arrive almost at the alarming speed of a well-practiced conjurer pulling optimism out of even the most miserly reviewers amongst us. The drinks roll in with encouraging promptness, swiftly blurring the day’s shopping failures into mere footnotes of existence. Pausing, I tried not to wax too poetic about crumbly nibbles rendered sympathetically; they're undoubtedly designed to pair perfectly with inebriated musings atop crunchy canal reflections. A fitting end, don’t you agree, to capitalism’s cruel hard sell? An institution that tends, if nothing else, to the beleaguered soul by reconciliating it ever so craftily with bright suds and passing familiarity with genuine hospitality. It's unfussy, welcoming charm feeds something beyond merely the body's hollow and echoing call. — Penelope Savory