TWH Social — Restaurant in Kitchener

I have frequented this place a lot. Their food is always delicious and service excellent. However, I was so disappointed with my last visit. Went for lunch with coworkers today and there was a new server training. She was great and very sweet, however my disappointment was a result of the portions and the lack of support/training this poor server had. I know how hard it is to find staff, especially in the hospitality industry. I asked about the portion sizes for the small ($10) vs the large ($14) Caesar salad. She tried to explain the difference (I don't think she really knew which is fine - but there was a manager behind her who could have easily taken over) and I ended up getting the large as she gave me the impression that it was big enough that I may even have leftovers. So I opted for the large and added chicken ($10). When my food came, I could not believe how small it was. It was basically a handful of romaine with a little bit of cheese - like 2 or 3 little rinds and barely any dressing. I can't imagine what the small would have looked like. To put it in perspective, my chicken breast to salad ratio was the same. The chicken breast was cooked perfectly and a normal portion, however. I thought maybe the waitress rang in a small by accident, so I didn't say anything. I also asked for extra dressing and was brought aoli instead....no 2 minute check, and out of embarrassment I ate this dry 4 bite salad and ended up mixing aoli in it to make it palatable. When the bill came, I was surprised to see that not only was I billed for a large caesar, but $16 instead of the $14 on the menu. I did let the server know that they need to update their menu and I told her not to worry about it as it is obviously not her fault. She offered to adjust it, but I didn't want her to get flustered over $2. Maybe I am being extra picky because I have been in the hospitality industry for a long time, but please have a look at your portion sizes, as they have always been decent in the past, but there is no way I was served a large salad. It definitely was a small. $26 was very overpriced for what I got - and yes, I know - food and labour costs are increasing, but seriously, it was tiny. So disappointing. Will never order that again. And just a little tip for the server and management to increase your sales: instead of bringing water to the table right away, bring drink menus with the regular menus, introduce yourself and explain that you will be back in a minute to take a drink order. Then return promptly, get a drink order, and read the table - if they look ready, ask if they want to order as well and kill 2 birds with one stone. We were given water and not asked if we wanted anything else. I would have ordered a cocktail but wasn't given the opportunity, and I am sure the others would have followed. Or even if they ordered a pop, that still would have increased the bills. Bring water with the drinks. Also, always offer coffee/espresso/dessert after clearing the plates. Yes, it is lunch time and the majority are in a rush, but sometimes we have time to kill and I could have really used an espresso - another missed opportunity. You don't lose anything offering. You will increase your sales and...

So, recently I happened to try this place with few fellow food bloggers. Firstly the staff was very welcoming and well versed with what they were serving. TWH has an amazing variety to offer in authentic Canadian food and also have a lot of gluten free options to choose from. Tried most of the dishes from their elaborated and curated menu for the night which was a five course meal each dish teamed with a particular Lost craft beer which suited well with the respective course. Right from the salads, the starters and main course to the desserts, the flavours were on point. Starting with the Amuse Bouche which consisted of Grilled Endive,lemon creme fraiche , Pistachio Crumble, preserved strawberry, smoked leek vinaigrette served with Revivale premium layered beer. This beer was light and an all occasion beer which suited very well with this course. The Second course consisted of Albacore tuna crude, citrus relish, radish & fennel slaw served with Unifeye Premium lager. This course was very refreshing and too summerish at the same time. This combination is a very good option to choose during the summer time. Coming to the third course which has to be favourite and I would highly recommend is BBQ Quail , Succotash, child oil served with Crimzen premium red ale. The quail was cooked to perfection and had all the flavours that could please my tastebuds. I will definitely go back for this. The fourth course consisted of a true Canadian dish what we call Venison loin, dressed lentils, maple glazed baby turnips, spiced jus served with Siriud pale ale beer. This was my another favourite as the favour Reminiscent of beef was cooked to perfection and was full of flavours. And the beer served with this course was little strong and made a great combo. Coming to last but not the least , all that we wait for during all our meals is dessertttt yes the dessert consisted of Chocolate torte, macerated strawberry with vanilla bean Chantilly. OMG this was heavenly , I could not resist myself and I finished the dessert in seconds. Also, it was served with Ice cream stout beer which initially I though was a desert beer and tbh it went very well with the dessert. Loved the combination and has to be my another favourite too. Overall, I had a great experience from staff to food to ambience. A must visit and do try their course and beer...

This place is an absolute gong show.

In my decades of dining in restaurants around the world, I have never before had to get up and leave before the meal was served because the order took too long to fill. Never.

We arrived at 6:20 p.m. with a reservation booked directly through the hotel, where we were staying. The restaurant was packed and we were led to a high top in the back corner beside the kitchen, even though a booth by the bar was available.

It took almost 15 minutes for someone to take our drink order, and another 10 for the drinks to arrive and our order to be taken. Since we assessed that the restaurant seemed overwhelmed, we ordered just large salads. A couple of minutes after placing our order, my partner flagged down the waitress and asked her for a plate of fries to start (again, fast and easy). Her response: “Well, your dinner order has already been put in, so I can’t guarantee you’ll get them first.”

For the next hour, we watched the various wait staff rush around the room looking unhappy, stressed, and confused —and rarely with any food in their hands. We looked around and noticed that very few tables actually had any food in front of them, aside from a few that had ordered the bread and onion dip appetizer. At one point, the hostess left and then returned, buttoning up a white chef’s tunic and putting up her hair (while behind the bar in plain view). This did not bode well.

We, along with many other patrons as it turned out, had tickets to an 8 p.m. show at Centre in the Square, so we were getting worried. A table for 5 next to us asked their waiter where their food was (they had arrived much earlier than us), and they were told it would still be another “10 minutes or so,” so they said to cancel their orders. We followed suit, as did another pair near the bar. The staff was apologetic but offered no excuse beyond that they were “very busy.”

We paid for our drinks (which should have been comped, frankly), and rushed out to get to the show after foolishly sitting in that dark, dreary space for 105 minutes. We had planned to have brunch there the next morning, but after this experience there was no way we were giving them a second chance. We checked out at 9:30 AM and picked up breakfast from Starbucks on the way...