It was supposed to happen months ago, but I guess COVID caused delays
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Northern Light
Superstar
Loblaws has added Restaurant Meal Kits to its delivery options.
Wed-Saturday, depending on order time, may be next-day delivery.
These are meals like a Burger's Priest Cheese Burger, where they supply raw patties, cheese, buns and condiments, which you cook and assemble at home.
Also on offer are dishes from Sala Modern Thai, Fat Lamb Kouzina, Kinton Ramen and more
www.pcchef.ca
As someone who likes to cook and likes to eat out, this is not really an option for me.
But may appeal to some.
Wed-Saturday, depending on order time, may be next-day delivery.
These are meals like a Burger's Priest Cheese Burger, where they supply raw patties, cheese, buns and condiments, which you cook and assemble at home.
Also on offer are dishes from Sala Modern Thai, Fat Lamb Kouzina, Kinton Ramen and more
Loblaws Supermarket | Grocery shop online or instore
www.pcchef.ca
As someone who likes to cook and likes to eat out, this is not really an option for me.
But may appeal to some.
afransen
Senior Member
It has puzzled me for a while who meal kits are 'for'. I get the sense it is for busy working parents (particularly moms) who don't have enough time to prepare meals and use it as an alternative to picking up takeout (feel better as a parent). I can also see them as a gateway to cooking or being more adventurous with meals you cook yourself. A shocking amount of people are never taught how to cook by their parents and schools don't do it anymore. Meal kits seem like a bit of 'learn how to cook'. Obviously as you get more comfortable you're more inclined to buy the ingredients and prep yourself.
Johnny Au
Senior Member
There really aren't that many different meal kits listed.
What if I want to cook my own boneless Buffalo-style fried chicken?
Yes, there are numerous recipes online, but I would rather pay for a professional one and have it come with the necessary ingredients.
What if I want to cook my own boneless Buffalo-style fried chicken?
Yes, there are numerous recipes online, but I would rather pay for a professional one and have it come with the necessary ingredients.
Richard White
Senior Member
Longos did this but they were not a big seller and it actually cost more than proper meal kits.
PC Chef are cheaper than Hello Fresh, Goodfood etc. I like to cook but I'm not going to lie, I get bored and need some inspiration so I've used meal kits as a "treat". They're basic ingredients that make a decent meal, and I've recreated some of the meals afterwards on my own. My husband doesn't cook, but he thinks the meal kits are fun, so believe me, after over 30 years of being responsible for dinner, that's a nice break while I drink wine and he gets dinner ready.
Northern Light
Superstar
Press Release from Loblaws on today's opening:
media.loblaw.ca
Open 7am-10pm daily.
Notwithstanding the LCBO to open, the store has both beer and wine.
Past meets future as Loblaw officially re-opens historic West Block building in downtown Toronto
Once home to the first Loblaw Groceterias Warehouse, today a hub of retail and innovation For more media materials, please visit: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8773551-loblaw-companies-limited-west-block/ Today, Loblaw Companies Limited ("Loblaw") announced the reopening of the...
Open 7am-10pm daily.
Notwithstanding the LCBO to open, the store has both beer and wine.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
I started on one this week and already want to commit to it. I hate grocery shopping and planning out meals, so this eliminates most of that.
afransen
Senior Member
I guess they are mostly heathier than restaurant fare, so if you don't mind cooking but don't want to plan, shop, prep the meals (just cook them) that works too.
Northern Light
Superstar
Had a chance to wander through the new Loblaws at Bathurst and Lakeshore today.
Observations:
In-Store prepared meals to go counter is comparable with Maple Leaf Gardens Location. Decent array of basics.
Pizza counter is a bit different. Dedicated station, Roman-Style Pizza (sqaure'ish slices). About six or seven styles available.
For a simple sampling, I tried the New York (pepperoni). Crust is between thick and thin, has a fluffy quality to it, but a crisp bottom. Not the best I've tasted by a long shot but genuinely above average.
Sauce is decent, Pepperoni tasted dry-cured (good). Overall 7.5/10 (I'm a tough critic and pepperoni never gets over a 9, just too simple). Worth getting, sure @$4.79 for a slice it's not cheap but not outrageous either. Worth going out of your way for??? No, not really.
Next station is bakery. Bread on one side, pastries on the other.
Didn't sample/take home any breads, but several did look quite good and appear to be scratch backed in store.
Interesting range. A couple of kinds of Challah, A full-sized Pumpernickel, A cheese-onion Sourdough, and a range of Baguette/Ciabatta and usual suspects.
Range of pastry from them is mostly fairly normative for their nicer stores.
Though, someone made yeast doughnuts and either killed the yeast or forgot the other rising agents. You've never seen flatter doughnuts.
Over in meat............a couple of Tweaks to their standard offer.
You can find Fortino's (another Loblaw chain) brand sausages. Includes typical offerings (Honey/Garlic, Italian, Chorizo ) but different are fresh (as opposed to frozen) breakfast sausage rounds. The type of product you typically
only get from Johnsonville, frozen and overly salty. I can't speak to the quality of this product, but nice to see a better looking alternative in this space.
They also have ground, (decased) Italian Sausage Meat should you wish to use it for a meat sauce or the like.
Moving on they also have a selection of Kosher and Halal meats; as well as full on Beef Shank; Osso Bucco in a tower-size form.
Decent range of lamb, Ontario meat, 3 styles of shortribs and fresh rabbit.
Deli counter is comparable to the one at MLG offering the usuals along with selection of premium salumi, Prosciutto and Serrano Ham.
Didn't see a lot in cheese that blew me away; though the selection is a bit deeper in quality product than typical for Loblaws; Good Parm was well priced at $35/kg.
In produce, pretty normative...............except............in hot peppers. One of the very few times I've seen fresh Ghost Peppers!
Finally.........they have a selection of pies that look quite decent...........can't testify {yet) whether they live up to their potential.
But they come in Tortiere, Chicken, BBQ Beef, Chicken Enchilada (Pie), and Butter Chicken.
I currently have the Tortiere and BBQ Beef in the fridge and will report back.
The rest of the store (Center store) as it's called in industry jargon is pretty much a normal Loblaws. There is a nice seating area for eating in store, otherwise nothing else report-worthy that I noted.
Overall, from a visual perspective, I think they did quite well on the 'fresh' side of the store.
I think some of the sections in centre-store where there can be and often are more premium offerings could see those better showcased and a bit more depth in sauces/condiments and good olive oil. Still decent for a big box.
Observations:
In-Store prepared meals to go counter is comparable with Maple Leaf Gardens Location. Decent array of basics.
Pizza counter is a bit different. Dedicated station, Roman-Style Pizza (sqaure'ish slices). About six or seven styles available.
For a simple sampling, I tried the New York (pepperoni). Crust is between thick and thin, has a fluffy quality to it, but a crisp bottom. Not the best I've tasted by a long shot but genuinely above average.
Sauce is decent, Pepperoni tasted dry-cured (good). Overall 7.5/10 (I'm a tough critic and pepperoni never gets over a 9, just too simple). Worth getting, sure @$4.79 for a slice it's not cheap but not outrageous either. Worth going out of your way for??? No, not really.
Next station is bakery. Bread on one side, pastries on the other.
Didn't sample/take home any breads, but several did look quite good and appear to be scratch backed in store.
Interesting range. A couple of kinds of Challah, A full-sized Pumpernickel, A cheese-onion Sourdough, and a range of Baguette/Ciabatta and usual suspects.
Range of pastry from them is mostly fairly normative for their nicer stores.
Though, someone made yeast doughnuts and either killed the yeast or forgot the other rising agents. You've never seen flatter doughnuts.
Over in meat............a couple of Tweaks to their standard offer.
You can find Fortino's (another Loblaw chain) brand sausages. Includes typical offerings (Honey/Garlic, Italian, Chorizo ) but different are fresh (as opposed to frozen) breakfast sausage rounds. The type of product you typically
only get from Johnsonville, frozen and overly salty. I can't speak to the quality of this product, but nice to see a better looking alternative in this space.
They also have ground, (decased) Italian Sausage Meat should you wish to use it for a meat sauce or the like.
Moving on they also have a selection of Kosher and Halal meats; as well as full on Beef Shank; Osso Bucco in a tower-size form.
Decent range of lamb, Ontario meat, 3 styles of shortribs and fresh rabbit.
Deli counter is comparable to the one at MLG offering the usuals along with selection of premium salumi, Prosciutto and Serrano Ham.
Didn't see a lot in cheese that blew me away; though the selection is a bit deeper in quality product than typical for Loblaws; Good Parm was well priced at $35/kg.
In produce, pretty normative...............except............in hot peppers. One of the very few times I've seen fresh Ghost Peppers!
Finally.........they have a selection of pies that look quite decent...........can't testify {yet) whether they live up to their potential.
But they come in Tortiere, Chicken, BBQ Beef, Chicken Enchilada (Pie), and Butter Chicken.
I currently have the Tortiere and BBQ Beef in the fridge and will report back.
The rest of the store (Center store) as it's called in industry jargon is pretty much a normal Loblaws. There is a nice seating area for eating in store, otherwise nothing else report-worthy that I noted.
Overall, from a visual perspective, I think they did quite well on the 'fresh' side of the store.
I think some of the sections in centre-store where there can be and often are more premium offerings could see those better showcased and a bit more depth in sauces/condiments and good olive oil. Still decent for a big box.
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Are the pies baked in house?
Northern Light
Superstar
It doesn't say.
The first iteration of a pie program started at the MLG store and was done in house.
Then, LBL being who they are cheaped out and contracted to a third party vendor...........sales tanked and the product disappeared from most stores.
Now we have a new pie program.
Presumably not from the last vendor! If they they are true for form, it's being made in house again for now..........and in a year they will deem it too much trouble and contract it out again, LOL.
But I will actually endeavour to find out.
Curiously, while clearly already baked, they opted not to put warming instructions on it.
Which is really entirely reasonable........but has me thinking in-house.........and most vendors would put those on like a reflex. Just like, remove pie from metal tin before putting in microwave, LOL.
I always look at that and think...........why did you have to tell them?
Northern Light
Superstar
@PinkLucy
Tried the tourtiere for dinner.
The pastry on top (puff pastry) was really quite good. Not best ever, but a solid 4/5
The filling. Hmm, not at all bad, some flavour there..........for authentic tortiere, to me, there's potato which i did not detect.
I'm also keen on a bit of extra umph, usually from dried mustard, I thought it came up just a bit light in that department.
Filling 3.5/5
Would I get it again? Yes
Would I go way out of my way to get it? No, not really.
Maybe a block or 2, but not across town.
Tried the tourtiere for dinner.
The pastry on top (puff pastry) was really quite good. Not best ever, but a solid 4/5
The filling. Hmm, not at all bad, some flavour there..........for authentic tortiere, to me, there's potato which i did not detect.
I'm also keen on a bit of extra umph, usually from dried mustard, I thought it came up just a bit light in that department.
Filling 3.5/5
Would I get it again? Yes
Would I go way out of my way to get it? No, not really.
Maybe a block or 2, but not across town.
Extended family is French Canadian. There is dissension in the ranks regarding potato in tortière. There is also dissension regarding which meat / combination of meats to use. Me? My background is British, so meat pie is a whole 'nother thing from tortière 
Northern Light
Superstar
Extended family is French Canadian. There is dissension in the ranks regarding potato in tortière. There is also dissension regarding which meat / combination of meats to use. Me? My background is British, so meat pie is a whole 'nother thing from tortière
I'm 1/2 French Canadian (mom's side).
Grandma was a great cook.
And ruled w/an iron fist.
If she said there was potato.....................
****
Dad's side was Scottish.
I don't talk about that food.
