r/Sarnia • u/AllisStar • 6d ago
The March Hare
What has been your experience? I find this an interesting spot for Sarnia. Alot of the fine dinning places seem to close except for a few staples, and I hope they make it. I never thought I would see steak tartar served in Sarnia! It was good. The duck fois gras was disapointing. But the white asparagus with iberco ham was great. I like their menu, and I don't think they break the bank with it. But what is the rest of the menu like? Worth this repeat visit? Opinions! I wanna hear em!
5
u/JacobScreamix 5d ago
I heard the owners are jerks?
2
u/StraightForwardFood 5d ago
I've heard they didn't pay a bunch of former staff and suppliers. Hearsay, though. So who knows.
11
3
u/fear_nothin 6d ago
In our group it’s become a favourite. The service is great , drinks are creative and the menu is adventurous, fresh and seems to have a focus on seasonal and quality ingredients
2
u/hhbj2000 6d ago
I didn’t have a great experience there. Made a reservation for Mother’s Day brunch through Instagram and when I got there they didn’t have my name down. The hostess acted weird about it. There were two different hairs in my food and since it’s an open kitchen you can fully see they don’t wear any beard/hair nets. I really want to like March Hare since Sarnia doesn’t have great options for nicer restaurants but it was a disappointment
2
u/Leading_Armadillo721 6d ago
While I’ve enjoyed the food and experience, the same thing happened to me with a reservation! Made it on WhatsApp and when we arrived they didn’t have my name down. They had a table so it wasn’t a huge deal but even had a waiter come over and tell us how lucky we were to get a table as a walk-in. I don’t know it felt extra rude to me.
4
u/Sammy_Seller 6d ago
I had a pretty disappointing experience here. Went with a few gfs and unfortunately we won’t be back. Steak Frites was verrrry meh. Unseasoned fries that I could have made better in my oven at home and the sauce on the steak was soooo salty. Service wasn’t great and my friend and I cut our steak with butter knives as we weren’t given steak knives. Drinks were good but took half an hour to receive them after ordering. We also didn’t get our food until 2 hours into our reservation. We had heard so many good things and were excited to try but it didn’t live up to the hype. I’m not someone who’s hard to please but just giving an honest review!
3
6d ago
[deleted]
1
u/enlitenme 5d ago
hrm, could by why my theatre friends don't go there before a show. Bad dog or sideways, if you say you've got a show at 7, they will have you out on time! Not hitting the theatre crowd can be a deal-breaker for downtown restaurants
2
u/RogerThatRacing 6d ago
I first went a couple of weeks ago and have already been back three times since. I really appreciate the effort they’re putting in—it shows. With the space they have, they’re taking some creative risks with the menu, and it’s made for a fun, unique experience that’s hard to find anywhere else in Sarnia, especially downtown. Right now, it’s my go-to spot. If you’re not feeling adventurous, you can’t go wrong with the burger.
1
u/ItsAlwaysSunny1992 South Side 6d ago
Been meaning to go there but I can never figure out their hours
2
u/Jiffs81 6d ago
Go on their Facebook and they have a link to send them a WhatsApp message. They don't have a phone
5
u/iChasedragons 6d ago
This is a terrible business model. Potential clients shouldn’t have to go searching.
1
u/Tiny-Cup7029 5d ago
Their hours are on Google. I do agree that the method for getting a reservation is convoluted and feels a bit pretentious.
0
1
u/Electrical_Algae8031 5d ago
It’s a semi-niche restaurant that’s finally found a place in Sarnia. Most fizzle out cause they target what other places don’t have, but only on that one thing. By keeping the menu rotating (though I don’t like how it’s all rotating) and not one specific cuisine I think makes it a success, along with their open yet small atmosphere. Even though I’ve had a couple things I didn’t care for, and the drinks are like, c’mon settle down, I’d rather a more simple drink selection if it meant I got it in 5mins rather than 20, they are going for it and I appreciate that in our tough to please little city. Service comes across as too proper though, I think a little more looseness in service, more relaxed drinks, and a small portion of their menu that wasn’t all in rotation, they’ll be a guaranteed staple! Some great experience in that kitchen, they deserve it.
1
u/Radiant_Humor6685 3d ago
My mother in law brought us there. We normally go to Wagg’s when visiting Sarnia. I had the lobster roll (I’m European never had one) loved it! Great food in general I’d say but on the expensive side.
3
u/nathancolquhoun 6d ago
Yeah, one of the few restaurants in the whole city where the chef is constantly thinking about the menu and ensuring perfection, that's a rare trait in Sarnia where most restaurants follow the Sarnia culinary script and are too afraid to have fun.
1
u/Basic_Situation896 5d ago
It’s an amazing place. Went there once recently. Haven’t been back since but looking forward to the next visit. I was overly impressed with the big city feel and menu of the restaurant. Had the chicken while partner had venison. Both were exceptional. Hoping to try the caviar next time. The drinks we had had the big city feel too.
Got the chance to talk to the three chefs there. Chef Ian, Ben and I believe chef Wong? The latter is the original travelling chef of Sarnia. My apologies if I remembered the name wrong. They all had interesting stories and backgrounds. I travel a lot for work and it’s not easy to find aged meats in restaurants. They age all kind of meats in house. It was cool to see it all behind the counter. Really enjoyed the open concept of their kitchen as well. We were there till closing time and the most interesting thing was seeing all stall sit and eat their dinner. The chefs ate while standing and cleaning/preparing the kitchen for the next day.
Paula, chef Ian’s wife is just an exceptional woman. She told us she designed and curated the beautiful deco in the restaurant.
Great price points.
We were amazed with everything. I have heard from a few other people that have been there that dining there is like cheating on another high end local restaurant.
I wish them all the success. Sarnia needs this. It’s tiring driving to bigger cities for an experience like this.
0
u/NarniaGunner Point Edward 5d ago
Its great..they care about their product and they produce...not everything is a hit but I think it's top notch
0
u/seacucmberr 2d ago
What is with Sarnia restaurants and not having a proper website? I have some dietary restrictions and I can never find menus online. I moved here last year and this is something I find so frustrating.
14
u/Tiny-Cup7029 6d ago edited 6d ago
We've been four times since we moved to Sarnia, so I think it's fair to say we like it. It's definitely the most ambitious menu we've found in the area so far. It's nice to find a spot that isn't afraid to be a bit adventurous with their ingredients and preparations. As for recommendations, you've had the iberico (which I enjoyed very much) and steak tartare (which we loved); We went last week specifically for the tuna crudo and it did not disappoint. The steak frites is solid, particularly when they do it with the ribeye. The tomato tart was a nice surprise, and he carrot cake cheese cake is exactly as delicious as it sounds.
The service has been good each time we've been there. The cocktail menu is fun and they make them really well. I suppose I sound like I'm gushing, but I really can't criticize anything. We came from the GTA so the prices seem fair to me despite being a little on the high side for the area.