Timbers, London

Our friends in London, Ontario, suggested this place to us for supper one night – on the 17th November. It had been recommended to them by colleagues who know London better than they do. The Timbers steakhouse restaurant nestles within the Radisson hotel complex in Wellington Street, London.
Canada is a confusing place for a visitor from the UK, especially from Scotland, like me, as familiar names of places appear all over the place in a juxtaposed way. Hence London or close-by Hamilton and so on... Canada should consider adopting a policy of giving the names of these localities in native Indian alongside their New World names just as Scotland did some years back with its bilingual policy of making place names on signs in both Gaelic and English.
Timbers is so called because of the design of the interior that allows large beams of timber placed in a robust and decorative fashion to appear part of the roof-supporting structures. The ambience is decidedly New Worldish! The atmosphere evoked from the lighting style is quite dark but restive.
We were brought menus by a very civil and friendly lady, civility being a feature that was emerging as a pattern in Canada. We decided upon a carafe of a Santa Carolina Chilean dry white, a good and reliable plonk. While the group opted for calimari as a starter, I, not being a seafood man, selected some lemon chicken soup which was good although being a Scot I do like my soup piping hot.
Timbers is the kind of restaurant I like in that you have ample time to enjoy a glass of wine before your main course arrives; it’s unhurried and laid back but not what I would call slow.
Since it is a steak, or chop, house I decided upon a sirloin steak, medium cooked, with fries and vegetables. The meal was delicious. My partner who had indulged in the calamari along with the rest of the group had seafood linguini for main course which she thought was also delicious. We shared a sumptuous ice-cream dessert.
Once again in Canada I was impressed with the civility and friendliness of the waiting staff. They seem to have more highly developed interpersonal skills than what I am typically accustomed to in Scotland: the ability to probe that bit deeper out of inquisitiveness and genuine interest without being intrusive or rude.
Equating the Canadian dollar to the pound Sterling I would say that the bill was very reasonable considering the quality of the food, service and environmental ambience. We would certainly eat there again.