Come savor a yummy dish at The Explorers Cafe. They are open after-hours from Tuesday to Sunday. The surrounding location is memorable for its parks. Payments by American Express, MasterCard and Visa are recognized.
Starters, Salads & Soups MENU - The Explorers Cafe
Soup du Jour
Ask your server for today's exploration...
$7.00
House Salad
Fresh garden greens tossed with a choice of house dressings topped with tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrot and cabbage.
$7.00
Rhub' of the Brie
Warm brie wheel topped with a tart and spicy rhubarb chili sauce and nuts. Served with pita points, perfect for sharing.
$12.00
Watermelon Salad
Fresh juicy watermelon chunks with salty feta, dill, cucumber, red onion and frise, tossed in a citrus tarragon dressing and sprinkled with slivered almonds.
$9.00
Torpedo
Grilled squid stuffed with Mexican chorizo sausage and queso fresco, on a corn tortilla, topped with a charred tomato and poblano pepper sauce.
$9.00
The Minnow Bucket
A bucket-full of freshwater smelts, seasoned, dredged and deep-fried to supercrisp, served with coleslaw and a cider vinegar aioli.
$9.00
Sardinhas a la plancha
Spanish-style grilled whole sardines, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt and parsley. Yummy, sustainable and good fer ya too!
$11.00
Beef Carpaccio
Certified Angus Beef tenderloin sliced thin and rare on a bed of greens with fried capers, truffle oil and a Dijon aioli. Served with grilled bread.
$11.00
Asian Candied Pork Potstickers
Red roast pork stuffed into wonton wrappers and fried, served with a sweet ginger soy dipping sauce and Sriracha chili paste on the side. Order 7 or 17 bite-sized pieces.
$9.00
$16.00
Kafta Kubedeh
Ground lamb kebabs with aromatic spices and herbs, served with a broiled tomato and raita.
$12.00
Nibbles 'n Bits
A selection of cheeses, meats, pickles, and preserves. Served with grilled bread, great for sharing!
$19.00
Main Courses MENU - The Explorers Cafe
Rabbit Pappardelle
Braised local rabbit with handmade pappardelle pasta in a dijon mustard, rosé wine, orange zest and cream sauce, topped with grated parmigiano reggiano.
$25.00
Big Kahuna Tuna
Sustainable Albacore tuna loin, seared and sliced and served rare with a fresh tropical salsa, refried beans and rice.
$28.00
BBQ Egyptian Chicken
Buttermilk, dill and preserved lemon marinated chicken supreme with a sweet and hot chutney.
$22.00
Orange County Chopper
Blackened cowboy-cut pork loin with our sweet and spicy orange death sauce.
$25.00
Can-Con (Canard Confit)
Local duck legs (1 or 2), brined and slow-poached in liquid gold (duck fat), served with roasted potatoes and a Wahta cranberry gastrique.
$21.00
$28.00
Argentine Style Steak
El monstro! A huge, lean cut, striploin steak, grilled to order, with chimichurri and grilled portobello mushroom on caramelized onion mashed Lafontaine potatoes.
$30.00
Duxelles Deluxe
Juicy beef tenderloin, grilled to your liking, and topped with a mushroom and 'Bulbs of Fire' smoked garlic duxelles compound butter, on caramelized onion mashed Lafontaine potatoes.
$30.00
A Passage through India
A culinary road-trip through the great sub-continent (and other hot places). Ask your server for our authentic 'curry of the day', served with basmati rice, naan and raita. Vegetarian curry always available.
V
$18.00M
$23.00
Singapore Noodle
A magical blend of Indian and Indonesian flavours with either egg or rice noodles and your choice of chicken, beef or tofu. Served with a side salad or grilled vegetables.
Bowl
$19.00
The 100-mile Meal
Pan-roasted Georgian Bay Whitefish coated in crushed sunflower seeds, with a shitake mushroom and spinach sauce on caramelized onion mashed Lafontaine potatoes.
$24.00
Maple Chipotle Salmon
Wild-caught Pacific sockeye salmon filet, with a fiery chipotle maple syrup glaze and a zingy lemon aioli, atop basmati rice.
$24.00
Li'l Explorers Menu MENU - The Explorers Cafe
Pizza and Salad
A made-to-order pita pizza topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni (or not). Served with salad or fries and crunchy fresh veggies.
$8.00
Grilled Chicken Tenders
Not breaded and deep-fried, boneless, skinless breast meat served with salad or french fries and crunchy fresh veggies.
$8.00
Pasta with Tomato or Butter
Tangy tomato sauce or simply butter, topped with parmigiano reggiano and served with fresh crunchy veggies.
$6.00
Fish 'n Fries
Pan-fried Atlantic cod with french fries or salad, and, you guessed it, crunchy fresh veggies!
$7.00
Burger
Certified Angus Beef burger on a sesame seed bun with cheese or without, served with salad or french fries and crudité (that's French for crunchy veggies).
$9.00
Lunch Menu MENU - The Explorers Cafe
Soup du Jour
Ask your server for today's exploration...
$7.00
House Salad
Fresh garden greens tossed with a choice of house dressings topped with tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrot and cabbage.
$7.00
Soup 'n Salad
Can't decide? Have them both.
$12.00
The Minnow Bucket
A bucket-full of freshwater smelts, seasoned, dredged and deep-fried to supercrisp, served with coleslaw and a cider vinegar aioli.
$9.00
Rhub' of the Brie
Warm brie wheel topped with a tart and spicy rhubarb chili sauce and nuts. Served with pita points, perfect for sharing.
$12.00
Watermelon Salad
Fresh juicy watermelon chunks with salty feta, dill, cucumber, red onion and frise, tossed in a citrus tarragon dressing and sprinkled with slivered almonds.
$9.00
The Biggun'
Two (2!) Certified Angus Beef patties, our own special sauce, lettuce, cheddar cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun. Served with salad or fries.
$13.00
Blackened Whitefish Po'Boy
Pan-blackened whitefish sandwich topped with a bacon mustard pickle, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a toasted panini. Served with fries or salad.
$13.00
The Pull
Our famous potsticker pork piled on a panini with a sweet ginger soy dipping sauce and Sriracha chili paste on the side. Served with fries or salad.
$12.00
Singapore Noodle
A magical blend of Indian and Indonesian flavours with either egg or rice noodles and your choice of chicken, beef or tofu.
Bowl
$13.00
Burrito
A flour tortilla stuffed with braised TVP, beans and rice, corn and sweet peppers, grilled and served with your choice of salad or fries.
$12.00
A Passage through India
A culinary road-trip through the great sub-continent (and other hot places). Ask your server for our authentic 'curry of the day', served with naan, raita and salad. Vegetarian curry always available.
V
$12.00M
$16.00
Nibbles 'n Bits
A selection of cheeses, meats, pickles, and preserves. Served with grilled bread, great for sharing!
The explorers cafe is the highest rated restaurant in the entire area having recently received the very rare rating of 2 gold stars in Canads food guide. It's relaxed atmosphere and high quality food with international influences make it an absolutely wonderful place to eat for any occassion.
We had heard about this restaurant as it comes highly recommended from the locals. It has also been recognized as one of the top places to dine in Ontario. We were pumped up to try this restaurant and so we made reservations and arrived. We were greeted by a lovely hostess who took us to our table. The menu was elegant and creative. Every single one of our meals was laced with multiple flavors. I had the Argentine steak and my husband had the New Zealand Savory pie. We were so impressed and we are picky diners and admittedly sometimes hard to please. We have already recommended it to another couple and they also came back with rave reviews. This will be our new favorite place. Service and atmosphere of this restaurant far exceeded our expectations. We totally get why they were top rated!
The star attraction of Midland, Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons closes weekends after Oct 15th....It was Saturday and I was wrong...the parking lot was empty. After a tour of the Wye Marsh we needed something else that was really interesting to do. Yes, discovering The Explorerer Cafe took me away to a world of sharks, penguins, the arctic, tall ships and a wine list which would satisfy any conoisseur. Suddenly, with a delicioius meal in front of me (except the white bun of the Pan Bagna could be improved) Iand live drum music...this was the place to be on a Saturday afternoon. Genuine, orignal and totally cool!
If you have never been to The Explorer Cafe, then you need to go now. At least call now and make a reservation. Seriously. Make sure to find their website and check out the online menu...If it has been too long, I start having dreams about their maple chipotle salmon w/lemon garlic aioli...they won't let us post links here so, sorry you have to find their website yourself, shouldn't be too hard...once you see the menu, you'll be calling for a reservation! They also offer vegan options...I hear they are good! Top Notch Food with a Big Nod to locally harvested choices!
The first thing that hit me when I walked in was...
The first thing that hit me when I walked in was a giant carved shark above the bar. Looked a bit bizarre at first, but after a while you realise it works. The decor is just right, enough explorer type artifacts to set a mood without becoming a flea market. The Tom Ka Gai is described on the menu as 'Thai curry coconut broth with shrimp chicken, fish and potato.' In my experience curry is something that can too easily be over or underdone, but this seemed right to me, it won't burn your throat or leave you wondering if they were skimping on the powder. The overall dish is excellent, but I will leave it to more experienced diners to determine whether the portion size was good value for the money, $8. I was happy with it. Normally bread comes on the side but I declined as I have some minor allergy issues with flour and I wasn't about to take a chance. Waiter/barman was attentive without being intrusive, wish I had got his name. No local brews, but the Neustadt is an old favourite of mine so that was welcome.
