Canoe
66 Wellington St W, TD Tower
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Western
Date visited: May 2011
I've always wanted to try Canoe. This place is impossible to get reservations for Winter/Summerlicious so the bf decided to "surprise" me by taking me there for my birthday. Well, not quite surprise .. I kind of knew it was coming .. plus he asked me if going there a week later than my birthday was ok since the place was all booked up :)
Food: 4.75/5
When you come to Canoe, you order what your heart desires. And my heart (and stomach) wanted Mozzarella! I had the bufala mozzarella and the bf had woodland mushrooms. The woodland mushrooms were fantastic!! It came in a small ramekin but there was actually quite a decent portion. My cheese portion was quite large for an appetizer. It was tasty, not overpowering. I think if the portion was cut in half (and the price :)) then it would be better. I was getting sick of it near the end of it. For our mains, I ordered sturgeon and he had the deep sea char. Both came with pureed potato (his mixed with water cress, that was delish), but mine came in a an absolutely fantastic sauce! Both our fish was wonderfully cooked. The only thing I didn't like was the small chunk of braised beef my dish came with on the side. For dessert we ordered the Niagara apple cake. It was definitely something different. Not sure if I'd order it again tho.
Service: 4.25/5
Service here was great. There was a "main" waiter for your table, and other people who refill your bread and water, take away your empty plates, bring your dishes, etc. Our waiter came at sporadic times. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for 20 minutes, sometimes only a few minutes in between. My biggest gripe is the wait for our entree. Probably over an hour! Fortunately we milked our appetizers for a while.
Atmosphere: 5/5
On the 54th floor of the TD Tower, you get a spectacular view of downtown Toronto. And it being dinner, I saw the most beautiful sunset ever. Beside the CN Tower and Lake Ontario, there was this pink, half sun that was setting over Toronto. Gorgeous. There's a glass view on most parts, depending on where you're sitting. We were lucky and got the GREAT view. The seats were nice and cushy, the table was spacious and the atmosphere was great. An open kitchen lets you see what the chefs are up to. Washrooms are standard TD Tower ones.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
No where else (other than the CN Tower) can you get such a view and fantastic food. I have to admit it's quite over my budget (bf paid .. thanks hunnie .. love you), but I don't go to these kinds of restaurants that often. The total damage was over $150 for 2 people: appetizers, entrees, dessert and a beer.
Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
Everything was worth it here. Especially the view. And the food. Service is great too. Would I come back? Not every day, week or month. Maybe once a year. When I can afford it. But I can be sure that I will have a wonderful time.
Le Papillon
169 Front Street E
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): French
Date visited: March 2011
We went (read:forced him) to watch Bugs Bunny at the Symphony when it was in town. It was a great show and since we were all pretty and dressed up, decided to go somewhere nice nearby. I've always wanted to try Le Papillon out since I pass by it everyday, so we went!
Food: 4/5
I was feeling a bit extravagant and wanted an appetizer to start. Bf wasn't really feelin' it but I convinced him to get a bowl of mussels. Mmm mm whee were they good! Bf ordered the meat pie and I got the chicken crepe. We both didn't really like the meat pie but my crepe was really good! I'm sure all the crepes on the menu were good. Too bad it didn't come with waffles instead :)
Service: 3.5/5
Service here was com si come sa. Our waiter started off attentive to begin with but then he kind of lagged later on throughout our meal. But, he did top off our water right when it was hitting low. The food came out in decent time (15-20 minutes) after we ordered. Nothing special about the service.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
We got smushed in the corner of the restaurant, right near the door. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was seated in the middle of the place. I actually don't remember too much about the decor or the atmosphere. Very high ceilings and lots of floor space, that's about it. Didn't try the restrooms.
Price/Value: 3.75/5
I think if the bf's meat pie was better, I would have given this place 4+ stars on the food. The mussels were really good, as was my chicken crepe. But there was something about the meat pie that really set my rating lower .. I think it was a bit dry and lacking flavour. But overall, $15-$20 for a Francais place? Not bad. I think our total damage was $75 for 2 people.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
Nice French place to go to. Not sure if I'd go back but the crepe was really good. If we do we'd definitely order another crepe, maybe even 2! Didn't find anything particularly special or amazing that I liked, except for the mussels. But, it's a convenient, posh place to hit up if you're nearby the Sony Center.
Casa Imperial Fine Chinese Cuisine
4125 Steeles Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): ChineseDate visited: April 2011
Mom complains that we don't take her out to dim sum. So I decided to take them to Casa Imperial. We tried to go once but the wait for dim sum was ridiculously long. But this day, we went early, a little before 10 and there was lots of parking space and tables!
Food: 5/5
If this place doesn't constitute as the best dim sum ever, I don't know what does (well, with exception of the wicked place my Aunt took me to in HK. THAT was rockin 5/5 stars). Everything came on sparking white plates, beautifully arranged and mm mm good. I think we had 7 dishes. The usual .. har gow, mini bbq pork buns, fried squid, shrimp spring rolls, deep fried tofu, chicken feet, etc.
Service: 5/5
Service here is great. They pay attention to minor details, like clearing your plates should you have scraps on it; checking if your tea pots are filled up; promptly removing empty plates. There's no loud clanging of dishes like at other smaller dim sum places. Our dishes came out exceptionally fast (it's one of those places where you have to mark it down on paper), maybe 5 minutes after we ordered it.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
This place used to be an Italian restaurant, which explains the old Victorian style everything in the place. I don't like going up stairs to get to my seat, and I had to walk up a flight for our table. The decor was fancy but I wasn't particularly fond of it. Thing is, you could TELL everyone around you was a bit well off; this place wasn't cheap and you're not gonna find loud cheap people here so it was nice and relaxing. Didn't hit up the restroom but Mom heard rumours that it's haunted (boo!)
Price/Value: 4.25/5
There's no denying: this place is not cheap. But, the food and service certainly do not disappoint. I have to say this is the best dim sum place I've had in Canada. I may not be able to tell the difference between this place and something better, but I can definitely tell the difference between this place and our usual place. Surprisingly, the damage for 4 people was only $55 + tips. Quite reasonable, I would think. Dinner may be another story tho.
Overall dining experience: 4.25/5
I have to admit, damn good food and good service. Had a splendid time here with my family and I would like to go back. Not all the time, but maybe for special occasions. Good luck paying the bill for those who have their wedding here .. we saw $800-$1800/table wedding packages here ;)
An additional comment to the Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant from my post last year:We went here yesterday and ordered volcano rolls. It was DELICIOUSSSSSSSS! It is pretty much cucumber roll with a giant blob of spicy crab and tobiko on top. It's a bit pricey at around $15-16 for the maki roll (you get 8 pieces but sometimes they're really generous and give you 10, as we've found out with some other rolls). If you go here, make sure you order it, it is definitely worth the money.
Ga Bin Korean Restaurant
633 Silver Star Blvd
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): KoreanDate visited: March 2011
We had just finished a movie and it was kind of late (9:30). The places that are usually open late are asian places. We hadn't been along Silver Star Blvd for a while so we decided to hit up that area again. We narrowed it down to either Ga Bin or LemonGrass. Guess who won.
Food: 4.25/5
Since it was kind of late and we weren't absolutely starving, we ordered some soup dishes. Well first we asked for an order of steamed dumplings. This was before we were brought a set of mini appetizers that's so traditional of Korean cuisine. D'oh! I polished off the japchae instantly and we ate from most of the dishes (except for the seaweed .. I wasn't fond of it and neither was the bf). Our dumplings came .. on a plain white plate but placed eloquently. I ordered gamjatang and the bf ordered a hot and spicy soup. They came out on sizzling hot stone bowls some 10 minutes later (his looked like boiling lava .. seriously). I really enjoyed my soup. It was very flavourful and a tad spicy but there was soooo much meat I think I only ate less than half. The bf really enjoyed his soup but I found it too spicy. The portion size was good too.
Service: 3.75/5
Our waiter was nice but after we ordered he didn't come by to refill our tea (it came in tiny cups!!) except to give us our dumplings and soup.
Atmosphere: 3/5
Don't expect much decor from this place. It's pretty plain and white, with a dozen tables set up. There are 2 large tv's mounted on opposite sides of the wall. At least it was clean. OH the placemats had 'learn Korean' phrases on it. I thought that was kind of cool! There was Korean/Chinese/English translations (Korean does look a bit complicated).
Price/Value: 4.5/5
We were pretty full after our appetizer and 2 soups. Add on top the free mini appetizers they give you (about 6-7 dishes). Total damage was $22 for 2 people. Tips was $25. Pretty good for dinner.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
We were quite impressed with the soups we ordered. I remember coming here almost a year back and ordered bibimbap and bulgogi and it was good too. The server was quiet and polite and the food was decent. I didn't care too much about the decor and didn't get a chance to see the washroom. Food came promptly and the value was good. They had japchae (eeeee!!!!) so it looks like we will be coming back!!
5th Elementt506 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian, EclecticDate visited: February 2011
My coworker went here with her s.o for Valentine's day and had a wonderful time. We decided to team up and do a double date since there was a promo going on - $29.95 for a 3 course prix fix menu for 2 people!
Food: 4.5/5
For appetizer, there was choice of: Rack of Lamb (with creamy potato salad and lamb jus), Salmon Wrapped Scallops (with tomato salsa and soy glaze), Masala Fried Basa Fillet (with chipotle sauce and mint chutney), Mango & Clementine (with feta cheese and masala dressing), Potato Pappri Chaat (with yogurt mint chutney and tamarind chutney), and Vegetable Samosa Melt (with mozzarella Cheese and basil tomato sauce). I got the Vegetable Samosa and it was fab. It was wonderfully spiced, the spiciness was perfect and the portion was very generous. Bf got the seared scallops and it was good too (but not as good as mine :) )
For entree, there was choice of: Pan Grilled Atlantic Salmon (with bengali curry sauce), Kaima Stuffed Tandoori Chicken Supreme (with creamy butter chicken sauce), Braised Lamb Shank (with garam masala infused tomato lamb sauce), Baseball Steak 8 oz (with vindaloo sauce/fries), Truffle Infused Stuffed Mushroom Korma (with saag paneer and daal makhani). I got the grilled salmon and it was very tender and moist inside. sauce was a different touch but very good. I'd have to say it was one of the better tasting fish meals I've had. Bf got the steak (surprise surprise!) but he thought it was quite nicely done. Vindaloo sauce was quite the kick and I didn't have much since it pushed my heat button. Fries were very tasty (and a generous portion not to mention).
For dessert there was choice of: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Carrot Halwa with Raspberry Sorbet, and Blueberry Cheese Tart. I got the cheese tart. It was ok, didn't blow me away and I don't think I ended up finishing it because it was very rich. Bf got the peanut butter cake (surprise surprise!) and it was really sweet (maybe too sweet).
My appetizer blew me away and my entree was very delicious, so this place gets a good food standing in my books.
Service: 3.75/5
Our waiter was nice but nothing stood out about him. Didn't come by too often but we didn't need to top off our water either.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
For the four of us, we got seated in a tight fitting booth. Since it was winter time, we had our jackets and the bf and I also had a small bag with us, so stacking all of our stuff in the corner made the roominess very close. There's not much room between the table and the seat so you're quite squished. I'm a small person so I didn't have a problem, but for someone bigger, they would need to a seat at a different table. I found it VERY dark in there and it wouldn't hurt to give more light. Atmosphere was nice and casual, not too loud or mousey quiet. Didn't visit the bathrooms.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
I'm giving this a good review because of the $29.95 for 2 people deal. I don't know how much a meal like this would have cost but it's an even better deal than Winterlicious (they used to be on this I think). The food was delicious and was a good bang for your buck.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
The food was great but it was a bit dark. I didn't have to yell across the table to talk to others and that's definitely a plus. I was quite squished in the limited booth space, but if it was summer it'd be a lot easier minus the jackets taking up space. If they can repeat the food quality and if it was summer time, I'd like to come back and see what else is on their menu (or try to score another deal!)
Hopper Hut880 Ellesmere Rd
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Sri Lankan, Indian
Date visited: February 2011
So after much nagging to try some of his soul food, I convinced the bf to go to Hopper Hut for dinner. We thought it was take out only but turns out there's a dining area tucked in the back!
Food: 3.5/5
Staring at the menu was a challenge. Everything was new to me and all I could do was point to the pictures and ask "what's that? Is it good?" I wanted to try something I've never had, so no biryani. We started off with mango lassi, ulunthu vadai (a mini donut flour-y thing), cutlet (a veggie blob that tastes kind of fried?), patties (mini meat dumpling things) and a milk hopper. The hopper was quite good, and I really enjoyed the cutlet. We ordered one pittu with mutton curry and another with shrimp curry. The mutton curry was good (spicy!!!) but the shrimp not so much (the shrimp was barely warm). The pittu was an interesting new concept to me. Good but it was kind of hard to eat! Wasn't very soft. I ate with my hands the entire time! Me so proud .. :). Overall I thought the food was ok .. wasn't great (but the appetizers were yummy!). The bf on the other hand, thought the food was sub-par and did not want to return.
Service: 2.75/5
Although the people who came by our table were nice enough, their visits were infrequent and we always had to flag them down. Bf ordered in Tamil so I have no idea what was said lol.
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
The dining area was hidden away but it's actually bigger than I thought. There were maybe 10 tables, some big and some small. Our table was quite luxurious that could seat 4. Didn't use the washroom but there's a small sink area where you could just wash your hands. I thought the cutlery was quite nice.
Price/Value: 4/5
You get a pretty good bang for your buck here I guess. With all the appetizers, mango lassi's (they only charged us one but gave us two), and the 2 main pittu dishes, we paid $30. I was beyond stuffed and the 2nd pittu dish was really pushing us to the edge. If we ordered more appetizers then just the one pittu would have sufficed.
Overall dining experience: 3.25/5
So I have to give bf the upper hand here. He did not enjoy the food here. I, meanwhile, thought it was ok and wouldn't mind trying it again but I don't think that will be happening. The only problem is that we can't find other Sri Lankan restaurants that have dine in and not just take out. I guess we'll have to keep looking or else I'll just have to come get my appetizers to go.
Jean's Vegetarian Kitchen
1262 Danforth AveToronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian Chinese, Thai
Date visited: February 2011
I read a review about this restaurant in the Toronto Star a few months back and wanted to try it. It's not exactly in our usual spots of splat in the middle of downtown or in the east end so it had better be well worth the drive. Fortunately the bf was willing to try it .. yay!
Food: 3.75/5
We started off with a pumpkin soup because I heard a good review about it. And wow, was it ever good! Distinct taste of coconut (so I knew this wasn't going to be good for my health). I ordered a red curry with vegetables (mock meat options available) and the bf ordered some kind of noodle dish. The food came lightning fast .. my first thought was that the portions were TINY. I mean, the bowls they came in were small. My curry was a little more watery than I enjoy it but there was lots of veggies and tofu to go with it. Bf's dish came with an abundance of veggies but looking at it at first glance I didn't even know there were noodles hiding underneath. In fact there wasn't a lot of noodle. But at the end we were actually quite full. I guess you could say these were "normal" sized portions, compared with the insanely large portions you're usually used to. Also ordered tapioca pudding for dessert. I think it's the first time I've EVER ordered this and it was reeeeally good!
Service: 4/5
Service here was quite decent. There were 3 different people who tended to us. The first guy I think is the owner and while nice, didn't give us the super friendly vibe as the waitress who took our plates. The other guy was quite polite too. They were quick to bring us our food, drinks and the bill.
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
This place is nice and quaint. Very small, maybe a dozen small tables, if even that. I wasn't too fond of the steep staircase to go to the washroom but I have to admit that the washroom was decent (although one of the unisex stalls spewed out freezing cold water, the bf reported). Decor was nice - we sat right by the cashier and they had some cool statues. The restaurant had a clean, quaint feeling. But I found that with all the "stuff" on our table made it very cluttered - individual (oversized) plates, our dishes, water, teapot, tea cups, cutlery.
Price/Value: 3.75/5
The food was decently priced, and even tho I was full after the meal, the portion size did not settle too well. It just seemed small! We ended up paying around .. $35 for 2 people for a soup, 2 mains and dessert, which is quite reasonable.
Overall dining experience: 3.75/5
The food here was good despite the small portions. I really feel that the noodle dish could have used more noodles! I was really impressed with the soup and the tapioca pudding. We found that parking was a BIIITCH here. The closest green P (public) parking is a good 5-10 minute walk to the restaurant. The day we went was bitterly cold and we managed to squeak onto street parking. I think I'd like to give this place another chance (but, maybe when it's warmer and we can walk from the public lot!)
Queen Mother Cafe
208 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Laos, Thai
Date visited: January 2011
www.queenmothercafe.ca
So after our India Palace stint, we saw some restaurants along Queen that looked good to try out. I chowhound-ed what places were good to eat and there were some recommendations on Queen Mother Cafe. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical after looking at their menu as it contains many different ethnic foods (including pasta, roti and meat loaf??) but we gave it a shot anyways.
Food: 4.5/5
I read that the Ping Gai was fantastic. And boy I have to vouch for it. I really think it's THE best chicken I've ever had. It is unbelievably tender and it came with a really nice spinach salad. The pyramid of rice was less than appetizing and the rice pyramid of Giza remained on my plate mostly untouched. The bf got Bah Me Hang and wow were these noodles really good! The flavour of the entire dish was really good and it had a nice kick to it too. The desserts in the dessert window looked mouthwatering but we passed up on it (the portions are also HUGE. The couple beside us got a slice of cake and it was a monstrosity).
Service: 3/5
We got seated near the door .. which means that you get forgotten a lot. I had to remind the waiter for hot water 3 times. To his credit he seemed genuinely busy and was really apologetic about not getting it the time before. But it kind of sucks when you're sitting right beside a window on the coldest day of the year without hot water. He didn't come by very often but when he did he was really enthusiastic.
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
This place does have a cafe feel to it (if you're sitting more "inside"). But it was a bit dark and it was bloody cold by the window (the bf was sitting over a heating vent so his butt was nice and toasty, as I was told). I think if we had gotten a booth or somewhere further in I would have rated it a bit better.
Price/Value: 3.5/5
The food here is a touch pricier than I had hoped. My Ping Gai chicken was $17 and bf's noodle dish was $14. Granted the food was delicious but it does border on the expensive side for us. The portions were quite decent and we were pretty stuffed after our meals (no appetizers).
Overall dining experience: 3.75/5
The food was really good but it was the service and the fact that I was freezing the entire time that I had to ding points off. Unfortunately we got seated by the giant window which will obviously be colder. Waiter could have been more frequent in tending to us and remembering our drinks. However I'd like to give this place another chance. Also unfortunately, India Palace sits right across from here so when I'm eating at one of these 2 places I'll be staring out the window looking at the other place :)
India Palace
257 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian
Date visited: January 2011
So I was craving Indian food and thought we might deviate from our usual spot of Little India. There's a small cluster of Indian restaurants around the area so we decided to check out the menus of a few of them. This one caught our eye with the $2 salad lol.
Food: 4.5/5
The food was YUM. We started off with 2 salads (way too much in addition to the mains). Quite a decent sized plate of salad for $2! I don't remember what I ordered for my main but it was kind of a buttery paneer dish. By jove was it delicious! I like eating something in between butter chicken and vindaloo and this really hit the spot. The bf ended up getting a really nice spicy chicken curry and it was really good as well. The naan was hot and fresh (if you plan to order 2, order 1 at first and when you're near finishing, ask for another. Nothing beats eating piping hot naan). I had to order rice of course and you get a pretty generous portion. I ended up doggie bagging the rest of mine. The second time we went I think he got something he didn't quite like (it was too "sweet"). I ordered a masala chai and was not a fan. But my paneer did not disappoint.
Service: 4.5/5
I find that the service here is a tad better than at Little India. The waiters are a bit friendlier and are quite quick to tend to your needs.
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
India Palace has a nice Indian feel to it (I should hope so). The place is rather small (expected), but everything from the chairs to the table cloths to the colours to the dishware are very Indian like. The tables can get rather crowded with all the food you order! A table for 2 can baaaarely fit your water/beer, a plate of rice, two plates, two curries, and a basket of naan. But I guess that's just the nature of the food .. prob the same thing happens at a Chinese restaurant too where you might share dishes or have separate plates for this and that. I don't remember using the washroom but I think it is downstairs.
Price/Value: 4/5
The food here is reasonably priced (at least, compared with the other Indian places on King st). It's about $10 for a dish of curry and then another $2-3 for naan or rice. . Throw in a beer and it's about $40 for two people, which is quite reasonable. The portions look small but after you get through half of it you realize that the small little bowl of curry is more than enough.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
I really enjoyed my paneer dish (it's the only thing I get at Indian restaurants). The second time we went back I had to get it. The decor is nice and the staff are friendly. They're good at topping your water and quick to notice if something needs to be taken away from your table. We've already returned and I think we'll be returning again!
Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant
7131 Kennedy Rd, Unit #8
Markham, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Dim Sum, Vegetarian
Date visited: September 2010
We weren't in a particular veggie mood and the name DOES sound a lil weird but I saw good reviews on it on restaurantica so we decided to check it out one evening.
Food: 4.5/5
The food was mmmm so good. We ordered pancake with curry sauce (appetizer), egg noodle with white and king mushrooms, and deep fried tofu with vegetables. The pancake arrived hot and crispy and the curry sauce was delicious. A bit thicker than I liked but very good nonetheless. The egg noodle dish came next and it was fried to a great consistency. The mushrooms were good and after you mix the sauce with the noodle it ends up being a nice softer crispy taste. Wasn't out of this world but it was good. For the tofu dish I was expecting just small deep fried blocks of tofu sitting on a bed of veggies. Probably wasn't a great English translation because it turned out to be something completely different! When these things came out, I was like wow, not what I was expecting! They looked like these lightly fried tofu turds lol. But, they were amazing!! There were I think 8 of them (waaaay too many to finish in addition to our other dishes) .. ended up taking 4 home (and loving them re-heated/toasted!).
Service: 5/5
Service here was impeccable. When we came in we were seated immediately and the head waiter was extremely courteous. All the other wait staff were also very attentive and polite, catering to all our requests, even checking to see if our teapot was full without asking. Fantastic service, that's all I have to say.
Atmosphere: 5/5
The place sits outside of Market Village and I mistakenly thought it was inside. The sign is in neon pink with some green. When we walked in, it looked like a mini banquet hall. I was taken aback at how immaculate the decor was. It looked like Ginger and Onion (next door) but a lot smaller but so much nicer. Everything from the carpet to the table cloths to the chairs were very nice.
Price/Value: 4/5
The dishes here are a bit more expensive than I thought - about $10 a plate, depending on what you order. The appetizer was $4, noodle dish was $13.50 and the deep fried tofu was almost $10. But, despite the higher price tag, the service and food more than make up for it.
Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
I was very pleased with our experience here. I actually wanted to try the mock meat (which is different in Chinese cuisine than Western mock meat .. and I know what it tastes like), but the bf was a bit skeptical after having the mock meat at a Western place (yuck!). He's ok with tofu and strictly vegetables so that's what we ordered. He was very impressed with the service and the food as well. I think it's a mutual decision that we'd like to return!
Hot Mama Noi Thai on the Fly
1410 Bayly St, Unit #6A
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Thai
Date visited: September 2010
I wanted to try something different than our usual pickings on a Saturday night. I wasn't particularly craving asian food but the name caught me completely off guard and had good reviews on Restaurantica so we decided to check it out.
Food: 4.5/5
The food was fantastic! We ordered pad thai, red curry, cashews with chicken and mango chicken. The pad thai was really good (the sauce tasted a tad thick but that's ok, at least it didn't taste like ketchup like the other place). Chicken dishes were good with a healthy serving of peppers (it was a bit saucy). My favourite was the curry. It was delicious .. I think I had most of that dish haha. Everything but the pad thai came with a large lump of rice (it was put on one plate so we could share). Chef also gave us some home made chili sauce - whooo that stuff is hotttt.
Service: 4.5/5
There was next to no one there at 8pm (I guess all their business comes from lunch/take out) so we were seated immediately and our drinks were gotten promptly. The food came out quite quickly and the "waitress" came to check on us frequently. At the end, the chef (Mama Noi, I presume) came out to talk to us, and we complimented her on the great food. Talked for about 10 minutes and got to know her a bit. She was so grateful for our support, and it seems like she gets to know her customers on a personal level, which is pretty nice (and rare).
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
When we tried to find the restaurant, we actually passed by it without knowing. The place is actually sitting in what looks like a business plaza so it didn't really stick out. It's quite a small place but the chef has said that on a weekday basis it's packed at lunch. There are a handful of tables, with a buddhist shrine and a small cashier on the side. However the tables and the area are quite clean. Didn't get a chance to hit up the bathroom.
Price/Value: 4/5
Price was expected for thai dishes - around $8-10 for each dish. Some dishes don't look like a lot but at the end we were quite full. Service was great and the food was good.
Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
I don't think I've ever been at an establishment where the cook comes out to talk to the customers! It was nice that she came to talk to us, and we could sense the tremendous effort she puts into the food, as it's a small family run business. You know there's lots of love going in. Really liked this place (esp the name, hahha), we'll definitely return another time.
Pho 88 Vietnamese
325 Bamburgh Circle
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Pho, Vietnamese
Date visited: September 2010
We wanted to try some place different than our usual pho place.
Food: 4.5/5
For the four of us, we ordered a large bowl of pho, two grilled meat plates and a plate of veggies. The pho was decent, and the other dishes were pretty good (not overly salty like the other Pho place). The pork was very tender, as was the chicken. The beef was mediocre. Plate of veggies looked kind of small. Oh yea and we had a deep fried tofu appetizer - very yummy!!
Service: 4/5
Service here is snap snap. You wave your hand and once someone catches wind they're at your table before you can slurp up the last of your noodles. May not be greatest but I wasn't expecting much and they delivered decent service.
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
The arrangement of seats is for maximum capacity. When you see it packed, it looks like a cafeteria. Not pretty, but there was enough space between "aisles" to get thru. Tables were clean and it was a bit loud but there were a lot of people. Didn't get a chance to use the bathroom.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
Great deal on the food. For what we got, we ended up paying like $8/person and ended up quite satisfied (and not over salted)
Overall dining experience: 4/5
Quite satisfied with the experience. At these kinds of places I expect prompt (but not necessarily great) service, good and fast food, and Pho 88 delivered. Will come back.
Akashia
607 Kingston Rd West
Ajax, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Japanese, sushi
Date visited: August 2010
Wanted to try something new while we were in town for the afternoon.
Food: 4/5
We ordered spicy salmon roll, some other specialty rolls (spider/dragon? I don't remember), and a teriyaki beef bento box. We don't usually order bento boxes, but it was quite a steal for the amount of food you get for the price. Our meal came with soup, salad (for both of us, even tho we only ordered 1 box), I think there was a noodle appetizer too! The specialty rolls were ok, but the spicy salmon roll was quite something. Wasn't very spicy, but I could taste the freshness of it. I think it's one of best tasting and freshest salmon rolls I've ever had. I think also got green tea ice cream at the end too .. bf was ecstatic.
Service: 4/5
It's a husband/wife run shop ..I saw the husband making the sushi while the wife was tending everything else. That's when you know they put the love in it. Could have come around to refill tea more often but both were very nice.
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
It sits opposite to a busy plaza, right beside a car auto shop with parking a bit sketchy. Inside is small and quaint, with about half a dozen tables. Didn't get a chance to use the washroom but didn't even see if there was space for one!
Price/Value: 4/5
I think we walked out paying about $32, and were absolutely STUFFED. The bento box does numbers on any sized stomach and wow it was a lot of food. Probably ordered too much for lunch but can't beat the value.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
Overall, we quite liked Akashia. The food was very good, as was the service. As we were leaving, they gave us 2 coffee mugs and even a frequent eater card! (you know, buy 10 spicy salmon roll, get 1 free) Not sure how good it'll work out for them but hopefully it does. It's a bit far from us but if we're in the area again then I wouldn't mind returning.
Vietnam Noodle Star
4188 Finch Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Pho, Vietnamese
Date visited: Monthly since 2008
This place is a staple in our (me/bf, me/family) food life. Monthly, I'd say I come here at least twice.
Food: 3.75/5
I come here for the pho. You get a piping hot, decent sized portion of noodles and meat for about $6 (although, I've noticed the portion size has decreased in recent days). Sometimes when me and my groupies come here, we order non-pho dishes, like the fried rice and noodles. This is where the deductions start to kick in. Went here yesterday with bf and another couple after a movie and we weren't really feeling for pho. Our staple dish, spicy clams, was not available at 10:15pm (dang it). But you have to try it - sauce is fantastic (albeit a bit salty and the portion on it has shrunk a bit). Ordered some fried rice, beef noodle dish, chinese lettuce and sweet and sour pork. Everything was overly salty. Even the vegetables! We've done this a few times now and it's not the first time we've noticed the extra-saltiness. I guess we don't learn. Most of the other stuff isn't that bad .. the pork was good and we've tried some of the "main course" dishes before - the "steak" is actually pretty tender.
Service: 3.75/5
Although this is a sit down restaurant, food FLIES around quickly. And what that means is snappy service. You won't see the waitresses check on you. But once your arm hits the air to beckon them, they're on you like flies, ready to get what you need. Service may not the friendliest, but it's snappy and efficient (there's always one waitress who always smiles and always asks how we are - we make sure we tip well).
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
This place is pretty simple - lots of tables and a few "palm" trees spread along an aisle. Floor is a bit slippery so watch out. There are 2 doors to get in/out, but in the winter times, sit away from the door as the coldness comes in! Bathrooms are mediocre but usually clean.
Price/Value: 4/5
If you're ordering just pho, this is the only place I would ever eat at. Like I mentioned before, you get a decent sized portion of noodles and meat for $5-6 + tax/tips. Order anything else and things can get a bit pricey.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
The main reason I give it 4/5 is because we primarily come here for a quick pho meal. The pho is hot and the noodles and meat are always consistently good. Service is quick and you can probably have a quick meal in 10 min (assuming you can get a seat at the busy hours!). I think we'll always be regulars at this place .. they know us too well.
Ali Baba Kabob House
1801 Lawrence Ave E
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Afghan
Date visited: August 2010
After Amy's wedding service, we had some time to kill before the dinner reception. It was a bit after lunch but both me and the bf had breakfast a few hours ago and were getting hungry. I was feeling like falafels and the bf wanted meat (shwarma) and this place had good reviews on restaurantica so we decided to check it out
Food: 5/5
So, let's get this straight. I asked and they don't serve falafels or shwarma. I don't know where the restaurantica poster gets a "falafel sandwich" from because I didn't get one!! Anyways we sat down and checked out the menu. Everything kind of looks the same to me .. I realized this wasn't a shwarma place but rather an Afghani little restaurant. Kind of scared by the ~$10 prices, we ordered one kofta kabob dinner (even tho it was lunch) for the both of us, and assumed we'd grab a snack after somewhere else. The guy was really nice and went away with our order. Within minutes a fresh green salad appeared along with some spicy sauce and "complimentary" bread/naan. This was one of the FRESHEST salads I have ever had eating out. It wasn't smothered in dressing but rather lightly dressed, which was exactly what we wanted. Great salad. Yes, salad. A minute after the salad arrived our main arrived - a giant plate of yellow and white basmati rice with two huge kofta kabobs. For those who don't know, kofta is .. middle eastern "meatloaf" or meatballs. Kabobs, if you will. I took one bite out of the kabob and instantly heaved a large portion onto my plate - it was absolutely delicious. Tender, juicy and well spiced. The rice was also very yummy as well.
Service: 3.75/5
This place is a little family run business. We were greeted by a man when we entered and he politely offered the menus. When I asked if there were lunch portions, he referred to the signs outside that advertised lunch specials that were only for take out but would give it to us for the same price sitting down (we were the only ones in the place). He wasn't outstanding, but he was quiet and nice. Didn't expect a lot but wasn't disappointed.
Atmosphere: 4/5
This was a quaint little restaurant situated in plaza surrounded by other brown stores. The place was clean and had maybe a dozen small tables. The good thing was that the chairs and tables weren't rickety! A bit bare but by no means bad (I actually don't remember too much of the decor). It was just very simple. Didn't visit the washroom (if there was one)
Price/Value: 4/5
The bill came up to ~$10 for two people. We were stuffed. We're both average sized portion eaters so it was quite filling for us. We left a hefty tip. The lunch special was probably the same thing but without a pop and salad, and that was going for maybe $7. I'd still say it's a good deal considering the rice and meat portions are pretty generous.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
I was disappointed I didn't get to eat my falafels but was quite surprised at how yummy afghani food was. I had never experienced it before and was really glad that I was able to stumble into this small place and have such a delicious meal. I was blown away by the kabob and rice. We'll definitely be returning to this place when we're in the neighbourhood .. keep up the good cooking!
Saravanaa Bhavan
1571 Sandhurst Circle, Unit 153
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian, Southern Indian
Date visited: May 2010
http://www.saravanaabhavan.ca
For the bf's birthday, his sister and bro-in-law wanted to take him to out to dinner. I was invited, so trying out South Indian was something new than the usual "Indian" food
Food: 4/5
I like to try vegetarian food. I'm not always craving meat so this was a nice change of pace. I had no idea what dosa's are until that day. We ordered 2 dosa's (masala and something else), a stuffed paratha (or maybe it was a utthappam?), and two marriages made in heaven, paneer biryani!! (oh, how I love paneer). When the dosa's arrived, I didn't expect it to be such a giant serving. It looked like giant edible construction paper folded up with little curries/sauces on the indented dishes. They were very good! My paneer biryani was delicious (but very spicy). We ordered a few mango lassi's and they were quite well done too - nice and thick, tasting the yogurt.
Service: 3.5/5
Service here was good. It wasn't extraordinary but it was good - the waiters/waitresses came by promptly to take our order, to top off our water, to give us more napkins.
Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant sits in a plaza, and one side is completely glass. It's got a very nice view outside (of the parking lot), but the openness of it gives it a nice feel. The decor was nice and simple, and the tables and atmosphere felt very clean. Because everything is eaten with your hands (and the food is very hot!), they have conveniently placed a hand washing station in the corner. It consists of two small sinks with nice faucets, soap and paper towels. Very simple and well designed and placed.
Price/Value: 4/5
This was a decently priced restaurant, with mains going at around $8-$13. They offer a great variety of dishes, and take-out options are available.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
I enjoyed eating at this restaurant. The openness and cleanliness of the place instantly gives you a relaxed feeling, and you might spend up to 10 minutes looking at the menu as I did, debating on all the choices (many of the menu items were new to me, that's probably why). The hand-washing station was a nice and smart touch to the dining area. The food was great and I think I'd return for another visit!
Vegetarian Haven
17 Baldwin St
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian
Date visited: May 2010
http://www.vegetarianhaven.com
For my birthday, I wanted to try something different .. something healthy .. something vegetarian? Sure, why not! I dragged the bf and Ewie here (Peter couldn't make it).
Food: 2.5-3/5
I was excited to try the tofu drumsticks .. they looked really good on the menu and actually tasted pretty good. For mains, I ordered Mushroom Tofu in clay pot; bf ordered sizzling seitan in black pepper sauce; Ewie ordered Singapore pad thai I think. My food was very good .. I really liked the mushrooms and tofu and the rice and sauce were good. Unfortunately, that was all that we found good. Bf's "meat" didn't taste as good as the sampler looked - I think it was the texture that really threw me off .. I couldn't stomach more than a few bites of it; I don't know how he ate 3/4 of it! Ewie's noodles were really heavily spiced with .. spice? I can't remember what exactly it was but it gave a really strong unpleasant taste to the noodles - she didn't finish it either.
Service: 4.5/5
The service here was fab. The waiters/waitresses were very jubilant and happy to point out suggestions and cater to questions. They were there to to off water. I think the main difference you'll find is that they actually enjoy serving people vegetarian food. I don't remember the bathrooms but from what I do remember is that it was clean (there's a small little lip of a curb that I tripped over, tho).
Atmosphere: 4/5
I think the clientele here is different than what you might find at a regular chain restaurant. It's a long cozy corridor with tables tightly packed. You hear light chatter from all around but it's not overwhelmingly loud or pitch quiet. The decor was quite simple and nice.
Price/Value: 3.5/5
Most people expect that meat-less food would cost less, but not so here! Prices range at around $9-$13 for a main. However, I didn't expect $6 meals either .. I think it's actually decently priced for organic, meat-less meals with a twist.
Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
I think the biggest thing here was the fact that we didn't find the food very appetizing. My vegetarian coworker really likes this place, and my friends being quiet carnivorous didn't find the food very tasty. Food aside, the service was very good as was the decor. The great thing about this place is that you don't find "normal" vegetarian options on the menu - most of the things on the menu are things I've never heard of, and that's what drew me to this place. It wasn't just "veggie burger", or "salad", but meals with an exotic twist. I don't think we'd return, but if you're a vegetarian, I would suggest this restaurant.
Tandoori House
4862 Yonge St
North York, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian
Date visited: June 2010
http://www.tandoorihouse.ca
So one day Dile found a deal on teamclick - $15 for $40 of food at Tandoori House. Being the Indian food nuts that we are, 5 of us went to scarf down some Indian food.
Food: 4/5
For starters, we got veggie pakoras. One order was only 4 so we got 2 orders. Expecting spiky little fritters, I was a bit surprised when the pakoras came. They looked more like pancakes. After one taste, it didn't matter what they looked like - they were pretty good! And not very greasy, to add. A few of us got mango lassi's - also very good. It was a bit thick and you could taste the yogurt - yummy! For entrees we got lamb palak (very flavourful), mutter paneer (mmm paneer), shrimp vindaloo (whooo it's got some heat), butter chicken (classic) and .. some other chicken dish lol. The rice and naan were good too.
Service: 3.5/5
Service was good. The woman tending to us at the beginning was nice - she was prompt to check on us with our orders, topping off our water and what not. It wasn't out of this world service but it was good enough so that you didn't have to keep beckoning them.
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
The decor at this place is kind of drab. The tables are spacious so that you're not bumping elbows and chairs like you might find at Little India. But the wallpaper and booth cloth fabric looks very outdated and generally old. Five seconds into my visit into the bathroom and I was dying to get out. Out of two stalls, only one had a working lock. It was a very cramped space, with the toilets looking rather old, yellow and stained. Fortunately there was warm water, soap and paper towels (although, still on the roll just sitting on the counter). At least the upstairs was better than the washrooms.
Price/Value: 4/5
It was very average-priced at this restaurant; around $10-13 for a main and rice/naan being a few dollars. I guess the main reason it seemed quite good was because of our teamclick coupon. We ended up paying $16 per person with tax/tips included. Had we not had it, it probably would have came up to around $26. At the end of the dinner, we had 4 dishes and some rice to pack home!
Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
It probably depends from person to person, but Indian food tastes mostly the same to me. I've had so much paneer that it tastes the same everywhere, as does the butter chicken, naan and basmati rice. I like trying new places and this place was good. I should stress that it wouldn't be my first choice .. but I'd be willing to come back.
The Roti Hut
351 Pitfield Rd
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): West Indian
Date visited: June 2010
We've been to Roti Hut before, and after finding out the place I wanted to go to was closed, we opted for something different than our usual Asian choices.
Food: 4/5
We ordered a goat roti and beef with rice (after standing in line for a good 5 minutes figuring out what was what). The portion was very generous - the rice covered the entire plate, with curry beef spilling out on top while the roti was a giant lump wrapped around goat meat sitting in the middle of the plate. Both meats were very tender (I thought I recalled once the beef was a bit chewy last time I came but I think my memory is failing me). The rice grains are larger than what I'm used to but were good; the roti was a good consistency, but I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more sauce in the roti lump as it was getting a bit dry at the end.
Service: 3.5/5
Service is hard to determine at this place. The layout of the restaurant is fashioned so that there's a "front" area where you can get in line to order your food at single counter, much like a fast food place. However, you can opt to dine in as there is a wonderful seating area. The only time you really deal with "service" is when you're ordering, and since most of the patrons opt for take-out, that's about it. But if you choose dine-in, you just grab a seat and they'll bring the food out to you. So there is little service interaction here .. the cashier looked a bit bored (well, that's kind of expected) but was nice.
Atmosphere: 5/5
I love the dine-in area. It's quite spacious, with maybe a dozen tables. It's very simple, with well chosen decor and furniture that goes very well together. The tables are nice, as are the chairs - cushioned and well fashioned - not cheap like you'd find at a diner or any other fast food place. All the tables are nice and clean with a simple (fake) flower pot in the middle. The tiles also give it a clean and "uppity" feel and match everything else (the blinds are nice too, I have to mention). There is a sink equipped with soap and paper towels right by the dining area, should you need to rinse your hands before or after your meal. The washrooms are single-use but are actually quite nice - you notice it again in the tiling and sink/faucet.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
For $7-$8, you get a pretty big portioned meal (add another buck if you want a drink). If you opt to sit down, you don't even have to tip because you're not being served! You get the benefit of a nice dining area and nice sinks to wash your hands! For lunch, some people might find this a bit pricey but there are cheaper options on the menu should you want something else. For dinner, I think you get a pretty good bang for your buck at under $10 a person.
Overall dining experience: 4/5
Although the roti was a bit dry at the end of my meal due to the lack of sauce/curry, everything else seemed to set a positive tone with this establishment, especially the decor to the bathrooms to the good food. Next time I'd like to try the paratha roti with channa :)
