TRAVEL: London, ON: Raja

Location:

428 Clarence Street, London

www.rajafinedining.ca

Had a family anniversary celebration here.  The space is up-scale and elegant and nicely done up for large groups, such as us.

The service on the other hand, could use some tweaking.  Although it wasn't busy, our server took a while to come over.  Then he failed to correctly explain the lunch specials to us so that when we ended up ordering the lunch specials, thinking they were smaller dinner portions, we were surprised to find they really couldn't be shared at all as there was barely enough for one!

Only then were we told  that the lunch specials were "individual" portions not to be shared and that each special came with a side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.  Something we wouldn't have ordered had we understood the server.  They were also overly intrusive with the "How are you enjoying your meal?", "Can I take this away?" stuff.

As it is, I'm sure you'll agree it's the most annoying thing EVER, to have a server ask how your meal is WHILST your mouth is full of your very FIRST bite, forcing you to respond..."ITSFSFIIEN".

The papad chutneys were beautifully arranged.



The onion bhajis were lovely.



The side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.



I disliked that all the meat dishes were served with side salads, as well.  I find it so unappealing when Indian restaurants do that.  Pickled carrots and onions are much more appropriate and flavourful when eaten together.




Variety of naans and breads.


The other curries (not part of the lunch special)









Altogether, the flavours were good, but the portions were far too small for the cost of them ($15-20) and the service could be better.

Amaya Express

Location:

1574 Bayview Avenue, Toronto

The "real" Amaya was closed for lunch and only opened at 5pm so we went express!

Looking like a somewhat modern-retro (isn't that an oxymoron?) cafeteria, we were the only group sitting inside the restaurant; the rest were outdoors on the patio.  We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! Our server was quick to take our orders and ORDER WE DID!

Spicy Fries:

Mango Lassi:

Lamb Biryani

Sweet and Sour Eggplant

.

Malai Fish

Chicken Vindaloo

Amaya Prawns

Roti

Naan

I was in the company of like-minded gourmands (including A&M who we met back in my "SAD" King review) and we all agreed that the dishes were excellent in flavour and presentation.  Those spicy fries were a highlight and are only superseded by the ones had at Haldirams in Delhi!

JUMP!

Location:

18 Wellington Street West, Toronto

www.oliverbonacini.com


Where do you go when all the kitchens around the Fairmont Royal York (including the Fairmont) are closed?  JUMP! That's where.

A hotspot for the Bay Street crowd, and quite hidden on Wellington, within the Commerce Court building, it was just the place for us to grab a late night bite (and by late night, I'm talking only 10pm - shame on you, Toronto).

What a great find!  It was the perfect setting for a celebratory dinner, as we scored a quiet corner in a separate dining area away from the noisy crowd, and received the full attention of our rather surly-faced but competent server.

Interior

We were presented with the late-night menu, which was still quite extensive, but it didn't take long for us to decide on the duck poutine and crab cakes.  Nom nom nom!

The appies

Crab Cakes

I still dream about that Duck Confit and Maple Smoked Cheddar Poutine $7.95 (Yukon Gold, sweet potato fries and cranberry gravy) - it was divine.

Chicken

Hot Smoked Chicken Breast - cheddar scallopped potatoes and grilled asparagus $26.50. Blander than the poutine, but still good.

I can't recall what the dessert was exactly, but it was miniature and chocolatey and just the perfect amount of dessert.

Dessert

Jump is another one of Oliver & Bonacini's pets and it was a nice surprise especially in that area.  It's certainly better than the overrated Beer Bistro.

Jump!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas filled with lots of good eats and treats.

I hope to have some time to bake this xmas...perhaps some zucchini chocolate orange cake?

Foodhogger is off for the holidays but will be back in 2010 with loads more reviews and recipes!

Pho Ai My

Location:

221 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

#73

#58

I can't remember the last number.....but these were our numbers (a consistent order amongst a few of my fellow diners).

Mine (#73) was the vermicelli with chicken & spring roll dish (what I always order at Vietnamese restos):



And while we were all in agreement that the new (flat, melamine-esque) plates they're serving in are boring, we were all in favour of the taste (um....of the food, not the plate).

#58, the vermicelli with pork...



And #?, the beef vermicelli with lemon grass



It's clean and minimalist...it's the one with the indecipherable white sign outside; the "white place" we call it (with zero partiality).

It's been decided, we like this place.

Foodhoggering

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Québec City: D'Orsay Pub

Location:

65 rue de Buade, Québec City

Cost: $60 for two

www.restaurantpubdorsay.com

Bonjour tout le monde!

I must admit, my French is atrocious, but by the end of our Quebec City trip I was readily throwing out "bonjours" and "mercis", not to mention fully formed-sentences, at my husband, at least.

But enough of the French lessons, let's go back to the beginning.

By the time I landed in Quebec City it was past 9pm and then past 10:30 by the time we got to our hotel and were ready to go out to eat. We then realized that almost all the kitchens around the Chateau Frontenac were closed.

Finally, we were directed down a side street and then just around the corner we saw it. The D'Orsay Pub. Which was one of the restaurants on my list to try!



We were quickly seated at a beautiful folding window in the very charming, rustic interior, with its checker-board-floors and cobble-stone fireplace. Their terrace is a terrific people-watching spot as well as a great place to catch some sun. Unfortunately the weather was too chilly for us to enjoy the outdoors that night.





Seeing Leffe beer on the menu got me excited as it's not easy to find in Toronto, so we got a Leffe Blonde, $8.50 and a Belle Gueule Rousse (from Quebec), at $7.50 (which was mighty tasty!)



My husband had already had dinner, so this, in LOTR form, was second dinner for him. We knew poutine was a definite and I was feeling fishy, but almost all the seafood was in a cream sauce and while the wall-eyed pike sounded good, the salmon fillet with balsamic vinegar and orange sounded better. At $18.50 though, I assumed the salmon would be stuffed with oranges or orange chutney or something....again, too unusual to be true and sadly the dish was again what we conjure up at home. I was ravenous, so it didn't matter, but I wouldn't order that again.



The poutine on the other hand.....



MMMm......my mouth waters now just thinking about it!



I am no poutine expert, in fact, I'm lactose-intolerant and can't really stand cheese and this was only my second time eating poutine, but I must say, those cheese curds were something else. So spongy, so succulent, so very filling! Lookit how big that cheese curd is!!

Mmm.....is it correct to say it was tout le gout???

I could have eaten that all night!

The next day, D'Orsay's kitchen must have been an assembly line of poutine 'cause the terrace was packed with hungry patrons scarfing down the cheesy goodness, but alas we had other sites to see and a variety of other places to eat!!!

D'Orsay is a definite don't-miss!

Spice Route

Location:

499 King Street West, Toronto

Cost: Summerlicious. $15 for lunch

It used to be an auto dealership. Then Touch lounge. Now, it's a massive Asian bistro/bar called Spice Route. Although there is neither spice nor route to any flavours here. And the service is one of the most pretentious I've ever seen.

Not to take away from how glamorous and exotic the place is, however. It's quite a retreat from your work day.

With its cavernous entryway, giant studded wooden door, encased fire towers and marble fountains, it's as if you've stepped into an episode of Survivor: Laos.



Inside, the vast expanse of open space creates an atmosphere not unlike a museum or Buddhist shrine.



The sleekness of the furniture throughout the space culminates at the bar, situated under four big screen tvs and illuminated by recessed lighting.



Green (albeit fake) grass trims the window ledge behind your (back-less) seat. High wooden fences on the patio shield away the common folk who linger, necks craning, on the sidewalk. Oranges are nestled within intimate cubby holes in the walls.



But, enough of the ambiance!

Our server, Sebastian, took a seat beside us and began to describe their regular menu mentioning that patrons usually order 5-7 items and share tapas-style. My lunch partner politely requested the Summerlicious menu (which I'd already mentioned to them upon making the reservation). His response was classic. A slight nod, grunt and an abrupt exit. Nothing was said about the Summerlicious menu.

But here it is. The appetizer selection was as follows:

Mushroom Noodle Soup
Efu Noodles, Thai Chili and Young Spinach
or
Citrus Salad
Spring Mix Greens, Orange, Asian Pear, Water Chestnuts and Honey Walnut Ginger Vinaigrette
or
Shanghai Eda Mame Salad
Pickled Cucumber and Rice Vinegar
or
Spiced Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Brandied Hoisin Sauce

My friend ordered the Citrus Salad. And I, the Spiced Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Our appetizers didn't take very long to arrive and were brought to the table by another gentleman.



Citrus Salad, which my friend seemed to enjoy.



I'm still amazed that they named it "Spiced" Chicken...I'm sorry, but to warrant the term '"spiced", a dish must have some spices in it. Not great, but not terrible, either.

For the mains, our options were:

Wok Steamed Mussels
Red Thai Curry and Kaffir Lime
or
Lemon Glazed Chicken
Crispy Wonton and Thai Citrus Sauce
or
Mandarin Sizzled Fried Rice
BBQ Roast Pork and Sweet Peas
or
Thai Vegetable Curry

My lunch partner opted for the veggie curry and I decided to try the lemon glazed chicken.



Apologies for the blurry photograph. The veggie curry sat well with my friend...I, on the other hand, was not impressed with my 'lemon glazed chicken' which actually was BATTERED and DEEP FRIED chicken with an accompanying lemon sauce that I had to dip my chicken into.



Why was I having to do all the work? First with the lettuce and now with the glazing. We couldn't figure out what the mystery vegetable beside my chicken was, either. Baby bok choy? Overall, not a great dish - which on the regular menu is $19!

For dessert we had two choices:

Chefs Selection of Exotic Sorbets
Fortune Cookie and Sesame Praline
or
Raspberry Chocolate Brownie
Caramelized Mandarins and Tangerine Cream

My friend chose the sorbet and I had to go for the brownie.


The desserts were definitely better than the rest of the meal. The sorbet flavours (we decided) were mango, raspberry and coconut? We weren't too sure about the white one.



The brownie with mandarin oranges paired together really well, with the ice-cream topping it all off - I didn't notice the raspberry flavour in the brownie at all however, or the tangerine in the ice-cream. Overall, it was fairly good although it came with a Pocky stick, which we both thought was weird.

After lunch, while we waited for our change, and having read so much about Spice Route's 'amazing' loos, I thought I'd take a few pictures of them to show you all.



The 'stalls' basically line the length of the hallway at the back of the restaurant; each massive wooden door leading to a separate washroom, with its own floor to ceiling window. The view from the toilet is an alley-way of grass, stone and the same tall water-fountains displayed outside. A strange looking sculpture - Protector of the Alley? - loomed down the way as well.



Weird.

Two things; a) the washrooms are clean, but I think that leads us to b) you are so afraid that someone is going to walk down the alley-way that you don't use the toilet at all. And they don't have any hooks for women to hang their purses!

Back at the table, Sebastian still hadn't returned with our receipt or change. That meant he had assumed all of it was a tip? Well! How...assuming!

He was nowhere to be seen either! We had to ask someone who asked someone else who told us he was coming. We finally saw him and he returned with our change and the receipt. Needless to say, our tip was lower than what he thought he deserved. What a pain!

2 Hours for lunch is a bit long for food which is prix fixe and probably even pre-prepared, don't you think? I'd suggest taking another route when picking a place for lunch. Spice Route definitely isn't worth all the fuss.

Madras Palace

Original Post: September 22, 2006

Location:

1249 Ellesmere Road, Scarborough

Cost:  great prices!

www.madraspalace.com



If you get there on a Friday or Saturday night and it's crowded, you may as well go home and order pizza. Your food will take sooooooooo long to arrive that not only will you have forgotten what you ordered but you'll wonder where you are because you are now 99 years old and have Alzheimer's.

We made the unfortunate mistake of reserving a few tables to accommodate our large group of coworkers, not realizing that that would further jeopardize our chances of receiving our meals in a timely fashion!

Still, our appetizers were tasty and filling...



The chicken pakoras were savory but we had to be careful not to over-fill on them because the rest of the food took so long to arrive.

I was told that certain items I wanted on the menu were in fact 'not available' that night....so I finally ordered a dish of Kerala fish fry and rice.



The Fish Fry...Kerala ishtyle is tasty and almost as good as Mom's home-cookin'!

It's late by the time everyone has finished eating, but a round of coffees is ordered to which an apologetic server replies "Sorry we cannot accomodate such a large group."

I'm perplexed....this IS a restaurant, right?

When our giant bill arrives, it creates an uproar since items which were not ordered have been charged to us anyway.  However, everything worked out in the end thanks to the good attitude and service and we all leave content and loaded with left-overs.

Madras Palace is perhaps the only restaurant in Scarborough that serves traditional Kerala cooking that really does taste like back home. So, while the food is delicious, if you dare go on a busy weeknight or weekend, don't expect everything on the menu to be available or your food to get to your table on time. 

I suggest going on a weekday for lunch...chances are you'll be quite satisfied (I've been back since for lunch, and the service was great and everything we wanted was available). 

 

 

Jules Bistro & Cafe

Location:

147 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Cost: $20 for a main



[Interior: Jules]

Hi. Do you have a take-out menu?

Sure, here you go.

Thanks.

...

..

Hi there...we'll get the grilled salmon with ratatouille, salad and fries.

Will you have it for here or to go?

We'd like to take it to go, but we may eat outside on your patio.

No sorry, we don't allow that. You can eat in or take it to go but not take it to go and sit in.

Oh. So we can eat here and then pack it to go?

No.

Uh. [pause, look at each other....] Okaaaay, we'll change our order from take out to eat in then.

No, it's too late, the prices are different if you want to do that and I've already put the order in.

{But, we haven't even paid yet!}

Fine. We'll just take it to go.

..

.



...

..

.

[At the park]



Mmm.....not too bad....

Yeah. Too expensive for what it is, though...fries, salad, the smallest portion of ratatouille and that chef just fried the salmon in butter, I saw him.

Oh yeah?  Tasty fries...although...they're kind of like McDonald's fries hahaha!

Yeah! I know! But Mcdonald's fries are like, two bucks!

Yeah....mm...so this is ratatouille? I'm not impressed...definitely doesn't look like in the movie!

I know. And the salad is drenched through...way too much dressing...why do they always do that?

I don't know...we should get it on the side, next time.

Nah...I don't think I'll ever go back there.

Me either.

***

Such was our experience at Jules, the fancy-schmancy place on on Spadina (north of Richmond and RIGHT BESIDE FUSARO'S!).

Two completely different eateries.

Fusaro's Kitchen always has a lunch line-up that goes out the door and practically down the street, has consistently friendly service and delicious (albeit high fat) foods...whereas Jules rarely has more than two tables filled, has terribly rude (and potentially racist) service and mediocre dishes! 

The BEST thing on their take-out menu was the dish we ordered for $20...and that's not saying much at all!  And they don't have such an impressive wine selection either!

Not to forget one price for eating in and another for eating out!  Seriously, do they even want customers?

BUT, to each his own as they say.  If you feel like eating pretentious French cuisine in a highly pompous environment, by all means, Jules is your venue.  Knock yourself out!  You'll need to before seeing your bill!