Jaipur Grille

Visited: Winterlicious Dinner on Wednesday Feb 6, 2013
Company: Party of 5

Winterlicious was around the corner and going through the large list of participating restaurants, my friends and I wanted to try to something less safe for our second season of -licious. We planned a little too last minute and ended up getting a reservation at Jaipur Grille near Yonge and Eg. I was pretty excited anyway because I absolutely adore Indian food. My dad was born in India so he has a few recipes that he always does but I'm always itching for new tastes. That's why I'm always down for Indian buffets, as I tend to stick to what I know at traditional restaurants. Jaipur Grille seemed to offer a lot of interesting options though for their fixe price menu.

+Stephanie Szebenyi and I were running late to dinner so when we arrived, our group was seated right in front of the window which would be a great view during the day as the place is on Yonge. It was quite spacious with all the tables along the perimeter of the restaurant, half our table was facing the window which is unusual as you would think they'd have our sides face the window so they can fit more tables. There were many lights but the place was still dim. We were given these spice chips (forgive my ignorance of the names of many things) to nibble on prior to our meals. They were very flavourful but did not do anything to ease our appetites and made us drink a lot of water (you can see them in the top right corner of the first photo).

I started off with Samosa Chaat which I have never had before. I love samosas and I saw this added a lot of extra sauces I enjoy already on it so I assumed that I would be good. I was definitely right, this was an explosion of flavours that went with the veg samosa so well. There was mint, yogurt and other things I don't know but tasted amazing! I enjoyed how colourful the dish was too. Great appetizer, filled you up quite a bit.

For my main dish, I had the Pahadi Chicken. This was definitely the safe choice as it was the only chicken option. All dishes came with Saag Paneer, Rice, Naan and Raita. The portion amount was perfect, I like to mix things up and I was able to finish everything and not have too much leftover of anything. I'm always worried that the chicken is too dry in dishes like these but this wasn't bad. The pahadi flavour wasn't too overpowering and was very mild. The raita and paneer were great additions as I love both of those things. I love extra cucumber in the raita and didn't think there was enough, the yogurt flavour was also very mild. The naan came fresh and warm to the table but it wasn't the best naan I've had, it was on the hard side. I was extremely full at the end of the meal though.

For dessert, I had the mango mousse which was possibly the best mango mousse I've ever had. It was so rich in mango flavour but didn't feel heavy. But I also only ate half which might have been why (some friends didn't enjoy their first time trying gulab jamun and wanted the mousse).

Food: 4/5 - Delicious indian food

Decor: 3.5/5 - Very chill, not too busy

Service: 2/5 - Extremely slow to bring out dishes but friendly waiters

Likeliness to come back: 3.5/5 - Regular menu looks rather good and decent prices.

Overall: 3.5/5

Website: http://www.jaipurgrille.com/

To Eat List

So I've gotten feedback from people who would like to journey with me during my food adventures. Here's a list of places I want to try in the Toronto area and am looking for food companions to join me! Please also feel free to recommend any places for me to try :)

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse http://www.ruthschris.com/

Momofuku http://momofuku.com/toronto/noodle-bar-to/

Free Times Cafe http://www.freetimescafe.com/

WVRST http://wvrst.com/

The Sultan's Tent http://www.thesultanstent.com/

Drake Hotel http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/dining/
Rock Lobster http://rocklobsterfood.com/
Guu Toronto (either locations) http://guu-izakaya.com/toronto/ 
Pizza Libretto http://pizzerialibretto.com/

Calabria

Visited: Dinner on Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Company: Meeting up with +Will Ives after work at Fairview Mall

If you're someone who knows me, you'd know that I like to plan ahead like no tomorrow. So knowing that I was going to be in the 404/Sheppard area, I had to look up all the surrounding restaurants and find websites/pictures to see how legit they were. I can't stand being situations where I get somewhere and realize that it's super sketchy or that it's been closed and they hadn't updated their website. Calabria was literally one of the only legit restaurants I found that wasn't Asian (wasn't feeling it); not surprising though as it's the North York/Scarborough area.

Their website had a 20% dinner coupon and their Facebook page advertised cheap pints and half price apps until 3PM-6PM. They also had a picture of the place on the website which showed it to be pretty big and not in a sketchy strip plaza. Good enough reason for me to go...

It was quite busy once we arrived, just around 6PM so I assumed people trying to catch the cheap apps. Seems like a nice neighbourhood place with a wholesome crowd. They had a nice warm fireplace near the entrance and there was an open kitchen with the pizza open in the back which was nice to see. We got a comfy booth for two although I felt that all the table placements were really awkward. 

We started off with Bacon Wrapped Scallops as the appetizer, a compromise  between Will and I. Most of the apps were seafood and Will isn't a fan and only wanted buchetta or the chicken wings. We went for this as it was sort of a combination of both. I'm not really a fan of bacon, only because I think the flavour is too overpowering when I eat it with things and that it's overrated. These were quite enjoyable though, cooked perfectly, the bacon was crispy and the scallops were soft and not overcooked. It came with a small salad which I thought was a nice touch of flavour and the tomato complemented well. There was a side of seafood sauce which I found was odd, I've never had seafood sauce with scallops but it wasn't bad, could have used a hint of lemon juice to make it less sweet.

I ordered the Stone Baked Asiago Pizza and Will went for the Lasagna as per usual. The pizza was pretty big when it came out, you could probably share it with two people and be decently full. I really enjoyed the crust and dough of the pizza, it had a distinct flavour and not too thin crust. I think I probably would've been happy if it was just a cheese pizza. I really enjoyed the tomato sauce but wish there was more of it. The chicken wan't too flavourful and I forgot that I'm not the biggest fan of sun-dried tomatoes haha.

I obviously also tried Will's lasagna and and it was surprisingly delicious! Extremely meaty and the pasta was really soft. The tomato sauce was so good and had a nice sweet flavour, I assume it was the same one they used on the pizza. Good amount of cheese and nice portion size. I think I would opt for a pasta next time. "Lasagna was the obvious choice" according to Will.

Ended the meal with the Chocolate Truffle Cake, they only had a few items for dessert but enough variety. The cake was extremely delectable, I basically ate the whole thing and Will had 3 bites. I really enjoyed the vanilla and chocolate mousse combo paired with the chocolate cake, so good. Pretty light but rich with chocolatey goodness flavour. 

With our coupon, we paid $40 everything included which I thought was a good deal for the amount of food we got. Very good pricing for some decent Italian food, especially if you're in the neighbourhood. We also got 4 coupons which were basically the same deals I found on the website.

Food: 3/5 - There were plus and minuses but overall good, fair-priced food.

Decor: 2.5/5 - Spacious and classic but there was something about the layout.

Service: 3/5 - Good wait times between each dish

Likeliness to come back: 3/5 - Wouldn't go out of my way, but if I was in the area... also got those coupons.

Overall: 3/5

Website: http://calabriarestaurant.ca

Richmond Station

Visited: Dinner on Saturday, Nov 10 2012

Company: Made a reservation for group of 10

It was a somewhat hard decision to choose what my first review would be, as there's just a bit of pressure on what impression it'll set for the blog. However, I knew exactly what restaurant would be perfect for my first post. Richmond Station was chosen because it was one of my first fine dining experiences and it was after this meal, where my eyes were open to a new world of foods. 

Richmond Station was opened by the Top Chef Canada 2 winner, Carl Heinrich only a month before our visit. Even though I've never watched the show, I was definitely intrigued to try it out. A group of 10 of us ladies had planned for a night at the ballet and I thought that Richmond Station would be the perfect place for dinner beforehand. 

Walking by, I never would have known it was the spot unless I knew it was here. The name is on the window but on a dark, wet night, it's easy to walk past it. Over the door, it has a little sign as if were a subway stop with 'Restaurant' written under, very classy but not too over-the-top outer decor.

Arriving at 5:30, the place wasn't too busy yet. I liked the front area set-up, where tables were lined up on the left side and there was a bar on the right. Our table for 10 was in a separate room in the back, but still visible to the restaurant with the amount of windows. The place was bigger than I had expected looking from the outside. The decor was very pantry-like, wooden textures and authentic feeling. 

Now on to the food... we had all ordered main dishes only as we're all recent grads and mains were at least $20. You can tell how legit the place was with the lack of menu items but also the variety of seafood... and wild boar(?!), you don't just pick those ingredients up anywhere. The waitress was nice and filled our water and sparkling water promptly. The kitchen was amazing to us, they brought out complementary Polenta Fries while we waited for our food which was perfect since we were all starving. This was the first time I had ever tried, nonetheless heard, of polenta but it tasted very similar to potato fries. However, polenta was different in texture as it was more grainy in comparison. Great appetizer, especially for sharing.

For my main dish, I had ordered the Grilled Sea Bream. I had such a hard time deciding between that or the Stn. Burger, which I have heard amazing things about, but i wanted to try something different. Really glad I made that choice because the bream was delicious! All the flavours of potato rosti, fennel and swiss chard with the fish blended magically in every bite. The chard had a very distinct flavour which I enjoyed and the bream was grilled perfectly. While eating and trying to tweet the location via Foursquare through the picture I took with Instagram...I had already finished the meal. The portions were decent sized leaving you comfortably full. To top it all off, we received complementary Salted Fudge from the kitchen which everyone enjoyed. We asked them if they sell the fudge but they only make it every so often as a specialty, so we were quite disappointed in that because it was so tasty! A great ending to the meal.

By the time we were leaving the place was full and filled with classy couples/groups of friends out for a late dinner and casual conversation. Definitely not an incredibly fancy place but great for locals out for a nicer dinner with a casual atmosphere. You'll even get a glimpse of Heinrich walking around if you have someone with you like +Laura Bathurst who recognizes him haha. They've extended their hours now so even more chances to try it out!

Food: 4.5/5 - No wrong done, but wanted more!
Decor: 3/5 - Simple, nothing too fancy
Service: 4.5/5 - Average but added points for free food :D
Likeliness to come back: 5/5 - Going back to try that burger!
Overall: 4.5/5
Website: http://richmondstation.ca/ 

Why, You Ask?

"There's a difference between people who like food and people who love food"

Yes, I did just quote myself in the first post of my new food blog... But, that quote is the reason why this has all started... 

While the idea has been in my head for a while, the longer the days passed, restaurants visited, and photos taken, I was still clueless on how to begin. So obviously I went straight to Google. Collectively, all 'how-to' sites indicated that determining why, the purpose for your desire to start a food blog is the #1 step. And I knew that this difference, the one between someone who likes food and someone who is constantly thinking about their next meal and the tastes they have yet to experience was my reason.

Over the years, I have developed quite a lovely collection of photographs and food experiences that I really wanted a place to share. And even if there is no one to read about these experiences of mine, I also wanted to capture them for future me to remember. We get 3 meals a day, why eat the same thing over and over again?

By no means, would I call myself a 'foodie' though. I don't consider myself to have an impecable pallet like Sukiyabashi Jiro, I still pronounce 'quinoa' incorrectly, and only recently, has 'arugula' been introduced to my vocabulary. I'm just a young person who is fascinated by the world of food and am keen on continuing to learn about it. If anything, you will enjoy the food porn very much. (Side note: Not sure why people get mad when others take photos of their food, the presentation is an art in itself!)

I'm pretty excited to get started, I'll post some reviews from places I've visited recently that I have fond memories about. But please bear with me with my struggles in writing. (I totally feel like Hannah from Girls right now writing this blog but I'm sure I don't have the same writing abilities as she does) Hopefully my love for food and ability to use the heck out of adjectives will compensate :) 

Cheers!
- D