PARAMOUNT FINE FOODS YORKVILLE

When I visited Paramount Fine Foods at Don Mills for their opening, I had the chance to taste bites of popular items from their menu. Even in sample size, the creamy hummus and savory saj wraps were crowd pleasers and quickly snatched up. For me, the samples whet my appetite for more. So when Paramount invited me to visit their Yorkville location to check out some new menu items, I was more than happy to oblige.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: Located in the heart of Yorkville at Bay and Bloor, Paramount Fine Foods was compact with natural wood decor and an open kitchen. The restaurant was full of diners when my friend and I arrived at 7pm, and included students, families and couples. This location was full service and many diners lingered over their food to chat.

Food: Dinner began with the Yalla Special, a plate of fresh cut fries topped with chicken shawarma and doused in garlic and tahini sauce. Being a big fan of both sauces, I loved this dish. The crispy fries were the perfect base for the strong flavours in the topping and the savoury chicken. Next was the Mezza Plate, a trio of dips including hummus, moutabal (roasted eggplant) and tabbouleh. Served with the dips was a basket of pillowy pita bread. Of the three, my favourite was the creamy hummus, which was rich and thick. I also enjoyed the fresh tabbouleh, that was a nice contrast to the other two heavier dips.

For our mains, we ordered two platters to share, the BBQ Shrimp Plate with basmati rice and the Tabliyeh Chicken Saj Shawarma with fries. Both platters had a healthy portion of carbs and was very filling. I found the shrimp under seasoned on their own, but a quick dip in the tangy sauce served alongside boosted the flavour. As for the chicken saj wrap, I liked how the thin tortilla was toasted, adding a crunch to each bite. The wrap also had a good amount of filling, and the chicken was tender and flavourful. After finishing the Yalla Special, we still managed to polish off most of the fries, they were that good.

No meal at Paramount would be complete without a few squares of their delicious baklava, or a box full.