Back in August, The Hubby and I had dinner in North York with my maid of honour and her boyfriend, who’s vegetarian. I’m always nervous choosing a restaurant when dining with people who have specific diets because I never want them to feel restricted or left out. Also, let’s be real, North York’s food choices lean heavily towards Asian, and we’re not the best at accommodating vegetarian diets with a breadth of selection. Nawab Fusion Grill was a perfect choice with plenty of options and most importantly, lots of flavour.

Atmosphere: A stand-alone structure on Yonge, Nawab was a colourful restaurant with a large front patio. The dining room inside was clean, quiet and blue. A TV on the wall was set to a news channel and the volume was low. We could talk without any raised voices and enjoy a relaxed meal.

Service: I don’t recall any remarkable point about service at Nawab. Our server was quiet and efficient in taking our order. All of the dishes arrived in uniform bowls and our water was consistently filled.

Food: There are quite a number of dishes on Nawab’s menu that classify as Indian American fusion (ie. butter chicken poutine or pulled lamb sliders). That night, we were in the mood for more traditional flavours. Prior to Nawab taking over, the restaurant was a Bombay Bhel and my go to neighbourhood Indian restaurant. This was my first visit since the change in ownership and Nawab will still hold that title.

For our table, we ordered to share the Baigan Bharta (Tandoor smoked eggplant), Saffron Rice and Garlic Naan. My friend had the vegetarian Nawab Palak Kofta (hand pressed spinach balls in a spinach cream sauce) while The Hubby and I split a bowl of Butter Chicken. All of the sauces were thick and clung to the flatware.

Of all the dishes, my favourite would have to be the smoked eggplant, there was a complex mix of spices and a natural creamy texture. I didn’t find any dish spicy and would’ve loved a bit more heat. While I enjoyed the flavour of the Butter Chicken, I found the sauce was actually too heavy. This was great for dipping with naan, but would be difficult to eat as the only entree. The saffron rice was subtle and mild, a perfect backdrop for stronger spices.

For a next visit, I’d love to try a vindaloo. Nawab offers specials throughout the week including $0.50 wings on Thursday night. That offer’s been calling The Hubby for weeks.

To be honest, I’m not sure I get Hakka cuisine yet. The Fiance and I have started trying out more Hakka restaurants and the food’s been tasty but we end up ordering a lot of deep fried dishes and in general there’s a lot of oil. Is there more to it? Is this just what’s available in Toronto? Either way, while my taste buds are happy with strong flavour, my waistline is not.

Atmosphere: Originally our plan was to grab lunch at Federick Restaurant next door, but it was closed on Boxing Day and we ended up at their neighbour Hakka King. The restaurant was simple and clean. It wasn’t very busy and there were an even number of customers getting takeout vs. dining in. Hakka King still felt new with customers closely reading the menu and asking lots of questions. Over time, I can see this becoming a go-to spot in the neighbourhood.

Service: Our server tried hard to be helpful. When we first entered, we were seated at a table for 6 with an extra chair on the end. As tables cleared, our server moved us to to a more comfortable arrangement. Each dish arrived quickly and we were left to enjoy the food.

Food: As previously mentioned, many of the dishes were deep fried. Some plates were spicier than others, but overall the spices and flavours were consistent throughout the meal. This may have been because of our choices. What am I missing?

When the Szechuan lamb came out, I was so excited for a change of pace. It was still spicy, but a different blend of flavours that woke up my tongue.

Lunch began with a plate of fish pakoras that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Each piece was generously battered and each bite was piping hot. I liked the spice level on this dish, not burning. The dry chili chicken was excellent and I contemplated adding a second plate. Our vegetable was a crispy green bean that was slick with oil but so tasty. Again, there was plenty of salt, spice and tasty charred bits. The generous plate of Hakka Chow Mein was enough to feed the seven of us and was also filled with shrimp, beef and squid. The chili fish fillets were also solid and had the most heat.

Overall, lunch at Hakka King was solid and I didn’t have to drink litres of water that afternoon. However, I’m not sold on Hakka food yet, not a cuisine that I would crave for.

The Kathi Roll Express (TKRE) opened half a year ago on Yonge St and aims to bring a slice of Indian street food to Toronto. Their namesake, the kathi roll is a protein filled wrap using Indian flavours and housemade paratha, an Indian flatbread. I was invited to sample their special butter chicken menu items being featured as part of their Butter Chicken Festival running from Dec. 11th to Dec. 24th.

Disclaimer: All food sampled were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: Walking into the restaurant is like leaving downtown Toronto. The restaurant is decorated with a lot of natural wood elements and a gorgeous graffiti mural constantly draws the eye. Each table is hand painted with a different motif in bright colours. Pendant lights hang over the counter and Indian music videos were projected on the far wall. A bar is set up with a DJ booth ready to liven up the atmosphere, but on a Monday night like when we visited many of the customers were grabbing a family dinner or bite to go. This would be a great lunch spot or late night food stop for university students in the area.

Food: Our meal started with Indian lemonade and mango lassi. The mango lassi was rich with a hint of yogurt taste. After a couple of sips of the lemonade, I knew there was something different about it. The BF’s tastebuds realized the special ingredient was salt!

Each kathi roll starts with a paratha warmed on the griddle. A layer of egg is fried up along side and the paratha layered on top. The protein filling is then added and the whole thing wrapped up and served with a mint, coriander sauce. The butter chicken roll wasn’t greasy at all, had big chunks of meat and lots of sauce. I loved the coriander sauce which comes in mild and spicy (still not all that spicy) varieties.

Next was the Butter Chicken Toastie, essentially a triple decker butter chicken grilled cheese sandwich loaded with grilled peppers. This was a heavy dish and I’m glad I had help. Again, there was a healthy helping of butter chicken sauce and it soaked through the grilled bread. From the normal menu, we tried the shami (lamb) kebab roll. A spicy lemon chili paste was included and this was the first real kick of the night. It was hot, mango lassi chugging hot and so good.

By this point I was happily full and there was still the Butter Chicken on Curried Rice to come! I asked for a half portion and was glad I still had a bit of stomach real estate. TKRE makes a solid butter chicken and the curried rice had a great fried flavour.  

I didn’t have any room left to try their signature fusion rolls. Next time though, I need to have the Kung Pao Szechwan Roll and Chicken Tikka Mexican Rolls. TKRE likes trying new menu item, events and has something on the go every 4-6 weeks. In January, they’ll be throwing a kebab event. Until then, the butter chicken festival is running until Dec. 24th.

Over a year ago I tried to go to Barque without a reservation and on a Friday night. After an hour of waiting, we called it a night and moved on. I’ve since learned my lesson! Reservation is a must and not just a few days ahead either, a week at least if you’re looking for a table of more than 4 (I’ve failed at booking several times in the past year for large parties 2-3 days ahead of time). It’s just a testament to the sustained popularity of Barque, 2 years after opening.

Atmosphere: We visited Barque on a Sunday for “Family Night”, where there is a themed set menu instead of the usual a la carte menu. There are two seatings, 5:30 and 8:00 and you’re able to order as much as you’d like of each dish for the set price. People began queuing up outside the restaurant by 5:00 (us included). We started off seated at the bar, but was moved to a table because there was a mix up with the reservation. The restaurant interior is filled with natural wood decor and a few long long tables that would be great for large groups. The noise level was on the louder side with the restaurant being full capacity. Servers seemed a bit rushed and there was a hectic energy.

Service: The main impression I got from the service that night was inconsistent. It was a busy night. The bartender was really friendly, asked about any food allergies and tried her best to find out if the menu had dairy and accommodate us for the dessert course. However the offer was to substitute the planned rice pudding for gelato, which was still dairy based. I was a little confused and wasn’t sure if she meant sorbet but no she did mean gelato. I really appreciated the effort! With the family night format, the timing of when everyone received each course varied by table size. While we received our appetizers quickly, we were one of the last tables to get our mains. Also, our server described the dishes to the table next to us, but just left our plates and walked away. Good thing I have good hearing. Then when I wanted to order seconds of our favourite dishes, it was hard to get anyone’s attention. So yes, inconsistent.

Food: The food really was the highlight of the night and three dishes won me over. A bucket of spiced popcorn was at each table to munch on while everyone was seated and pursued the night’s menu. I finished our bucket, every last one of the lightly buttered, airy kernels. The theme of this “Family Night” was Indian and featured pork samosas, pakoras, smoked lentil dahl, vegetable biryani, a light salad, eggplant and bitter melon curry, smoked tandoori chicken, tamarind ribs, goat vindaloo and mango rice pudding.

The pork samosa, lentil dahl and biryani were mediocre. Indian is obviously not their specialty and I found these dishes to be ok fillers. For the proteins, the ribs were heavily spiced and salty. I liked the chicken, but ours was still a little pink near the bone. The BF has a sensitive stomach and had a few rough days after. We’re not exactly sure what caused it, but this may have contributed.

My favourite dishes by far were the goat vindaloo (pictured below, served in cast iron pan) and the eggplant and bitter melon curry. The goat was flavourful, gamey, tender and fell apart in the sauce. I ordered a second helping and would have happily forgone the other dishes to have more stomach real estate for more of the vindaloo. This is the dish that still makes my mouth water looking at the pictures. I also really enjoyed the use of bitter melon in the curry and the two strong flavours complimented each other without overpowering either.

Dessert was also a hit. The rice pudding was creamy and served warm. I loved the peanut brittle on top and the buried chunks of mango. I finished both servings at our table and had to resist asking for another.

I feel like I need to re-visit Barque and taste their a la carte menu. Family Night was a great experience. The dishes were hit or miss but I love the concept and you get to try dishes not normally part of the chef’s repertoire. I’d love to re-visit Barque and taste what’s tried and true.