Byblos is one of the vegetarian friendly restaurants I’ve been wanting to try out for years now with my friend and her fiance. It’s taken us this long to actually go because securing a reservation at the restaurant has been impossible with less than a week’s notice, sometimes even two or three for a Friday night. I had much better luck aiming for a Thursday night, which was still fully booked by the night of.

Atmosphere: The unassuming facade led to an intimate and vibrant restaurant decorated with geometric tiles and a beautiful wall length bar. Lighting was dim, which helped make every table feel more private, and the round tables were paired with cozy large chairs. Most of the diners were dressed up a bit more than t-shirts and tables really filled up at 8pm. That night, no walk-ins were accepted.

Service: Our server was friendly and professional, starting with asking if it was our first time at the restaurant. Once we all nodded yes, she explained the menu in detail and pointed out the dishes that were strictly vegetarian. With the menu being tapas style, she also made a recommendation on how many we should order from each section of the menu and explained some of the more exotic ingredients. Dishes arrived quickly and were sent out coordinated in two courses. During our meal, my friend recognized another diner who was meeting someone for dinner. He came by our table to say hi and our server quickly pulled up an extra seat for him, without any prompting so we could chat while he waited.

Food: The dish sizes at Byblos were on the smaller side and we were recommended to order 3-4 plates per person to have a satisfying meals. I would also say that the plates were also on the pricier end of the scale as well for the portion size so I’d categorize the restaurant as more of a special occasion or date night vs everyday dinner.

For the 4 of us, we picked a few balance of dishes to share between the meat eaters and enough vegetarian dishes for my friend’s fiance. To start we ordered the Citrus Mixed Olive, Roasted Red Beets, Eggplant Kibbeh and Turkish Manti Dumplings (filled with smoky eggplant). The olives were good, a mix of varieties with some very large, meaty ones. I really enjoyed the beets, which were bursting with flavour and so sweet. I also loved the barbari bread that came with the dish, delicious dipped in the labneh with beet juice. Between the two eggplant dishes, I much preferred the Kibbeh that was flavourful and crunchy without being oily. The manti were good, the more filling dish, but I found the flavours all muddled together with each bite.

To share, we ordered two of the “larger” plates, the Tah Dig (basmati rice with braised lamb) and Middle Eastern Fried Chicken. I’d skip the fried chicken, it was ok but for the price, Stephen’s fried chicken is pretty tasty. A warning on the hot sauce though, it packed a lot of heat. If you’re going to try it, start with one single drop. I also found the Tah Dig to be disappointing. The dish was served upside down with the topping underneath a bed of crispy rice. While the lamb was tender and flavourful, there just wasn’t that much of it and once split 4 ways, I didn’t taste much of the other ingredients.

We rounded out our meal with a plate of Mejadra (lentils), a Chanterelle Mushroom Pide and side of Seared Cauliflower. Both the texture and flavour of the pide won me over, reminding me almost of a paratha, while the cauliflower sounded better on paper then executed. With duck fat, tahini and sesame, I thought the side would be a sure win, but the texture of the cauliflower didn’t quite fit the heaviness of the sauce. The lentil dish was a good filler, not memorable.

Overall, the dishes I liked at Byblos, I really liked while the rest were lacklustre. When you order over 10 dishes though, that’s not a super surprising outcome, but I had high expectations. If you have an appetite, be prepared for a hefty bill to leave full. If you’re stopping by for a snack and drinks, there are some true gems on the menu (beets, eggplant and pide), the service was amazing and the decor beautiful.

The idea of a boozy buffet brunch is pretty much heaven to me. A never ending flow of mimosas, perfectly runny eggs bennys and a selection of the flakiest pastries. Some of my fondest memories from travelling are actually of the decadent hotel breakfasts Stephen and I have enjoyed, especially at the The St. Regis in Bali. At Ricarda’s Jazz Brunch we were able to relive those memories, indulging in seared to order foie gras and freshly shucked oysters. For me, while a wide selection of dishes is important, the quality of ingredients is still key. Ricarda’s delivered on both, easily justifying the higher price tag. The Jazz Brunch would be perfect to celebrate any special occasion from birthdays to Mother’s Day.

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

Our reservation for 4 was at 11am, just as the restaurant opened. The live jazz band was already set up in a corner of the dining area and performed throughout the morning. There were plenty of large booths to accommodate groups of 6-8 with space to pull up high chairs. Natural light poured in from the many large windows adding to the open, airy feel of the space. Pendent lights and modern dark furniture added a touch of elegance.

After settling at our table and ordering a few Americanos (which were smooth and delicious), we set out to explore the food stations, and there was really so much to explore. There were flat breads, a salad bar, charcuterie, cheese, a whole table of seafood and baskets of freshly baked bread. This was just the “cold” stations. There was a also a made to order omlette station, two carving stations (lamb and ham), made to order pasta, curries and tucked away by the desserts, a pan seared foie gras station. I will admit now, I may have visited the foie gras station more than once. The seafood section featured east coast oysters, plump shrimp and mussels with a variety of sauces. From the salads, I especially enjoyed the caprese and smoked salmon. A few more drops of balsamic and slices of red onion respectively, would’ve made the dishes even better.

I loved how kid friendly Ricarda’s was. The restaurant offered a monitored kids play zone and had a kids buffet corner that was kids’ height with healthy and easy to grab foods. For the most part I stuck to drinking americanos. Ricarda’s does serve Champagne, Prosecco and a colourful Bellini. A bottle of fresh watermelon juice did catch my eye, which was incredibly refreshing.

In addition to the food stations, Ricarda’s also offers an a la carte menu with classic brunch items like eggs benedict and warm oatmeal. I couldn’t resist trying the Classic Eggs Benedict with peameal bacon. The egg was perfectly poached and the hollandaise sauce an excellent texture and consistency. My friends split the Cinnamon Roll French Toast, which was thick and flavourful without being overly sweet.

Overall Ricarda’s Jazz Brunch was a true treat. I had heard mixed reviews when the restaurant first opened last year but they’ve clearly stepped up their game.

Healthy, quick meal options are always a challenge when eating out. One of the new choices popping up around town is Me Va Me, a quick service restaurant serving fresh, made to order, Mediterranean cuisine like their famous creamy hummus and grilled lamb skewers. There are currently 3 locations in the GTA, downtown Toronto, Markham Cinemas and North York. The Hubby and I stopped by the shiny new Markham location for dinner and was joined by Oleg from Me Va Me to introduce us to their menu.

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

Our dinner was on a Saturday night at 7pm and every seat in the restaurant was taken. Customers placed their order at the counter, received a tracker and was free sit anywhere inside the restaurant. Every table was equipped with a device linked to the tracker. Thus, once an order was ready, servers could find the customer and deliver the food straight to their seat. A good number of servers also circulated the dining area clearing plates and could be easily flagged down if needed.

We first sat at bar seats with a view into the kitchen where laffa bread was being freshly baked. The baker used a machine to flatten out each ball of dough and manually placed them into the incredibly hot clay oven. Oleg estimated the Markham location to go through 40-50kg of dough a day. At the bar was a selection of Ontario wines on tap! What I’ve always wanted at home. The Hubby tried the refreshing signature Lemonana drink, a slushie mint lemonade, while I sipped on a glass of pinot grigio.

After watching the laffa bread being made, I wanted to get my hands on some. We ordered a trio dip plate ($11.95), which came with 2 large pitas. Of the dips available, I chose the hummus, baba ganoush and fried eggplant. All three were delicious. The hummus was extra creamy with a rich garlic flavour. My favourite dip was the baba ganoush with the touch of citrus. Meanwhile, The Hubby really enjoyed the fried eggplant that was sweeter and smokey. From the Hot N’ Crispy section of the menu, we tried the falafel (6 pieces for $5.45) and moroccan cigars (6 pieces for $6.95), seasoned beef rolled in phyllo pastry and fried. Both were served with a side of tahini sauce. I prefered the classic falafel that were crunchy and not oily but I did find the moroccan cigars more flavourful and better seasoned.

For mains, I sampled three “Box” meals. Each order came with a protein, side and salad. Prices ranged from $10.95 for falafel to $17.95 for grilled lamb skewers. Portions of each plate were huge and The Hubby and I could have easily split one order. In fact, we really should have since we ended up taking lots of leftovers home.

I tasted the grilled chicken skewers, grilled lamb skewers and chicken schnitzel. Each order was served with three mini skewers of meat. The chicken breast had beautiful grill marks and I was impressed with how juicy and tender they were. The lamb was also delicious, tender, gamey and grilled to medium doneness. The chicken schnitzel was as big as my head, thin, crispy and I loved the added sesame seeds in the coating.

From the options for sides and salads, I tried the basmati rice, grilled vegetables and potato wedges with dill and garlic. Of the three, the potato wedges won my heart with their strong herb seasoning and crispy exterior. The 3 salad choices available were ME Salad (mixed greens with a house dressing), greek and caesar. I really enjoyed the house dressing, which was sweet and tangy with the fresh vegetables.

With the many delicious and healthy options at Me Va Me, I could choose to indulge or get my daily serving of vegetables.

Atmosphere: The interior of Quince has a very industrial look with metal tables, exposed brick and concrete and hanging pendant lights. The front of the restaurant are large glass panels looking out onto Yonge where a patio area is set up in the summer months. I love the touch of bright red metal chairs in the central dining area. There’s a more intimate dining area closer to the kitchen, near the bar.

Service: We were about 30 minutes late for our reservation, I called to let them know and they were very understanding. Our server even asked if we were in a rush and was very considerate of the time.  Our entrees arrived just as we were finishing up the bread basket.

Food: I really like the hummus that Quince serves with their bread basket in place of butter. It’s still rich and creamy but less guilt inducing. For entrees, we both had the house made pasta. I ordered the daily pappardelle special with scallops, double smoked bacon and watercress while my friend had the fettuccine with mushrooms, a soft boiled egg and freshly grated cheese. I liked the pappardelle a lot, the flavours of the scallops and bacon were really rich and savoury. The scallops were cooked well. The only off point was that the sauce was a bit oily. The fettucine looked amazing as well and the soft boiled egg was perfect.

In the past, I’ve also visited Quince during winterlicious and tried their flat iron steak grilled panini. The experience is always a nice treat during the workweek.

My friend had a great Groupon for Insomnia, which included a cheese plate, entree, dessert and a drink along with each course. The cafe’s located right on the south east corner of Bathurst and Bloor and was very easy to find.

Atmosphere: We made reservations for a Friday night and they were ready with the table. The seating areas were varied with a bar area, traditional tables at the front, a lounge area with couches in the back and where we sat, two armchairs set up with a small round table in between. The table was really small, it would’ve been sufficient if we were just having drinks, but for a full meal, the room was tight. The armchair were also far away from the table and we had lean forward to eat as well as hold a conversation. It was a Friday night, so the noise level was loud and the restaurant was full capacity. The lighting was dim, and would’ve very romantic with the isolated tables. I also liked the art on the walls, there was a lot of variety and themes.

Service: The service was attentive, there wasn’t any wait time between courses and our drinks were brought right away. For the cheese plate appetizer, each different cheese was introduced. The server patiently listed our drink options several times while we decided.

Food: Overall the food was pretty good, the entrees were pretty normal. We ordered the steak, medium rare, which turned out nicely pink. The salmon flaked easily and wasn’t overcooked. The grilled vegetable skewer that came with the salmon was kind of a write off, not very much vegetables, and it also came with a huge dollop of garlic butter. We actually used the garlic butter to eat the mashed potatoes with that otherwise, would’ve been a bit too dry.

I did really enjoy the flat bread and cheese platter. The flat bread was warm and toasted, and I loved that they served a selection of fruit with the cheese. There was a soft cheese, a mild hard cheese and one that was more aged. I don’t know my cheeses very well and don’t usually like it, however the choices were all mild enough, especially accompanied by the fruit that we polished off the plate.

For dessert, we finished with a creme brulee and chocolate cake. The creme brulee was delicious, perfect burnt top, the chocolate was a little much. It was a lot of chocolate and very sweet. We also enjoyed a lovely glass of sparkling champagne, on top of the two glasses of white wine I had already enjoyed.

I liked the restaurant and the atmosphere was fun. I would love to re-visit to check out their promising brunch and extensive drink menu.