CourtneyLoo

I walked past 3 junkies shooting up and an overwhelming stench of garbage on my way to this place. Salt Tasting Room is not in the best of locations, but it’s worth the trek down that sketchy alley if you’re up for something new. There is such a huge divide between the inside of the restaurant and the outside of the alley. I guess the contrast makes Salt that much more appealing once you escape inside its doors. As for food and drink – the wine and sherry list is very impressive and the meats and cheeses are creative. I love how they select their food from delis and artisan cheese shops – no buy-by-the-bulk here. Don’t come hungry to this restaurant – it really is just for drinking and nibbling. The wait staff was friendly and seemed very knowledgeable about the menu – definitely a plus and not so common nowadays in gastown. We left it up to up to our server to choose condiments for our meats and cheeses and the selection was great.

Toshi is a very popular sushi place just off of Main street that lives up to its reputation. I wouldn’t recommend going with parties of more than 2 since the line up here is ridiculous! Thankfully we went around 8pm on a Wednesday so we only ended up waiting 20 minutes or so. But when we left after 9-o-clock the line was still out the door! The interior is small but clean and brightly lit. The quality of the food is excellent, especially the freshness of their sashimi and seafood. The rolls come in generous portions and the ratio of fish to rice is in favour of the fish, surprisingly. My favourite, favourite dish, however, is the spicy agedashi tofu – a must have at Toshi. The oyster motoyaki, unagi, and spider roll are also excellent. As for service – it is friendly and fast. Our server even took the time to point out which piece of nigiri was what sashimi – since all were pinkish red in colour. Go hungry, be prepared to wait, and never go on the weekend.

Fassil Ethiopian is located on E Broadway near Fraser st. – a shady part of town according to my friend Chrissy. I had read great reviews of this place on Dinehere.ca and it certainly lived up to its rep, from the friendly service to the delicious home cooked food. I had never eaten Ethiopian food before but the place was full of Ethiopian people so surely this is a good sign of its authenticity. We were particularly looking forward to their much talked about TEJ – or home brewed honey mead, but sadly the lady who makes it was not working that night so we had to work with water. As for the food, everything was very tasty. You have to eat with your hands at Fassil and I was expecting it to be very messy, but it wasn’t as messy as I thought, once you learn to pick up the food with the ENJERA they serve. Enjera can best be described as a sour dough crepe with a sponge like texture. Dishes are meant to be shared with the entire table and are served together on a large platter. We ordered a sauteed fish, a spicy beef stew, and a chicken dish. Everything was great, but the fish was outstanding – tender pieces sauteed in NITTER KIBBIE (clarified butter), lemon, onion and green peppers. I don’t even like fish that much but I loved this dish – much to my friend’s dismay since we kept on eating her order. (sorry) I think next time I would like to try one of their vegetables dishes – lentils, chickpeas, spinach – since we ordered too much meat. Another great part of the meal was the bill – this place is cheap! I think we averaged around 15 dollars per person, including tax and a generous tip.

I went to Terroni for a reunion dinner on the recommendation of a friend and it was fantastic, despite the long wait for a table. They don’t accept reservations and the hostess will NOT seat you until your entire party is present and as a result, me and my friend ended up waiting in line for over an hour while the rest of our friends made their way to the restaurant. It was okay though, since we had a lot to catch up on. We visited the Queen St. West location and it was packed and bustling – great for parties and larger groups, but kinda hard to hear for an intimate dinner. The 5 of us ended up getting a great table with a nice view of the restaurant as well as the waiting line. Terroni is known for their thin crust pizzas and their homemade pastas – both of which were tasty and fresh. The appetizers also come in generous portions. We split two between four people. Prices for pizzas and pastas are under $15, so great value. Make sure you save room for dessert. The tiramisu is HUGE (enough for 2) and homemade daily.

The concept of Susur’s six course tasting menu when I visited was a division between masculine and feminine dishes – two menus with complimentary cuisine. Everybody must participate in the $120 tasting menu, since there is no a la carte, but you have no idea which side of the menu your server will bring you. For example, my boyfriend received roast bison and I received Cornish hen, while for seafood, I received lobster and my friend received Ahi tuna.

They say a restaurant experience can be judged by its bread basket, and Susur was no disappointment. The server placed fresh-from-the-oven Portuguese buns on our bread plates and then instead of boring butter, set down a trio of homemade spreads – sundried tomato and chilli, lentils, and pesto. Incredible. Then came the most beautiful presentation of amuse-bouche: quail eggs, and caviar, fois gras, and tuna and taro. We each had 4 -5 per person. It was a very generous portion. Then the six course tasting menu proceeded in reverse order, starting from the main and ending with the salad. I will not and cannot go on about each dish, but will say that i was impressed with every one. We finished the night with “sweet dimsum” which turned out to be two tiered trays of mini desserts – about 6 different kinds. It was the best part of the meal. There were bite-sized passion fruit sorbet balls, mini creme brule with red bean on the bottom, chocolate banana cake, chocolate mousse balls, and so on.

I won’t be visiting Susur again any time soon, mostly because I live in Vancouver, but I would recommend the experience at least once to anybody who can afford it. It is a dining experience you will never forget. You might even catch a glimpse of that famous pony tail like I did…

Beautiful job on the renovations and impeccable service, but I just wasn’t wowed by their food. Maybe they were having an off night, who knows. I went here for a friend’s birthday party with six others. Our server was friendly and attentive and didn’t push us at all to order wine. There were a lot of non-drinkers that night – Asian allergy and all. I ordered the chicken a la nage which was roasted perfectly, but far too salty! The salty chicken was then complimented by the salty cured ham of the cabbage. Too much for me. I also ordered the creamed lobster soup (not bisque!) which was heavy on the cream and light on the lobster. I was disappointed with my food considering the steep prices they charge. Perhaps I’ll give Auberge another try when I’m next in Toronto. I’ve heard such great reviews from others, but didn’t share a similar experience.

First off, let me say that Prima Taste is a chain restaurant specializing in “authentic” Singaporean cuisine. I’ve been to their other locations in Beijing, Hangzhou, and Jakarta and can vouch for the consistent quality of their food. The decor of the restaurant, however, is strange. I would say that the strip of Robson street upon which Prima Taste is located, caters towards the business crowd. Customers come in and want fast service. Maybe this explains why the furniture and chairs are all made out of plastic. Easy wipe down? I wouldn’t have a problem with the interior except the restaurant is trying really hard to be upper-scale, to fit in, on Robson. The effect is plastic minimalism at best with white washed walls. This strikes me as odd, because it doesn’t compliment their food at all – bold spicy flavours. The food, however, is delicious, and authentic to the best of my judgment, but the portions are anything but generous for the prices they charge.

In keeping with Asian cuisine, the plates are supposed to be shared, but most portions seemed more suitable for one person. We ordered the mee goreng (egg noodles stir-fried in tomato sauce with tofu and prawns), the prawn laksa (coconut curry noodle soup), and kangkong sambal (leafy green vegetables cooked in chili and garlic). Three dishes between two people, and we were satisfied, but not quite full. The service was fast, but not memorable. But then again, I don’t expect good service in Asian restaurants, and I certainly don’t come for the decor. By all means, go to Prima Taste for the food. You won’t be disappointed! Just try not to look up from your plate to avoid disorientation.