Category Archives: Uncategorized

Madras Dosa Hut

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1123 Albion Road
1-877-DOSAHUT(367-2488)

 

The Library team (our department in the hospital is quite small, with only 5 of us and one volunteer) went for a yummy lunch buffet to Madras Dosa Hut at Albion and Islington for a great deal- a $7.99 South Indian lunch buffet feast

With ample parking, we entered the clean and spacious Madras Dosa Hut, whivh is kid-friendly (it has a McDonalds-like park in the front for kids) and we sat at the large 8 seater circular table.

I had eaten South Indian food before but one volunteer had never eaten Indian food in general. We introduced her to the many delights of Indian cuisine like sambar (spicy lentil soup), rasam (spicy tomato-based soup with tamarind), payasam (sweet tapioca dessert), uthapam (similar to Naan bread but it contains rice flour with onions).

The great part of this buffet is that it includes one free Dosa (a thin crepe with a yummy potato curry filling inside). There were many vegetarian items for me to choose from. I chose the channa masala (chick pea curry), as well as veggie curry with peas and potatoes, while my colleagues chose other curries like goat and chicken.
Madras Dosa Hut was large, spacious, clean, and bright with traditional kitschy South Indian flare. Food was good, constantly refreshed, and water was cold and wait staff were friendly, cheerful, and helpful.

I was impressed with the free Dosa offer. Clearly, this was the best value for a lunch buffet and I was happy to report that Madras Dosa Hut offered no free cockroaches. Accepts all cards. Licensed.

World Class Bakers

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690 St Clair Ave W
Phone: 416-654-0606

This spacious and elegant Italian Cafe and bakery is located at St. Clair and Christie in Wychwood Park, across from the famous Mediterranean restaurant Mezzetta

Offers freshly baked croissants, bagels, specialty breads, cookies and a large variety of cakes (all home made). You can also try the amazing buffet of traditional Italian dishes like veggie Lasagna, Roasted Vegetables, Roasted potatoes, Green beans in a tomato stew (YUMM), and Roasted Chicken. ($8.99 veggie, $9.99 non veggie buffet). A definite excellent deal. Food is fresh, delicious, and constantly refreshed. I must admit, it does not have the look of a buffet where people are desperate going back to stuff themselves on seconds and thirds. There is a laid back casual ambiance that I love in World Class Bakers. I went here quite often for food and beverages in January when I was dating a local. We quiote enjoyed the food and healthy veggie selections and super affordable prices. World Class Bakers resembles a cafe where locals hang out, read, and relax.

World Class Bakers offers free wireless internet access so locals are encouraged to drop by, have a coffee, read, and surf the Internet for as long as they want.

With a full espresso bar you can order a latte, cappucino, and just regular coffees. Don’t forget to try the samples at the cash. Exceptionally friendly service.

Also offers programs like Spoken Word Series (monthly on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm-9:00pm) and a Discussion Group that meets every second Wednesday evening (8:00pm). A real community hangout for locals of the Wychwood Park neighbourhood. Also offers home cooked hearty breakfasts. Hours are Mon-Sun 7am-11pm. Cafe sits 36 seats. Only accepts cash but has an ATM in the cafe.

Rajdhani Sweets and Restaurant

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2658 Islington
416 748-7108

Apart from the cockroach that was scurrying down the long hallway, Aaron and I thoroughly enjoyed Rajdhani Sweets and Restaurant. This place was almost identical to its neighbour a few doors down Brar Sweets and Pure Vegetarian restaurant.

Literally 3 doors away from Brar, Rajdhani offers South Indian vegetarian fare and ridiculously low prices. Complete meals are $8 or less and contain a Thali plate full of small portioned snack size morsels of south indian dishes. Aaron and I went for lunch and we ordered the spinach and cheese curry (Saag Paneer), the chick pea curry (channa masala) and 2 types of kofta (looks like dumplings or vegetarian meatballs) in a sweet and creamy yogourt sauce, as well as curried eggplan (bhartha began), and lentil curry (daal). All dishes are wonderful, but i think my favourite from Brar and Rajdhani are the kofta, saag paneer, and bhartha began. Choose 5 items for $7.99 or less and it comes with pilao (rice), naan (fluffy pita-like bread from the tandoor oven) or roti (flat whole wheat tortilla). Comprised about 7-10 tables and decor was plain and not trendy or kitschy. I think Brar recently had a makeover since it looked more cleaned up but i like the minimalist approach to decor. Some places are Gerrard street have dated furniture, kitschy Indian art that is not even genuine or traditional. Sometimes the barren minimalist looks work. Both Rajdhani and Brar seem similar because they are small and they focus on desserts but do offer meals at the back. Food is served fast, fresh, and piping hot. Dishes are already prepared in advance like a buffet but Naan and Roti are made to order. Accepts all cards. Offers many colourful desserts, mostly made of chick pea flour and decadent sweet and thick condensed milk and cream.

Champion Wok Seafood Restaurant

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1635 Lawrence Av W
(416) 246-1771

My manager and her friend/co-worker from purchasing decided that I should be exposed to the world of Dim Sum. Even though most Dim Sum was not vegetarian I was curious as to what food would be brought out. My manager told me that waiters constantly bring out hot fresh Chinese Hor D’oeuvres on carts and you just pick and choose and you are charged $1.25-$3.00 (?) per item. Sounds cheap, but it’s not. It does add up and it can be expensive. For me, there was nothing i could eat so i just watched as my two lunchmates got ready for the excitement of Dim Sum.

We opted for a place that was close to work (Jane and Lawrence) so we went to Champsion Wok Seafood Restaurant. Champion serves Dim Sun all day and specialized in seafood dishes relating to Dim Sum. Dim Sum are like small appetizers ($1.25 each) on a cart, from pork dumplings, ox tail, pigs feet, shrimp and tofu dumplings and rice paper wraps filled with beef, seafood, and tofu, as well as Chinese brocoli. Also serves an assortment of desserts like delicious and filling sweet red bean filled balls and an assortment of Chinese tarts.

Unfortunately for me there were few vegetarian dishes so I ordered a tofu stir fry with broccoli and Chinese mushrooms. Most soups and dishes that say vegetarian have chicken or fish stock. It seems they do not understand the true essence of what vegetarian food really is.

The ambiance was cute; with one main dining hall fitting about 20 large circular tables, this place could get crammed for Saturday night dinner but this was Fri lunch so there were only three occupied tables. The bill came out to $50.00 for 3 people but my dish was only $7.95. Decor was nice, casual, busy and conveniently located at Black Creek Drive and Lawrence. All dishes come with unlimited hot tea. Accepts all cards.

Dosa Darbar

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1150 ALBION RD,
Phone: 416-740-9009

 

Dosa Darbar is a south indian vegetarian restaurant in Etobicoke’s Little India at Albion and Islington. Conveniently located right near the 401 and Islington, this small cosy restaurant sits about 10 tables and is quite dark and unassuming inside.

Decor is dark with brown textured wallpaper and old tables and chairs. Dosa Darbar does not look dumpy like most restaurants on Gerrard street but definitely looked a bit shabby and dated. Definitely needs a severe makeover. With mininal decor and design it does less busy, thus not as kitschy as other places.

The food and excellent friendly service makes up for the ambiance. Dosa Darbar specializes in Dosa’s which are thin paper like crepes with a potato curry filling inside. For lunch, Aaron and I ordered the crazy Dosa, filled with potato curry. Our Dosa was lined with cheddar cheese and shredded onion and it came with Sambar (thick vegetarian pea soup–similar to Daal) and a coriander and coconut cream sauce to dip the pieces of Dosa into

The Dosa was huge. It was fresh, piping hot, and delicious. In addition to our meal, we also shared an appetizer of Veggie pekoras with chunks of onion and cashew which was a new food experience for us. They did not have Tamarind sauce but it came with ketchup (not very Indian) and a yummy Coriander sauce that was to die for.
For our drinks I ordered an extra large glass of Mango Lassi, thick and rich and only $2.95 for the massive glass. I did NOT feel ripped off. I was truly happy with the food, extra friendly service, and the quality of the food

Accepts all cards

Jolly II Italian Restaurant

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2625 Weston Road
(416) 242-6666

 

Centrally located at Weston and the 401 right near the Weston GO station and close to downtown Weston Village, Jolly 2 is a traditional Italian restaurant that has been serving patrons since 1988.

Jolly is authentic looking with comfortable seating in an open-concept dining hall

Jolly offers an assortment of salads, fresh pasta, pizza, lasagna, veal or chicken parmigiana, and other authentically Italian dishes all served cafeteria style (no worrying about a tip!)

Jolly serves typical Italian sandwiches like veal or chicken on an Italian bun, BBQ chicken sandwiches, steak sandwiches, Prosciutto and Cheese , sausage sandwich, and meatball sandwich.

Jolly also offers gourmet pizza and panzerottos and serves traditional Italian soups like Minestrone, Stracciatella, and Tortellini. They also serves pasta (Penne or Rigatoni) in Tomato sauce with meatballs or sausage as well as pasta in other shapes (spaghetti,rigatoni, penne or fettucine). Some sauces include pomodoro (tomato), meat sauce, meat sauce with meatballs, arrabiata (spicy tomato), pink (tomato and cream), and tomato sauce with sausage. Cream sauces include vodka sauce, al fredo, and a penne primavera in a choice of sauce (tomato, garlic and olive oil, cream, or pink).

Stuffed pasta includes gnocchi (YUMM), manicotti, lasagna, ravioli, Agnolotti, and Tortellini , stuffed either with ricotta cheese or meat. Pasta with seafood is priced from $10.95-$15.95

Jolly also serves a variety of salads (Caesar, Seafood, Spinach, Tomato, Tuna, and Greek)

For my first experience at this exciting new place I ordered a side order of roasted vegetables and the daily special of eggplant parmigiana; thinly sliced panfried eggplant (not breaded thank God) topped with tomato sauce and cheese. It was so delicious and not too greasy, I could taste the delicious olive oil flavour in the sauce and cheese.

The roasted vegetables were excellent. Roasted veggies were composed of roasted peppers (multi-coloured), zucchini, and onions

. Since they serve food “cafeteria style” it’s fast, fresh, and casual, and definitely NOT like crappy food courts or crappy cafeterias.

Jolly seats 120 people indoors and offers a large outdoor terrace that seats 80 people. Food is constantly refreshed. Prices for lunch can be under $10. Lunch portions are kind of small, but taste makes up for it. I would recommend ordering many small dishes. Also offers a famous hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, and all of the fixings at low prices.

Many vegetarian options. Accepts all cards. Wheelchair accessible. Liquor license. Jolly II also offers catering services and take out.

Brar Sweets and Vegetarian Restaurant

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 199 Advance Boulevard Unit 12
905-799-1625

2646 Islington Ave
416 745 4449

755 Dundas Street West #A4
905-848- 3933

Located in the “other” Little India at Albion and Islington, Brar Sweets and Vegetarian Restaurant serves exclusively Indian and vegetarian fare. Eighty percent of the restaurant showcases traditional Indian squares (i.e sweets) which are colourful, dense, decadent squares made with condensed milk, tons of sugar, sometimes chick pea flour, and cream. These colourful treats are excellent but drink a lot of water after since they are very sweet and rich I’ve tried many before). The decorative tin foil covering these treats is edible so don’t worry.

Brar Sweets contains about 10-15 tables and decor is minimalist and cosy in classic beige with many mirrors. No kitschy artwork or photos. They specialize in sweets and thali dishes (thalis are one large plate with a sampling of many dishes), as well as takeout.

Some of the dishes they offer includes 3 types of cheese curries: Saag Paneer (cheese), a cheese curry with red/green peppers, and mattar paneer (curried peas and cheese) in a sweet tomato gravy. Other popular dishes include bengan bhartha (eggplant), daal (lentils), aloo gobi (cauliflower, potato, and onions), channa masala (chickpea curry), YUMMY kofta balls (dumplings in a thick and creamy yogourt curry). If you opt for the Thali dish, you may choose any salad and pick the pickled lemons and carrots, they’re excellent. You may also want to pick fresh Naan, Roti, or Pilau (rice) or all three. Food is to “die for” delicious, fresh, piping hot, and exploding with flavour, texture, and colour.

The sweets are colourful and decorative, that you do not want to eat them, just look in amazement.

Vegetarian samosas or Vegetarian pakoras are an excellent starter and are best hot (with tamarind or coriander sauce). Complete meals under $10 including all taxes. No need to tip, but highly recommended since service is always fast and courteous.

Dutch Dreams [by: Erin]

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78 Vaughan Road
416 656-6959

 

This place was introduced to me by Mark (not Mark Aaron Polger) when we were in grade 9 and has been a Toronto landmark for almost twenty years. Ice cream is served the “dutch way” with whipped cream and fruit on top. They have awesome homemade ice cream (over fifty flavours), gigantic sundaes, (check out the baked Alaska!)… Truly an ice cream lover’s fantasy. Choosing what to order can be a difficult decision. You’ll go back again and again so you can try everything on the menu!

– Erin Toole

La Paloma Gelateria & Cafe

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1357 St Clair W.

416 656-2340

La Paloma is one of “the places” in Toronto for homemade gelato. They have over 50 different flavours (all names are in Italian!) at any one time, all made onsite. They all taste amazing and have that soft and airy texture found only in gelato. Seasonal flavours include fico (fig) or marron glace (glazed chesnut). This place is very busy in the summer, expect to wait before being served — but the wait is well worth it!

Reviewed by Erin Toole

Hollywood Gelato

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1640 Bayview Avenue
(a few blocks south of Eglinton – look for the duck on the bike).
416 544-9829

This place has over 20 delicious flavours of soft homemade Italian gelati. Fruit flavours include strawberry, raspberry, multi- berries, citrus, etc. Non-fruit flavours include coconut, pistachio, Mars, tiramisu, chocolate peanut butter… They all taste authentic and fresh. This is my preferred place to go for gelato – fewer flavours than La Paloma make it less overwhelming when deciding what you want, and the prices are a bit cheaper.

Reviewed by Erin Toole