I made a reservation a few weeks ago when I saw this restaurant featured in Toronto Life. I remember how hard it was to try La Palma (same chef) last summer so I rushed to make a reservation and was not let down.
The restaurant is very spacious and modern. It is divided into three unique spaces - a bar area that is supposed to be somewhat more lively, the lounge and the dining room. The space we were seated had a fire place and was quite cozy. Our waitress was very friendly and spent time walking us through the menu. She mentioned that before the restaurant opened the staff got to try all the dishes so she was able to provide recommendations based on our desired palette. She also was able to accommodate small changes to the items we wanted to try to avoid dairy. The menu features a combination of Middle Eastern and Italian food (two of my favourites)! Similar to La Palma, the menu has an entire section devoted to vegetable sides.
We settled on the cauliflower to start, which quite frankly was a let down. The pepper sauce was great but I was expected the cauliflower to be hot and it was cold (not even mildly heated). The mezze plate was amazing and came with a long flat bread seasoned with za'tar and has three dips: labneh, eggplant and red pepper. I was a bit annoyed that the waitress noted in advance that she would omit the feta atop one of the dips yet didn't offer substitute the labneh for extra of one of the other dips (we also didn't notice or ask so I guess our fault a bit too but it literally went untouched since we don't eat dairy).
For mains, we shared the eggplant gnocchi (without ricotta) and the eggplant pizza (without cheese). I appreciated that the pizza had enough toppings that it was still very satisfying and enjoyable without the cheese. It was topped with eggplant, raisins and pine nuts. The breading was similar to the flatbread.
I appreciated the pace at which the food came out - each appetizer on its own and then the pizza and gnocchi together. The dessert menu left much to be desired so we skipped it. Overall, great menu and I would definitely come back. I felt the prices were reasonable for the level of service and the quality of the food.