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| - I took a new part-time job in the area and decided to try this restaurant before my shift one day.
My boyfriend and I peeked in through the large window in front - the tables are nicely decorated with tableclothes and wineglasses. While there wasn't a single person sitting inside, this seemed to be a hot spot for take-out on a Thursday night. The staff even knew the customers by name!
The owners are friendly but one of the waiters, although his intentions are friendly, will awkwardly stare at you eating. It makes it uncomfortable when you are the only customers in the restaurant.
We had two glasses of pinot grigio ($18) and the 'zen platter' ($15) to start. The large plate of mixed appetizers hit the spot and perhaps was a bit too filling! There were two types of deep fried rolls, and the fresh rolls came with a tasty peanut sauce, which would have been more impressive if it was made from scratch. The mango salad, passable, and a bit too raw.
For our mains, I choose the vegetarian laksa. The menu stated that the broth was vegetable-based (this is a huge relief as we can refrain from peppering the staff with annoying questions and scrutinizing sniffs when the food comes). For a vegetarian version, it wasn't too bad, although I wouldn't have pinned it down as a laksa. Mind you, I've had the real thing in Malaysia, with shrimps and all. The closest veg version I've had in Toronto is at the large Buddhist temple in Mississauga.
For our second main, we ordered a basil and cashew eggplant dish. There were quite a lot of cashews and the eggplant, although nicely fried and not overly greasy, could have had a little more seasoning on it. The purple rice, unfortunately, wasn't included with any of the orders.
PRO: If you want something gluten-free, they have plenty of choices. Meat or vegetarian! Prices vary between dishes, so you can order something for $10 or $20.
CON: Dishes are tasty but don't have the flair that the reputation of this neighbourhood normally promises.
I'd still come back, considering that the atmosphere is nice, there are lots of vegetarian/vegan choices and it could please a large crowd of both varying tastes and budgets. Likely, Lemongrass wouldn't be my first choice though.
3.5/5 stars
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