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| - 3.5 actually. Yes Riz you are one of the prettiest Asian fusian restos around, think Moroco Chocolat chandaliers and Frenchified styling meets Spring Rolls gweilo-fied menu, however the service leaves me a little skeptical. The service was congenial in the beginning with the ever enthusiastic host ushering us to our table but from there on it goes downhill. Don't get me wrong we were served quickly and efficiently, but when presentation is key as evidenced by Riz's gorgeously plush surroundings the service should be less dry and one dimensional. In truth the service felt more like I was at some run of the mill Asian eatery in an obscure strip mall in Markham versus at an upscale fusion restaurant Uptown.
Also the menu should be more elegantly laid out than some poorly kinko's copied mess of laminated pages, with both the lunch and dinner menus all mashed up together. I will credit that at least there is a fair amount of vegetarian items offered on the menu.
Having said that the food was actually quite good in that Asian food created for a Caucasian palette kind of way. To start my husband and I order the Mango soft roll which is bland and forgettable then the Avocado salad with ginger sesame dressing which was great.
Hubby orders the Drunken Garlic Lobster which is wok fried in lemon parsley butter, smoked garlic & white wine along with fried rice in a crisp rice bowl shell as he devours it like a lion devours it's kill on those Nat Geo documentaries. Scavengers take heed!
Myself, I have the Crystal chicken lettuce wraps with minced chicken, shrimp & chunky rice seasoned with hoisin sauce and am very pleased with the crispy little rice bits textured along with the flavourful deliciousness.
The facilities which is a trek up a narrow carpeted flight of stairs is simply stunning and feels like a little boutique of a lieu, a word of advice though, the sandpaper-esque toilet tissue was NOT a classy touch given how beautiful everything else is.
Upon leaving the lieu you'll pass by the private party room, which is pretty exceptional with a mod mural of a light installation and nouveau Asian decor flourishes. It'd probably be a pretty neat place to throw down a shindig of sorts.
The clientele is mostly seniors/caucasian families gathering for an "Asian" style dinner. I will suggest to try to secure reservations at Riz north as by the time we left about 8pm the place was gangbusters with a line-up about 20 people deep waiting to be seated.
I will give Riz North 5 stars for aesthetically beautiful surroundings, a 3.75 for the food and a 2.75 for service. Yes, Riz north is somewhat of a gem but until they fine tune and refine some of their kinks it's just cubic zirconia trying to pass for diamonds.
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