| rev:text
| - I'm conflicted by Joeys.
I've been to their first Toronto location at Shops at Don Mills many times, I even hosted a birthday for someone else there. I remember the first time I went, I was immediately drawn in by the trendy, hip atmosphere. It was a place to be seen at and the place to see all of the hot, model-like waitresses and hostesses.
This formula is repeated now in two additional locations in the GTA (downtown Toronto, and Markville Mall).
The following is about the Yorkdale location. Located in the most upscale mall this side of Canada, Joeys Yorkdale was the sight of a non-fatal shooting back in May of 2013. Has it discouraged diners from eating here? Not at all.
On any given evening weekday or weekends, there is always a queue as frantic shoppers look for a decent place to dine other than the food court or the other restaurants inside the mall. (Not surprisingly, Moxies and Milestones, like Joeys originated from the West coast of Canada...)
The highlights of what I've had at Joeys over the years are:
1. The butter chicken, with a side of garlic naan flat bread, basmati rice, and green peas. The butter sauce is not authentic of course, as it's a bit watered down with sour cream as to minimize that spicy kick, invoking a fusion feel to it while retaining some of the flavors that makes a butter chicken. It's my default dish whenenever I am at Joeys.
2. Another is the tuna ahi sandwich. Now this is quickly replacing my butter chicken as the default choice. It's basically a hamburger without the beef patty, replaced by a piece of fried ahi tuna patty, topped with a crispy onion ring between sweet pepper relish. The flavors are marvellous for tuna lovers everywhere when it comes to this sandwich and quite worthy of the commanding price of $17 for a sandwich. However, I have a problem with the size of this sandwich, but more on that later.
3. Joeys also offers a steak and sushi combination, which I found rather disappointing. I've only had it once out of curiosity. The issue with this dish is the rice used in the maki Rainbow roll is not vinegar rice. It is plain white rice that tasted very dry, reminiscent of Uncle Ben's. It just does not have the same texture and flavor one finds in vinegar rice that is at most if not all sushi restaurants. The steak is fine on its own, albeit small as its a 6oz striploin. I would not recommend it to sushi lovers.
4. Finally, another highlight for myself would be the Baja fish tacos. Comes in 3 tacos, with basa catfish, guacamole, lime, shrimp pieces. Hardly worthy as a filling meal, should be more of a appetizer despite it being located on the menu under sandwiches. The balance of all three main ingredients comes through in this fish tacos, very refreshing on a summer's day, enjoyed very well with a mojito. I specifically like the crispy corn tortillas that they use in this dish. But, I do wish the portions were bigger. You can order an additional taco or two above the aforementioned 3 pieces at $3.50 each however.
I've never had a problem with service here, the waitresses are nice and accommodating, as long as your requests aren't too over the top. Your assigned waitress can be hard to flag down during busy times, however, there are an abundance of them so even if you flag down the one that wasn't assigned to you, she will find your waitress for service.
I want to give Joeys 4 star review but the "upscale" price for middle-class, mass produced quality, small portions of food in their entrees prevents me from doing so. It is as though the inflated pricing is paying for their rent, the ambience and the trendy locations that Joeys restaurants are located at. For patrons who want the best of ambience and aesthetics with decent food, Joeys offers what they're looking for.
I'm a fan of Joeys, despite their shortcomings in portion control. It just means I won't frequent their restaurants as often as they would want me to.
In closing, Joeys Yorkdale repeats the same formula that Earls/Moxies/Milestones has done before. What separates them from the others ultimately comes down to location, convenience, choice of food offerings, and for some - how much money is left in their wallet after a shopping spree, because Joeys Restaurants in the GTA are all attached to a nearby shopping center!
(The washrooms at this location is located the opposite end of the place, up a long flight of stairs on the 2nd floor. Very, very inconvenient if you sit at the lower floor bar area. Whoever thought this was a good interior design? Questionable credentials.)
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