| rev:text
| - 3.5-3.8 Stars
VIBE
Canteen has been on my Toronto bucket list for a while, so I was really excited to get here. Plus, there wasn't a line. Bonus! Canteen is haute cafeteria. You can stay or go and someone is always passing you by. Architecture is clean and simple and the booths are mighty comfortable.
Service is extra attentive and smiley. One poor server was so eager to take our plates on top of his unorganized stack that the dishes all came crumbling down. Luckily because of the layout, it wasn't *such* a disaster. I'm sure he disappeared into his staff room and cried (or not...but I would! That's why I'm not a server. I just write about them).
Of course, the location is right central at TIFF's new headquarters, so a place I avoid during TIFF. It's a much needed destination restaurant in the King West area and none of the 20 restaurants across the street really match up to it in terms of the whole package.
The patio is quite lovely as well and if you can snag a seat, a fantastic people watching spot in a bustling area.
Also: I like the fonts on the menu. Bravo, graphic designer. Bravo!
WE ATE
The menu switches up from time to time. We were lucky that the mac n cheese was new on the menu and it did NOT disappoint! Ooey and gooey, it was the perfect fix for a grey day (at the end of May, mind you). It was filled with a sharp, creamy garganelli cheese, ham and cheddar and crusted on top like a casserole. Mmmm.
I convinced my Dining Companion to get the quesadillas (anyone care to quote Napoleon Dynamite here?). They were pulled pork and plentiful but something was off in the flavour. Just maybe not enough "fillings" and mainly the pork was what was throwing me off. The "guacamole" that came with it was a creamed high-end mayo version of it which meant it wasn't really guacamole. So no red onion, no lime, no chunkiness at all. Disappointed. The salsa, however, was DELICIOUS. Super fresh and made in house.
Price-wise, our meal was quite affordable and expected for what you're paying for in the King West area.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
No army brats here. Just cineophiles that want a quick meal fix before their next film. A great, stylish addition to King West. Just say yes to mac n cheese and no to the quesadillas.
|