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| - Went to Linda's for the first time this afternoon and had a great experience.
The decor is sheek and trendy, and looks like what one would imagine a restuarant in Thailand might actually look like - the upscale, trying-to-be -trendy version, of course. My group was seated in a semi-enclosed private table near the back, which was a bonus as we were away from the busy weekday lunch crowd. Might be a cool spot for someone going on a first date.
I was a little disappointed at first by the size of the menu. There are about 5 dishes under each of the main umbrellas - curry, noodles and satay. I opted for the golden chicken curry, and was asked "what level of spice would you like, on a scale from 1 to 10, 3 being a medium". Well, I likes me some spice, so I chose 6, while my Indian friend chose 8.
We got the calamari appetizer while we waited, and I can honestly say it was the best calamari I've had to date. I loved how the cooks cut the rings into sections to make the pieces more manageable, and the batter was light enough that you could still see the white flesh of the meat, but was extremely flavourful and crispy. It was served with what tasted like a teriyaki-based soy sauce that was sweet and spicy, which was so good I scooped the leftovers from my plate when no one was looking :P
The golden curry at a 6 spice was boarderline too spicy for me (and I'm a hot sauce on anything you can imagine kind of girl), but was complimented well by the cooling coconut milk that comes as an aftertaste to the initial chili and spice taste. My Indian friend said the 8 was almost not spicy enough (I could smell the spice coming off of her plate), so take that for what you will.
I believe this place is owned by the same owners as salad king (?) and I would say this definitely fit the bill as comparable to the curry a-la pre-burnt down Salad King on Gould. Be forewarned - same quality food, but pretentious Shops on Don Mills prices ($7 vs. $12). But even then, highly recommended if you've got the cashola. Like the Terminator, I'll be back.
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