St. Clair Ave West is now home to yet another fabulous restaurant. I’m not kidding I can count about 6 restaurants on this street that I adore

Ji opened about a month ago and is brought to you by the same owners as Pukka. Ji is described as an Indian Gastropub which means there’s a great cocktail list (Chutney Mary, Chai Flip, Tamarind Margarita  etc) as well as shareable plates/mains and desserts. This sign says it all!

Not only am I fan of the food, but I think they did a great job with the decor as well.

I usually pay no attention to the art in a restaurant, but this piece was noticed!!

We went with another couple and shared a variety of vegetarian dishes. Every single dish was flavourful and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them on another visit.

CHILI TOFU – pan tossed with onions and peppers.

SWEET POTATO CHAAT – with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney

SEMOLINA PUFFS – filled with chickpeas, potato, yogurt and chutney

CAESAR SALAD – Romaine hearts, roasted chickpeas, smoky coconut “bacon bits’ with a vegan cashew dressing

 

TRIO OF CHUTNEYS with Papadums

I’m looking forward to my next visit at which time I’m going to order some non vegetarian dishes like: Hakka Shrimp, Naanchos, and Chicken Purris. Can you tell that I’ve been studying the menu? I really can’t wait to grab another couple and visit.

Congratulations Derek and Harsh for opening (and creating) yet another fabulous restaurant.

For more information about Ji. 

Address: 760 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto

Phone: 416 792 5550

Twitter/Instagram: @HelloJiToronto

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/HelloJiToronto

 

Here’s a few events that are on my radar:

a) The Niagara Integrated Film Festival (Thursday June 19 to Sunday 22, 2014). This is a great chance to see some wonderful films AND drink wine! Not a bad combo at all. There’s a wide range of films (Canadian, Animated, Documentaries and more) and you will be watching these movies in a truly unique setting. Please visit their website for more info www.niagarafilmfest.com. 

 

b) Restaurantacular on Wed. June 25th from 4 – 9 pm. This is a great way to eat your way thru Mount Pleasant! There will be a variety of food from local restaurants that will only set you back a loonie or two or three!! LOVE IT. For more information please visit: www.mountpleasantvillage.ca

c) Night It Up 2014 Night Market takes place this year on Friday July 11th to July 13th. I’ve gone for the last two years and always find something that I’ve never tried before. For more information please check out their website www.nightitup.com

d) Summerlicious will be taking place July 4- 20th and I’m sure I will be checking out a restaurant or two. I’ve already make plans to visit Pukka for a $15 lunch with a bunch of friends. What great value. For more information – please visit their website www.toronto.ca

Take a peek at how many festivals are going on…there’s no way one can be bored during the summer.

PS many thanks to my friend @sackman66 for sending me this list!

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

Thought I would write a blog post called Saturday Stuff that would be short and sweet.

Here we go:

1. This week, I organized my first Media Dinner for 12 Food Bloggers at Pukka Restaurant. It was definitely a highlight of my week.

2. I also went to a fun event sponsored by the French Chamber of Commerce, called Le Beaujolais Nouveau. Similar events take place all over the world on the third Thursday of November….every year. It was a great opportunity to try Four new Beaujolais Nouveau wines and chat with some pretty interesting people.

3. I went to Sam James Coffee Bar in the PATH for my first time but it won’t be my last time.

 

4. I FINALLY (yes – FINALLY) became a an AIRMILES cardholder. What took me so long? Many thanks to the people who invited me to this AirMiles Event. You picked the right person.

5. I had my hair straightened at Evoke Salon for the first time in MONTHS.  I love having my hair straightened however I wasn’t able to got to Goodlife to work out  for 2 days. Sniff.

6. Enjoyed an amazing meal at my boyfriends house on Friday night.  Seriously, I think this is the first time I ever eaten crab legs outside of a restaurant.

Have a wonderful weekend!! I’m off to the cottage which means that I will be enjoying a lot of bacon. Lucky me.!!

I discovered Pukka via Twitter (does that surprise you?) and then found out that they  recently opened up a little over a week ago on St. Clair Ave. West.  I was eager to blog about Pukka seeing as I haven’t reviewed an Indian restaurant ever!!

Let’s start off with the space:

Not too dark. Not too bright. Plus I love the colour combos. It’s a pretty cool space for a restaurant in “North Toronto”. (in my humble opinion)

Now let’s talk about the food. Pukka has managed to make Indian food – INTERESTING. It’s not heavy, or greasy or boring at ALL.

Here’s four dishes that really were outstanding. They were interesting, fresh, extremely flavourful and light.

Top Left: Vegetable String Chaat – puffed rice, sprouts, chutneys and sweet yogurt

Top Right: Baby Kale Salad – dates, lotus chiops and spiced cashew dressing. See what I mean?

Bottom Right: Wilted Winter Greens – pickling spices.

Bottom Left: Tandoor Roasted Paneer – sweet peppers and pineapple

The meal continued with a few other winners:

Top Right: Chicken 65 – South Indian Fried Chicken (this is a MUST to order – and I’m not even a huge fan of chicken!!)

Bottom Right: Butter Chicken – tomato butter sauce.

On the Right: Vegetable Pakoras with Tomato Chutney

Believe it or not,…we managed to try dessert despite the fact that we were full.

Left: Eton Mess – rosewater meringue (my favorite), mango, pomegranate and sweet lassi cream

Right: Chai Pot Creme- candied pistachios, orange blossom creme anglaise, spiced shortbread (I loved the shortbread…hope they sell it separately one day)

Someone knows what they are doing in the kitchen and every dish was executed perfectly. I was super impressed with the flavours, textures, and presentation of each dish.

I have no doubt that the neighborhood is going to embrace Pukka. (which is pronounced PUCK – A).

For more information:

Pukka: 778 St. Clair Ave. West (West of Bathurst). 416 342 1906. They open everyday at 5 pm.

www.pukka.ca

Twitter: @pukkatoronto

Disclosure: Pukka is currently a client but I assure you that all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.