Location:
114 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Cost: $50 for 2
One of our friends has been talking about this place for so long, claiming it to be his favourite chinese restaurant. Ever. And we had tried, on numerous occasions, to eat-in (and even do take-out from) there, with no luck.
So, it became the perfect dinner venue for us on the night we saw WALL-E at the AMC theatre at Yonge and Dundas. There was no question where we really wanted to eat, even after a walk down Elm St. with all the fancier places (like Oro, Thirty-Five, Adega - which I actually DO want to try sometime) toting their Summerlicious menus and vacant patios.
Spadina Garden doesn't have a patio, but I suspect if it did, it would be packed. it does however, have a very nicely decorated interior with very comfortable chairs.
Since we had less than an hour to eat, we looked around at what other people were enjoying and asked our host what he recommended on the menu. His suggestions mirrored our own for the most part, so we went with the dry chilli chicken, the chicken in ginger sauce, a vegetable noodle dish and later decided we also wanted shrimp fried rice instead of plain rice.
We were warned that it would all be too much but we were inclined and happy to finish the rest the next day.
Our vegetable noodles came out in no time. Colourful and crisp.
Then our chicken in ginger sauce arrived....which I thought looked like it may have been the dry chilli chicken.
But then the dry chilli chicken arrived...
The fact that all the dishes reached the table separately bugged us a little bit. I'd have preferred having everything arrive together, at once, so that we wouldn't have been eating noodles first, and then chicken in ginger sauce and then dry chilli chicken.
And how about the shrimp fried rice, you want to know. Well, we had to double check that they'd received our order. They had. And there it was...
With lots of shrimp dispersed within the rice.
But, Foodhogger, how did it all TAAAASTE???
Incredible! Very spicy (we asked for it), fresh and not greasy. It's very good chinese food...maybe a bit haka-ish.
Speaking of spicy, we also requested a SIDE of hot sauce and this is what arrived at our table! None of that Tabasco s***.
You might be interested to know that the left-overs were even BETTER the second (and third - yep, that's right) time around. Highly recommended. Thanks friend.
Dukem
Location:
950 Danforth Avenue (West of Donlands subway station)
Cost: approx $20 a person (incl. a drink)
The last time I'd had Ethiopian food was at Ethiopian House at Wellesley and Yonge and although I was not entirely unimpressed, I knew if I were to try it again, it would have to be some really good Ethiopian to make me a fan of the cusine. Dukem has done that. And some.
In trying to organize a surprise birthday party for a friend, one of the requirements was that it was Ethiopian. The other was that it was near a subway station. So, I turned to the world wide web for some help and good ol' reliable Chowhound is where I discovered people talking about Dukem and how good the food is there.
They were right. The food was great and so was the service.
Mike (the owner) and the the waitress (whose name I didn't catch unfortunately) did an awesome job making our party feel at home; fully accommodating our huge group (of 14 people by the end of the night) into their cosy, albeit small space.
We had brought a cake with us, which they instantly accepted and placed into their fridge. They were on the ball with our drinks, our orders, and especially the "surprise" factor of our surprise party - making sure everything was perfect. We may have taken over the entire restaurant for four hours (my apologies to those who were at the restaurant while our raucous bunch was there).
We each started off with a St. George (Ethiopian) Beer. Very tasty.
The ambiance was intimate...the restaurant's not cramped by any means, but it's definitely not huge. However, it had enough tables (inside and outside on their patio) to accommodate us as well as other patrons without ever feeling stuffy. And, it was clean. As far as decor goes - they have a couple of tvs, a few paintings on the walls, plain tables and a red glow from the large neon "open" sign in the front and glowing bar in the back.
But mostly they have amazing Ethiopian food.
Mike knew just what to bring to the table - a couple of meat platters and one veggie platter - shared around with plenty of injera constantly replenishing our plates.
The beef stews (both spicy and mild) were succulent and flavourful.
The split peas, spinach/chard and lentils weren't mushy as I've had before...each with its own distinct flavour. The injera wasn't as sour as I've had before - everything was just delicious and perfect....and is this any indication that we cleaned it up?
The wait for our food wasn't too long either, about 1/2 an hour or so.
And the cost for 11 of us was about $200 including beers/drinks, so about $20-22 a person. Good deal, I say!
Would I go again? Most definitely.
My thanks go out to all the Chowhounders who recommended this venue. The birthday girl was very happy.
Blue Mountain Bistro
Location:
119 Spadina Avenue
Cost: $8-10 for lunch
I guess the 'jerk' in Jerk Chicken comes from the service at Blue Mountain Bistro.
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me, but I used my friend's cell phone camera to capture these shots.
Our waitress was the lady on the right - as you can see she has her head in her hands...too many customers, perhaps?
No. Not really. Just one table of four at the far end and us. Still, it seemed we might have been a burden on her that day.
According to the menu, the Jerk Chicken Pita ($6.95 + tax) comes with fruit salad or salad. So I opted for the fruit salad. When our dishes arrived with a clatter on the table, our waitress announced that they didn't have fruits, so salad it was. (With a side of sliced canteloupe). The portions were quite hefty however.
And the chicken was quite spicy and flavourful and there was lots of it stuffed into the pita along with lettuce and tomatoes and some mystery sauce.
In my anticipation for the meal (read: hungry), I dropped my fork on the floor, only to receive an angry glare from our waitress when I asked for another one back at the counter. (She came by later to retrieve the fallen fork).
The final straw (for me) was when our oh-so-lovely waitress mixed up our bills and charged my friend $8.99 instead of $7.86 for his pita (the same thing I'd ordered). I pointed out the error in miscalculation but she defiantly claimed that it was $8.99..until she realized that was meant for for my other friend who'd ordered the Jerk Steak Sandwich (7.95 + tax) . I handed her a $20 for which she needed to go next door for change, during which the chef appeared. We expressed how much we enjoyed the sandwiches (they were tasty). Our waitress returned, apologizing for her mistake. I internally accepted it as an apology for the whole experience.
If it weren't for the terrible service and crazy-ass wait, BMB would actually be quite a nice place for a quick (and filling) lunch.
House of Gourmet
Location:
484 Dundas St. W.,Toronto
Cost: $5-20 pp
In the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, you're almost guaranteed to never know where to eat...there are just too many choices! But once you've tried a place you like, you're almost guaranteed to keep going there. At least, that's the way I am. House of Gourmet is one of those places I keep going to. 
The roomy interior is always packed with hungry lunch patrons (it's busiest between 11:30am-12:30pm; this photo was taken around 1pm when it started to empty out a bit).
There's hardly a wait before your food arrives. The veggie shanghai noodles are delicious and hearty...plenty for four to share. 
Congee...one of the best items on their menu and great on a blustery cold rainy day like the one we had the day we went (I even broke my umbrella on the trek over there).
Schezuan chicken...the best part is that they can make it reaaaaaaaally spicy! Even mild, like the one we had that day, is so flavourful there's never any left over!
The veggie stir fry is crisp! 
I think one of our favourite parts is the lazy susan...and the view...
...but mostly we love going there because it's a quick, affordable and incredibly tasty lunch! It's also just across the street from a Timmy's. What more can you ask for?
Zoe's Bakery Cafe
Location:
548 King Street West, Toronto
Cost: $8.50 average
www.zoesbakerycafe.ca
A great girls get-together should revolve around (I think) good food and drink....if those two components aren't there, it's almost as if one of your girlfriends is washing her hair.
Our plan was to meet at Zoe's for lunch and despite the TTC strike everyone was able to make it out (mostly thanks to my considerate friend and her fancy new wheels).
Zoe's is on King street near Brant; it's hard to miss the giant black signage on the front and side of the cafe.
During the summer climate bright red umbrellas line the sidewalk in front of the cafe, under which enthusiastic patrons munch on enormous gourmet sandwiches and hearty salads.
Being slightly lower than ground level, the interior of Zoe's is dimly lit although there is enough light streaming in through the many windows to make you feel warm and cosy. For a quick bite during the week there are round tables and high chairs in the front room and for longer, leisurely lunches there is additional seating to the right of the counter. Further down the hallway is a giant conference room (not pictured) for lunch meetings as well.
If you're not one to break out in goosebumps at the slight bite of something cold, you'll enjoy biting into the sandwiches at Zoe's. I, for one, prefer my sandwiches toasted. I like toasty bread slices, melting cheese, warm grilled chicken----you get my drift.
Alas, I failed to reveal this to our server when we placed out order, so what I ended up with was a cold Cajun chicken sandwich.
CAJUN CHICKEN sandwich
house-made mango chutney, pea sprouts, citrus aioli & mixed greens on 10-grain
Don't get me wrong, it was quite tasty. The mango chutney was an especially great addition to the sandwich. If only it were hot. But, why didn't you just ask to get it toasted, you ask? Great question! Thanks for asking. I think my problem wasn't just the bread not being toasted...everything was cold. It would have had to have been microwaved (mmm....microwaved bread....) and that didn't seem much more appealing. At least we had warm chicken quesadillas!
CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
filled with Cajun chicken, julienne bell peppers, red onions & cheddar
This was a hit with all of us. I think mainly because it was served hot and the cheddar had melted into a gooey mass over the chicken, pepper and onions.
AVOCADO sandwich
tomatoes, shaved granny smith apples, pesto aioli & mixed greens on 10-grain
There were no complaints from my friend who ordered this although I wouldn't be likely to order it next time as it's very close to what I made myself for lunch yesterday (but toasted, thank you very much).
CHICKEN WRAP
Cajun chicken, roasted peppers, cheddar, pesto aioli, shaved fresh apple & mixed greens
I preferred this over the cuban chicken sandwich...somehow wraps are easier to eat cold than giant sandwiches. Or maybe that's just me?
GRILLED PORTABELLO MUSHROOM sandwich
julienne roasted peppers, herbed chèvre, tomato pesto & mixed greens on 10-grain
My vegetarian friend seemed to enjoy this immensely....and 'roasted' makes me think it was warmer than my sandwich...
Zoe's has Illy coffees, a variety of teas and fresh juices (Good ol' OJ pictured here...in a bottle....which turned out to be great, actually).
For a Saturday, I expected there to be more of a lunch crowd, however the few patrons who trickled in for a sit down lunch had fully emptied out by 3pm. Our server also proved to be quite absent-minded leaving me to trek back and forth with requests for cutlery, water and finally, after she'd disappeared altogether, the bill.