Sooo P and I have decided that because we love us some good eats that we are going to start a restaurant review series for everyone.
You might be asking yourself, what makes you two equipped to do restaurant reviews? Well, nothing really other than we love food. I’ll let P fill you in on why she’s a great choice, but what I can tell you about myself is that I am a very particular eater. I’m not one of those “I eat whatever even if I don’t like it” kind of people. I. LOVE. GOOD. FOOD. I am an absolute food snob and I have no shame in that.
I don’t like boring bland food, and funny enough I eat a lot of stuff that picky eaters don’t eat (mushrooms, all types of seafood, cilantro, all types of vegetables etc.). I loathe most condiments (mayo, mustard, relish) and pretty much anything used to make shitty food taste better. I feel like if the food is well seasoned and cooked properly, you don’t need any of that other mess to mask the flavour.
Pilar:
RT Clee! I have to say that eating out has really become an integral part of my life, not only because I’m a very below average cook but because I enjoy the experience as a whole and more than anything else it’s just more convenient for us gyals on the go.
Food is such an integral part of all of our lives, amirite! So if I’m spending money, I’d like to eat good, ya know? I’m more of a healthy Monday to Thursday eater and then I do thoroughly enjoy indulging in three juicy meals from Friday to Sunday, one being #brunch. Also, I’m a v honest food critic, like if something ain’t right then I’m not out there suggesting it to my people, you included Cowes!
Now, we visited the new Plants location on Queen Street West.
The VIBE:
We were into the overall atmosphere of the restaurant. It was intimate and cutting edge all at once. The perfect balance of nature, a rich colour palette with their furniture and pops of print in their tropical wallpaper.
Now, scroll on for the food we ordered…
POTATO TRUFFLE DUMPLING
cabbage, coconut milk lemongrass broth
Cleo: This dish was sooooo tasty. The flavour profile was rich and really powerful. I could taste the lemongrass and what I think was tumeric as well. I mean, it’s really hard to go wrong with dumplings in my opinion.
Pilar: I found this dish to be an interesting pop of flavour. The lemon and I believe there is ginger in these dumplings was tasty, but not delicious to me.
DRAGON ROLL
tempura broccoli, spinach, spicy unagi sauce
A photo of the Dragon Roll and Bang Bang Broccoli together, all three appetizers came out at once and we were overwhelmed, sorry for the lack of division with these pics but the “mains” are separated, if that helps lol.
Cleo: Dragon rolls are my actual favourite type of sushi — and these were delish. It had avocado on top, which I am not a fan of, but I just picked mine off. This tasted just like a regular dragon roll.
Pilar: I love the dragon roll in general. Planta on Queen’s version was fresh and delicious. I didn’t expect anything out of this world but because this roll doesn’t have too much going on, I’ll often ask for a side of chipotle mayo and hot sauce.
BANG BANG BROCCOLI
sweet chili sauce, peanut butter
Cleo: oh. my. sweet. God. This dish was my favourite. Sweet, spicy and an all around banger (pun intended). This was actually your recommendation P and it was a MF win. Best dish we had for sure.
Pilar: This was literally the best vegetable based dish I have EVER. It by no means did not disappoint. The broccoli was perfect- not soggy, not too undercooked. And the peanut sauce was even better. I’m a serious peanut lover, and this sauce as Clee said was the perfect amount of spicy and sweet.
WILD MOREL MUSHROOM FRIED RICE
shaved truffle
Cleo: Yeahhhh, here is where we went downhill. This dish was $30 and we were excited because who doesn’t love truffle and rice? But we got it and truth be told, it wasn’t as creamy as we were expecting. it wasn’t super flavourful and we had to ask for chili oil to give it some oomph.
Pilar: Aw… I agree with Clee, I think my issue was that I was expecting something as flavourful as the Funghi from Gusto 101 lol, that is truly the most perfect mushroom and truffle creation in Toronto. Let’s just say it did not live up to those truffle dreams. Again, just a little bit dry but we can’t have it all, can we?
GENERAL LEE’S CAULIFLOWER
sesame, scallions
Cleo: Also this was not a win for me. The server told us that this is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, and honestly the bang bang broccoli kicked the cauliflower’s ass. It was just meh.
Pilar: I think this was tricky because there are so many versions of “buffalo cauliflower”, this one was not my favourite, I think the heads were just too large! I genuinely just think it could have been cooked for 1 more minute, the flavour was there though.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pilar: Honestly i’d go again, I feel like Planta on Queen is more appropriate for lunch versus dinner for some reason. Would definitely be interested in trying more sushi rolls, a noodle dish and indulging in more of that Bang Bang Broccoli.
Cleo: What I really appreciated was that the server took off the truffle dish and the cauliflower from our bill because we didn’t love it, which is outstanding customer service. No muss, no fuss, she just handled it. The space itself is beautiful – visit the bathroom for sure cuz it’s BOMB. The food was good, but it’s not a place I am head over heels for. I’d give it a 6.5/10. If you’re into the vegan vibe, I say definitely give it a try.
xx
P&C