Dinner @ Eat Fresh, Be Healthy. Such a pleasant surprise!

I have created a food Meetup group in Toronto, with the emphasis being on dining in restaurants that offer tasty and affordable food. Little did I know that most of the restaurants that serve affordable and delicious food in Toronto, do not take reservations. Bummer! Boy do I have my work cut out for me.

I spend a great deal of time reading through reviews and browsing menus, and one evening I was growing weary and I was just going to give up for the evening when I stumbled upon Be Fresh, Eat Healthy. I know, I thought it was an odd name too. According to the majority of the reviews, this place was deemed to be a “hole in the wall” but with beautifully presented and delicious tasting food. If that wasn’t enticing enough, the portions were described as huge and great value at $25 for 3 courses (they don’t have an a la carte menu)! I immediately contacted the restaurant and made reservations for 12 people.

When we arrived at the restaurant, our table was ready for us in the back. By the time everyone had arrived, we already knew what we wanted to order. In fact, I always know what I want to order because I have a habit of reviewing the menus of restaurants I plan to visit repeatedly until I am certain of what I am going to order. I know you are thinking, “get a life!” 🙂 What can I say? I love food!

Below are some pictures of the food we ordered. And let me tell you, the food was spectacular! So much so that I returned with another group of people 2 weeks later! Chef Dan has this amazing ability to mix savory and sweet. The combination of fruits, meat and vegetables somehow worked. I would normally coward away from eating both vegetables and fruits together, but Chef Dan managed to convert me. It was also my first time eating quail. How he managed to get the quail to remain juicy and tender is beyond me. Quail is one of those tricky birds to cook because of its small size.

So this is what we ordered…

APPETIZERS:

Pan seared Quail glazed with Pineapple and Preserve Ginger

Wild Baby Arugula tossed with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette

Wild Shrimp Bruchetta

Seafood Bisque

MAINS:

Maple Mustard Glazed Pan seared Pork Chop

Crack Spice Rub Chicken Supreme

Ontario Braised Lamb Ribs

Fish of the Day (salmon) served with fresh Fruit Salsa

DESSERTS:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Coconut Panna Cotta

Creamy Mango Ice-cream

All my guests enjoyed their meal. And believe me, that is a hard feat to accomplish. In total I brought 24 people to this restaurant in a span of 3 weeks, and every person gave it 5/5. I just fear that they are going to realize how much of a deal their menu is that they will bump up the price. But that said, I would not blame them. How many fixed menus offer quail and shrimp as an appetizer option? And we cannot forget the portion sizes. Just the pork chop alone had people in awe. I highly recommend that you pay them a visit. ASAP! Oh, and say hi to Chef Dan and his wife! They are truly 2 lovely people running a hidden treasure in Toronto.