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Mildred's Temple Kitchen
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Canadian (New), Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
85 Hanna AveToronto, ON M6K 3S3
Neighbourhood: Liberty Village
(416) 588-5695
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 3 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 3 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
72 reviews for Mildred's Temple Kitchen
Review Highlights
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"...came in the form of the best blueberry pancakes in Toronto." In 7 reviews -
"The Curried Cauliflower came mixed in with some quinoa." In 4 reviews -
"they have a salad with smoked salmon which was pretty good." In 8 reviews
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72 reviews in English
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Review from Daniel S.
Toronto, ON
There are plenty of people who lack appreciation for the finer things in life, as demonstrated by finding a restaurant like Mildred's Temple Kitchen with a 3.5 out of 5 star rating (as of this writing). You know, they're the kind of dimwits who complain about the speed of service when they're at a relaxing & elegant restaurant.
Mildred's menu isn't the biggest or broadest, but what they make tastes amazing.
Their portions are far from big - at first glance I thought some were small - however, the quantities are perfectly satisfying for someone who's not an overweight glutton.
A true gourmet burger can be found at Mildred's, and it should be the benchmark for all competing gourmet burgers.
People who don't love Mildred's are probably better off eating at Harvey's or McDonalds...
Sorry if I come off arrogant or condescending, but some of the reviewers here need to get a clue. I may write more later, as I love Mildred's Temple Kitchen and go there periodically. It's one of my favourite places to take visitors. -
Review from Karl R.
4/1/2012
I'm with Elaine. There's a lot I want to like about this place. Nice interior. Spacious. They were playing Get Smart (the 1960s tv show) on their big screen until some stupid hockey game came on. There's an interesting mix of extra-provincial beers I've never seen before. Wait staff is friendly and attentive. But it tends to fall down in the kitchen.
1) Slow. It seemed to take about an hour for our mains to arrive. How hard is it to do up some burgers, a rare flank steak and some chicken? The chicken dish had obviously sat out for so long waiting for the other mains to be prepared that the dc who ordered the chicken received it cold. She could only finish half of it before giving up on a cold piece of bird.
2) Prices. Mildred's seems to have innovated the idea you can bring financial core prices to Liberty Village.
I had the burger and fries. $18. If they advertised it for what it was, a slider and fries and charged $9, it would be the best darn slider on the planet. But I would be embarrassed to the charge $18 for a micro sized burger with a whole lot of no fixins.
The draft is some equally crazy price, like $8.50 a pint.
If they worked on prices, it would be a 4 star for sure.
Seriously. What the hell is with dining out these days in Toronto when every joe joint with a table cloth wants to charge you $20 for a burger and fries? -
Review from Steeven L.
Etobicoke, ON
3/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
WOW!
I went to Mildred's last night for dinner with a prix-fixe 4-course dinner Groupon.
1st course: Broth soup with cheese and croutons. The soup is served with the cheese and croutons, dry, in a bowl. Then the waitress has a steaming pot of broth, which is poured over the croutons. Immediately, my taste buds started doing the happy dance. This was going to be a good dinner.
2nd course: The second course is by far the best part of the 4-course dinner. It's an amazingly delicious Gnocchi poutine. Gnocchi, real squeaky cheese curds, pulled pork and a mouth-watering sauce. Words can barely describe this ambrosial dish.
The second course also came with tasty crab cakes. But, OH! That poutine! I was told that it's part of their regular menu. So I might have to come back and satisfy a craving for this stuff now...
3rd course: Chicken breast served with potatoes and some kind of crunchy green leafy veggie (possibly rappini?). Anyways, it was very good as well.
4th course: The desert. Lindt chocolate ice cream in a bowl, drowned in espresso. YUM! My taste buds did another little happy dance right there.
By the end of it I had a nice little food baby going on. Time to go home and nap!
A note about the drinks: Beau's Beaver River IPA on tap is a 5 star craft beer. Their Cesar's are spicy and also very delicious.
Without a groupon deal, this place is pricey but definitely worth it.
P.S. It was very very busy on a Saturday night and even though we had reservations, we waited 30 mins to get seated; however, there was plenty of room at the bar and on the couches and the hostess was very apologetic and did try to explain the delay instead of leaving us hanging. -
Review from Marc L.
Toronto, ON
5/7/2012
Great meal everytime!
Smaller portions but the taste makes up what it lacks in size. Ensure you try their blue berry pancakes during the blueberry festival - my personal favorite -
Review from Marie F.
So I have now been to Millie's half a dozen times and I think they deserve an extra star. I have heard horror stories of bad service but frankly this has never been my experience (knock on wood). I have been here for both lunch & dinner and have enjoyed every meal.
Recently I had another Groupon and got to taste their prix-fixe sampler for two which included 4 courses. Every course was incredible, and by the end I was stuffed.
My only major concern is that the washrooms are kind of gross. They are unisex with automatic flushers which essentially means that when men are done their business standing up... their mellow yellow does not get flushed down because the sensors don't always get activated. Also I don't like the lid up at my place and I am certainly not paying big bucks to do it while out. I guess that beef has more to do with the patrons than the restaurant but it's worth mentioning.Listed in: Getting my Groupon
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/30/2010
I have been working in Liberty Village for about a year now and if it weren't for Yelp I would have… Read more »
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Review from Jennifer L.
Toronto, ON
3/9/2012
Went to Mildred's Temple Kitchen for brunch a couple of weeks ago. I'd been there before just for drinks on the patio but this was the first I was inside the restaurant.
The design of the restaurant was really nice and the place is actually quite large and spacious. We didn't have to wait to be seated, which was nice and uncommon for Liberty Village.
I had Veda's Choice, which was kind of like a eggs Benny and my friend had the Huevos Monty. Both were great dishes and really flavorful. The latte was also pretty good. Overall i really enjoyed my meal, the prices were reasonable, the staff were friendly and the entire experience was great. This place is definitely worth a try. I'll be back for sure. -
Review from Danielle D.
Toronto, ON
1/5/2012
Yeahhhhh, so not the best first impression I've had. After all the good things I've heard about Mildred's Temple kitchen, my recent visit wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
First things first, I had a glass of water poured over me, and despite an apologetic server and an EMPTY DINING ROOM, she didn't even offer to move me somewhere not wet, I spent a good ten minutes drying myself off. The final offer? A free pitcher of water for the table. (Mildred's charges for water, btw) Not a stellar start.
Once my friends arrived, we decided to start off with drinks and appetizers before deciding if we wanted meals. Our food all came at different times. And I don't mean 5 minutes, I mean, two of us got stuff within 15-20 minutes and another came after being there for 40 minutes. We weren't warned that the gnocchi poutine would take so long, and it was especially interesting as the restaurant was very quiet.
We complained to the server about this and she politely blew us off and disappeared in the back. I think she was embarrassed because of the water spill because she was very nervous around us and avoided our table during rounds. When we received our bill and waited to pay, we stuck around for 20 minutes for change. She didn't emerge and the other servers wouldn't come to our end. We ended up just leaving our nominal tip, not willing to spend any more time there.
The food was ok, but the service, abysmal. I've had much more serious issues at restaurants before which resulted in fantastic customer service afterwards but for something this bad out the gate to worse? A bit of a concern. -
Review from Sandy C.
Scarborough, ON
2/1/2012 15 photos
I recently came here for their Winterlicious lunch with my friend David and let's just say...we came out with a huge smile on our face! $20 for three amazing courses is as good as it gets!
We both started off with the cauliflower soup with a hint of vanilla and crunchy croutons. I've been battling a nasty sore throat and this really helped sooth it because it was very creamy and went down really well! Small portion but the quality makes up for it.
David opted for the MTK burger which he loved! Although it looked small, it was very filling and he called it "one of the great burgers he has had so far".
I ordered the lobster and scallop pot pie and i was so happy with it because it was CHUNKS of lobster and scallop inside. Definitely get this if you are battlingva sore throat like i am or just enjoy pot pies in general because you will not be disappointed! Did i mention CHUNKS OF LOBSTERS!
Lastly, our calling came when our trio of creme brulee came. who doesn't love creme brulee! My favourite was the espresso because I love coffee and it was an explosion of coffee flavour on your first bite. Of course my suggestion for this is to sample all three at once because it will help with the richness of the custard. I also will suggest maybe getting a coffee to balance the richness of it.
Overall, I loved this place. The service we received was impeccable (our server was extremely helpful and made us feel very welcome). The decor itself was an open concept which was nice and very comfortable. But the food...yum! I am now anticipating to come here for brunch (I think the blueberry pancakes are calling me!) -
Review from Shannon F.
Toronto, ON
10/24/2011
I am sad to write this review. Mildred's was my favourite restaurant in Liberty Village - the staff was always great, the food very good - they care about the environment, local food sourcing, in-season products and have a comfortable modern decor. I've eaten there probably a dozen times from romantic dinners to patio drinks to brunch with my mom.
And then a couple of Saturday's ago at about 7:30pm a group of us were looking for somewhere to have dinner. 6 of us. Knowing it was sort of last minute we called and were surprised but pleased that they said they could take us at 9pm - great! We got there and there wasn't a table ready for us - so be it, one of the other tables took longer than expected. So they seated us at the bar. That's when things took a turn. We stood there for 20 minutes with no one speaking to us, offering us a drink or even saying hello. They were clearly busy but even when we got the attention of the bartender he only took a drink order from two of us and ignored the rest of our party. We were quite hungry as it was already 9:30pm and we asked if we could order an appetizer at the bar. This was met with almost annoyance by the staff but we managed to order something small.
When we got to our table we had ordered a couple of more appetizers while still at the bar and we asked for them to be sent to the table. We waited another 20 minutes and no server came to speak to us at all and someone flew by with the charcuterie plate and literally threw it on the table at us. No server came to our table to take our dinner orders or further drinks. Needless to say, we left. We had spent over $300 to be either ignored or treated rudely.
We asked to speak to the manager on the way out - as I say, this had been a favourite place of mine and thought they should know. My boyfriend and I regularly recommended this place to clients and friends and thought they might appreciate hearing about our experience. The manager couldn't care less. She was abrasive and said, "oh, I guess we've lost your business then". Hardly an appropriate response. She offered a free shot at the bar to just the boys in our party - not what we were looking for at all, we had wanted a nice meal.
If they were too busy to take the reservation they should have said so and at least apologized. We received nothing but disdain from the moment we arrived. Our dinner party ended up at Shoeless Joe's on King St which was packed with at least twice as many people watching the rugby game and we had pleasant, efficient service, if not the best food in town.
So, we will never go back there, nor recommend it to anyone else. Unfortunate. -
Review from Su B.
12/6/2011
I think I have found another brunch place I really like. We were shopping at the furniture store next door and decided to stop by for brunch after. The wait was about 20 minutes since we had no reservations but its a comfortable wait on a nice couch in a very open concept high ceilinged restaurant. We eventually got a great corner table and I love how bright and sunny this place is.
I ordered salad with wild mushrooms, bacon and egg and it was delicious but my DH got the pancakes with the blueberry sauce and that was absolutely heavenly. Although it was a large portion it didnt feel heavy.
I am definitely going back for the pancakes and the caeser which looked sinfully good. -
Review from Precilla C.
Scarborough, ON
Updated - 11/25/2011 9 photos
I've eaten at Mildred's Temple Kitchen once before and had a pleasant time. So I decided to bring my friend Mel C. here one Friday night.
We started off with shrimp & crab cakes- crunchy cakes with jicama, kafir and fresh cilantro, served atop a chili-lime emulsion. For $15, I was shocked at the size of this appetizer. Each cake was the size of a large scallop. In spite of the small size, the shrimp and crab cakes were quite tasty with that tangy chili-lime emulsion. However, I found it odd that the cakes had a springy bite to it, similar to Chinese fish balls. Perhaps that springiness came from the shrimps?
When our next appetizer came, I became a little worried that we weren't going to be full. We opted for handmade gnudi, made with ricotta cheese, egg, a little flour and a hint of nutmeg, served with creamy ermite sauce and crispy fried sage. I loved the aggressive cheesiness of this entire dish- from the pasta to the buttery sauce. Cheese-lovers will definitely enjoy this dish, but others might find it overwhelming. The gnudi were quite dense, unlike the light and fluffy ones that I had at Luma, but I actually enjoyed that texture. In the end, the small portion size was appropriate because it was a pretty heavy dish.
But my favourite dish of the day was -- hands down -- the risotto with caramelized squash, finished with chervil, sage, ginger and a spark of cinnamon. Mel and I, being great fans of squash, absolutely loved the dish down to the very grain of rice. It was delightfully creamy and the flavour combination of all the spices was incredibly tasty. I'm not an expert in risotto, so I'm not sure how the rice should be cooked. The rice in this risotto had a nice bite to it and wasn't overly mushy. Above all, I really loved the caramelized squash and would've gladly gulped down a plateful of it. That tiny hint of cinnamon was lovely and complemented the sweetness of the squash without pushing it over to dessert territory. As this was an actual entrée, the portion was a lot more sizable, and I was definitely full after devouring my half of the risotto.
We actually intended to have dessert elsewhere, but we couldn't resist trying their pumpkin bourbon cheesecake baked in a ginger snap crust, topped with sour cream and a little more bourbon. The addition of the bourbon was a nice twist to the cheesecake and made it unique. We also enjoyed the toasted pumpkin seeds, which provided a crunchy textural contrast to the cake. While Mel proclaimed this to be her favourite pumpkin cheesecake thus far, I had more reservations. I wished for more of the pumpkin filling and less sour cream and crust.
All in all, we had a wonderful meal. I found that the prices are a little steep for the portions that were serve, but I thought the food was great.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/30/2011
I had a lovely meal at Mildred's Temple Kitchen
The interior was very chic and modern, featuring an… Read more »
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Review from Sara K. P.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2011
Truthfully, this review lauds the decor more so than the food, also we came during brunch which is a tricky way to gauge a resto's menu value by the brunch barometer alone.
Beautiful and ample space-age-esque surroundings it feels like an upscale cafeteria that would be featured in the Jetsons except no Elroys to be found here...more like some "douchy" 20-40ish somethings.
Meh patrons notwithstanding, I order the adorably titled
Lottie Says "It Keeps Me Thin,Mrs. Pierce" a frisée salad with
oven-roasted wild mushrooms,rosemary bacon and topped with
a fried egg so basically it's a fried egg salad and washed it down with gusto accompanied by an enjoyingly effervescent Mimosa.
Being the WC aficionado that I am I have to give Mildred's bathroom
serious props. Completely private, modern and enclosed cubicle with personal sink, soap, towels and plenty of leg room. Mirror spanning the length of the cubicle making it look expansive. Heck this lavatory is so awesome . If this bathroom was an escape pod, I would be cool habitating in it, plus if a xenomorph crawls from under the sink and tried to mess, I have enough space to roundhouse it's ass then flush it down the commodious crapper.
I'll come back sometime soon, maybe for dinner and Mildred, don't be offended if I spend a lot of time in the lieu...Listed in: Thrones when you're away from…
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Review from Michelle H.
11/27/2011
We had great seats overlooking the kitchen.
Amazing biscuits and warm scones. My egg and smoked salmon (organic ocean) croissant rated the best in my book. Chef informed us that his Bernaisse recipe is 1/8 the clarified butter than a typical recipe. I liked that he talked with us and shared some of his stories with us.
The Bungalow Caesar bloody was beautifully garnished and served with chop-sticks! -
Review from Ashleigh G.
Toronto, ON
8/7/2011
Working in Liberty Village, Mildred's is a frequent lunch and dinner spot (the $15 lunch quickie includes a main and dessert, changes everyday, and is always delicious!).
But, there brunch is so good it has me travelling back on the weekend.
After trying a few delicious menu items, I've settled on the Huevos Monty as my regular dish. Tortillas with beans and cheese, topped with two sunnyside up eggs, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
As a fan of spicy food, I always ask for hot sauce and have been given tabaso here. And I've frequently lamented to my dining partner about how a homemade hot sauce would be what pushes this restaurant over the top for me into 5 star territory.
This weekend, I asked for hot sauce and got the most delicious homemade hot sauce ever. Super spicy, with scotch bonnet peppers and delicious spices, this made my favourite dish even better.
For those complaining about the price, I'd like to know where you usually find these bargain basement brunches? Most of the mains in the average TO brunch places are $10-12 - and they're not even close to the calibre of MTK's fare. I'd happily pay an extra $2 for their dishes over Easy Rider.
For organic, homemade, locally sourced ingredients, served in a beautiful setting by professional servers - it's a great deal. -
Review from Mel C.
11/20/2011
I wanted to give this restaurant 3 stars but because of one of their dishes, I decided to give them 4.
I came here for dinner around 6 on a Friday and my friend and I were seated right away. The server was friendly. She didn't rush us to order nor did she disappear throughout the whole night when we needed her.
We got crab cake for $15. I expected 2 fairly large crab cakes for that price. However, they gave us 3 ... marshmallow size. Once I saw how tiny the portion was I knew I had to change my expectations of this restaurant. I'm clearly paying for quality over quantity. The crab cakes were tasty, I think it was packed with crab taste but not exactly something I would recommend getting.
Next, we got the Handmade Ricotta Gnudi ($13) with Swiss chard and sauteed wild mushrooms. It's definitely very cheesy. They gave us 5 that are the size of a quarter (but in a ball). Again, not something I would recommend getting.
What I LOVED here was the risotto with caramelized squash ($24 or $25). Now, the portion is reasonable and more importantly, it tasted AMAZING. I had risotto at several restaurants and I'm disappointed each time but this risotto was delicious. It's sweet, the consistency of the rice was good and it had this very special, unique taste that I really enjoyed. I don't have the best palette but I think I tasted some mango (I might be wrong though because I don't remember reading mango in the description) but there was definitely something aside from the squash taste.
Lastly we got dessert. There was a pumpkin cheesecake ($9) so I had to get it. The bottom of the cheesecake was made with ginger spongecake and the cheesecake was topped with sour cream cheese. There was also a reduction of bourbon. The whole thing was topped with roasted pumpkin seeds (I think). This is my favourite pumpkin cheesecake in town because there was a lot of pumpkin taste and they actually used pumpkin seeds instead of pistachio or some other seeds/nuts.
Their menu isn't up to date on the website so you might want to call in to see if they still have these items on their menu. -
Review from Warren P.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2012
It was OK but I expected more. The bartender at the front wouldn't serve the lounge tables so I went to the bar. 10 minutes in he hadn't even acknowledged that I was standing there...and while he seemed busy he was still doing tasks like putting glasses away, wiping up, etc. Once in, the waitress was awesome, the food was OK. The main disappointment was discovering, as we were walking out, that there was still 1/2 bottle of our wine left which they kept off our table and never poured. We had a group of 10 and 4 bottles total so we wouldn't know...but I thought that was a little lame. Overall, OK, but there's lots of better places to eat.
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Review from Monica M.
Toronto, ON
1/21/2012
I've been here a few times for dinner and once for brunch.
They have a simple menu but that makes it easier to choose. It looks like they change up their menu from time to time, which is nice. I like trying new dishes.
Nice brunch. Hate that they don't take brunch reservations and have had to go to other places a few times because they wouldn't reserve and there was a long lineup when my groups from out of town arrived.
Beautiful interiors from the table area to the bar to the waiting area and rest rooms. It's very open so it can get very noisy during peak times. Had a soft-spoken waiter once and it was an interesting exercise in lip-reading.
All in all it is a beautiful restaurant with nice, reasonably priced food and nice staff.Listed in: Restaurants
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Review from Miranda B.
Toronto, ON
8/6/2011
I'm surprised the reviews are SO varied...from 1 star to 5 in a matter of days. One of the low stars was a Groupon-er so that prolly explains that one (Groupon-ers are cheap and want the best for the least).
I went on a slow night so there weren't any hipsters and the staff was right there to seat us, get us water etc.
The food was divine. ABSOLUTELY DIVINE. Like 5 star divine. I have recommended it to clients who say it's the only nice restaurant in Liberty Village.
I will try it again and see if all these "bad service" comments have any weight. -
Review from Jess W.
Toronto, ON
9/23/2011 3 photos
4.5 stars for brunch!
Located in Liberty Village, what a change from the kitschy brunch spots I normally hit up. A great space with high ceilings and a very modern and loft-y feel. My boyfriend and I arrived around noon and found the patio to be full (our first choice), but they still had many tables free inside.
We started out with the black currant scones which was served with some apple preserves (2 for $5 or 6 for $12). They had a nice crusty exterior while still being incredibly moist in the interior. Although I didn't love the preserves, the scones were delicious on their own - no need to hide behind any preserves. Highly recommended! You can also get these to go if you really like them. I was really tempted... but my waistline later thanked me for not getting any for the road.
For my main, I went with Veda's Choice - Mildred's classic poached eggs on a flakey croissant with smoked salmon, Béarnaise sauce & mixed greens ($14). Loved the flakiness of the croissant, which was the perfect vehicle for the perfectly poached eggs and the generous amount of bearnaise sauce. Didn't touch much of the salad... wish it came with a side of potatoes instead. I certainly don't go for brunch to eat a salad...
My boyfriend went with Mrs. Biederhof's Infamous Light and Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes - served with Lanark County maple syrup & whipped cream ($13). It came with three thick pancakes which didn't seem like much at first, but after eating a scone and going through 2 pancakes, he hit a wall. That's where I came in... the pancakes had a crisp exterior and were really light and fluffy! Loved them.
Overall - a great experience. Great food, great service and great atmosphere! -
Review from Vivek S.
3/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Helloooo Millie. What a gorgeous, airy and wondrous resto in Liberty Village. Named for a James M. Cain novel (or possibly the film), you can't visit here without noting the spectacular decor and furnishings. It was definitely a site for sore eyes when I rolled in here on Sunday afternoon at 2pm, an hour before brunch was done.
We were seated right away, but this turned out to be a red herring. In some brunch spots in Toronto you wait for ages on the street before you are seated; here you wait for ages in your seat before you are served. This is something would-be diners should always note: just because a seat is empty at a restaurant, doesn't mean that there is staff available to fulfill its demands. We kept our appetites at bay with sips of their tasty coffee.
I was pretty excited for our meals. My date ordered Veda's Choice ($14), which was poached eggs and smoked salmon on a croissant. I went for the Huevos Monty ($14), their take on Huevos Rancheros. Kind of pricy, but certainly worth the wait. I've heard lesser tales of their dinner fare, but I would return to find out.
Obligatory Title Pun: Not a run-of-the-MILL brunch spot.
Menu Readability: Everything a menu should be, peppered with cute references to the film. (Not that I understood any of them.)
Need to mention: Parking in the adjacent lot was SO expensive.
What this place teaches me about myself: Maybe I should rent Mildred Pierce. -
Review from Anabel L.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2011
It's my happy place
Mildred's Temple Kitchen is like my little cloud 9. Although I have come to dislike that phrase due to recent misuse...so how about we call it my little slice of heaven.
It's a welcoming, white, bright, open space of love. Truly, it is. A perfect weekend haven on Hanna Avenue where friends, lovers, and strangers come to smile and eat.
This past Sunday, on one of the coldest days of the year, a few us gathered for brunch and started with the Biscuits and Scones. We all agreed that the currant scones on the left were far better than the biscuits on the right, which isn't to say we didn't eat them all, we did. Not a crumb was left behind.
I had Mildred's benedict - two perfectly poached eggs and lox on a flaky, buttery croissant...
But true happiness came in the form of the best blueberry pancakes in Toronto:
Mrs. Biederhof's Infamous Light and Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake
They REALLY do make people happy :)
Mmmm...what heaven tastes like. -
Review from Christina C.
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Mom bought not one, but two Groupon coupons for Mildred's Temple Kitchen last Christmas, thinking she had scored a sweet deal for our family of four. Unfortunately, at our first dinner in January we realized we could only use one of the coupons (d'oh!) and ended up spending more than we had planned. Worse yet, the meal wasn't that great - from what I can remember, the food (calamari appetizer, MTK burger, lamb special) was slow to arrive at the table and frankly nothing to write home about. And we still had one more coupon to use - although I didn't really care to return.
But with the second coupon's expiry date looming, the boyfriend and I decided to give it a shot for date night, being cheap and hungry college students. Little did we know we were in for a pleasant surprise - Mildred's was a hit!
As self-proclaimed poutine aficionados, we had, had, had to order the gnocchi poutine, which I had skipped the first time around. Now I know that if I ever end up at MTK again, the gnocchi poutine is a MUST. I can't get over the genius of the pillowy, perfectly-cooked pieces of gnocchi floating on the most delicious gravy with tender pieces of oxtail and melty cheese curds atop. Guh. This is the stuff dreams are made of, people.
Our entrees were great as well, and the attentive staff were kind enough to give us two plates so we could share. The trout with potatoes, parsnip chips, ramp sauce, and fiddleheads was fantastic. It was the first time either of us had tried fiddleheads and now we're fans! The sirloin was cooked just right, paired with a tasty sauce, thinly sliced brussels sprouts, and curried potatoes that gave the dish a modern twist.
All in all, much improved, MTK. Based on tonight's meal, I get what all of the hype is about. January's meal is old news to me, especially after the gnocchi poutine. Keep it up! -
Review from andrew a.
4/30/2011
Out for dinner with a large group. Service was nothing special, waitress was spunky but kind of rude at the same time. Soup was ok, nothing to write home about. they have a salad with smoked salmon which was pretty good. but alas, they are so cool that they dont offer you salt or pepper at the table, assuming that they have spiced the dish perfectly. let me tell you, you havent, so stfu and give me pepper, idiots.
Standout dish was the octopus, it was nectar. delicious, absolutely fantastic. i would go back and get 2 orders of the octopus, a bit different then what I fared at enoteca but on the same level if not better.
Tried the steak and it was crap, once again, they barely touched it with salt and it was really needed.
Would i go back? Yes, there are a few standout dishes and the decore is really nice. Good place for a date. -
Review from Julia L.
Toronto, ON
1/30/2011
I just dined here tonight for Winterlicious, and I couldn't wait to sit down and write a review. Overall, I had an excellent experience, and was truly pleasantly surprised, particularly given that -licious meals in general seem to have an air of "meh" around them.
I had made a reservation for 3 at 8:45pm on a Saturday, and we arrived right on time but were told that there would be a bit of a wait. Normally I would be slightly irked, but given that it was a Winterlicious night I suppose it's understandable. Our hostess apologized and informed us that we could sit at the bar and have a drink, and she would come get us when our table was ready. There is a lovely bar right by the main entrance, so we didn't have to stand around awkwardly, jealously watching people eat their meals, which was nice. There is also a seating area with comfortable chairs and a selection of books to flip through - another nice touch. I would say the wait was around 15 minutes or so, but I wasn't watching the clock...I was too busy flipping through books and chatting with my girlfriends to notice.
When we were finally seated, our server James came over to pour water and happily explained all of the menu items to my friend who had some questions. He also brought us cheddar biscuits, which were delicious (but I would have preferred if they were served warm). I chose the Sweet Potato Potage as my appetizer, the Curried Cauliflower as my main, and the MTK Profiteroles for dessert. I also had a glass of Pinot Grigio. Everything was wonderful, and the portions were fairly generous, particularly the main. The Profiteroles were fabulous, the Lindt ice cream was divine...I'm going to dream about them tonight.
Some people have mentioned that service is lackluster, and one would think this would be particularly noticeable during -licious events, but I have to say that I was truly impressed with the service we received at MTK. We never once felt rushed or neglected, and service was pleasant and friendly throughout the night. I'll also add to the raves about the interior of the restaurant - it's airy and beautiful (albeit a bit loud).
Total came to $57 including tax and tip - an terrific meal for an terrific deal, in my opinion. I went away feeling full and completely satisfied. Although I can't speak much to the value of this restaurant on a regular night, I really enjoyed dining here and would definitely recommend it for Winterlicious. -
Review from Faye C.
7/23/2011
It's been a while since I've been here, but as everyone says the decor is super nice. There's often a wait (both this time and the last time I was here).
The brunch menu is limited but rather delicious. The portion sizes are also small. Having a side order of their biscuits is recommended...they're super tasty with a pat of butter...mmm butter...
I ordered something eggs benny like (yummy), and last time I had something that was mexican influenced with avocados....
A lovely experience, but I prefer my regular brunch places -
Review from Jennifer M.
Toronto, ON
8/16/2011
First of all, using a Groupon does not mean your cheap.
It means I would like to try out your business and if the business if good, I will return...as a customer who pays full price etc.
Ok, now that I have that said...yes I used a Groupon at Mildred's and was very disappointed.
Service was poor (obviously groupon related)
Food was basic....dry chicken, potatoes and veg (pre set menu, not chosen by us)
The saving grace was the drinks...Watermelon Smash was delightful, but then again, anything with alcohol was needed for this boring meal.
Not recommended...especially if you want to try out a Groupon. -
Review from Ryan T.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
-Waiter was inattentive, and service overall was a complete failure. They stumbled about, spilling stuff, wrongly guessing who had what, and couldn't answer basic questions.
-No host at the front door for 5 mins (felt like eternity)
-Water was constantly empty
-The bathroom was disgusting
-The website is all Flash, doesn't work on iPhone.
-Jerk Lamb with spicy Jicama slaw was fantastic. Perfectly cooked with crackling on each piece, a delicate and delicious crunch with every tender bite of lamb. Highlight dish of the evening. Everyone else at the table said their dinner was only OK, so I must have had the best of it.
-Curried Calamari and spring onion was awful. Overcooked, very chewy. All I could smell was char, any opportunity for subtlety in the curry was lost long before the sauce hit the plate.
-Dessert is very good. -
Review from William P.
Toronto, ON
7/24/2011
I was very sorely disappointed . . . so much so that I'm not going to even waste my time on writing a long review of this place.
The service was absolutely terrible, the bathrooms (I tried a few) were disgusting, the food was sub-par, and the organization of the restaurant was done very poorly.
I found the decor to be shiny and materialistic, which I can find at any over-priced Toronto restaurant if I am looking for it. The truth of the matter is, though, that for a bill of the size we paid for this restaurant, I could have gone almost anywhere and been impressed. Unfortunately, Mildred's was a bust.
Not recommended. -
Review from Christopher T.
12/9/2010
Great food in a pretty amazing space. We met a buddy who works right nearby, right in the middle of lunch. I was told these were the only good burgers in Toronto and this place didn't disappoint.
Again, really beautiful space to eat in, lovely presentation for the burger, and the garlic aioli dipping sauce was pretty amazing as well.
This place is a bit of a hike out of downtown, we walked all the way from Spadina down King Street but it was worth the walk, if you find yourself in this area, give this place a shot.Listed in: My Toronto
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Review from Leona L.
Toronto, ON
4/3/2011
I finally got the chance to come here for brunch after hearing amazing reviews from coworkers and the place did not disappoint.
First, the atmosphere of Mildred's itself is nice and cool. The high ceiling and the amount of space in the dining room is both inviting and comfortable.
While waiting for my table, I ordered a Caesar and woah! Mildred serves a delicious Caesar. I asked the bartender what type of hot sauce they used and it was something they made in house and the set up of the celery also added to the uniqueness of the drink.
The brunch food was pretty sweet as well. I ordered a Veda's Choice which was an eggs Florentine that came on a croissant and had a side of salad. I'm not a huge fan of my eggs Florentine being on a croissant but I applaud Mildred's for changing it up a bit.
My friend ordered the blueberry pancakes and I stole a bite. Seriously, hands down the best pancake I've ever had. It tasted like a buttermilk biscuit with a pancake texture. I was in love and will definitely need to go back to try that.
My only dislike with the place was the service. The bartender was awesome and great but my server was horrible. We waited 20 mins at our table before our server came by to take our orders and then we didn't see her again until she gave us our check. She deserved little to nothing of the tip we gave her and if I could, I would have allocated it all to the cooks, busboy and the bartender.
Other than the service, I would go back again.Listed in: Brunch Crunch
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Review from Lori L.
Toronto, ON
1/15/2011
The food here is great, and the portion sizes are not too big which is nice. I've had the Huevos Rancheros, the tart, and the blueberry pancakes. All of them were delicious. The tart I had was essentially a cheese and mushroom quiche. It was probably the best quiche I've ever had; the cheese was melty and the egg was still a little runny, yum.
I like that they have you sit at the bar/lounge area so you can read magazines and have coffee/tea while you wait for your table.
I also like the decor and that it is very spacious.
The only complaint I have is that the hostess wasn't very nice, and for no particular reason. -
Review from Lia E.
Toronto, ON
3/14/2011
So after hearing such marvelous things about MTK I thought it was time to give it a try.
I headed there for brunch on a Sunday at 2pm- The wait was 45 min.
I figured it'd be worth it, so we waited. Once we got seated, I was a little disappointed with the selections on the menu. It's very small, and well nothing is remotely healthy or really tasty sounding (to me anyway).
I went with the blueberry pancakes and a side of sausage. The whole thing was mediocre. I've had WAY better blueberry pancakes and at a much friendlier price point.
The sausages were good, nothing to write home about.
I won't be returning. With the plethora of great places in Liberty Village/King West area, it;s just not worth the wait and price. Although I may pop in for a caesar, those lookd uber yummy. -
Review from Elaine K.
12/17/2010
Great space, decent food.
I came here for a work dinner last night, we had a set menu and a private area beside the kitchen. The place is beautiful, but there was nothing really outstanding about the food or service, in my opinion. I was expecting to be blown away by the food, particularly since our first course (garlic and tomato soup) was pretty amazing, but everything else was pretty average. Plus, there was another holiday party in the restaurant who were incredibly noisy and kind of annoying. -
Review from Eddie C.
Toronto, ON
10/22/2011
I've heard rave reviews of this place for brunch and decided to go for dinner. The food was excellent however service was a bit slow even on a not very busy Friday night. The service is friendly but there seems to be some sort of miscommunication with the kitchen. I would go back however -1 for the slow service.
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Review from Renay R.
Toronto, ON
5/23/2011
I went here for my birthday dinner the other night. I had really liked the original Mildred Pierce and had wanted to check out this version of it for a long time.
The room was a little stark for my tastes but it looked good. We started with cocktails and I had a great drink which I can't remember the name of - it had rum in it with a slice of pineapple in it and was really tasty. We then ordered the bread with olives. I found that we had to wait a long time to have our order taken and for the food but we weren't in a hurry so it didn't bother us.
For the mains I had the chicken biryani and my boyfriend had the steak. I liked the chicken a lot - the onion and date chutney was a really nice touch and the portion size was pretty good I thought. The steak was really good and I think I would order that next time.
For dessert, we split the profiteroles and they were really good.
I gave Mildred's 3 stars - I thought the food was a 4, but the decor was not my taste. -
Review from Alana C.
4/8/2011
My partner and I decided to go do some furniture shopping at West Elm and figured we'd drop in for Saturday brunch. The wait wasn't too long and the interior of the restaurant is very airy and comfortable. I really liked the pig sculpture!
Overall, the food is good but extremely overpriced. We spent almost $60 on brunch and had 2 glasses of OJ, one main each and some biscuits. We ordered bacon and the waitress forgot it, but to her credit when she realized this she offered it to us at no cost.
What was the worst about this place? The snotty, self absorbed and RUDE clientele. The guy next to us started complaining about how no one told him they had run out of pancake batter and was so rude to the waitress...I really wanted to tell him to get a life. Then he complained his way into a completely FREE meal because he was so obnoxious. I don't expect a brunch to be fully brunchified post 2:30pm...it was nearly 3:30! And for that reason alone I will not return. I hate listening to people like that let alone eating with them. -
Review from Charlie K.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2011
We've been here several times now, but usually for brunch. I love the open kitchen and feeling of the space. The black pig is cool. Our recent lunch included the grilled calamari and nachos. I particularly enjoyed that they used lime in the guacamole as opposed to lemon. A unique take on both dishes. The calamari were slightly undercooked, but didn't bother us enough to send it back. We actually enjoyed it enough that we didn't even notice until the plate was almost finished. A terrific eatery in Liberty Village. Ironically we weren't even in the area when we decided on lunch, but the parking situation was so ridiculous in the city we decided to drive a little west just to avoid the aggravation. We found a spot right out front, making it oh so worthwhile!
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Review from Tanya N.
3/25/2011 4 photos
I love brunch and MTK is definitely a place to check out for a different spin on brunch.
I had the Lottie Says "It Keeps Me Thin, Mrs. Pierce". I'm not too sure if this actually does since it's a salad with mushroom (looove mushrooms), rosemary bacon and topped with a fried eggs. Frankly, I don't care if it can or cannot keep me thin. I loved it. The mushrooms are morsels of juiciness with every bite and it has bacon. 'Nuff said - bacon can do no wrong and is always right.
My sister had Veda's Choice - a croissant sandwich with smoked salmon & a poached egg with a side salad. The croissant was buttery and flaky. I would get this next time I'm there.
I've also come for a quick bite in the evening and had their charcuterie platter and gnocchi poutine. Their charcuterie platter is good and you can't go wrong with anything that has prosciutto it doesn't rival The Black Hoof or even Terroni's platter. The gnocchi poutine was melt in your mouth sinful deliciousness. Large pieces of oxtail and gravy over melted cheese curds and pillows of gnocchi. I wish it came in a tub.
The restaurant is spacious and bright. The washroom has an Air Canada take off announcement playing in the background. Pretty cool. -
Review from yyz a.
Toronto, ON
10/20/2010
I have been here many many times at different times of day and have never been disappointed. The food and service are the best in the city!
Great to go with a large group since the place is so big and airy. -
Review from susan c.
4/21/2010
Three stars because the experience was OK but I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a fan.
THE FOOD
I started with the "Waldorf salad" ($10), MTK's modern interpretation of the classic. While I appreciated the attempt to lighten it up by omitting the traditional mayonnaise dressing, their citrus vinaigrette combined with the tartness of the sour apple gave me a bad case of pucker mouth.
I also don't like it when too many hands have touched my food; it's just a salad, not a jigsaw puzzle. I could tell from the overwrought arrangement of the cucumber peeled into ribbons, squares of iceberg lettuce torn just so, and uniform grape slices--yes, they even sliced the grapes--that someone had been pawing the produce like it was prom night.
Next up was the pan-seared Ontario speckled trout with roasted mushrooms, Swiss chard, celery root & walnut brown butter sauce ($26). On its own, I liked each ingredient but something about the combination of these flavors all together on one plate did not work for me, and instead of a crisp sear, I got flabby skin on the fish.
This sounds like it should be a two-star review and based simply on what I ordered, it would've been but I have to add another star based on what the S.O. ordered: shrimp cocktail and saffron-fried chicken. Both were delicious and I tried to poach off his plate as much as I could before I turned back to my own food in disappointment.
Another reason for the third star was dessert. Their take on the Baked Alaska was a confectionary dream; served as a slice, it featured lemon ice cream on a layer of sponge cake, and barely browned, fluffy peaks of meringue piped onto the top. It was a lovely, refreshing end to the meal.
(Note that their menu changes frequently and the above items may not be available at all times.)
SERVICE
Overall friendly and professional, although with one head waiter and two back-up waiters, you'd think someone would've noticed that they served us our starters before bringing us our $60-bottle of wine.
VIBE
The decor is ultra-modern and while this may appeal to some, it's not really to my taste. The recordings in the style of an in-flight announcement in their restrooms struck me as gimmicky. Like ha ha, I get it; the restaurant looks like a super-hip airport lounge but can I just pee in peace, please?
BOTTOM LINE: Some choose to pray at Mildred's Temple Kitchen, and, hey, that's cool, but I personally don't subscribe to her religion.Listed in: It's Not Rocket Salad
