- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Spice Route
Categories: Restaurants Asian Fusion Nightlife Bars Restaurants Turkish Asian Fusion, Bars, Turkish [Edit]
499 King St WToronto, ON M5V 1K4
(416) 849-1808
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 1 am
Thu-Fri 11:30 am - 2 am
Sat 5 pm - 2 am
Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
80 reviews for Spice Route
Review Highlights
"The Pecking duck lettuce wraps there have always been a..."
(in 4 reviews)
"Oh man, and the cheesecake lollipop."
(in 3 reviews)
"...Kobe beef & crab burgers w/ sweet potato fries $19 + tax."
(in 3 reviews)
Loading...
80 reviews in English
-
Review from Zachary P.
Hamilton, ON
1/21/2012
Over all the experience was a "meh."
I went here for a friend who was celebrating her birthday, we had made reservations to ensure we would not run in to any issues being seated since it was a Saturday evening. Our reservation was for 9, I understand running a few minutes behind and making someone wait to be seated, but we were not sat until 9:45-9:50. We were forced to wait at the bar, however since it was a Saturday there was no seats free, we were forced to stand.
When we were sat the other people in the party decided to order a bottle of wine. The waiter, who was some what attentive but also very slow offered one, but did not inform us of the price. When we got the bill, we seen that it was $65.00, and we had two of them. I don't drink wine, so the others were stuck with the bill, but still, $65.00 for an OK bottle of Red is rediculous.
I ordered the Pad Thai and my friends ordered about 4 apps. My Pad Thai was very spicy. I've ordered many pad thai's and never ran into one being spicy. Another dish a friend ordered was some beef dish. She has had it numerous times and it was so spicy she sent it back. She stated its never normally spicy, so I am guessing the chef went spice crazy that night.
The whole meal experience took nearly two hours, and we maybe seen the waiter three time (2 of them to sell us wine.) Service was lacking, we were sat way late and the food was sub par. A bill for 4 apps 2 bottles of wine and 1 pad thai came to $300.00.
Save your money and go else where. -
Review from Pascal P.
Toronto, ON
11/8/2011
I went there last Friday for dinner and drinks. My party decided to get a bunch of appies to share. Our waiter helped us with the wine...bad choice...it tasted like ice wine. I love the decor of the place and the bathrooms are gorgeous... as for the food.
dynamite roll- yummy
hand roll- yummy
Thai vegetable curry- not very curryish
rock cooked strip-loin- yummy yummy
beef carpacio- left a lot to be desired -
Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
10/2/2011
On antibiotics and fighting a bacteria courtesy of Spice Route.
I do not believe I need to say or add anything else to convince you otherwise. Restaurant has been warned of their kitchen standards.
Food is nothing special really. And in case you are wondering, my immune system is very strong and I definitely have strong defenses, so for me to get this sick, the health standards must be of immense concern.
Buyer be aware.
Viviana.Listed in: The Worst of TO
-
Review from Mitika M.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2012
I had a decent experience at this restaurant. we went there on a Friday, so made our reservations well in advance. upon getting there, we were seated at ur table very quickly.
Our server was nice and really made some very good recommendations. But it took us so long to spot her down and call her if we needed anything. I literally had to wave my hand for 30 seconds to be able to catch her attention for a glass of water when she was standing less than 10 feet away from me engrossed in a conversation with someone.
I didn't get here expecting a very intimate and nice atmosphere, I expected a noisy atmosphere, but it just seemed very very loud.
We were also seated next to the door, so every time someone opened it, a rush of cold wind blew in and gave us the chills for some time. Once we started to feel warm and comfortable, this happened again and again and again throughout our meal.
We didn't drink, and ordered 2 appetizers and 3 main dishes. The total came to $70 dollars excluding the tip. I think that's fine.
I would go back here, but I would try to picks weeded so it's not that crowded and not too noisy. -
Review from Yao Lily L.
North York, ON
2/6/2012
This is possibly the most beautiful restaurant I have seen in Toronto. The gorgeous golden murals seem to be hand-painted. The atmosphere is mysterious and exotic. I was pleased to learn that their bathrooms won an award for being the top 3 in Toronto, because it was both beautiful and something to giggle over. I would take my friends here for drinks, just to appreciate the design, and skip the food entirely ---I found the dishes unmemorable. If you do choose to go, know the location carefully, as there is no signs outside the restaurant and it is very hard for people who hasn't been there before to find.
-
Review from Dave C.
Toronto, ON
1/29/2012
Food was terrible, veggies were freezer burned and the food was Luke-warm to cold. Service was exceptionally slow and the experience was bad. Apparently "they were experiencing some issues tonight" according to their manager. Wouldn't waste my money or time there again.
-
Review from Kiran S.
Toronto, ON
9/18/2011
This review is solely based on service, as we did not even get a chance to sit down at eat our meal! The service is truly terribly, if you don't enjoy pretentious venues, avoid this place for sure.
After walking around the King W area, I spotted out Spice Route as a cool venue to have a bday dinner. First clue that this place is a bit much is for the life of me I couldnt find a sign or street number indicating WHAT is what the place is named. Short of going inside and asking, I'm not sure how you would know.
I made a reservation a week in advance for a booth table at 9pm (they were booked for earlier reservations) When we actually went there, they refused to seat my party until ALL guests arrived. I mean, what dinner party have you been to where all 8-10 guests arrive at the same time? They offered me a smaller table, even though there was more than one large booth available at that time. When I explained the rest of my guests would arrive soon but would likely just have drinks, they again insisted that I could only have a small table for the people eating and the others would have to sit at the bar.
I ended up asking to speak to the manager, which did not help. He suggested we 'didnt get out enough' if we have never heard of a entire party having to arrive to be seated.
The thing is, the place wasnt that busy, they could of facilitated my original reservation. But they were just so uppity about it, plus the suggestion we were not civilized enough to follow their rules was too much.
My friends told me later that they've been to Spice Route in the past, and albeit the ambience is cool, the food is average. We ended up heading to Fynn's of Temple Bar right beside it. Ok it wasn't as fancy, but definitely a relaxed place and a decent meal! I'd recommend it over Spice Route any day! -
Review from Jason B.
8/25/2011
Spice Route stands out on King Street with its mysterious flickering fire and castle-like wooden doors. The natural and mystic decor is unique and creates a mellow meeting atmosphere.
I've been to Spice Route three times. The first time I went, they accommodated a group of ten of my friends for my birthday. We arrived after dinner and ordered appetizers and drinks. The service was excellent, the food delicious and the drink menu featured a section of original tea-based alcoholic beverages. I'm always the first to try something new so we ordered few of their fruity flavours. It was an interesting experience but they were quite weak in alcohol. I also tried the chai chocolate tea which was pretty flavourful.
I noticed that the music was slowly getting louder throughout the night... I thought that was cool... but a dance floor never broke out. And it never will. The music was house or mellow lounge style; the crown was early to late thirties and did not appear approachable.
The second time I visited was to try their dinner menu... after meeting their head chef. Everything I tried was delicious and unique; also, service was again prompt and frequent.
The third time I went had Suzie and I laughing over the terrible service... from mixing up both the food and drink orders and then getting the bill wrong... and taking forever for every correction... but it was her first day... apparently.
Overall, I would go to Spice Route again for an intimate dinner or date... but its not the crowd in which I'd try and meet somebody. Haven't you heard of eHarmony?Listed in: Most Memorable - Food &…
-
Review from Maheen M.
8/20/2011
I went to Spice Route for a friend's farewell party. They had pre-reserved one of the cabanas on the patio. The atmosphere was nice, the decor asian inspired.
We started off the evening by ordered a couple of appetizers and a pitcher of their spiked tea. The nan dip and dim sum appetizers were bland and flavourless. My friend and I really enjoyed the spiked tea, you could not tell it was spiked! For $25, the pitcher gets you about 6 drinks worth. We followed our appetizer order with a side of sweet yams fries. They were huge wedges of sweet potato with a spicy ketchup sauce; the fries were much more enjoyable than the previous appetizers - mind you cannot go wrong with anything fried.
Overall, the food was sub-par but the atmosphere was great. Good crowd, but no dance floor. Good place to hang out with friends for the evening. I would definitely recommend reserving a cabana for a large group. -
Review from Sandra K.
North York, ON
7/10/2011
A fun spot to go after work or on the weekend. You go here for the ambiance, not the food, which is really just glammed up chinese fast food.
The patio and bar have great decor, and the place is spacious. The service was poor as the place is so busy no one has the time to pay proper attention. We were definitely rushed with the bill so we could free up our table.
The tempura fried tuna roll was a bit overdone to the point that the tuna inside was cooked.
The Pecking duck lettuce wraps there have always been a winner. -
Review from Lilliane G.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2011
My friends and I decided to try Spice Route out via their Summerlicious menu. To be honest, I was not entirely sure I would enjoy the experience given what I'd read from previous Yelp reviews.
We were seated quickly and our waiter arrived with our menus almost immediately. He took our drink order (Pitcher of Spiked Raspberry Iced Tea). Our pitcher arrived within minutes of placing the order along with icy cold water, which was greatly appreciated.
After looking over the Summerlicious menu, we decided to order from their regular menu...not that the Summerlicious menu didn't look ok, it's just that I've learned from experience that when a restaurant strays from it's regular offerings in order to cobble together something that fits the Summerlicious formula (appetizer/entree/dessert) it usually turns out to be a hot mess. Again, I cannot say this enough, these restaurants should stay true to their roots and offer what they do best during Summerlicious.
In the end we ordered what seemed like a ton of food:
Kobe Beef Carpaccio @ $16 - This was delicious, the meat was cut perfectly and the drizzle of sesame oil was a tasty surprise. Serving size was good.
Spciy Duck and Chicken Lettuce Wraps @ $14 - All three of us loved this dish, although we thought they could have given us a few more lettuce leaves, overall, a good dish.
Crispy Peking Duck @ $22 - The duck was cooked perfectly, with a nice little crunch on the skin, only downside, the serving size was small.
Mussels @ $15 - The mussels were good, but I have to say that they were barely warm when they reached the table. The broth was good, but could have had a bit more flavour, it was lacking a little something though hard to pinpoint what it needs, maybe a touch more garlic or ginger...just needed some heat. Great portion size for the price.
Mongolian Beef @ $20 - This was another group favourite, very flavourful, you could really taste the ginger and the peppers - nice heat on this dish. Portion size was really good for the price.
Sticky Rice @ $5 - I didn't have any of the rice, but my friends said it was good. When we ordered it we had initially asked for 2 portions, but our server told us that 1 portion would be more than enough for the three of us and he was right, so thanks for that.
Cheesecake Lollipop @ $5 - Who doesn't like white chocolate, cream cheese and coconut rolled into a giant ball, drizzled with caramel and served on a lollipop stick? Nuff said.
Tempura Banana @ $6 - This was the group's favourite. It was hot, surrounded by chocolate sauce, the bananas were a nice gooey, tasty filling in a nicely cooked tempura.
Raspberry Chocolate Brownie @ $7.00 - Meh. Possibly the only real "low light" of the evening.
TWO Pitchers of Raspberry Spiked Tea @ $25/each. Ummm...yeah it was delcious!
Our server was great! Our food was brought to the table quickly and we NEVER felt rushed. We had that table for 2 1/2 hours and when he brought us the bill he even stated that there was "no rush".
Again, given what I had read in previous reviews, this is not the experience I expected. Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised. -
Review from Rio V.
Mississauga, ON
12/4/2011
Someone had told me this place was similar to Tao (Vegas/NYC) and the atmosphere in the restaurant does have a bit of that Tao vibe. Unfortunately the food didn't match up with the setting. We ordered kung pao chicken, a thai curry and the veg tempura, and every dish lacked spice or seasoning. Also, the food was cold, so it probably sat around for a while before it was brought to our table.
The decor deserves a couple of stars but not the food. -
Review from Susan G.
8/13/2011
The two star description (Meh, I've experienced better) pretty much sums up how I feel about Spice Route.
I've always wanted to go here, and was happy for my first experience with a group of girls for a bachelorette (warning - they do not allow bacherlorette style attire i.e. beads, boas, crowns). In the end, the experience was just ok. The menu is not as expensive as I was expecting, and I definitely enjoyed the spiked tea pitchers, and ambiance, but those are pretty much the only pluses. Our service was basically horrendous and the food came out sooooo fast that I couldn't help but question the freshness (is there just a buffet in the kitchen where they serve you???). It was kind of disappointing because it really is such a "cool" place that if they worked on their service it could be a lot of fun.
Though I'm happy I tried it, I can't say I'll be going back anytime soon. -
Review from Myrem D.
Mississauga, ON
6/22/2011
I don't understand why anyone even goes here after such horrible reviews?
This place is specifically for those that want to be seen here. That's it. Which makes sense.. because the type of people that enjoy this place don't eat.
We made reservations for 5 and it took 20minutes (bad).
The front hostess was sweet and apologetic.
We walked in...and it was downhill from here.
The decor is beautiful , if you have no originality. It's supposed to give off this meditative feel but it's purely a social gathering spot. The tables are hard, uncomfortable. Our table was wobbly.
We asked for water and we got sparkling water in glass bottles? - what the? The server (horrid at her job) insisted that it we "forgot" we ordered sparkling water. Oh Lord. Good sense would've been to have left - right about now. Hunger and late timing won our best judgements. :(
order:
Indian dip with naan - one was a guacamole - since when is guacamole Indian? and the other 2 were really spicy. It had a red pepper taste to it. The naan was not sharing friendly. The portion is decent for 1 person. Even then, we barely had anymore than the first few bites.
Veg spring rolls: This wasn't bad. I've had them before at cheaper restaurants and it tastes the same.
Crab cakes - This was yummy, but def not enough to share :(
Tempura calamari & rock shrimp - HORRIBLE! I was praying that it was like Ki's rock shrimp,. unfortunately it was not. Fail. It dough wasn't even fully cooked. Yuck.
Steamed rice: myeh. I've had wayyy better. At least she was nice enough to give us a good portion.
chkn with black bean - Bad. I'm not sure why, but it tasted SO vinegary. It had a horrible smell to it. Maybe it was a bad batch?
kung pao chicken - not bad. We ordered 2 of these and pretty much settled to the idea that people don't eat here. Our server was the only one coming and going with food. To our table.
Everyone else just sat around with drinks and something super light. Untouched. Wierddddd....
At this point we were SO disappointed, we just asked for the bill..
HAHA - this is the part where we pretty much laughed out loud. Truly , there was nothing else we couldve done to display what a joke this was.
$279.23 PLUS tip PLUS service - WHAT?
I was so shocked. I felt like I barely ate anything satisfying.
By now the lights started to dim and the circular bar in the main dining room turned on it's weird lava lamp type of lights.
Walking out , on the right side, there's a private room that looked gorgeous from what I could see. It has curtains covering it. Apparently you have to book that room in way advance.
As I was leaving I said out loud " pffft this place has NOTHING on Ki" making sure that most of the servers and hostess heard. What? I was telling nothing but the truth. Hmph!
xoxo
M. -
Review from Real B.
Toronto, ON
7/9/2011
Douche and douchette central (esp on weekends) food lifted from PF Chang's, meaning highly mediocre (To think the chef from Monsoon R.I.P. is here now? gawd).
Drinks are pretty good thou and the bartenders are more on the ball than the clueless waitstaff. WHOA! -
Review from Matthew M.
Mississauga, ON
6/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went to this restaurant because my wife had purchased a voucher. The outside of the restaurant was understated, and had we walked, we certainly would have passed it by. Luckily, we took a cab and the driver knew of the restaurant by memory.
The inside of the restaurant had a very posh and upscale feel to it, though I felt that the lighting was too dim. We were seated in a comfortable booth where we met our friends who had arrived earlier.
Their menu features several Asian fusion dishes, and after looking everything over, we settled on the lettuce wraps to start with, and the kung pao chicken and pad Thai for our main course.
To be honest, I wasn't exactly blown away by the food, but it was by no means terrible. One of our friends ordered the chicken and it seemed a bit raw. We notified our server and he was happy to replace it for us.
The place certainly looks like a night club in some respects, and would probably make for a good place to hang out on a Friday night. Would not come back just for the food though. -
Review from Radhika G.
Toronto, ON
7/16/2011
The only reason I stepped foot in this place was to hang out with friends I hadn't seen in half a year who insisted on coming here for Summerlicious ($25 prix fixe). Having read Yelpers' comments, the bar was already low, but Spice Route was like a fat guy doing limbo - bending over backwards to make it under, but his belly just ends up knocking the bar down. He's fun to look at, but then you realize his limbo attempt is just a stupid joke that isn't really worth a laugh after all. Nah mean? This place seems to be all about appearance rather than food or drink. Wasn't impressed by any of the three courses of my meal.
Made a trip to the ladies' room (AKA had to find a door with a "W" on it... Ooooh, how postmodern minimalist), and overheard a dude say "That was the worst bathroom experience of my life." -
Review from Sam I.
5/16/2011
WOW, what horrendous service.
Unbelievable how a night-spot that puts so much effort into appearance and atmosphere can drop the ball so hard by delivering the complete opposite on service.
Sure busy nights happen and this was a Friday night but it's management's responsibility to staff accordingly. Our cocktail waitress was definitely copping way too much attitude and was not doing Spice Route any favors in the reputation department.
I was in town visiting family and we were looking forward to going out and having a nice night on the town. Too bad Spice Route poured loads of attitude and bad service on our night out. We were all pretty shocked at the lack of interest, slow service and the disillusioned cocktail waitress that was taking 'care' of us. If you end up there and a blonde-Lara Croft-looking cocktail waitress comes your way (it may take a while) make a run for the exit and enjoy your evening elsewhere. -
Review from Martin W.
7/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really don't like these places, but this place is very pretty on the inside. I came here late at night when it was in "club" mode and the bouncers weren't going to let me in because I was under dressed (no runners!). Thankfully, my crew helped me out and I got in. The bouncer didn't have to be so nice to me so thanks, big guy! They get an extra star because of this courtesy.
It was packed with a lot of people trying really hard to look cool. I went to the bar to ask for a drink and asked if they had any drink specials and the dude laughed at me. Apparently in King West, they don't, so don't bother asking.
For whatever reason, my school likes to have events at these types of "be seen" venues. I doubt I would come here again unless there is a school event I really don't want to miss. I'll remember not to wear my runners. -
Review from cat k.
Scarborough, ON
6/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
It was my 2nd time at Spice Route, this time for a private party. I love the atmosphere and sitting outside especially when the weather was fantastic.
We had some yummy chicken satays, and a breaded chicken dish. We had some shrimp noodles and rice dish that was kinda of boring.
Their brownies and cheesecake were great. -
Review from Hideki K.
Updated - 7/8/2011
Went back to Spice Route last night (the last time I was there was July 2009). I reiterate. This is not a place to dine at, it's a place to party. Don't confuse the two.
I hear the bouncers can be annoying at the door sometimes (depending on what time & on what date you show up). However, last night at 11pm (a Thursday), I just strolled right in. Nobody asked for ID. One great thing about this place is that there's no cover. It's also never super crowded, and brings in a nice attractive crowd.
I do find the bartenders to be slow at handling orders though. Beers are ~$7 and mix drinks are ~$8.
The place has an indoor area and an outdoor patio where people smoke. They do place music, but it's not loud and there's no dancing. It's more of a place for lounging and conversing.Listed in: Best of T.O
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/3/2011
Spice Route is a nice party venue. I go here to lounge, but probably wouldn't try it as a… Read more »
-
-
Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
6/22/2011
Been there twice.
Honestly, the place looks very nice. Great atmosphere to hang out in a large group (at the patio) along very classy interior decor. For the patio I would highly recommend reservations but I would only recommend this place is you only want drinks or if you have nowhere else to go.
The place look almost like a postcard of what a Westerner would think an Asian themed restaurant should look like.
The service is so-so and is the food authentic? Heck no. Calling the Spice Route authentic would be like calling Mandarin authentic Chinese food. Or Spring Rolls. It's passable fusion at best. Mediocre at worst.
The patio is nice for larger groups and drinks and by that I mean simple drinks. Not the proverbial "girly drinks" as my friends who had a few thought they were overpriced for the quality. However I would not eat here unless I had no choice. Which reminds me, the last time I was there was because I had a party too large to fit at the Brant House and we tried to make the party work here. Unfortunately it did not so we ended up at a club instead. -
Review from Mariko M.
2/3/2011
This place is both pretty inside and out. There are torches in front and it looks like the entrance to some castle in Asia. I came here with a friend last night for their Chinese New Year's event and had a really good time.
For $65, you get a myriad of courses serving Chinese dishes to bring in the New Year. Now is it authentic? Who knows. The Xiu Mai was really good. One set had shrimp in it (meh) and the other had bok choy (delish). There was a spicy eggplant dish with black bean and peppers, which I found to be another favourite of mine as well.
I was a tad iffy when I read some reviews mentioning their crap service. Luckily, 'James V' was our server and I found it be excellent. He came to our table often with water or to ask if there was anything else we needed.
The overall experience was a 5 because the decor inside is really nice, the drinks are good (and reasonable for Toronto) , and the Chinese dragon (? ... it maybe have been a bunny, fish, cat or a melange of all four) dancing/presentation. However, I found the food to be quite mediocre considering the prices they were charging, which brings my review down to 3.
I'm not going to sneak out of work today to go indulge in some Spice Route cuisine, but I'm also not going to make up some lame excuse if someone invited me to go. -
Review from Mark D.
2/10/2011
I have eaten here twice on two separate trips to Toronto. My impressions each time were the same:
What's to like:
1. All of the dishes I've tried were relatively good.
2. It is a very nice room.
What's not to like:
1. The service is relatively poor. They do not check back often and food comes out pretty slow.
2. For what it is, the food while good is over-priced.
3. Can't decide if it wants to be a yuppie bar or a fine dining destination. The bar scene aspect detracts from the fine dining experience.Listed in: Mark's - A Taste of Asia, Leaving on a Jet Plane
-
Review from Bahi K.
Scarborough, ON
5/30/2011
Had group dinner here for about 12 people on Thursday night. Overall impression was that it was a solid meal, but nothing outstanding. Service was slow (our waiter took us awhile to get us our drinks, and then made us wait even longer to put in our food order in order to take an additional drink order).
Drinks were nothing special. The mojito I had, which my server raved about, was quite disappointing and laced with too much soda. My subsequent rum and cokes tasted pretty much like coke.
The food is served tapas style, and it was easy enough to pass the plates around in our booth. The vegetarian options were sadly pretty limited, so the lone vegetarian in our group was a little stiff. Out of the other dishes we tried, the shrimp curry was probably the most standout.
All told, nobody was terribly disappointed -- but no one was particularly excited, either. Not the reaction I was going for with so many out-of-town guests. -
Review from Yvonne T.
Ah Spice Route... After having read many mixed reviews I thought I would give it a try and judge for myself. The verdict - yet another pretentious "fine dining" Chinese restaurant that has been sent to the dog house along with Lai Toh Heen. They overcompensate for the plain Jane food offerings with overembellishing on the decor. At Spice Route, bull is to china shop, as food is to decor. The decor was "taste"-ful. The food, not so much.
I had gone last night for their Chinese New Year's Eve party featuring a special Prix Fixe menu and lion dancing. We were seated promptly, however, it was about 10 minutes before anyone bothered to come take down our drinks. I had a lychee martini and it was very tasty. Not too dry and the lychees added just enough sweetness to balance out the alcohol.
The Prix Fixe menu offered the following items:
Dim Sum Platter
Mongolian Beef
Eggplant Stir-Fry
Roast Chicken with Glutinous Rice
Sweet and Sour Cod
Efu Noodles
Dessert Trio
The lion dancing was very festive but after the second and third time around it became overkill. They didn't change up the beat of the drumming much so it became a series of "been there done that" performances.
The food came out at a snail's pace with little explanation of what they were. It was like a cookie cutter dining experience with mass production being the name if the game. By the time the dim sum platter came my stomach was drumming along with the lion dancing. The platter was cold. The dumpling wrappers were thick and the filling was nothing extraordinary. One was a spinach dumpling, the other was a shrimp and pork wonton. Both epic failures.
Secondly came the Mongolian beef. It was screaming "I have been overly tenderized with baking soda." I think that the flank beef would've faired better if it were sliced thinner... it would've been naturally more tender. The beef, albeit it being artificially infused with "tenderness" was very tender. I found the level of spiciness to be too overpowering. All you could taste was the burning sensation of the chillies and not much else. The broccoli was nice and crunchy.
Next up, we had a black bean eggplant stir-fry. I always have a soft spot for Chinese eggplant as I love the buttery texture of it compared to its ItalItalian counterparts. The flavours of the eggplant were very delicate. The red peppers were a great foil to the eggplant as the sweetness and crunchiness enhance the buttery texture of the eggplant while offsetting the denseness of the black bean sauce. The sweetness of the red pepper also balances the saltiness of the black bean sauce.
The chicken skin was very crisp and the meat itself was surprisingly flavourful, I only wish the same could be said about the giant white mass of glutinous rice that accompanied the dish, only serving as a filler. It was horrible. Bland and undercooked. I thought that the banana leaf that lay underneath the rice would really serve to bring out a tea-ish flavour, but alas, it was all for show as it was dry and cold. Even having steamed the rice with chicken broth would've given it a subtle flavour! I won't even be so greedy as to ask for chinese sausage or dried shrimp. That might be asking too much of Spice Route.
The efu noodles were pretty standard and didn't really stand out, a bit oily, but after the bland rice we were served... Anything would've tasted heavenly!
The cod was quite flaky, but you could definitely tell it was made from frozen fish and not fresh. The fish skin was very crispy, emulating those that you would find at a Chiu Chow eatery... Think, flavour-infused potato chip! The batter was nice a light, but again, too oily for my tastebuds. So from a textural perspective, the dish was great, from a flavouring perspective, it tasted like french fries with ketchup and there ain't anything Chinese about that!
And that takes us right to dessert. All that it said on the menu was "Chef's Trio Dessert Sampler." During dinner I had asked what everyone thought would be on the menu, and someone said "I bet you there will be a fortune cookie!" And sure enough - there was a massive fortune cookie as part of the three. The trio consisted of:
Deep Fried Banana in a Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Brownie with Mandarine Oranges and Orange Crème (think CreamSaver candy), and the "OMG-that's-so-big" fortune cookie. Of the 3, the deep fried banana was definitely the crowning achievement. The bananas were not overly ripe, but mushy enough to fuse with the crispy batter to create a gastronomic epiphany in my mouth. The fortune cookie was very airy, crisp and light with a hint of vanilla and butter flavour. Think of a pizzelle but ten times the size.
For a video of the night's performance visit my blog at http://thehungrycat.bl... -
Review from Jess W.
Toronto, ON
Overall just an okay experience. Arrived here shortly after 7 to find it almost completely empty. It's very dimly lit and has a lounge-y atmosphere. By the time we had left at around 8:30, it really filled up (guess all the cool people eat late!)
Anyways, the server brought us complimentary bread - two small pieces of deep-fried bread served with a banana chutney (aka mushed up bananas). I really enjoyed the bread, but the chutney was meh.
We started with the Spiced chicken + Peking duck lettuce wraps - served with brandied hoisin sauce ($12). Obviously not very authentic, but they tasted ok... but certainly on the greasy side. After we finished them there was a large pool of oil at the bottom.
Next, came the spicy stir fried eggplant ($7) which was a side dish. I didn't like that it didn't come at the same time as our fish. We had finished this dish before our main even came. Anyways, the menu advertised that this was served in a chili pepper sauce. However, it was not spicy, nor was it served in a chili pepper sauce. It was actually served in a black bean sauce. Again, just an ok dish.
Our main was the Whole red snapper -served with julienne ginger + scallions + sizzling hot oil ($22). It was a pretty big piece of fish which was certainly enough for the two of us (we were thinking of ordering another meat dish, but luckily we didn't!). It was a tad dry... but overall another ok dish. Be warned though, this isn't a very good first-date dish (there are a lot of bones in the fish... you'll spend a lot of time picking them out of your mouth!)
The best dish of the night was our dessert - the banana tempura ($6). It came with 5 timbit sized pieces and was served with vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Overall - just a "meh" experience. A cool place to grab a drink, but very forgettable food. -
Review from Marie M.
11/25/2010 5 photos
I don't know why the general consensus of Spice Route tend to be on the negative side, but I had an AMAZING time here last night.
My journey with Spice Route actually began a week ago, when I made online reservations via Open Table. My guest of honour, a VIP in my life, "Prince Wills" couldn't make it until after 8PM and the only option on the database was 8PM. So I selected it and under the comments, I asked if I could have a table near 8:45PM or 9PM instead. I followed up with a phone call to the resto-lounge itself and left the same message inquiring about a 9PM dinner RSVP for 2. They promptly called me back and told me that a table would be ready for me at my prefered time. The Spice Route rep had to manually slot me in, but she still made it happen!
Fast forward to this week, I made several telephone inquiries with the restaurant itself in order to prep for my dinner for my friend. I wanted things PERFECT because 1) He's TRES important, 2) it's his silver birthday pre-celebration. Each time I called with questions, I was greeted with the utmost respect and recieved a satisfactory answer.
My first inquiry was about a birthday dessert. I wanted to bring one in and I wanted to know if they would hold outside food for me and serve it after dinner, cos it's a special occasion. They told me they would, with a $3 plate fee per person because they have desserts. But they said I could pre-order dessert and they would bring it out after dinner. I wanted to bring in a special tiramisu, but then I decided to go for their "lollipop cheese cake." I also requested that they write "Happy Birthday William" in full for me. The rep suggested "Happy 25th Birthday William" and I agreed -even better.
My second inquiry was if we could be seated at a prettier place in the restaurant because I wanted my friend to have a splendid dining experience for his birthday. The rep made a note of it with my reservation, and said the hostess will see it upon my arrival and will do her best.
My last was about parking. I hate parking downtown, but I was going to dress up, and decided I'm going to be too pretty for the TTC. The rep told me that they have parking around the restaurant and at a lot by Starbucks. Perfect answer.
Rewind to last night:
I came in to the resto-lounge at 9PM after searching forever for parking on King St. W. The hostess took me to my table but I didn't like it and asked for one of their big squared booths, because it was more spacious and had a pretty background. She gave me the booth as I asked.
While I was waiting for Prince Wills to arrive, the server brought me menus to look at and when I asked for water and lemon, he returned with 2 glasses of water and a cup full of lemons and lime.
When my guest of honor arrived, we ordered drinks, he had Tiger beer and I had a Pinot Grigio. While we were looking through the menu, the waiter brought over 2 sweet buns with dipping sauce, compliments of the house!
What we ordered:
The Dim Sum Platter -We picked this appetizer coz it was the only one that had something we both could have. The veggie dumplings were ok, nothing spectacular. I think the ones Scarborough and Markham taste better, they're bigger too. My friend said the shrimp siu mais were ok, I'll take his word for it.
The Mushroom Efoo Noodle Soup (Pot) -a simple broth with mushroom and efoo noodles. The waiter told us that every plate is meant for sharing, so we shared the soup, after the server split the soup into 2 smaller bowls for us.
The Seared Rare Yellow Fin Tuna -This took the longest and my friend kept wondering why it took them that long to sear a tuna. But when it came, he said it was very good, better than he expected.
The Bday Dessert -came after dinner -as planned. It came with a lit candle and had "Happy Birthday William" written on the plate in full. They missed the 25th part, but it's ok, the message came across.
We had a really good time here. I'm not sure why people say the service sucks, coz it was excellent. The staff was kind, attentive and satisfied ALL of my requests. The waiter even listened when I secretly told him to hold the bill until I came back from the washroom -Prince Wills' money is no-good when it's my party for him. My friend seemed happy last night, about the food, the ambiance, service, etc.... and that's all that matters to me. -
Review from J H.
Toronto, ON
7/25/2011
this is a large, attractive space that is past its time. it was once very trendy, and now people have moved on.
in typical liberty entertainment group* style, service is very slow and disorganized. food is perfectly fine but i wouldn't call it authentic and definitely not inventive.
*liberty ent group is the umbrella company that co-owns this restaurant with ink. from what i have heard many times, industry insider info is that liberty venues are notoriously disorganized and mis-managed. you are welcome to see for yourself; it has most certainly proven true with my experience here -
Review from Matt M.
9/13/2011
Really wanted to like this place. While the staff tried hard, service was really slow. It seemed like they were incredibly under-staffed. The pace of delivery was really uneven. I get the feeling our food sat around the kitchen for awhile before coming out. While it wasn't bad, I would probably not go back next time in Toronto.
-
Review from Philippe G.
Calgary, AB
3/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Second time into Spice Route and I will likely never be back.
Service, Service, Service. Our service was inattentive, uninspired and definitely hated his fanny pack.
The food was not very memorable, seemed like slightly odd Asian inspired cuisine, but I could not get a question in about it so I am not entirely sure. -
Review from Imran N.
3/24/2011
If you are going out downtown for a clubbing nite, you will want to be on King Street West. A good and interesting restaurant that is very popular is Spice Route. The food is a sharing concept as well, and it's fusion Asian. The food is pretty good. The reason why it is so popular is because it turns into a music lounge in the evening. You sit in square booths, and then go over to the dance area for socializing, if you want. It's pretty unique and fun place.
Personally, I don't like it too much because I feel like I'm eating in a club and it's really loud. But at the same time, it's really fun when you go in groups and it would be something nice with your friends. It's not very cheap, last time I was there me and my friends paid about $70 each, but that's because they hit you with their drinks. But it's a great place to go before a night out in Toronto's club area. You start there, have dinner. Then have a few drinks. Then after, go to one of the clubs in the king west district. It's very convenient.
Make a reservation. The place is packed.
Service is ok. I witnessed them treat people in different ways like typical bouncers at clubs do.
I think it would be best enjoyed by a group of girlfriends, or the typical clubbing type or just people who want to be seen out on the weekend. It's one of those "attract 20-25 year olds on someones birthday and then ensure you're getting into cheval or century or something"Listed in: Good for Groups
-
Review from Alan W.
Toronto, ON
12/26/2010
I would give 5 stars for the atmosphere and service, but 3 stars for the food.
The interior is nicely designed like an old Asian temple. Its cool bathroom stalls looks into a Zen garden, and the cavernous dining room is nicely lit (dim and dramatic) to make it feel comfy and relaxing. It is one of the nicest dining environments I have been in a while.
There is a small plates menu which I really appreciate.
While the presentation is very nice, I have found most of the plates were rather bland and lacking in flavor (not befitting its 'Spice Route' name).
I was there on a Tuesday night and the place was rather empty until around 7pm and things got hopping after 8pm. It's amazing how the space changes with people. Later in the night I noticed the large table of suits at the back of the restaurant being very loud and obnoxious (which travelled through most of the restaurant) -- I was near the front of the front of the restaurant and was lucky I was seated near them. The extremely large banquettes along the side of the restaurant could comfortably accomodate a large group of people each.
Overall I had a great time here and will give another try food-wise. -
Review from Erika P.
Toronto, ON
2/4/2011
The atmosphere and decor is nice. This place is very aesthetically pleasing and has that intimate atmosphere.
A few people told me it was really good so my girlfriends and I decided to hit this place up for Winterlicious. Clearly the phrase "really good" didn't apply to Winterlicious.
I thought that the dishes were mediocre...nothing compared to the greasy, non-fancy Chinese places (see my review for Congee Queen). I had the Mongolian beef which was a little too spicy and it came on a bed of baby bok choy...they couldn't even give you noodles or rice! It didn't have much flavor, either. A few of my girlfriends had the salmon which was cooked really well - nice and tender, not dry. The yakisoba noodles however, were ridiculously overcooked! Overcooked to the point where the noodles just kind of crumble in your mouth when you take a bite.
The fact that we had to wait 15 minutes for our dessert is mind boggling. Our waitress was kind of snobby and said "I put the order in 20 minutes ago it's not my fault blah blah blah".
I'm willing to try this place again ONLY because I looked over at the table next to us and their food looked really good. They didn't order from the Winterlicious menu. The guy had orange chicken and it looked pretty legit. Too legit to quit. -
Review from aprile c.
Vancouver, BC
2/6/2011
The place is a den for yuppies. Not only did Spice Route make me wait for over 20 minutes for my starter and dessert, the so-called "hot" waitress was a bitch and my dinner had me running for the bathroom when I got home. If you plan on going bring pepto and plenty of patience.
They dim the lighting so you can't see your flavourless food. The waitress had an attitude and blamed everyone and their mother for the long wait.
The tempura banana "sounds" amazing but its literally a ball of batter.
If you're a dude, have a thing for contemporary design and don't care what your food tastes like then this place is for you. -
Review from Jason V.
North York, ON
9/16/2011
Great atmosphere but the food isn't really authentic and abit bland for Asian fusion
-
Review from Melanie C.
Oakville, ON
8/6/2010
Not my scene. I had high expectations for this overpriced restaurant, but was very disappointed with the quality of the food here. We tried quite a few dishes and I was only impressed with one dessert dish - the dragon rolls.
The plates are inconvenient sizes, making it impossible to share dishes without awkwardness. Most of the dishes were half-empty, so there was really no need for this. The kimchi rice and pad thai noodles were insanely large portions, but I didn't like either of them. They were quite boring and bland.
I liked the décor - kinda funky and rustic, but didn't like not being able to see (it was very dark) or hear (it was very noisy).
We had a reservation but still had to wait a few minutes to talk to any of the many hostesses who were all working with the Maitre D' to seat 2 people who arrived just before us. Seriously, how many people does it take? I would have expected to at least be greeted by one of 5 people just standing there.
Washrooms are crazy weird. You go through a sliding barn door into an oversized washroom, complete with private sink. It's really dark in there (probably so you can't tell if it's clean or dirty) but there's plenty of light filtering in from the gigantic window you're supposed to pee in front of. I'm hoping nobody has access to the courtyard that this window faces, but it still made me feel very uncomfortable. Interesting concept, but not my cup of tea.
Service was great when you could get somebody's attention. This is the type of place that comes by to fold your napkin for you when you've left the table to go to the washroom. It was really busy when we were there so everything (ordering, getting our food, clearing our table, getting dessert menus, getting the bill, etc.) took longer than it should have.
I might return for drinks only as they have a few interesting cocktails on their menu, but I won't be dining here again. -
Review from Kat S.
Toronto, ON
9/14/2011
I really like Spice Route as a spot to grab a drink or two. The patio is nice, the inside lounge is gorgeous and the bathrooms are ridiculously nice and posh. The drinks are a little pricey, but what can you expect for King West? The only other complaint I have is that it's super loud, which can make conversations a little difficult. However, given the typical clientele of these sorts of places, maybe we're just supposed to be admiring the view.
Now, the reason it has an only mediocre rating is the food is definitely not the best. Overly greasy, light on flavor and high in price, there are plenty of better places to go and grab a bite in the King West neighborhood. -
Review from Cheryl C.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2011
I had high expectations about the restaurant and within the first 30-minutes; my expectations shattered and went spiralling down so fast like the bottle of Courvoisier I had last weekend!
1) Why pay so much for food, only to be hungry again within minutes after leaving?
-The reaction of my friend when we received our main dish was, "Is this a joke?". Enough said! The portions were so small that we were still hungry after we left the restaurant...and no, we are not football players or sumo wrestlers! We are average (if not skinny) women all under 5'8.
2) You know you are not in good hands when the service at McDonalds seemed more high class!
-The staff/waiter was not welcoming, and they seemed like expressionless and emotionless robots with an IQ of zero: i.e.-There were 5 of us with only 4 plate settings, and after a while we had to ask to have another one. It didn't occur to the waiter that there should be another one added (we shouldn't have had to ask!).
- After waiting 30-minutes for soup, one of the bowls didn't have a spoon and when we asked the waiter for another one it seemed like it took 2-minutes for him to process our request in his head, and then went off to get it... 10-minutes later we got it, and by then the soup was cold.
-Our main dish was not served at the same time: 3 of us were served first, a few minutes later the 4th, and an even longer wait for the last. It's pretty ironic that my friend who got her dish last, wasn't even cooked properly! It was raw (no we did not order sushi)! You'd think that would be the first dish served!
3) Looks like the staff missed the boat on restaurant etiquette/courtesy/common sense 101!
-The lowest blow to the poor quality of service was that the waiter nor the manager didn't even come back to follow-up and see if the improperly cooked dish was ok the second time 'round. Every restaurant I went to (when the dish was not properly cooked), we got a sincere apology from the manager and usually a free desert, meal or even vouchers to ensure future visits. We got...NONE OF THE ABOVE!
4) Mommy always said to part on good terms!
-So even though I was highly disappointed with the overall experience, I thought I would leave with some nice comments, and the reason why I gave this establishment 1 star instead of 0. The décor was beautiful, the bathroom was impressive, the Mongolian beef was tasty (although a bowl of rice couldn't have broken the bank with the amount patrons are charged) and the most important thing... We are still alive (although hungry)!
FYI- You can't call yourselves an Asian restaurant if you don't even serve RICE! -
Review from Marie F.
6/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
I DON'T KNOW! I just don't know how to rate this place... I've never had such hot and cold feeling about a place in my life! So here is the breakdown:
9:45pm: THE GREETING 1 star
Don't bother looking for an address or name on the door, Spice Route is too cool to identify itself...
We walked in to meet a friend for his birthday but we were a bit early and the birthday boy wasn't there yet. The girl at the front said it was the restaurant's policy to only seat a reservation when half the party had arrived... What a stupid policy! I guess we'll stand!
10:00pm THE BAR 4 stars
I went to the bar twice and although it was packed, I never waited once for my drink. Speaking of drink, both my martini and my rum and coke were good and strong!
10:15pm THE DECOR 5 stars
This place is BEAUTIFUL!!!! The interior designer should honestly pat themselves on the back because the space is immaculate! It actually reminds me of TAO in Vegas... but I think TAO has a better understanding of the differences between a Club, a lounge and a restaurant.
10:30pm THE CROWD 1 star
When did the Real Housewives of Woodbridge and their hairdressers take over King West?! There was a smell of cheap self tanner and desperation in the air, wrapped up in hot stilettos and a leopard print dresses. I didn't think the atmosphere was pretentious as much as I thought of how sorry I felt for these washed up middle aged women who felt like they needed to tart themselves up in their daughter (or granddaughter's) clothing just to have a man approach them. These are not my type of peeps... nough said!
10:45 THE MUSIC 2 stars
This is not so much a criticism of the music played so much as a rant about the volume of the music. Perhaps Spice Route forgot that they are a lounge and as such the music should be background noise... not a soundtrack!
11:00 THE WAITER 1 star
I ordered a martini and the Rock Calamari/Tempura Shrimp. My appetizer arrived steaming hot but no drink in sight. 10 minutes pass and the waiter comes by to see if "everything is alright" I tell him I am still waiting on my martini... he replies "so am I!" Not sure what he meant by that but I don't care! If my food arrives before my drink, it's an automatic FAIL in my books.
11:15pm THE FOOD 2 stars
The calamari was good at first but got progressively saltier with every bite. The shrimp on the other hand needed some flavour and the batter was a wee bit too thick in some spots.
If my calculations are correct, that warrants a 2.5 stars... sadly I don't think it deserves a 3 star rating so 2 will have to suffice!
