PAN Mediterranean Cuisine

Greek food has always been the same experience for me: a plate of souvlaki with a side of salad followed by rice and potatoes. I’m not sure whether this is the staple diet in Greece, but I’ve considered this dining experience rather dull. Combine this with the sudden surge in Greek delivery food and I’m sure you know what I mean. Deciding to try something different this weekend, I went to the Danforth to experience a round of Greek food in Greek town. After browsing the streets for something to catch my eye, OPA! (woohoo!), I spotted something authentic, had a good number of customers, and had what appeared to be a great atmosphere. We settled into Pan, and what a great choice it was.

Atmosphere:
The interior had a nice classic touch to it that was very comfortable with a hint of modern design. Once you enter, you are greeted by a big ball of wax that has accumulated over the years from burning candles. I find it odd that it’s placed as the center piece as you enter, but it does provide to the classic feel I am referring to. The walls are lined with a variety of wine bottles, seemingly tempting you for a sip during your meal. The seating is spaced comfortably and the lighting is appropriate for the mood. For the small size of the restaurant, I felt very welcomed and relaxed while waiting for my meal.

Food:
We began with a dipping sauce called Tirokafteri, a spicy dip of grilled banana peppers and feta, served with their freshly home-made pita bread. The dip was exceptional with the right amount of spicy tang that keeps you wanting to dip more. Moreover, the addition of garlic softened the usual intensity of Feta cheese that can often overwhelm you with familiar gagging sensations resulting from eating too much feta. The fresh and warm pita bread that is covered with olive oil and crushed garlic was outstanding and really helped emphasize their specialty and attention they placed on their variety of dips.

Before finishing the remainder of our dip with a second batch of fresh pita, the main course arrived. We ordered Aioli Lamb Souvlaki (medium to well-done) and Syracusae Smoked Double Pork Chop. The lamb souvlaki was the perfect tenderness even at medium, the possible result of good marinating. It tasted fantastic and was accompanied with hefty portions of your usual salad, potatoes, and rice.

The Syracusae Smoked Pork Chop was definitely the highlight of the night: two thick and tasty portions that were very easily chewed on, as pork chops can be very hard to bite on if they are over cooked. These were then topped over feta cheese scalloped potatoes, truly outdoing themselves with this tasty side dish!

Rating:
What was originally another gamble at Greek food turned out to be a great experience! With endless rows of Greek restaurants that all seemed to serve the same thing on the Danforth, really gave me a fresh new impression on Greek food. Their array of dipping sauces accompanied with fresh pita makes you feel confident that they take their food seriously. Though the usual souvlaki can be tiresome, they made it so well that I can say it’s the best I’ve had since Greco’s in Kingston. And if I haven’t ranted enough about how good the pork chops are, at least try the scalloped potatoes infused with Greek feta goodness! Opa!

Rating: 3 Stars; great service, atmosphere, and great food worth trying!
Price: $$$
Location: 516 Danforth Avenue

Anh Dao - Best Non-Pho Vietnamese Food

A couple of months ago I raved about grilled shrimp that was wrapped in beef. Today I went back for a second helping of grilled shrimp wrapped in beef. This was my third time at Anh Dao, and it's definitely made it on my list of repeat restaurants and my top 5 restaurants to recommend when friends ask "so where should we eat?".


What makes Anh Dao particularly special is it's roll your own salad roll combos. With my mediocre understanding of Vietnamese I believe these dishes in general are called banh hoi. The only difference with each combo is the meat options available, there are the usual grilled meats and kebabs, sugar cane shrimp, and nam nung. And then there's the shrimp wrapped in beef skewers. When I first ordered it I thought it would be a combination of shrimp and beef skewers, but I was delightfully surprised!

Nevertheless, all banh hoi comes with thin vermicelli noodles garnished with green onion, oil, and peanuts, as well as a myriad of vegetables and herbs. And for those not so faint of heart, unassumingly in the corner of the platter is preserved pigs ear. To enjoy all these flavours at once you will need to make a roll with the provided rice paper. Rolling can be quite an art at times, but it seems that the best method to ensure no ripping of the paper is to start with the herbs and lettuce, the softest leaves closest to the paper, then top it off with bean sprouts and cucumber then grilled meat, and on top of that the vermicelli noodles. The idea is to keep the softer and more malleable ingredients touching the paper will the coarser ingredients tucked inside.

After you create your roll, dip it into the provide sauce. Yummy. The best part about this meal is that you can ditch the stuff you don't like and only roll in the stuff you do like. Although some people may be intimidated by the herbs, they are worth a try. Tasting them on their own doesn't do it justice, in order to fully appreciate it, you must roll it into your roll.

For a meal this interactive using your hands is the way to go (just don't forget to wash before and after your meal). To top it all off, I recommend a carbonated beverage, such as their lime soda or preserved lime or plum soda. If anything a coke will be just as refreshing.

A Note About the Rice Paper
Sometimes the rice paper comes out dry and you will have to soak it yourself in the provided warm water. Do not over-soak your sheet as it will become useless and mushy. Just wet all areas of the paper and place on your plate, it will gradually soak in and create a nice soft rollable sheet. If the rice paper arrives pre-soaked, be careful when you separate the sheets as they are prone to tearing.

Atmosphere
Unfortunately the restaurant is a bit of a dive, though is quite clean. There's nothing to write home about in this sense.

Rating: 3 Stars - extra points for interactiveness and creativity
Price: $ - Cheap (for 2, $30 including beverages)
Location: Spadina at Nassau (S. of College)