I was introduced to Pomegranate after meeting a Persian
women dining by herself at a restaurant. Normally, I would never intrude on
someone’s quiet time, but the tables were close together and she noticed me snapping
photos of my food. Always in search of good authentic restaurants, I enquired
about delicious Persian restaurants within Toronto. Pomegranate, she noted, was
a small place, but the food is great and one of her favourite restaurants to
visit.
The colourful tapestry adorning the wall instantly put me in
a cheerful mood. Despite visiting as soon as the restaurant opened, light
aromas of spices were already wafting throughout the dining area, a promise of
the flavours to come. The women didn’t lie, it’s a small restaurant with
perhaps a dozen tables, so consider making a reservation - even with our
weeknight visit, we secured one of the last unreserved tables.
While waiting for our mains, we shared an order of the kashke-e bademjaan ($7.95), which wasn’t
big, but rich enough to satisfy our table of four with a couple tablespoons
each. A bed of soft charred eggplant is topped with Persian whey, garlic,
walnuts and caramelized onions. The starter comes with a basket of hot lightly
toasted soft pita bread that’s perfect for scooping up a bit of everything to
get all the flavours and crunch. The whey had a light creamy consistency and
when mixed with the garlic almost had a tahini
feel to it.
I’m always partial of lamb dishes when visiting a Persian,
Indian or Greek restaurant. Hence, immediately the queymeh ($15.50) called to me. The hearty stew is great for
spooning over the basmati rice where the tomato saffron sauce could mix with
the long grains of rice - oh if only I had saved some of the pita bread to dip
into the stew as well!
The dish had a surprisingly sour finish due to the sun-dried
lime added to the braised lamb and yellow split peas. It took a couple of forkfuls
to get used to it, but afterwards I rather like the citrusy finish that helped
mellow out the otherwise heavier stew. Yet, I wished all the sides accompanying
it wasn’t also sour: the shirazi salad was finely diced vegetables
tossed with citrus; even the mixed greens had a vinegar and oil dressing.
Anything, even a reduced balsamic vinaigrette with the mixed green, would have
helped to provide contrast within the platter.
To end, a cup of the Persian chai ($2). The black tea isn’t
as strong as its Indian counterpart, lacking the lovely cardamom scent (it just
smelt like orange pekoe) and the spices steeped with the tea is evident but
muted. If you prefer a weaker tea, the Persian chai may be a good choice. For
me, I’d just stick with the tried and true mint version next time.
City dwellers are often guarded and like to exist within their own bubbles. Admittedly, I’m no different, not one to strike up conversations with a stranger. Sometimes, it’s nice to break through our comfort zone and get to know someone. Sure, we may never see them again, but what we learn from them could be interesting, useful, and delicious.
Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 420 College Street
Address: 420 College Street
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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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