I don’t often have sushi in a restaurant whose menu isn’t
entirely Japanese, but Planta Queen’s nigiri
is so inventive that you should try it once. As the ahi watermelon ($5.25 for
two) and unagi eggplant ($5.25 for
two) are placed before us, I’m marveled by how much they look like lean tuna
and mackerel. In reality, the consistency and taste doesn’t resemble fish – the
watermelon has a strong ginger flavour and the eggplant a slight smokiness – yet,
it also doesn’t taste like the fruit or vegetable it’s made from. It just
works!
The ahi watermelon
makes its way into the rainbow roll ($15) and spicy tuna roll ($15) as well. Of
the two, the rainbow roll has more interest: the soft pressed watermelon paired
with creamy avocado and mayo, crispy romaine, and a sliver of bright shiso leaf. The spicy tuna roll is fine,
but relies a lot on the spicy aioli for flavour.
You wouldn’t want an entire order of gomae ($12.25) for yourself. Even though it’s essentially just
boiled spinach tossed in a sesame dressing with crisped rice thrown on top, the
nutty sauce is also what makes it fairly rich as well. Yet, when shared, it’s a
nice way to start the meal or even to finish off with something refreshing.
On the other hand, I could easily down an entire bowl of the
mushroom dashi ($8.95). It’s everything
you want during the winter: a warm bowl of rich consommé, enoki and shiitake mushrooms
peppered throughout, and cubes of delicate tofu sitting at the bottom. It’s
simple and heavenly.
Planta’s Hakka rice noodles ($17.50) doesn’t really taste
like anything I’ve ever had at a Hakka restaurant, but it could easily grace
the menu of a Thai establishment. The coconut green curry base has a lovely aroma
and a hint of heat, but could use more salt. As it stands, the dish of rice
noodles with tofu and Chinese broccoli (gai
lan) was fine but didn’t overly excite.
The udon ($18.75) was a hundred times better. In this case,
the rice noodles (since we were having the gluten free version) was tossed in
truffle oil and coconut milk creating a creamy base that would make Alfredo
weep. There’s no shortage of mushrooms in the dish and is finished off with
some snow pea leaves for colour and freshness. Would this dish paired with a
bowl of mushroom dashi be too much fungi
for one person to handle? Challenge accepted.
In general, Planta Queen uses a lot of truffles, whether it
be the infused oil or the real deal. Even the maitake mushroom fried rice ($28) comes with shaved truffle on top,
which truthfully doesn’t add that much to the experience. Overall, I expected
the dish to offer more – something bursting with wok hay and an umami essence galore. Instead, it was pretty average
fried rice with shaved truffles on top.
After the heavier mains, we thought the lemon curd ($12.35)
would be a lighter finish to the meal. It certainly was a refreshing end, but
the combination of lemon custard with passion fruit gelato makes for such a
tarte finish that I’m puckering up thinking of the bite. The meringue needed to
be sweeter and the matcha powder dropped all together as the combination of
acidic citrus with bitter powder wasn’t necessarily the greatest.
For those who are celiac, you’d be happy to know every dish in
this post is celiac friendly and vegan. Planta Queen certainly has an
impressive menu of options for various food sensitivities. Best yet, they’re
actually tasty and makes you realize that Asian food could easily forgo all the
meat, eggs, and gluten and still be fantastic. Mushroom dashi, until we meet again.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 180 Queen Street West
Address: 180 Queen Street West
Website: https://www.plantarestaurants.com/
Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
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!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
