Chi-Ko-Roo
491 Church St.
416-551-4346
Rating: **** 1/2
Dinner & drinks for two: $50
Do not be fooled by the fast food façade — it’s lovely inside.
That’s the thing about Chi-Ko-Roo, a new restaurant on Church St. It seems one way and yet, is completely different.
Their logo and menu feel much more casual than they actually are. While they scream “family restaurant” the food and interior instead denote casual fine dining.
The wire-bound menu is all over the place — fish, pasta, sandwiches, eggs, really anything and everything -— and the wine list takes up a number of pages with many affordable selections by the glass.
The food is not only fresh and flavourful, but the portions are huge and prices are affordable. Bread and three Mediterranean dips are complimentary.
The Jumbo Shrimp Appetizer ($11) is luscious. Plump, succulent lemon garlic shrimp are offset with grilled pointed toasts.
The Chicken Schnitzel ($15), though heartily breaded, remains moist throughout. And the Mediterranean Filet Mignon Salad ($13) with Avocado ($1.50 extra) is a beast — it could easily feed two. Swaths of steak are grilled exactly as ordered with lightly dressed leaf lettuce, finely diced cucumbers, tomatoes and grilled peppers and zucchini. Simple, fresh and never-ending.
If they can keep this up, they’ll be lineups for sure.
Dining out
Shopsy’s Last December, Shopsy’s Deli & Restaurant vacated the space at the corner of Yonge and Front. Now they have safely landed in a new location: 96 Richmond St. W. (in the Sheraton Centre), right in the Financial District. Go to www.shopsys.ca for details.
It’s Lovely Outside Now that the weather seems to have warmed up, it’s time to sit out on the patio. But which one? Allen’s (143 Danforth Ave.) has a pretty, tree-laden back patio.
