Restaurants
Eleven
I remember being quite sad when Xacutti on College closed down, but it turns out that Brad Moore had apparently already been working on a new restaurant named Eleven at the corner of Front and Jarvis (across the road from the St. Lawrence Market). Xacutti always had a distinct atmosphere and interesting Indian-fusion dishes, so I was anxious to see if Eleven would be of the same calibre.
As I sat down with my friend and ordered, I noticed the cool, reflective furnishings. The monotone scheme, the hard surfaces, and the generic prints on the wall cultivated a stylish gallery-like look that's slick but spartan. Surveying the unusually diverse menu I remember the Indian-inspired touches that Brad Moore seems to be fond of.
The dishes arrived impeccably presented: my Bombay scrambled eggs were nestled in a Papadum bowl alongside discs of grilled potatoes, green salad, and chutney. The eggs were scrambled nicely but bland, the salad far too sour with overdressing, and the chutney lacking flavor. However when I picked up some Papadum with the eggs they gained a more interesting spicy curry flavor.
My friend's smoked salmon benedict was served on a croissant and came with a side of salad and potatoes. The croissant arrived noticeably burnt on one side - a problem that was quickly remedied when our server brought another less-toasted croissant on the side. After the second croissant arrived (and my friend had managed to shift her eggs over to the new croissant), we both had a taste and agreed that it was a decent benedict but the touted "curry hollandaise" flavor wasn't apparent at all.
Still, we ended up finishing everything on both our plates and waited a while for the flighty servers to get our bill. All in all, an adequate experience but the cool service and decor along with the mild flavors in the dishes formed a vague impression that still has me wondering if I want to return.
Photos by Kelvin Lee
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