Jaaadu

[Snarf]

Another new purportedly high end Indian place, at Yonge and St. Clair near Cava. An interesting article in the small Post has fuelled curiosity. Has anyone tried it?

[peppermint pate]

Not yet but I've walked past and looked in the window - white tablecloths, nice chairs, etc. I only took a quick look at the menu - lots of traditional dishes but at upscale prices. I'm hoping to get there in the next week or so. By the way, is it Jaaadu or Javadu?

[estufarian]

It's Jaadu - and I visited as part of my long-promised (but incomplete) review of upscale Indian places in Toronto (need to revisit a couple to confirm first impressions).
First - be warned it's possibly the most expensive in town - some mains top $30 although most are in the $20's.
But ingredients are top quality and they adjust the spicing to taste. Excellent service - possibly the best Indian in town.
Dishes are more complex than most and there are some dishes rarely seen in Toronto (e.g. Chicken (?) Xacutti).
This is certainly in the top tier, with a good menu selection, excellent service and wines reasonably priced. But it's the price point of the entrees that has me concerned. It's way above the competition - even more expensive than most non-Indian in the area (plus parking). My call is too expensive for the neighbourhood, but not particularly convenient for driving (take the TTC).
Very good food and ambiance - but expensive.
How much will you pay for a potential best in TO (tentatively in top 2 or 3) - over $150 with wine, tax and tip? Incidentally most people wouldn't complain at that price for excellent French food (say) - but are Torontonians ready for Indian at that level - even if top quality?

[desitoronto]

Hmm.. the problem with Indian restaurants is that they all taste the same - and nothing tastes as good as it would in India - not even if you pay big money. Not sure if I would pay that kind of money for regular indian dishes - even if the quality is better that normal.

[estufarian]

MUST disagree!
Many (most?) restaurants in Toronto serve Bengali food, which isn't that exciting. But in India I found Bengali food similarly unexciting at the 'normal' restaurant level (some street food was superb e.g. rolls).
But India is a country the size and population of Europe - would you really make such a blanket statement as "All European restaurants taste the same"?
Try some of the other cuisines (Toronto is well represented for South Indian/Sri Lankan for example) - they're totally different.
And I note from your other posts that you're off to Montreal - go to Devi (1450 Crescent) and my point will easily be proved. We had Rajasthani and Keralan dishes there - like a totally different cuisine. Specifically try the Crab main course (black peppers, red peppers and coconut milk) - and compare it to any dish you've had here!

[ministerofkebab]

Err wrong on many points....Perhaps if your family is indian and you're referring to eating at someones home in india...after having worked in India over a number of years i can safely say that the great places are limited, the average places below what you can get on gerrard...etc and as for them all tasting the same. Helloooo...Indian food is exceedingly regional while we tend to get a certain northern indian sameness in some places...the fact is that there is a fairly rich diversity and no...a south indian dosa place does not taste the same as a gujarati vegetarian place run by jains or a dosa place run by tamils...

[peppermint pate]

Thanks for the feedback, estufarian. Now I'm very keen to try it - any standout dishes that you'd recommend?

Interesting comment on the price point - I'm not sure if Torontonians will embrace those prices for Indian food, which is not to say they shouldn't. Having travelled in India and Thailand and throughout SE Asia, you can eat giddily for loose change from the many street vendors but you can also go for the more formal dining at upscale restaurants, often featuring "royal" cuisine or something similar. Years ago, there was a restaurant called King Fook (sp?) in Toronto which served elegant, upscale Chinese dinners. The restaurant was owned by a guy named Rigby who for years has been the front of house guy at House of Chan. I loved this restaurant and know of nothing like it in the city now. All of which is a long winded way of saying that while I'm not sure if TO will embrace upscale Indian at Yonge and St. Clair, if I can get a fabulous meal for $150, I'm happy to add an upscale Indian roster to a tier typically reserved for European or North American style restaurants. If the food's no better than something I can grab at Lahore Tikka or The Host or Maroli, then I don't think so.

PS - you mention Devi in Montreal, have you tried Devi in New York? Fabulous food.

[estufarian]

Devi Montreal has same ownership as New York. But the chefs in Montreal live upstairs from the restaurant, so may be some ownership interest locally.
As for Jaadu - only been once (so far) - a couple of days after it opened, so not yet at the point of recommendations. But as a 'tentative' ranking I'd put it #2 after Tabla (Yonge & Fairlawn) which is equally expensive, but seemed to have more complexity of flavour in each dish (suggesting VERY fresh herbs & spices).