Jaaadu, Toronto

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  • Jaaadu

    Review by Ellen Jakobsmeier
    Swiss Chalet will never be the same. What was formerly the home of the rotisserie chicken emporium has now transformed into an Indian restaurant serving all of Yonge and St Clair’s desires for a taste of the far East. The aromatic combinations of curry, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, mint and tamarind wafting out of the doors will rival anything that the odours of S.C. could ever hope to produce. That being said, Swiss Chalet has aspirations north of St. Clair…

    Now where did this resto’s moniker come from? My sources tell me that Jaaadu is infact the Hindi word for magic (spelled here with an extra "a" to enhance the magical meaning) - hence the Genie lamp on the resto's menu. However, there are alternative explanations.

    From a distance, the venue’s black exterior and logo lettering appear to be a cool little coffee shop. For those who haven’t seen the façade, the second “A” in the resto’s logo has been inverted, thus it reads more like JAVADU – hence the coffee shop association. After realizing the resto is, in fact, Jaaadu, and the nature of the cuisine is Indian, one can’t help but speculate if the Netherlands’ history in colonizing India and the Dutch translation of “Ja” to English equivalent of “Yes” might have led to the name.

    I can picture the conversation now:
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    5 Reader Reviews

    1. Harvey Samuels's Review :: July 31, 2008
    convenient location, close to city parking or the subway.
    I'm not comfortable in noisy restaurants. The decor here was relaxing and very pleasant.
    Most important, the food was excellent.
    In short a very satisfying dining experience.

    Harvey Samuels's Rating: 4 Stars
    2. Shachin's Review :: February 2, 2008
    Just came back from this restaurant and I implore everyone reading this to NOT GO HERE. We came, a party of 10 for my father's 60th birthday. Being an east indian family, we figured we try a new indian restaurant.
    **If the review is too long, just read the last paragraph about the horrible treatment we got**

    The restaurant was empty when we got in, with the exception of two other couples. The decor and ambiance was very well done, unfortunately no one was there. I met one of the three owners of the establishment. One, the exec chef used to be the chef at Kama sutra but had since left to start this one. I've eaten at Kama Sutra and I'm not sure what happened because the food there was excellent.

    We started with chicken tikka, veggie pakora and brie pakora. The chicken was average at best, the veggie pakora good but the brie sticks were nothing more than deep fried mozza sticks.

    The mains arrived and similar to the apps, the portions were EXTREMELY small. One thing about Indian food is the portions are always hearty for all to share. More so for the price these guys charge ($19 for butter chicken that was half as good as Host, half the portion and twice the price) the value is extremely poor.

    Every dish was average at best but the small quanities made it harder to accept. Even the "complimentary" raita (more on that below) came in a small dish.

    To end the night, my wife had baked a cake for my father. We notified them ahead of time to which they were ok with. I asked them to bring it out with candles (which we provided) and a knife for us to cut. The owner who i got to get to know throughout the evening said don't do that...it doesn't look good. let us do it for you and present it nicely in the back. I thought that was nice of him

    When the bill arrived to my surprise, they charged $40 for a cake cutting fee and $10 for the "complimentary" riatha. I calmly asked what these charges were for and they said you had too much riatha and the cake cutting fee is standard. They never once mentioned either to us, even though a family of 8 had a bill well over $250. I told them i've never been charged for a cake cutting fee, and every restaurant i've ever been to (including north 44 and canoe) never had an issue with this. When my father over heard one of the other owners arguing with me, he asked what the problem was. Again surprised my dad said he's never seen this before. Now my father, who's been here since 1972 and supplies goods to all the indian restaurants in the GTA said this was not a normal practice for an Indian restauarant. The owner than had the odacity to say to my dad he's new to the country and he doesn't know how things work in Canada. Furthermore, he said if you wanted an anuthentic indian restaurant, you should go to Host or Kama. This restaurant was targeted to those that wanted upscale indian.

    Well, given the owners words, I encourage you all to try the authentic indian restaurants in the city. Host, Bombay Bhel, etc. This restaurant wants to target the high income earners who feel like they're getting a premium indian meal. Hate to break it to, the prices might be comprable to a 5 star restaurant but the food AND ESPECIALLY THE SERVICE is anything but.

    Save yourself the time, money and hassle. Kama Sutra is just up the street from these guys (Yonge and Eg). Go there. Better food, better service. Or just south in Yorkville is the Host. Again, great value for what you pay for.

    again, I'm implore you NOT to go here. WORST EXPERIENCE I'VE EVER HAD AT A RESTAURANT.

    They ruined my fathers 60th.

    Shachin's Rating: 1 Stars
    3. ASC's Review :: January 11, 2008
    I went to Jaaadu with a group of friends last week and found the food to be quite tasty but way overpriced.

    Right off the top, its got a very upscale, urban, "fine dining" vibe and service was top-notch.

    My friends and I shared brie samosas (lovely), a butter chicken (tiny, and quite ordinary tasting, actually), a veal curry dish (delicious) and the allo ghobi (also excellent). So, no issues with the food, but we were shocked at the prices for the tiny portions.

    So...good experience, but if you're just looking for great Indian food without the bells and whistles, there are a number of places with equally good food in town with half the impact on your wallet.

    ASC's Rating: 3 Stars
    4. Robert DeNiro's Review :: December 16, 2007
    Recently I visited Toronto city and I had a chance to dine in an Eastern Indian restuarant Named JAAADU.

    I was awfully impressed with my fellow guests in this cool restaurant.
    Not that I am a celebrity actor-director customer but as a regular guest I would certainly check out JAAADU every time I visit Toronto.

    Great stuff.

    Rob DeNiro

    Robert DeNiro's Rating: 4 Stars
    5. J-P's Review :: November 22, 2007
    The decor, the food and the service are excellent. Recommand the chicken tikka masala. Will come back soon !!!

    J-P's Rating: 3 Stars
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    Jaaadu

    Address

    1415 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON

    Phone

    416-944-8885

    Area

    St Clair

    Cuisine

    Indian

    Venue

    Restaurant

    Hours

    Mon. to Fri.: 11:30am-2:30pm
    Sun. to Thu.: 5:00pm-10:00pm
    Fri. & Sat.: 5:00pm-10:30pm

    Price

    $$$ (Within Reach)

    Payment

    Master Card
    Visa
    American Express
    Diners Club
    Restaurant

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