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Ellen Jakobsmeier
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Regardless, this is all speculation, and still does not explain why Jaaadu decided to invert the second “A” and thus confuse potential customers. Fortunately the menu is straightforward, though it is a tad pricey (even for the Y&S area) as the former incarnation’s price points remain for comparison.
-E.J.
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 AT A GLANCE
Jaaadu
1415 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
416-944-8885
Indian
St Clair
Venue:
Restaurant
Hours:
Mon. to Fri.: 11:30am-2:30pm Sun. to Thu.: 5:00pm-10:00pm Fri. & Sat.: 5:00pm-10:30pm
Price Range:
$$$ (Within Reach)
Payment:
Master Card, Visa, American Express, Diners Club
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THE BUZZ
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IN THE AREA
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9 Reader Reviews | 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.
1. Harvey Samuels's Review :: July 31, 2008 Harvey Samuels's Rating: 4 Stars |
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.
2. Anonymous's Review :: February 03, 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.
3. Shachin's Review :: February 02, 2008 Shachin's Rating: 1 Stars |
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.
4. ASC's Review :: January 11, 2008 ASC's Rating: 3 Stars |
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
5. Robert DeNiro's Review :: December 16, 2007 Robert DeNiro's Rating: 4 Stars |
The decor, the food and the service are excellent. Recommand the chicken tikka masala. Will come back soon !!!
6. Anonymous's Review :: November 23, 2007 |
The decor, the food and the service are excellent. Recommand the chicken tikka masala. Will come back soon !!!
7. J-P's Review :: November 22, 2007 J-P's Rating: 3 Stars |
I was sent a link to your site specifically the blurb on Jaaadu. As you were pondering the origin of the name, I can probably shed some light on this. I used to own a small restaurant in the Beach called Jadoo!, which is the Hindi word for magic. It seems that this is just a variation of the word.
Here is a link to a leftover snippet of a review for my now sadly defunct restaurant, Jadoo! It was voted one of the 10 best in Now Magazine, and did garner many great reviews. It was, unfortunately, too cool for its time, and also probably a couple of years ahead of its time, and way too cool for the Beach. (Even though I live there). <http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journalEntryDining.aspx?businessCardID=138188>
Thought you might be interested.
8. Anonymous's Review :: June 13, 2007 |
just read your piece on Jaaadu, no clue why they’d invert the the second “a” but Jaaadu means magic in Hindi. I guess they’re trying to play on the fact that there food is magical…who knows.
9. Anonymous's Review :: June 13, 2007 |
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  1415 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON |
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