Fauziah Gambus,Wann, Ajai n Nurul,Broery Marantika, Dewa 19, Geisha ,

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Nirvana - Kensington Market - Toronto, ON#query:Nirvana%20BAR%20%26%20RESTAURANT

Nirvana - Kensington Market - Toronto, ON#query:Nirvana%20BAR%20%26%20RESTAURANT

NIRVANA BAR & RESTAURANT

NIRVANA BAR & RESTAURANT


A charming, funky spot with outstanding food for the exceedingly low price.


Let us begin the the price point. You will spend more for a six inch sub combo at Subway than for the massive, intensely flavourful sandwiches you get here. Drinks are inexpensive and normally large, beer selection is actually quite impressive and true to the asian-fusion form, and even the wine is decent for the limited range and cheap price tag. Entrees are also quite good, from the pad thai to the lemongrass chicken and so forth, and it has to be maintained that nothing here will break the bank.

Which is a perfect as most of the clientele seem to be students, Kensington hipsters, and young business professionals who dress and act above their tax bracket, and with all that money spent on (respectively) textbooks, vintage clothes, and designer suits, how wonderful it must be to get a great meal on the cheap. The atmosphere is charming, eclectic, and welcoming as all hell.

An aside: get the curried eggplant dip as your app. It is DELICIOUS.

Night times are invariably, what is it the cool kids say now, bangin? It must take something special to deal with the outrageous heat this summer, though; three giant fans don't do much to ease up such a huge dark room when it's 35 degrees and over 90% humidity.

Servers are always friendly, always smiling, and with the exception of one skinny asian girl whose accent I can't place, always...relaxed in service. One of the other reviewers mentioned that the size of the room might make it difficult to keep tabs on everyone, and while that's a decent point, it only explains a slow first greet. That said, I'm never in a hurry and have never said to one of the servers, "I'm in a bit of a rush" so I've yet to see how'd they respond if I looked like I was, and the slow pace suits me just fine, especially since the drinks come out nice and quick and without even a raised eyebrow when I order a Cowboy (shot of bourbon and a short glass of milk - yes it tastes awful, yes it cures what ails you) at 11 am.

My only out and out let down with the place is that there is no seating at the bar. A, I'm a proper lush and nothing fits quite like slouching on the bar, and B, it looks stunning and would be a great place for said slouching.

In all, a great stop and one that will make you want to come back.

Java House - Queen Street West - Toronto, ON#hrid:o6ECP-CF1xxmOo29KhmKJw

Java House - Queen Street West - Toronto, ON#hrid:o6ECP-CF1xxmOo29KhmKJw