Spoon and Fork - Etobicoke (Pan-Asian)

 Spoon & Fork can be found at 1233 The Queensway in Etobicoke, Toronto's western borough, just east of Kipling Ave. It's quite a large and imposing place from the outside compared to most other AYCEs, and has a wonderful two level interior that I thoroughly enjoyed and added to the meal; ambiance is not too loud and the music was quiet. Reservations are recommended as it filled up quickly after we arrived. Spoon & Fork uses non-disposable chopsticks (and of course a spoon and fork are present on the diner's elongated plate,) soy sauce is excellent, fresh and with wine hints, sashimi is included on the lunch menu. Ordering is "old school" directly from the waiter by telling them the items and quantity.

We started with the usual green salad. The dressing had a flavour that Mishy described as "smoky" but I described as "burnt"; I didn't like it at at all whereas Mishy did, and this is rare enough to probably be unique until now. Happily, everything afterwards was much better! Hot and sour soup was properly hot and very savoury… delicious enough that I would call it perfect. Miso soup was also excellent and savoury. Wonton soup was nigh-perfect as well as certainly among the best I have ever had.

On to the entrées, the vegetable tempura was slightly oily but still very good with excellent sauce. Philadelphia roll was very fresh with a perfect ratio of salmon, avocado and cheese and also among the best I have had of this. Salmon sashimi is thick and Mishy doesn't like it like that, saying it is not as buttery as it could be, but I enjoy it this way and thought it was perfectly fresh. Pineapple fried rice was smoky, gorgeous and amazing. Gyoza dumplings had a strange cilantro-like planty flavour but were still enjoyable.

Pepper beef had a wonderful sauce, savoury and perfect. Mishy unfortunately didn't like the chicken pad thai and I tend to agree as it was too sweet, had no noodles and an excess of bean sprouts. However this was more than made up for by the chicken and beef teriyakis, both of which were yet again among the best we have ever had; the dipping sauce is absolutely unique and superb… it tasted as if it was made with dijon mustard and brandy or other spirit. Whatever it was we both ordered seconds and I let none of the sauce go to waste! The beef was so savoury in large, tender portions it was like a steak dinner all on its own. Garlic beef was similarly hyper-savoury and delicious, and satay beef excellent with its delicious peanut sauce. Green chicken curry was a perfect blend of flavour and heat and likewise among the best I have had of such a dish.

The only desserts available are soft-serve vanilla and chocolate ice cream, but they were good enough that I was happy with them, especially considering how enjoyable the rest of the meal was. Lunch is $20 per person, which is pretty much standard with the newer, higher-end AYCEs, and with one or two exceptions everything was excellent and several best-of-breed. Service was very fast and the waiters very attentive to potential orders; even though we had a small table it was never too small as completed dishes were quickly removed. I would be quite happy to return to Spoon and Fork anytime!

Rating: 8.5-9/10