Thursday, April 23, 2009

TAS Restaurant Review


When I heard that we were eating Mediterranean food for our Aesthetics dinner, I imagined a dingy restaurant with bad lighting and poor hygiene, but amazingly flavourful food. As I turned the corner to enter Tas's brightly lit dining room, you can definitely say that I was pleasantly surprised. The ambience of the restaurant, with its clean, linen white color pallete, and open, airy cathedral ceilings, is relaxing with a Mediterranean seaside feel.

When we first sat down, the olives and bread made me believe that this was just any typical Mediterranean restaurant, but I was told that it was Turkish. Not ever having tried Turkish food, I looked at the menu with an open mind. I was not pleased with the presentation of the menu, as I believe that's where the creativity of a restaurant can come into play, in print. I let them slide because it was the group menu, and I didn't get a chance to see the actual one. Now onto the good stuff, the FOOD:

Humus:
Warm, cream colored consistency, with a sprinkle of vibrant green garnish and a drizzle of rich olive oil. The taste was creamy, different from the thicer texture I'm used to. The bread was absolutely delicious to dip it into, and it made quite a nice pairing.

Zeytin Yagli Patlican:

My absolute favorite! It was a pleasant surprise to taste the eggplant without seeing its normal purple color. Instead, the food was an extremely bright orange color, reminiscent of a nice red curry. I was instantly drawn to its savory smell and just as equally savory taste. This may be because I am extremely partial to eggplant (or aubergine in the UK.)

Tabule:

Very gorgeous presentation of bright greens and warm couscous, with a red tomato garnish kick. Unfortunately, my least favorite just because I am not a fan of the tan of greens used in this dish. The flavors do not mesh well with my Asian taste palate, but the lettuce cup on the side sure looked tasty!

Manca:

Being naturally a little queasy with dairy products, this dish did not appeal to me at all. I do not like white colored foods because it reminds me of milk, and this dish did just that. Its creamy cottage cheese consistency looked like baby food, and I did not enjoy the taste either.

Zeytin Yagli Bakla:

I enjoyed this dish because it reminded me of a Chinese dish that my mom would cook back at home, giving me an emotional attachment. The green broad beans glistened in olive oil and stared at me, waiting for me to eat them. It was delicious!

Falafel:

It honestly looked like a ball of turd. I've eaten many falafels in my day, and this one did not look very appealing at all. Other falafels I've seen are nice and golden, not brown. The taste was okay, not a lot of flavor, and I very forgettable.

Borek:

Again, cheese. I love very strong cheeses like cheddar and gouda, but feta cheese just does not float my boat. Like a typical American, I love my fried food, so the aesthetic was appealing. Unfortunately, when I bit in, I had to sadly decline. I love spinach, but the feta cheese overpowered the spinach and I was left unsatisfied.

Main course: Karides Guvech:

When I saw this item on the menu, I knew I had to order it. I am always a fan of tomato sauces, and mushrooms are absolutely amazing. The plating was okay: the color of the sauce was very vibrant and caught my eye, making it appealing to eat, but other than that, it felt like alot of food was just thrown onto the plate with some garnish on top. Not much can be done with such a saucy item, so they can't be marked off for that. The taste, however, was absolutely amazing. I love tangy sauces, and this was just the right balance between salty and sour. I could eat this with any kind of carb, it wouldn't matter!

Conclusion:

Overall, the meal was very satisfying and a good time was had. The service was alittle too attentive, perhaps because we were such a large group and they wanted to clear us for the next round, or they just were not busy at that time. The waiters just sat around waiting to clear our plates, and it felt alittle overbearing. Other than that, the ambience, the food, the company, was just right, and I would definitely come back again.



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