Posted by Salpy Kelian in asian, restaurant review on April 23, 2007 at 7:46 am

Lime
170 Eglinton Avenue East
416-322-LIME (5463)
Dinner for two, including a bottle of wine, taxes and tip: $90

What’s this sitting in front of me with its spiny legs and beady little eyes? My sister and I stared at our appetizer wondering how in the world we were supposed to eat it. When we read “lightly breaded soft shelled crab” ($8.95) we assumed, like the pub fare seafood we’re used to, that it would be served in pieces and covered in crunchy grease. My sister, being more of a seafood person than I, tore off a leg. The verdict? “Mmm, this is good.” Though I was a little put off by a whole crab staring at me, I dove in as well and enjoyed most of it until I hit the soft mushy inside part. Not being the biggest crab fan, I stopped there, but I must say that the rest was quite enjoyable. I especially appreciated the salty dipping sauce the crab was served with.

As we waited for our main course, we sipped on our refreshingly light bodied white wine (Giovello Pinot Grigio - $24) and surveyed our surroundings. White leather chairs matched with chrome legged white tables were complimented by the lime and wood coloured walls. The overall ambiance of Lime was soothing and tranquil, causing both my sister and I to feel suddenly calm after a hectic day. Unfortunately the ambiance didn’t seem to be working on one of our waiters who seemed very skittish at times.

After a short wait our main courses arrived. The presentation was beautiful! The Bangkok grilled fish ($16.95) my sister had ordered was artfully presented on a banana leaf. My strawberry shrimp ($16.95) arrived ringed by fresh strawberries and served in a “Phoenix nest” (fried noodles).

I began picking at my salad while my sister started in on her fish. The fish, advertised as being “grilled to perfection” was indeed so. To quote my sister, “Best fish I’ve had this year.” Encouraged by her enthusiastic review, I started in on my shrimp. Though they were coated with a strawberry glaze, they had a strong taste of salt with only a hint of sweetness. By saying “salt” I’m not doing the dish justice. The salty taste had more to it, but to be honest, I couldn’t pinpoint the exact flavour. (My closest guess was a lime infused salt.) Considering how strong of a taste the shrimp had, I found them difficult to eat on their own. Fortunately my dish included a portion of plain jasmine rice. In my opinion, eating steamed rice on its own is no flavour picnic, but pair the rice with the shrimp and voila, a perfect compliment of flavours! Add to that pairing ripe sweet strawberries and suddenly everything on the plate made sense.

This was the first time I’ve experienced such a use of salt in a dish, and the first time I’ve had such strong flavour contrasts without the overall effect being overwhelming. Chef John Tan seems to use this flavourful salt taste successfully as a contrast, such as with my shrimp dish, or when pairing a salty dipping sauce with crab. Also, his inclusion of salad with entrées is, in my humble salad loving opinion, a welcome change from most pan-Asian a la carte menus. Overall I must say both my sister and I were quite pleased with our experience at Lime and would definitely go again!