Posted by Laura Sutula in italian, restaurant review on April 25, 2007 at 7:36 am

Magic Oven
270 Dupont Street
416-928-1555
Dinner for two: $40 including beer and tip

"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." - Hippocrates, 400 BC

So says the motto printed at the bottom of every menu at Magic Oven. Their efforts to turn local and organic ingredients into some of the tastiest and healthiest Italian fare in Toronto have proven fruitful enough that a third location has opened right next to Dupont station to feed the hip-and-health-conscious Annex crowd. Founded in 1997 by Tony and Abby Sabherwal, Magic Oven's popularity has grown staggeringly. When we arrived at about 3:00pm, this new location was full of people either eating or hungrily eyeing others' meals. Lemon-coloured walls were adorned with framed black-and-white snapshots of the city, lit from above by a rectangular skylight that stretched along the dining area. The cheerful menu made every effort to keep the customer informed about the ingredients used in the food, from the spelt used in the pizza crusts to the nitrite-free meat. The back of the menu was taken up almost entirely by the varieties of pizza on offer, but the front had some tantalizing selections as well. My omnivorous assistants and I ordered across the spectrum.

My personal theory regarding appetizers is that they contain the same quantity of tastiness as main courses, but in a smaller package, thus resulting in a higher ratio of tastiness to food. I have more than once been guilty of not even looking at the second page of menus, instead delighting in an array of small meals. However, it may be back to the drawing board for me, at least in this instance. The garlic bread tasted only like crunchy salt, while the potato wedges were plain and overcooked -- too hard on the outside and mushy on the inside. Thankfully, this belied the experience of the main courses.

First up were the pastas, a chicken fettucine in gorgonzola cream, a shrimp fusilli, and a whole wheat rotini with mixed veggies in rosé sauce. The chicken fettucine was artfully full of classic Italian herbs that blended well into one flavour, and the chicken was cooked to a pleasing softness. The fusilli's garlic sauce spilled thickly over the abundance of shrimp, a great deal more than is often found in pastas. The rosé sauce on the vegan rotini was such a dead ringer for a tomato and cheese sauce that I ended up asking two different servers about the presence of cheese. They were both polite and indulgent of my vegan circumspection, checking with the cook each time. While the noodles in all three dishes were a step beyond al dente, there were no complaints. Each of the sauces were creamy and filling. Thanks to the tapered rectangular bowls and generous portions, one diner exclaimed "However much I eat, there's still the same amount!" despite having ordered the “small” size.

Next were the renowned pizzas -- a sampling of four different varieties. The Tandoori Chicken Magic had a thick curry sauce that went well with the tomato sauce and chicken, which was once again pleasantly tender. The addition of tofu cubes seemed unnecessary, seemingly serving no purpose in regards to the rest of the flavours. The same cubes appeared on the Wholesome Magic pizza, where they seemed to have been prepared by a "newbie" to tofu. If they had been sliced more thinly or flavoured to complement the other vegetables, they could have been a good addition, but instead we were left somewhat mystified as to their purpose on our palettes.

The Dairy-Free and Lactose-Free Magic pizzas fared much better. The Dairy-Free had a strong basil and garlic base to the sauce. The red peppers were understated next to the strong soy-mozzarella flavour (think "string cheese"), but still substantial and filling. The Dairy-Free also had the best crust of the four, with the other three crusts being too thin and hard. The Lactose-Free rice cheese was another wonderful "not cheese" find, melting perfectly and dripping off the edges just like in any of the greasiest pizzerias. The green olives were quite possibly the tangiest, juiciest olives I have tasted to date, when normally I don't enjoy olives at all. The spinach was soft but not chewy, and stood (or was chewed) in contrast to the tender artichokes.

Last were two sandwiches, a barbecue chicken ciabatta and a vegan ratatouille with soy cheese. Each tasted like a pizza folded in half, but the ciabatta bread complemented the ingredients better than the pizza crusts. Instead of flat and overly crunchy, the bread was fluffy and warm, enveloping the cheese and sauce and making it far more enjoyable to eat with one's hands. All of us finished up quite full enough to sustain us through the “It's still snowing?” April evening, with leftovers to boot.

"Health food" used to be nearly a contradiction in terms, or a “dirty” term to the ordinary diner. Magic Oven proves just how far the culinary world has come; a meal there is much more akin to an indulgence or a celebratory night out rather than an exercise in restraint. If health food can leave one feeling as overstuffed and satisfied as after a feast prepared by one of my Italian progenitors, Magic Oven has hit the target, and for us, had hit the spot.