Supermarket
268 Augusta Avenue
416-840-0501
Complete dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $80

I really wanted to like Supermarket. But from the outset of our visit, things just didn’t seem to be working well – from the 10 minute wait for our reserved table; the waitress spilling drinks at another table; the table behind us being rushed out while still waiting for food because they needed the table for another reservation; the longer-than-acceptable wait we had for service and for pretty much any food or drink we ordered, to the three comped drinks that they messed up – everything seemed to go wrong for Supermarket.

Perhaps a busy Saturday is not the best time to assess service, but food is food, and should be good no matter how many people are eating it. Sadly, Supermarket’s card of Asian inspired small plates failed to deliver any star dishes. For a party of three we ordered edamame ($4.95), spring rolls (3-$5.95), salmon cakes (3-$11.95), thai basil chicken ($8.95), steamed veggies ($6.95), wok-fried tofu and veggies ($6.95) and a side of jasmine rice ($2). The menu also features pad thai and yaki soba noodle dishes, but those didn’t seem friendly to the idea of sharing. The salmon cakes came first, and we had completely finished the cakes, which were panko-crusted, soft inside and served with a smoky hoisin glaze, before the edamame arrived. The portion was big, and the beans were nicely seasoned, but we still had a long wait before 3 crispy spring rolls appeared, entirely unoriginal in both flavour and presentation.

The chicken and rice came next, again leaving the vegetarian in our party with nothing but soybeans to nibble on. Not your typical basil chicken, this dish featured lots of overdone chicken pieces and chilis, a few green beans and some purple, with not much sauce to speak of. Eaten without rice, there was too much heat from the chilis, and the sauce failed to show any complexity. We waited – half-full – for about ten minutes until our final two dishes arrived. Our famished vegetarian devoured most of the steamed veggies, which amounted to a few heads of bok choy and some beans in a vaguely sesame sauce, and then made short order of the tofu, which was the meal’s saving grace – nicely fried with crispy exterior and a sweet soy-based sauce that managed to hold up the veggies. For dessert, a green tea crème brulee provided a refreshing mix of herb-infused freshness with the creamy texture, but the mini-cheesecake tasted too much like it came from - wait for it – the supermarket.

If we had come earlier or on a weeknight, or perhaps if we had ordered some of the more adventurous dishes on the menu, maybe Supermarket would have lived up to its potential. The room is conducive to group dining with long banquettes and interesting lighting and artwork, and the motown tunes, while loud, were solid selections. As it was, it seemed like the clientele and the wait staff were just biding their time in the restaurant mode, waiting for the later hours of the evening when Supermarket, overrun with skinny jeans and popped collars, becomes a club destination where early-twenties hipsters get their hip-hop on. I have to say that, for me, that part of the evening was a lot more memorable, too.