Review #54 - Garden of Eat'n

Garden of Eat'n
Variety: Acadian, Mediterranean and Persian
Address: 6293 Quinpool Road
Date Visited: Friday, November 22, 2013
Orders: Chicken and Beef Shwarma Plate, Stuffed Grapeleaves, Zeitoon Parvardeh

Taste: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Portion Size: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Presentation: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Value: 8 + 9 = 17/20
Service: 8 + 9 = 17/20
Bonus: 1
Minus: -
Final Grade: 85% (Exellent)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: To say that this was a complete surprise would be an understatement. With all due respect, I don't know whether it's that I find the restaurant's moniker too kitschy for my taste or just plain stupid, but it's one of the reasons why we didn't visit sooner. That, and fusing Acadian, Mediterranean AND Persian cuisine? That just sounds a little too wacky. Well, my friends, our joint gut reaction was WRONG. Our friend B was in town for a couple of days and we joined up with our other pal R (who'd been to Eat'n before, usually just for a late night falafel) and settled on this place due to its location as well as a means to try and find something we'd all like. Walking in, it had a really cool atmosphere - kind of like a place you wouldn't mind hanging out for a few hours with friends (which is what happened, both because R was running late and because we all had lots of catching up to do!) The servers were very patient with us and didn't rush us, which was most appreciated. When R finally arrived, we let him order the appetizers because he was more familiar with the fare than us. J usually doesn't dig stuffed grape leaves (dolmades) but these ones were pretty good and the zeitoon parvadeh was phenomenal! We didn't know what we were eating at first and, frankly, it looked kinda...um...like poop...but this olive and walnut concoction was just marvellous. A real winner buried on the back page of the menu! We both decided to go for the Chicken and Beef Shwarma Plate - a hearty and heaping plate with a salad and curry spinach rice. Yum! After we finished eating, we stuck around for a while longer and then they whipped out the hookah water pipes for some of the other patrons. We didn't partake, but it only added to the vibe. T thought this was so cool that she insisted on a bonus point, bumping The Garden of Eat'n into the upper echelon of the Hfxfoodreviews rankings.

Final Verdict: We're not crazy about the name, but you'd be crazy not to give it a try!