Kamasutra Indian Restaurant & Wine Bar

I'm finding that, as a mother, I don't have time to do things that need to get done. For example, I desperately need to vacuum and dust my house, for example. My bathroom counter is a mess. My desk needs to get organized. I let a lot of these things fall to the wayside, as I'm sure many new moms do. When I realized my dog needed bathing, however, I realized I couldn't just put it off, so instead I paid a groomer to take care of him. As a result, I found myself in East York with an empty stomach and 2-3 hours to kill.

Restaurant: Kamasutra Indian Restaurant & Wine Bar
Location: Davisville Village
Meal: Lunch
Day: Thursday
Son's Age: 22 weeks

The restaurant was empty, so I could sit wherever I want. The section by the window is slightly elevated, so to be fair, the majority of the floor is stroller accessible, but I was stubborn and chose to navigate my stroller onto the elevated part.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
So I did manage to get the stroller next to the table where we could both look out the window.

My son is a little shy in the photo. Anyway, I forgot to take a photo of the washroom, but there was no change table available, although there was enough counter space that, if necessary, I could have used.

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service was fantastic! My server was extremely pleasant and constantly came by to chat and interact with my baby. She was helpful with the menu and asked if I enjoyed the food or if there was anything else I needed. I did not feel rushed at all. She also helped me get the stroller to my table when I stubbornly chose to sit in the inaccessible part of the restaurant. Her friendliness really made my experience memorable.

Food: ⭐️⭐️
Unfortunately, I can't say that the food was memorable. On weekdays, there is a lunch special served with vegetable samosa, garden salad, basmati rice, and naan. I chose the lamb roganjosh for my main.

I should preface that I eat a lot of Indian food. I really love eating Indian food, so I suppose I can be easily disappointed. First of all, the special came with half a samosa, which is an interesting albeit misleading choice. I suppose they cooked it so that it wasn't as greasy as a typical samosa, but I found that this took away from the flavour. The garden salad was likely the restaurant's way of incorporating vegetables, and it was just a typical salad. The lamb was fine but mild and the spices definitely tasted toned down. I wonder if this is a product of catering to the East York clientele. I admit that when people are unaccustomed to Indian food, I hear them say that it is too strong, too rich, too greasy, or too spicy. I like all of these things, and while eating this I couldn't help but think that the people I know who typically don't appreciate Indian food would probably be okay eating this.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
The service really elevated the overall experience for me, and it isn't too difficult to bring a baby here, but in terms of food, you can definitely get better Indian food elsewhere.

Khao San Road

I'm a little surprised with myself that it took me so long to take my son to a Thai restaurant. I love Thai food so much that I went to Thailand for my honeymoon. Because of the food. Anyway, I finally managed to get some post-baby Thai food!

Restaurant: Khao San Road
Location: Trinity Bellwoods
Meal: Lunch
Day: Tuesday
Son's Age: 22 weeks

So I'm a little confused as to what was going on with this restaurant, to be honest. Khao San Road was located on Adelaide, but that location has closed. They have a sister restaurant called Nana in Trinity Bellwoods, and apparently Khao San Road is now operating out of there. You would never know from looking, though, because all the signage says Nana and there is no indication that it's anything else. There's also only the one menu so it's not like you can choose to order off a Khao San Road menu versus a Nana menu. Long story short: I'm not completely clear which restaurant I am reviewing.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️
I had to get my stroller over a step to enter the restaurant, and was surprised to discover that all seating was on stools, which meant that I would not be able to place the car seat on a chair. Luckily, I brought my son in a stroller, so the server gave me a table at the front so I wouldn't obstruct anyone.

The washrooms were in the back, and given the setup of the restaurant, there was no way I was getting my stroller there. Instead I brought my son into the washroom with me in his car seat.

The washroom lacks a changing table or any clear counter space to change my son. The upside is that it is large enough to bring a car seat in and place on the floor, so I didn't have to worry about abandoning my baby at the table - not that I would do that, of course. The washroom is also surprisingly on the same floor, not in the basement, so that makes it a bit easier to get to when I'm lugging around a heavy car seat.

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service level was different at the beginning of my visit versus later. While the host offered me the table by the front, I sat for a while without a menu or water. As a breastfeeding mom, I am pretty much perpetually thirsty, so water is kind of important. I waited for a while until the server came out and started taking people's orders. When she got to me, she asked me if I was ready to order, and I said I would like a menu and a glass of water. She quickly got me a menu and then continued on while I waited for water. A few minutes later she asked if I was ready to order, and immediately I said yes, and I would like to start with a glass of water. I placed my order, then watched as she took the next table's orders, then punched them in. I could see the water cups and pitchers and I was so tempted to serve myself at that point. Once I finally got my water, she was significantly more attentive, and my water glass was never empty afterward. My food also came quickly, but I never felt rushed. She also stopped by to interact with my son pretty regularly, which he loved. When I left, another server held the door open for me. To sum up, I started with abysmal service but once this was corrected, service was exceptional.

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The restaurant has a lunch special which is a curry of the day. I always appreciate smaller portions for lunch, and the special for Tuesday was the red curry, so I chose to go with this.

I was a little worried because usually you can choose your level of spice, so I asked for Thai spicy. I was told that since it was a special, modifying the spice level was not an option. I was instead offered chilli sauce on the side. It turns out that the curry still has quite a kick! I still added the chilli sauce but I was pleasantly surprised, as the assumption is usually that the general public prefers the food to be quite mild. The curry itself was rich and flavourful, and the portion size was perfect for lunch. I would say it's as good as red curry you would find in Thailand. As a side note for breastfeeding mothers, though, I must tell you that my son typically does not react to changes in my diet, which honestly made me think that the whole concept of breast milk tasting like what I ate to be a lie. After I ate this and breastfed, though, I noticed that my baby had extremely bad gas that lasted all night so neither of us got a good night's sleep. Maybe it's the extra chilli sauce that did it, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
The food is fantastic, but it's not particularly easy to bring your baby here. If you are really craving delicious Thai food, though, it might be worth the effort.

Umji

I was meeting my mom for lunch before my son's doctor appointment (I can't believe he turned five months already!), and she suggested a Korean restaurant near her place. I won't turn down Korean food, so I agreed to meet her there.

Restaurant: Umji
Location: Scarborough
Meal: Lunch
Day: Monday
Son's Age: 22 weeks

The place is tucked away in a small plaza with a parking lot. The restaurant was not busy at all when I arrived so I had the choice to sit anywhere.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since I parked right outside the entrance, I brought my baby in his car seat and placed him on the chair next to me.

If you are trying to avoid screen time for your baby, note that there are two TV screens in the restaurant playing Korean shows; however it is possible to face baby away from both of them. The washrooms are downstairs, so there is no way that a stroller could have gone down if I had brought it in, and there is also no change table.

That said, if your baby isn't particularly squirmy, you could potentially change diapers on the counter space if necessary. Despite the absence of a change table, I do appreciate that this restaurant specifically identifies itself as breastfeeding friendly.

I've never had any issues breastfeeding in public so far, but it's comforting to know that I am accepted and not just being silently judged. I know South Korea has a very positive and respectful attitude towards pregnancy, and I wonder if the treatment towards breastfeeding mothers is similar (truth be told, while my family generally applauds me for breastfeeding, there is a preference that I was more private about it - I've actually had an aunt tell me to nurse my son in a public washroom before, thank you very much). In any case, kudos to Umji for normalizing breastfeeding!

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The service was great! Our server was quick to take our order and bringing out our food, and was prompt in offering refills for our banchan. She was also delighted to meet my baby, and was asking my mom a lot of questions and giving compliments (she spoke in Mandarin, and I only know Cantonese - in South Korea, I noticed that many Koreans knew Mandarin as well). She also interacted with my son a lot, and he always loves meeting new people!

Food: ⭐️⭐️
I'm not sure if you've figured this out, but I really like Korean food. Obviously I've had a lot in South Korea, but I've also frequented several Korean restaurants throughout the GTA before my son was born. I can definitively say that this place had the worst banchan I've ever had.

The kimchi and the seaweed tasted like they were on the brink of going bad, if they hadn't done so already. The potatoes were kind of weird and not something I've seen in banchan before. I think the bean sprouts were the only thing that tasted okay, so when our server came to ask if we wanted refills on the banchan, the answer was a resounding no. The menu itself includes lunch specials, and I ordered the ddukboki.

I found the portion to be quite generous, and the ddukboki wasn't bad. It wasn't a standout either, but the fish cakes were nice and overall it tasted fine so I can't complain. Considering that the banchan is complementary, I would say that as far as the food goes, I would be okay eating here again, but it certainly wouldn't be my preference.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
For Korean food, there are several other places you could go that are significantly better. That being said, the accessibility is decent and the service is great, so overall this isn't a bad place to eat when you are bringing your baby.

East Thirty-Six

I was meeting up with my cousin for some vacation planning to San Francisco, and we decided to also grab dinner since we both love food (side note: San Francisco was amazing and my son was a doll for most of it, but I will not be blogging about my restaurant experiences here). Somehow we both ended up talking about bone marrow so we chose East Thirty-Six!

Restaurant: East Thirty-Six
Location: Downtown Core
Meal: Dinner
Day: Saturday
Son's Age: 21 weeks

I must admit that my previous experiences here were before I was pregnant and usually included copious amounts of wine, so I was a bit skeptical about taking my baby here. The service had always been impeccable, though, and between that and our 5:00 meal time, I hoped things would go smoothly.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️
As predicted, our early bird seating meant that the restaurant was empty upon arrival, so we were able to sit anywhere. The server helped us pick out a spot where we could park the stroller.

Oh, in case you're wondering, that's me shoving a pacifier in my son's mouth. This photo is completely indicative of how cooperative he was for the rest of the night. Thank God the restaurant was empty. In terms of getting inside, we did have to get the stroller over a step. The washroom, as expected, did not have a change table, and there are also a couple steps to get there, so it's not stroller friendly either.

I consider this washroom to be unaccommodating for changing babies, but my husband claims he was able to change our son's diaper on the counter space. I suppose it's doable but I don't know that I'd attempt it as that seems very narrow. I'd say perhaps the men's washroom is different, but I showed him this photo and he said the sink is the same.

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've always found that East Thirty-Six has great service and this time was no exception. The staff was very friendly and patient and helped us pick out our table. We had lots of questions about the menu, as the concept is based on shareable plates, and our server was happy to make suggestions. They also offered to alter menu items to accommodate my allergy to tree nuts, and when one of the dishes was brought out with nuts on it, the server was quick to notice let us know that they would be remaking it. Even though my son seemed quite fussy that night, no one appeared to be bothered, which made me feel much more comfortable.

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love the idea of shareable plates because it means I can try a larger variety of things. We started with the buffalo mozzarella.

I love cheese, and this was well done, served with tomatoes and micro greens. I found the ratio of cheese to the other ingredients to be very satisfactory - the cheese was still the focus of the dish but it didn't feel like I was just eating a big hunk of cheese. Next was the albacore tuna.

This was such an interesting combination of flavours. The tuna was served in coconut broth with tofu and bok choy, and somehow, it worked. I admit that it wasn't my favourite dish but it was still quite noteworthy. After this was the reason we chose to come here in the first place: bone marrow with chicken liver parfait and toast.

I know I've used the word "love" a lot in this post, but I love the bone marrow here. I love bone marrow in general, but I found we were able to scoop out a lot of marrow without having to scrape at the bone too much. The marrow is so rich and buttery, and it's complemented by the chicken liver which is much lighter. The last dish was the aforementioned delayed dish.

It was cauliflower with capers, lemon, brown butter, and parsley. It's typically also served with hazelnuts but these needed to be removed due to my allergy. The cauliflower is delicious and a great way to squeeze some vegetables into our meal.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bringing a baby into this establishment is a bit tricky, but if you time it right, the service and the food will make your visit worthwhile.

Le Cafe Michi

After hearing so much about this tiny Japanese café, my mom finally made reservations to Le Cafe Michi in her neighbourhood.

Restaurant: Le Cafe Michi
Location: Scarborough
Meal: Lunch
Day: Sunday
Son's Age: 20 weeks

This place is a tiny little café tucked away inside a plaza, and it's very easy to miss. It's also unlikely for you to get a seat without a reservation due to the small size. I've always been curious though because I'm not entirely sure if it's a café that serves sushi or a sushi restaurant that serves coffee and cakes.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️
Upon arrival, they had set up a small chair for me to put my son's car seat on. Once I attempted to place him there, it became quite obvious how precariously balanced the car seat was, and the server quickly swapped it out for a larger, sturdier chair.

Due to the size of the place, it was a little difficult getting my son into the seat, but we were able to manage after a bit of difficulty. The washrooms, on the other hand, had neither a change table nor counter space for diaper changes.

The good news is that there is a parking lot so I could take my baby outside and change him in the car if necessary.

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Despite the size of the establishment, the server was very friendly and accommodating, particularly in  getting us an appropriate chair to place the car seat on. She was also very patient with us as we per used the menu, and service was quite prompt. I found her concern and efficiency really helped to create a positive dining experience for us.

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The menu had sets that included green tea or coffee, salad, and dessert. My husband ordered two different meals to share. His came with the regular house salad.

I admit that there was nothing special about the salad. My dish, on the other hand, came with a crab and seaweed salad.

This was a pleasant surprise and while the salad itself was smaller, I found it delicious and quite substantial for a starter. As for my meal, I ordered the café au lait chirashi.

The chirashi had a great assortment of sashimi, including the usual suspects of salmon, tuna, and shrimp, but also scallops, octopus, and sea urchin. Under that was a thin layer of tamago, then rice, then a layer of unagi, and more rice. I had initially been shocked at how expensive the meal was, but once I ate it I understood why it would cost so much. I definitely think this is worth the money. On a side note, since it is in the photo, the tea and coffee are bottomless.

My husband ordered the chochin bento, which was three layers (shown separated) containing deep fried chicken, sashimi, and unagi on rice. This was so good. The chicken is not a typical fried chicken, and the sashimi, just like in the chirashi, was so fresh. There was also a decent amount of unagi - usually when I get unagi don I find that there is way too much rice and not enough eel, but the proportions here were perfect.

Both my husband and I got the tofu cheesecake for dessert. This has such an interesting texture - silky smooth and quite light, which made for a great ending after such a decadent meal.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The food and service here are exceptional, so while some improvements could be made from an accessibility standpoint, overall I'd give Le Cafe Michi a solid four stars.

Lin Garden

I was meeting my mom in Scarborough and we didn't get a chance to make reservations anywhere for lunch, so we thought we would try out luck at Lin Garden.

Restaurant: Lin Garden
Location: Scarborough
Meal: Lunch
Day: Thursday
Son's Age: 20 weeks

Lin Garden is a fantastic Hakka restaurant that I typically do takeout from, so this was my first time eating in. The owner is very familiar with me and he was so excited to meet my baby, which was nice. They have a weekday lunch special which is very typical for Hakka restaurants but I was curious how it would be here.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️
The restaurant itself is quite large. There is a waiting area for people getting takeout, and then there is a separate seating area. I had no issues bringing my son in his car seat.

Unfortunately, the washroom did not have a change table or any place that could function as such, so I would probably have had to run to my car to change my son's diaper if that had been necessary. 

That being said, there was a larger washroom so in theory if I had brought my stroller inside, at least I would have been able to bring my baby with me. Overall, though, I don't find the accessibility to be very convenient. 

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, I want to point out that Chinese servers are generally very blunt. They don't tend to go through pleasantries; they tell it as it is. When we were looking through the lunch specials, my mom saw that there was fried rice and asked the server if she could have manchurian fried rice. The server very bluntly said there were no alterations to the lunch specials and if she wanted manchurian fried rice she could order it off the regular menu. My mom tried to flag down a different server to ask the same question but was similarly dismissed. I still give the service four stars, though, because once our order was taken, food arrived quite quickly, and the owner came over to chat with us and was very pleased to meet the baby. He interacted with my son quite a bit which kept him very entertained while I was eating, and he also inquired after my sister and my husband (I mentioned I'm a bit of a regular customer, right?). While there is room for improvement, overall I felt very welcome with my baby. 

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The lunch special is served with a choice of soup, pop, or spring roll. Both my mother and I chose to start with hot and sour soup. 

The soup was fine albeit unmemorable. It's not really want the restaurant is known for anyway. For the main, my mom ordered Shanghai style chow mein while I got chicken in chilli sauce. 

The noodles were okay - again, not really the restaurant's specialty, and I question why my mom would order a Shanghai dish at a Hakka restaurant. The food gets four stars, however, because the chilli sauce is phenomenal. I tend to judge Hakka restaurants by their chilli chicken and this isn't even the chilli chicken that I normally get - my takeout order is usually breaded and likely thoroughly unhealthy. This chicken was unbreaded but still in the same amazing sauce which was the perfect level of spice. I still prefer my regular order but I highly recommend this dish as well. 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

The service and the food makes this worthwhile although the accessibility leaves a bit to be desired. Then again, I suppose there is a reason why a lot of customers seem to prefer takeout. 

Faema Caffe

I decided to test out a mommy and baby Pilates class with a fellow mommy in Christie Pits. Since I don't actually work out for the purpose of losing weight, I rewarded myself the best way I know how - with food!

Restaurant: Faema Caffe
Location: Christie Pits
Meal: Lunch
Day: Monday
Son's Age: 20 weeks

Faema's specialty is coffee, but this place also has a restaurant and a patio. Unfortunately, it was too hot outside for the patio, but indoors was quite spacious so we were able to sit wherever we wanted.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The restaurant is located inside a larger building that has the Pilates studio, and the benefit of this is that there is actually an attached parking lot. I only brought the car seat in, but my companion brought her stroller, and we had no issues accommodating both.

The building is equipped with automatic doors for wheelchair accessibility, which is shockingly rare in Toronto, so bonus points for that. The washroom also has a change table.

There's really nothing else you can ask for when looking for a baby friendly restaurant!

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our server was quite patient with us as we took our time deciding what to eat, and he was able to point out the washrooms for us. When we asked about his recommendations, however, he was unable to help us narrow down our choices. The food service was relatively quick, but we had to wait a little longer for both of us to get cutlery. Also, when we wanted to order gelato, we had to get up and look at the flavours and watch him scoop it for us, which some people might find nice, but I would prefer to have stayed seated and been told about my flavour options, particularly since I had a baby with me.

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
As I mentioned, Faema is known for its coffee, so I had to order a cappuccino.

As expected, the cappuccino was nice and smooth and foamy. Without a doubt, this is a great place to get a caffeine fix. For my main, I ordered a quiche that was served with the house salad.

The food tasted fine albeit unremarkable. The entire menu was just very typical, including salads and sandwiches and pizzas. It's not a bad option but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Finally, I finished with some gelato.

It's nice that a small gelato still allowed for two flavours, so I had raspberry and stracciatella. The gelato tasted fine, but again, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a great way to end the meal, but not necessarily worth a detour if the place is out of the way.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
If you're in the area, this is a great spot for a coffee and it is very baby friendly, which is a huge plus. In terms of food and service, though, I can't say that I'll be rushing to come back anytime soon.