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1364 Bayview Avenue, Toronto ON 416-481-4900 Map Approx $20 per person Local Food? some local ingredients Local Wine/Beer? very small selection |
Lunch, Dinner Mon to Sun: 11:30am to 10pm |
In a friendly, family and pet-oriented neighbourhood on Bayview, south of Eglinton, you’ll find a myriad of apparel stores, restaurants, casual eateries, and a host of other services; the commonality linking each of these is quality. At StarEast, there’s an immediate air of such desired quality in the ambience, and it’s evident that in both décor and cuisine, the owners have strived to make this a memorable Pan-Asian culinary encounter.
The enormity of the menu makes it harder to decide what to select, and the descriptions are all equally good, although there are several variations of the same dish, which take up most of the space. I’d be happier to have less selection, paid more attention. Vegetarian sections include tofu starters and soups, stir-fried pastas, and curries. Non-veg. starters include inspirations from different geographical areas: “Hunan Dumpling”, “Hanoi Seafood Cakes”, “Bangkok Crispy Rolls”, “Famous Malaysia’s Spicy Squid”, and more. House delicacies feature such items as “Tangy Mango Sea Bass”, and “Korean Style Short Beef Ribs”. Price is anywhere between $13 and $20 per entrée. There are also Wok Dishes, Stir-Fry Pastas, Thai Curries, Vietnamese Noodles, all between $10 and $16. Not to be overlooked is the list of imported and Canadian wines and beers, as well as the martini list.
On one of the last mild evenings of the summer, my companion and I sat down to some “Crispy Golden Calamari” ($7), “Szechuan Cashew Beef” ($11), and simple steamed rice. The food was passable – tasty, nicely presented, and ready very quickly. The items we ordered were on the easy side – I’d like to go back and check out the more creative items, especially the house delicacies. I have a feeling more time is spent on those choices, making the end result more sumptuous.
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