When you’re wandering around downtown, looking for a bite to eat, there’s always lots to choose from. The Midsea Eatery, nestled on the corner of Regent and King Streets, has prime real estate for anyone looking for a quick bite. Despite being only a few doors down from some of my staple pubs, I was completely oblivious to its existence until it was suggested I review it.
Walking in, there’s no more than six or seven tables, most of which are bar tables and stools. The menu hangs on the wall over the counter where you must order and pay immediately. The eatery seems more like a take-out spot than anywhere you’d want to sit and enjoy your meal. It was similar to a food-court kiosk or a tiny pizza place.
After looking over the menu, which mixed Lebanese and Canadian foods – that’s right, you could order anything from shawarma to poutine – I settled on the falafel platter. It came with a house salad, and I asked for no tomatoes.
The girl at the counter was nice enough, but she was brief and jammed my order in. She gave me my total, a little over $13 after taxes, before my significant other even had a chance to order. We were supposed to be on the same bill.
While there wasn’t the usual effort to upsell drinks, it meant my drink order was neglected and I didn’t get anything to wash down my meal or sip on beforehand. As you order and pay immediately at the counter, I never went back for a drink because it wasn’t worth the hassle of paying with my debit card again.
We chose to eat in, so we settled in at a small table and waited for our food to be delivered. There were two big TVs playing sitcoms and the news silently with subtitles on while music played softly over top. There was a bit of a draft whenever customers would walk in and out from the cold streets.
While not uncomfortable, I was glad I’d brought friends with me this time as there was nothing eye-catching about the atmosphere and it was too dark outside to do any people-watching.
The food was delivered promptly and the plating and presentation of the food was professional and surprising considering the feel of the rest of the restaurant.
The falafel platter came with five falafel balls with a house salad, a pita and a hefty helping of hummus. The food was delicious, the salad not overly doused in dressing and the falafel balls were nice and crunchy on the outside and they stayed warm throughout the meal. The pitas came in a communal basket in the middle of the table. Unlike the rest of our meals, they seemed store bought and were cold; they felt out of the place with the quality of the rest of our meals.
The only complaint any of us had, was a friend who ordered the donair platter had an unfortunately small helping of donair sauce to go along with it.
Overall, the food was delicious and the price points were entirely reasonable. The service wasn’t great, nor was it the worst I’ve experienced. The small Midsea Eatery feels like a small restaurant with potential to be something greater than it currently is, but is primarily focused on take-out as opposed to providing an overall dining experience.
While I wouldn’t eat-in again, it is definitely going on my list of future take-out options.
Food
****
Service
*
Atmosphere
*
