A Summerlicious Patio Lunch

A Summerlicious Patio Lunch

#SpadinaKing

Two of my favorite joys, Asian food and sunlight, complimented one another on a Wednesday afternoon at Spice Route Asian Bistro and Bar. One of the 180 (or more) restaurants participating in Summerlicious 2012, Spice Route offered an appetizer, entrée and dessert to customers for just $15 per person. 

Spice Route's relaxing patio lounge on a sunny afternoon 

Growing up on spicy Asian fusion dishes, my taste buds are familiar to unusual mixtures of spices but as I licked Spice Route's spicy wasabi mayo off my finger, my taste buds began to tingle. After a sip of water to simmer down the spice, I gave it another go but this time, I coupled the wasabi mayo with my vegetable egg rolls. The tingling minimized to a mere kick that wasabi usually adds to Asian food, making my selected appetizer delicious! Lesson of the meal: Just because you can't see the wasabi, doesn't mean the flavor isn't there.

The route continued to remain a scrumptious one as I moved onto the soy-ginger glazed salmon plated with a colorful mix of red and green peppers. 

The restaurant's soy-ginger glazed salmon entrée laid out over a bed of bell-peppers and coleslaw.

But the best part of the meal was yet to come. Now I'm not a big fan of bananas to be honest, but I am a die-hard chocolate-lover. So, I had to order the only chocolate dessert on the menu. Well, it wasn't even chocolate really but tempura bananas just drizzled in chocolate and caramel sauce. Did I mention that I HATE bananas? But these freshly-fried, pipping bananas were like bananas that I have never tasted before. They melted right in my mouth! Did I mention they were covered in chocolate?

Mouth-watering tempura banana dessert with chocolate and caramel sauce

Enough said. Spice Route is definitely a must-try on Summerlicious' list of restaurants. The ambiance helps deliver an authentic Asian dining experience. Oh and don't forget to try the washrooms. You won't be disappointed!

Comfy inside seating area and bar space at Spice Route

Remember to check out our Hub-based list of Summerlicious restaurants and the inside scoop of five restaurants!