Out & About #96 | JOEY Eaton Centre

I've had a few friends rave about JOEY, and my interest was instantly peaked the moment I glanced through their extensive, unique options on the menu.

After an unsuccessful attempt at finding a table through their online reservation system, we proceeded to book for the following Friday. Upon confirmation, we eagerly waited for the end of the week to roll around.

We began our trek to the restaurant after a brief moment of shopping, and were already intrigued upon nearing the front. The windows had been opened to let in cool gusts of wind from time to time as diners happily chatted away inside.

Swiftly passing through the tall, black double doors, we were greeted with a lively atmosphere and a dimly-lit environment. It was chaotic, what with the various noises produced by excited game-watchers and numerous ongoing conversations, but it somehow exuded a warm, welcoming aura at the same time.

I approached one of the two girls at the reception desk and stated that we had a booked a table through their online booking system. Unfortunately, it turned out that I had booked our table for Saturday - an unbelievably careless mistake on my half. The girl was pleasant nonetheless, and simply stated that the wait would be approximately ten minutes, directing us to take a seat in the waiting area.

Not even two minutes had passed before setting our belongings on the chair, and another girl came up to us, equally friendly if not even more so. A sophisticated array of hors d'oeuvres had been placed on a nearby table, adjacent to two already-opened wine bottles, and she graciously offered some to us, explaining that it was a sample of one of their steaks entrees. It was absolutely scrumptious!

And as we finished the samples, my name was called. Our table was ready, and it hadn't even been five minutes!

We were seated at a roomy table, initially meant for four people.

The hostess that sat us down appeared considerably experienced, though our server, Heidi, evidently was not (at least not to the same degree).
We were first asked about drink choices, and the iced tea was brought over decently quickly. All was good at this point.

Since the menu was a bit much to take in all at once, we had to send the waitress back a single time before we could determine on which dishes to order. The ordering process itself was rather swift, mainly because she forgot to ask about the preferred level of rarity for one of the steaks, and about some add-ons.

At this point, we finally had a chance to take in our surroundings: JOEY consisted of a semi-open dining section (near the front), a sports bar area, a general drinking area with a large monitor, and a dining section. The restaurant also had an upper level, for purposes of which I'm uncertain of, as well as a "Private Dining" section, presumably for those wishing for a more tranquil experience.

I must remark: despite the substantial amount of people residing in the restaurant, and the amount of conversation that was being held, each table was still peaceful enough to have a deep conversation with the person opposite of you.


We ordered a Peppercorn New York and a Herb Crust Salmon, followed by a Molten Lava Chocolate Souffle.

The full album, consisting of a larger range of high quality images, can be found HERE!

Both entrees were served with spring rolls and roasted vegetables; the spring rolls had an interesting twist to them though - instead of containing the traditional minced meat and julienned vegetables, they were instead filled with mashed potatoes!

The entire experience was impeccable - both meals were outstanding and retained an innovative, creative element in each of its styling. As a food photographer/blogger, setting my gaze on a plate of intricately arranged food brings joy to me. Needless to say, JOEY brought me much pleasure.

The only minor blemish was, as mentioned before, our server. We had requested iced tea refills, but she had disappeared for a good fifteen minutes before our cups were rendered un-empty. The second time we requested for a refill, only one of our cups had been filled, and the other glass did not arrive until another ten minutes later.

Overall, it was an amazing experience, more mindblowingly amazing that I would've expected.

An interesting part of going to JOEY was visiting the washroom. Located approximately some 36+ metres and two flights of stairs away from the dining area, the journey was accompanied by slightly humourous signs along the way.

The last sign read something along the lines of: "In this case, it's not the journey that matters, but the destination. XX m to the washroom." Quite amusing if you ask me.

The washroom itself should've been classified as one of the most wondrous restaurant washrooms in Ontario. It was grand and unthinkably immaculate, resembling some of the larger washrooms I've seen at heavily populated casinos in Seattle and excessively large buffets.

JOEY provided me with the one of the best dining experiences I've ever had in Toronto, and that's saying a lot considering I'm an extremely picky eater, and an even pickier critic of food display. This was my first time, but it certainly won't be my last.

---