Summer Menu Tasting at Diwan
On the outskirts of Toronto lies a stunning agricultural building designed by Fumihiko Maki. The Aga Khan Museum opened its door in 2014, and features historical artifacts from Muslim ancient civilizations. To the right of the entrance of the museum is Diwan; a beautifully-designed restaurant headed by celebrity chef, Mark McEwan. We were invited to return to taste their new summer menu inspired by tempting flavors from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, North Africa, and Turkey. Diwan is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Diwan's decor evokes the luxury of a 19th century private Syrian home, and its menu draws inspiration from Middle Eastern cuisine. Additionally, the 65-seat restaurant is filled with natural lighting, giving it a bright, contemporary and modern ambiance, allowing guests a great view of the adjacent Ismaili Centre. Chef McEwan and his team have created a menu with their take on Pan-Islamic cuisine that includes starters like advice spiced calamari and halloumi salad, and entrees like lamb kofta meatballs, and harissa glazed salmon.
We started off the summer menu tasting with some mocktails from their wide range of drink options. We enjoyed it on the patio, which is now open for lunch. The patio has an incredible view of the beautifully landscaped Aga Khan Park designed by landscape architect, Vladimir Djurovic.
** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PORTIONS BELOW ARE SAMPLE-SIZE **
Advieh Spiced Calamari ($14) - with Aleppo Aioli
Lamb Kofta ($14) - lamb meatballs, corn, and coconut curry with naan
Grilled Octopus with Chickpea Salad ($17) - with Moroccan olives, stewed sweet peppers, and Aleppo aioli
Chicken Jalfrezi ($20) - tomato-based curry studded with peppers and onion, basmati rice, cashews, yogurt, and naan
My two favorite dishes from Diwan were the Advieh Spiced Calamari and Chicken Jalfrezi. The calamari was lightly coated in batter and well-spiced. The poutine on the other hand was full of flavors as the tomato-based curry was fragrant.
Address: 77 Wynford Dr, Toronto, ON M3C 1K1
Social Media:
Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || Website
Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was complimentary. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.
Diwan's decor evokes the luxury of a 19th century private Syrian home, and its menu draws inspiration from Middle Eastern cuisine. Additionally, the 65-seat restaurant is filled with natural lighting, giving it a bright, contemporary and modern ambiance, allowing guests a great view of the adjacent Ismaili Centre. Chef McEwan and his team have created a menu with their take on Pan-Islamic cuisine that includes starters like advice spiced calamari and halloumi salad, and entrees like lamb kofta meatballs, and harissa glazed salmon.
We started off the summer menu tasting with some mocktails from their wide range of drink options. We enjoyed it on the patio, which is now open for lunch. The patio has an incredible view of the beautifully landscaped Aga Khan Park designed by landscape architect, Vladimir Djurovic.
** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PORTIONS BELOW ARE SAMPLE-SIZE **
Advieh Spiced Calamari ($14) - with Aleppo Aioli
Lamb Kofta ($14) - lamb meatballs, corn, and coconut curry with naan
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| Photo Credit: Fred.BK |
Grilled Octopus with Chickpea Salad ($17) - with Moroccan olives, stewed sweet peppers, and Aleppo aioli
Chicken Jalfrezi ($20) - tomato-based curry studded with peppers and onion, basmati rice, cashews, yogurt, and naan
Borani-E-Bademjan ($11) - yogurt and eggplant dip in filo shell, onion, garlic, tumeric, cumin, dill, mint, lemon
My two favorite dishes from Diwan were the Advieh Spiced Calamari and Chicken Jalfrezi. The calamari was lightly coated in batter and well-spiced. The poutine on the other hand was full of flavors as the tomato-based curry was fragrant.
The Aga Khan Museum houses the Aga Khan family collection of roughly 1,000 rare objects and paintings from the 8th to the 20th century. Occasionally, they do have some temporary exhibitions that showcase arts from Muslim lands. After the tasting, we had the opportunity to tour the Aga Khan Museum's temporary exhibit, Syrian Symphony: New Compositions in Sight and Sound. It's on display until August 13, 2017, and it offers an immersive and interactive response from the artists to the current situation in Syria. I was completely immersed in the music and it provided a lot of insights into the conflict of the Syrian people. I highly recommend making a visit before it's gone.
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
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| Photo Credit: Janey (foodrealm) |
Address: 77 Wynford Dr, Toronto, ON M3C 1K1
HOURS:
Monday: Closed
(except holiday Mondays)
Tuesday: 10 am–6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am–8 pm
Thursday–Sunday: 10 am–6 pm
COST:
General Admission*
Friends: Free
Adults: $20
Seniors (65+): $15
Students:* $12
Social Media:
Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || Website
Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was complimentary. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.
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