Pre-show Dinner: Luma

A couple weekends ago, we decided to visit Luma for an early Sunday dinner before going to see Wicked at 7PM.  Luma is located on the second floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox in the Entertainment District.  Coincidentally, the Toronto International Film Festival was on at the time so a portion of King West was closed off and the streets were jam-packed with people.  The restaurant itself is very spacious with modern decor.  We were seated right by the window overlooking King West so we could see the crowds down below.

Dinner started with some warm focaccia that came with a hummus dip.  The hummus was delicious and left me wanting another serving of bread.  But.. since we wanted to stay awake for the show later in the evening, we decided to skip right to the mains!

Ginger's Island ($7)
Luma iced tea, ginger, lemon, and mint

Lately, I've been obsessed with drinks containing ginger so I obviously had to try Ginger's Island.  The drink was very light and refreshing with a faint gingery taste.  I would have preferred a stronger ginger flavour but it's not for everyone.

Steak Frites ($34)
Wellington County strip loin, five onion gravy, northern woods mushrooms and truffle parmesan fries.

The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, topped with mushrooms, and a healthy serving of fries.  The meat was extremely tender- in fact, they only offered us a butter knife to go with the steak and I had no issues at all with cutting the steak.  The fries were crisp, fresh, and perfectly seasoned- no salt, pepper, or ketchup necessary!

Curried Lamb Chops ($36)

The special of the day was the curried lamb chops. At the Chef's recommendation, it was prepared medium. The cubed chops were served on top of a bed of couscous and is generously drizzled in a mildly spicy curry sauce. A dash of yogurt is provided on the side to help pacify the heat and some additional cherry tomatoes were tossed in for garnish. While portions were relatively small (compared to the similarly priced steak frites), the lamb chops were wonderfully tender and flavourful. The creamy curry sauce added an interesting dimension to the taste of the dish and a little kick to spice things up.

While this visit to Luma was not our first, it will definitely not be our last!  As usual, they delivered a delicious and extremely satisfying meal.

Service - 3.5/5
The server was very nice and helpful; however, the waitress didn't come around as often as we liked.  On several occasions, we found ourselves actively seeking her out. The food was also on the slow side.

Food - 4/5

As you probably gathered, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

Decor - 4/5

The large windows along the side of the building offered ample lighting and a lovely view of King West. As well, the dining room was very comfortable and spacious.