One evening, I was going along Bloor Street and I was craving tacos, but I was also craving pho. What’s a better place to take a visit than Idle on Bloor? This Vietnamese-Mexican fusion restaurant really enticed my interest and offered some great menu choices.

Inside was dimly lit for the evening, adding a relaxing ambiance for the evening. It introduced a clash of modern art, brick walls and chalkboards displaying some of the specials and menu choices. Deeper inside, there is a bar where patrons can sit and have some of their specialty cocktails or enjoy a beer or two. Whatever you needed, you can be sure that Idle on Bloor has it!

We were greeted by one of the owners herself, Helen. She was extremely courteous, and you could tell that she knew her patrons on a personal level, which enhanced the customer service experience on Idle on Bloor. She gave us each menus to review the items and gave her input on which items were recommended.

I wanted to pair my tacos and pho for the night with a glass of white wine, which was suiting since I had just gotten off of classes, and a drink helped with relaxation after a long day! Idle on Bloor had their white wine chilled to perfection and it was the right sweetness and tartiness I was looking for. My guests got themselves a beer along with a sprite for their meals.

We were given the drinks first, so that allowed us to socialize and just enjoy the evening in each other’s company. My friends and I waited just the right amount of time for our meals to come out, as we hit peak satiation! Because the day that we went to Idle on Bloor was on a Tuesday, we had the chance to experience Taco Tuesdays with their Mexican Flare, compliments of El Nahual Tacos which does their weekly pop-up at Idle on Bloor! My friends and I ordered a variety of tacos including: Carnita, Fish, Viet Twist, Black Tiger Shrimp, and Veggie Tacos.

Each taco was uniquely made and I really appreciated the different tastes and textures that they had to offer. It was extremely delicious and my guests and I were more than satisfied with our taco cravings. It came with a side of lime which would be seasoning the tacos to our liking and added just the right amount of acidity.

Their most popular taco on the menu was the Viet Twist, which basically had white fish, pickled carrots, spicy mayo, onions and cilantro on it. The pickled carrots really reminded me of banh mi which is also another taco they have in the restaurant, but I didn’t get to try it. Their Carnita taco, which consisted of pork confit cooked on its own fat, topped with avocado salsa, onion, cilantro and pickled carrot was extremely juicy and delicious. I love having tacos that are savoury and bursting with flavour.

The Veggie Taco was also something of note – my guest was the one that had this and claimed that it was extremely delicious (despite not being a vegetarian himself). Upon asking Helen what the contents of the taco were, she explained that the chef deep fried cheese and added it to the taco, which gave it a very warm and tasty taco along with garnishes of grilled mushrooms, peppers and onions. It was also topped with avocado salsa, onion, cilantro and grilled pineapple.

As for the Fish Taco and the Black Tiger Shrimp Taco, they have both been served to our table with “delicious” written all over them. Overall everything about the tacos that were served had no complaints, I think that it would have been nicer if we were served the tacos on plates as oppose to trays though. A minor note with presentation, but nonetheless, the tacos were extremely delicious and tasty.

Last, but not least, I couldn’t come to a Vietnamese-Mexi Fusion restaurant without trying out some of their famous Vietnamese offerings. I was given their Pho Beef Rice Noodle Soup which is very much like ordering a “Pho Tai” at any Vietnamese restaurant. Except the fact that this soup was extremely succulent in taste and exploded with flavour. With the constant brewing of the beef broth with bone marrow, the soup was just perfect. In addition, the beef given was the perfect amount and cooked evenly and well with the temperature of the soup. I truly enjoyed this soup, and with the onions and cilantro to compliment, it made for the perfect soup to have for the cold evening.

All in all, I was met with satisfying thoughts (and a satisfying stomach!) after leaving Idle on Bloor. I would highly recommend coming here when they have Taco Tuesdays, and having a taste of their Pho and other menu options for Vietnamese cuisine as well. I’m looking forward to having another taste one of these days in Toronto!

For more information on Idle on Bloor, have a visit to their site: https://www.idleonbloor.com/

Ratings

Plating – ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Ambiance – ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Taste – ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Service – ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡