Laylak Lebanese Cuisine – 25 Toronto St, Toronto, ON M5C 2R1
Country: Lebanon    
Seating: Indoor seating only. 
Dinner guests: Jenni from the Block & Sandbagger  
Must-try dish: Makdous Fatteh
The high: There’s impromptu Lebanese dancing that gets the entire restaurant clapping and smiling. 
The low: The wine list is expensive – a sommelier would have been helpful in deciding the right bottle. 

This new restaurant came highly recommended by a fellow food lover, and we’re thrilled that we went for dinner straight away. It’s the type of restaurant that’s lacking in the city – a modern Lebanese menu with classics done in an elegant yet delicious way. 

The interior is stylish, even “instragrammy”, with knowledgeable staff members educating on the menu items. It’s a way to enjoy Lebanese cuisine without the late night shawarma that most people associate with this country’s food. It’s also an opportunity to learn about Lebanon’s Bekka Valley wines that are starting to make an appearance on the world stage. 

Sharing is the name of the game here. Between the dips, cold and the hot appetizers, salads, and main dishes, everything can easily be shared in a group. Everything is Lebanese inspired. 

Kickstarting the night with a trio of dips is the best way. We opted for the Hummus, Mohamarah, and Baba Ghanoug. Hummus tends to have its own personality depending who makes it so sampling their chickpea dip was a priority for comparison reasons. It was smooth, lightly spiced, and thick, whereas the Mohamarah is a chunky red pepper dip with walnuts and spices. The Baba Ghanoug also had a velvety texture because of the tahini with a hint of smokiness in the taste from the grilled eggplants. 

A Fattoush Salad is always a must at a Lebanese restaurant because of the fresh ingredients, and it can be used as a palate cleanser between courses. This simple salad is made with romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and crispy pieces of pita. This particular salad had an apple cider dressing on it but it’s common for sumac to be tossed in as well. 

The next course was the hot appetizers starting with the Makanek, which are thin slices of tender beef cooked in a marinade of spices with pine nuts. It was flavoursome, and the perfect dish to have a few bites of with friends. Our server also recommended the Cheese Rolls – cigar looking things stuffed with melted halloumi and akawi cheeses, then wrapped in a crispy and thin layer of pastry. They tasted like a healthier version of mozzarella sticks. 

Laylak’s main dishes put you in a tough place to make a decision since all of them seem incredible. A member of staff comes to explain each one to the table in detail to guide you to a decision. A few of them are comfort food classics that have a fancier presentation, then there are meat and seafood options, all of which are meant to be shared. We fell in love with the sound of the Makdous Fatteh, and it actually tasted even better. The dish is an eggplant stuffed with seasoned minced meat that was swimming in a yogurt, tahini and pomegranate molasses sauce. 

There were a couple of options for the second main dish, but in the end we opted for the Kefta Kebab, which is a guarantee to be a crowd pleaser. There are similar variations in much of the Middle East depending on what country you’re eating from. It’s ground beef seasoned with herbs and spices. 

There wasn’t room for dessert, but the cocktail menu was enticing with spirits and flavours from the east. There was an element of feeling welcomed at this restaurant, which isn’t always the case when it’s a fancier setting. Yusuf, the owner, took the time to chat briefly with each table over the course of the evening – it was a nice touch. There was also a Lebanese-style dance show where the music was turned up and the whole restaurant had their eyes on one dancer who was working the room. 

Laylak is a wonderful spot to find yourself if you’re in the downtown area, looking to celebrate something fun, or simply want to treat yourself to elevated Lebanese cuisine. We hope it becomes a permanent fixture in Toronto’s culinary scene. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)