CLAY Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

Friends and I lunched after enjoying the Boyle exhibition.

Service was perfect: yes, perfect. We had three servers attending our table: Bianca, Matt, and Mitch. Each of them was pleasant, attentive, and helpful. All three should be teaching customer service. Wait, no, they shouldn't. I want them at Clay when I next lunch there.

The taste of the food was excellent. I had the spicy celery and spinach soup. God as my witness (sorry to bother you God: get back to the Ukraine ASAP) it was one of the most delicious soups that I have ever had enjoyed.

A friend and I shared the mushroom croquettes and the pomegranate salad. The serving of the salad was more than enough to share and it was delicious. The four croquettes (shared, two each) had a lovely flavour, but the texture for me was somewhat unpleasant. (I was taken back to the days that I tasted my nieces' baby-food; I realized that I needed something to chew).

The ambiance is lovely. The room is light, bright and sparkling. You can carry on a conversation without being disturbed by other tables, bad background music, or sports broadcast on televisions.

But.

Although I believe that the prices are merited by the quality of the experience, you need to know that prices are high. My delicious, excellent, order-it-again soup was $12 for a "bowl". My bowl was smaller a serving that most restaurants would charge for a "cup". If you want with bread with your soup, you have to pay for it.

In summary, dining at Clay is a five star experience. Just be aware that the prices are also $$$$$. You get what you pay for, and at Clay, you get more than...

We had lunch here for Mother’s Day. The restaurant itself is clean with a lovely atmosphere and friendly staff, though understandably busy for the occasion. Service was attentive, but our food did take a while to arrive.

We started with coffee, which was excellent. As for the special Mother’s Day menu, it left room for improvement. The salad looked appealing, but the lettuce was served in large clumped leaves, raising concerns about whether it was thoroughly washed. It also felt a bit skimpy, especially with only half an egg included.

I unfortunately chose the wrong dish for myself—which is on me—but the portion was surprisingly small, especially considering the large plate it was served on. Flavour-wise, it was underwhelming.

For our mains, the steak had to be sent back, though the flavour was good once corrected. The eggs were slightly too runny for our taste, and a bit more bread would have made the dish more complete. The risotto was another letdown—both in terms of portion and flavour. It lacked depth, though the pickled onions added a small spark of interest.

Dessert didn’t fare much better. There was a mix-up with our order, and we had to choose an alternate option. The cakes appeared to have been refrigerated for a while, lacking that fresh-from-the-bakery feel.

Food-wise, it just didn’t hit the mark. I genuinely wanted to enjoy the meal, but unfortunately, it was a...

Lean, mean first-rate menu. Chefs are experienced. This establishment has the potential to be a landmark eatery. Inviting atmosphere and unique location. Unfortunately, we experienced a series of slights by a server:

(i) He did not describe the day's special until prompted (but did so -- unprompted -- at neighboring tables). (ii) He spilled some water on the table (that another server had the good sense to wipe clean). (iii) He did not provide forks for a dessert we shared. When we requested forks, he obliged us, but also stated: "Usually people eat these with their fingers -- that's why I didn't bring you any." (iv) He did not ask about our meal until the latter part of the meal, so I had 2/3 of my fish and chips without ketchup. (v) He did not offer cream or milk with our teas, until prompted. (vi) Upon our paying the bill, he maintained the iPad in his hands as we selected the tip amount. This had the effect of rushing our decision, and we observed how he would offer the iPad TO THE CUSTOMER at neighboring tables.

These inconsistencies were irritating albeit small, but in accumulation, left us distracted by the level of service. The timing was unfortunate as we were also celebrating a belated Mother's Day. We still recommend this establishment as the pros outweigh the cons by...