Was looking for white sage and nowhere else in The Market had it, but this store did. I live close…read moreenough but didn't even know this place was here until I went looking for it. It's essentially across from Moonbeam Cafe. The store was neat and clean and the guy behind the desk helped me immediately find what I was looking for, and wasn't pushy or abrasive as I decided to browse afterwards. They sell everything from menorah candles (at least I think they were menorah candles...) to much more unique things (wtf is male garlic?!) Plus, you can get a metric buttload of incense for like $3 in case you're into that sort of thing. Paid with VISA no problem, and they were playing soca, so that's a plus :D Kudos and thanks for being so helpful!

Love this store this store has help me to grow spiritually and aided me in my manifestations . It's…read morea hidden gem to us alchemist. I've come to Kensington many times been in the store many times but not until I was ready did certain things become visible. In America they have many of these botanicas through out the country . I have yet to see one especially with the vast array of supplies from vesta powder to Egyptian musk . Follow ur intuition . Thank u Fabian ! Who is a quite but strong presence .

If you want to find the greatest variety of dried herbs and teas, hot sauces, oils and vinegars:…read moreLook no further. I've been shopping here for 15 years and never was disappointed. The herbs of provence are mixed in house with a perfect ratio of lavender. White pepper, chervil, marjoram, oregano, parsley are always in stock. Along with various spices from the Middle East, south east Asia, Africa and South America. Great service and prices too. :) I use a light drizzle of Toasted sesame oil Excellent with grated ginger root, white pepper, lemon juice, Himalayan pink salt, fresh ground black pepper, EVO, chervil, oregano mixed into a gem trio lettuce with cucumber and baby heirloom tomatoes.

This is spice heaven!!! Brought a ton of spices back to New York for myself and friends. Amazing…read moreselections!!!

Had a very good experiences here, been coming here for years. Excellent staff, clean, tidy, well…read morestocked, knowledgeable staff. Very professional, eloquently spoken, intelligent lady named Amanda that went out of her way to help me with suggestions. Thank you Herb Depot and Special thanks to the lovely Amanda. We'll be back!

Solid place to get all your TCM medicine and herbs. Staff is super helpful as well, and you feel…read morecomfortable browsing at your own pace. Modern TCM shop, one of its kind.

Me and my family have been coming here for decades. Kin (the shop owner) has taken immaculate care…read moreof us, particularly in helping nurse my mother back to health when she was quite sick with hepatitis and psoriasis. She is all healed now! Truly truly good people. Highly recommend!

I ve been going there for so many years. He has so many customers and yet he remembers my name. The…read morequality of his herbs and freshness is amazing as well as the customer service. Great pharmacy. I m moving to Nova Scotia but was assured that the pharmacy will send me my herbs. Keep up the great work.

If I lived in Toronto, this would be my spice and olive go-to. They carry a large quantity of…read moreground and whole spices and work directly with the 'spice traders' that provide for them. Lots of olive and tapenade options, a whole selection of salts and peppers. I picked up black salt, but it was hard not to walk away with more! I want to note that the woman working the counter that day was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. I probably asked her about 8 different spices and she went into depth on how to use and pair each of them. I'll be sure to order from them online!

I ordered $100 worth of spices through the Spice Trader website to send to my sister for Christmas…read more Their delivery service screwed up the delivery, it was lost or delivered somewhere else. I was told it is not their policy to offer refunds unless they make the mistake, adding they were " truly sorry". Needless to say I won't be shopping at The Spice Trader again. Online shoppers beware. UPDATE After a week and six emails back and forth they gave me a refund, saying the order had been returned to them. I don't think I would have received a refund if it hadn't. Altogether it was an unpleasant experience.

I have been going to Essence of Life for years - literally probably 16 years at this point. Which…read moreis crazy! They have never lost their Kensington vibe or decent prices! You can always find a ton of products in here that are better priced then other health food stores. Staff are always lovely. I stop in here all the time even when I don't need anything. They have everything from fresh veggies, to dairy (and vegan dairy), meats (and vegan meats), drinks, snacks, oils, bulk pantry items, household cleaning and toiletries, and a large supplement section. It's amazing that they can fit all of this in one seemingly small store!

I randomly was looking for rosemary oil because I saw a trending video by a dermatologist that…read morerosemary oil is effective for hair growth?! (do your own research). A natural way to promote more hair growth? I'm down to try. I am amazed this little store in Kensington has so many essential to trendy natural products at such reasonable prices. You'll find anything from natural deodorant to vegan nail polish, essential oils, natural beauty products, cleaning supplies, and a grocery at the back. Wow! I can see why they are so busy. It can be tricky to find things you need through all the aisles of products, but the staff knows where everything is when you ask. Purchased Neem oil 100ml (Unbranded) $5.99 Rosemary oil organic 30ml (Now brand) $17.99 Their Dr. Bronner's Castile soap is a great price compared to buying online through Amazon. It's always a great bonus to save money while supporting local.

Loved. The space is beautiful and filled with energetic people having a great time with their…read morefriends and family. You can't help but smile in anticipation and then smile from how wonderful your meal is. I sat by myself in the back with all the other table for ones for dinner during a weekday. No wait for me because it was just for one. (At around 6pm, a table for two was around 30-35 minutes.) I had the morning glory with crispy pork and the beef larb salad. I had both dishes, fully. It was fabulous. I've already texted friends about this place.

I went to this restaurant for a birthday dinner and food was good and tasted good. Quite…read moreaffordable. would recommend.

Same Same serves contemporary, modern, and fusion Thai and Lao dishes in Toronto's entertainment…read moredistrict (on King West). The location was ideal for theatre-goers, as it was right across from the TIFF building and a stone's throw away from a lot of theatres in the area. The interior was spacious and modern, with a lot of tables and seatings extending to the back of the restaurant. It was quite empty when we went on a weekend afternoon, so service was prompt. The food was excellent!! They put creative spins on classic Thai dishes that turned out very well. Review of the dishes: 1) Raw Oysters (fresh raw BC oysters with roasted chili jam, fried shallots, and house nam jim seafood sauce) - They were like raw oysters in typical Western seafood restaurants, but with a Thai twist. "House Nam Jim Seafood" is a Thai dipping sauce commonly used for steamed or grilled seafood, made of garlic, chilies, lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro. This sauce, in addition to the roasted chili jam, created a mouthful burst of flavour when the oyster was eaten in one go. The roasted chili jam created a heat effect in the throat, which made it warming. The fried shallots added a nice crunch, in contrast to the smooth raw oyster. This was definitely a unique spin to the plain raw oysters. 2) Larb Crispy Brussels Sprouts (fried Brussels sprouts with lemongrass, cilantro, lime juice, chili flakes, toasted rice powder, fried shallots, and coriander) - I was excited to see a vegetarian version of larb on the menu! Larb is a Lao dish typically made with minced meat, fresh herbs, lime juice, fish sauce, and toasted ground rice. Instead of using meat, they subbed it with crispy Brussels sprouts. I liked the crunch of the Brussels sprouts, but found the dish to be too salty. 3) Eggplant Salad (fried eggplant with black tiger prawns, mint, shallots, Thai chili-garlic lime dressing, and sliced medium soft-boiled egg) - This reminded me of the Filipino dish of tortang talong, except the egg was served on the side instead of being pan-fried and coating the eggplant. The eggplant in this dish was fried and quite sweet & spicy, which I didn't really like. I liked the pieces of black tiger prawns, shallots, and sliced medium soft-boiled egg surrounding it though. The egg especially was perfectly soft with a bit of a gooey egg yolk. What surprised me was the presence of pomegranates in the Eggplant Salad. I always see pomegranates as a common ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, but never in Thai dishes. It was a pleasant surprise, and it showed that the creative fusion of Thai, Filipino, and Middle Eastern / Mediterranean elements and ingredients worked well here. 4) SS Egg Fried Rice (jasmine riceberry stir-fried with eggs, green onion, and garlic) + jumbo lump crab meat add-on - This was the dish that made me come to Same Same, and it did not disappoint! I thought the fried rice tasted unique compared to the fried rice I've had at other Thai and Chinese restaurants. It had a strong wok-char look and flavour, and they used jasmine riceberry, which made it taste more chewy and nutty. They did not skimp on the jumbo lump crab meat, and there were "jumbo" pieces of real crab. It seems rare to get real crab (and a lot of it) in fried rice in Thai and Chinese restaurants, so this fried rice was a winner for me. 5) SS Pad Thai (fresh rice noodles, tofu, eggs, peanuts, tamarind, chives, bean sprouts, banana blossom, lime) + black tiger prawns add-on - The tofu and bean sprouts were the stars in this dish. Although the black tiger prawns that we chose as an add-on were really big, for some reason I really liked the tofu in this pad thai more (more flavourful). They used fresh instead of dry rice noodles, which we could tell because the noodles clumped together quickly as soon as it cooled down. 6) Wok Vegetables (stir-fried yu choy sum and green beans) - As simple as this "side dish" was, this was my favourite. We asked for it to be cooked without any sauce because that's how I like my veggies (not a fan of vegetables doused in so much oyster sauce / any thick sauce). They were able to accommodate our customization request, and the dish came out perfect. The green veggies (yu choy sum and green beans) were also still quite crisp and not overcooked, which earned them extra points.

Was so excited to try Same Same and their Samemer-delicious menu for July!…read more Came today with my plus one and we ordered: Appetizers: - deep fried wingette with ma kwen jeaw sauce: I felt the sauce was a bit too sour and salty yet addicting! I kept coming back to it. It came with 10 wings and it was deep fried really nicely, didn't feel too oily. - shrimp toast: house made brioche with cucumber relish and added the peanut sauce espuma. I love bread at baseline and this brioche was so nice and crispy. The cucumber relish was refreshing and slightly sweet. Mains - same same pad thai (vegetarian): now that I'm reading the menu it looks like they use fresh rice noodle but I found that the noodles were SUPER chewy, more chewy than other thai places I had. I appreciate the freshness of the noodles but would also liked if it were a bit easier to chew. Would also have liked if there was more veg in the meal. - ngowpochana chicken cashew: this came with crispy chicken thigh stir fried with (really SPICY) dried chilis and cashew nuts with a side of mixed purple? rice. The rice was tasty and the chicken was really crispy! Came out in small pieces and it was good but was not blown away. Desserts - mango sticky rice: so so good, love how they put butterfly pea in the sticky rice. Mango was ripe and soft, coconut cream was strong, and the jasmine riceberry puff added a great crunch to the dessert. - pandanas kaya toasted brioche: I would return for this dessert. My partner and I LOVED this dessert and how carmelized the toast was, it was divine. Final thoughts We loved the desserts and appetizers but felt the mains weren't super special. Staff were friendly. It did take us a while to get our food- appetizers came quick but took more than half an hour for our mains to come and waited more for our dessert. It was pretty busy but maybe they're still getting their groove as the Samemer delicious promotion brought in an influx of customers.

How this works is you order and pay at the counter first, then sit down. I got the Kaisen Don ($57,…read moreafter tax $64). I would say ambience is not the best, it's definitely meant to be a supermarket and not a restaurant so I found it kind of stuffy, just some chairs at a bar table along the wall and 1 table with 2 chairs. I was the only one dining in on this Sunday afternoon so I took the table. The waitress brings you a cup of water (no tea) and the wasabi soy sauce and disposable chopsticks. The food i would give 4 stars, uni was sweet and creamy and my favorites the sweet shrimp and scallop can do no wrong. The squid/octopus was also quite good. The other pieces I would say weren't quite as good as from what I'm used to expecting at Hana Don and the portion size was on the small size but it does come with salad and miso soup.

Their sushi was really good, especially for the price. I'm curious to try their uni next time. I'd…read morepass on the sweet pumpkin and try sweet potato next time. It's in a market which is an interesting concept too. Cute

Toronto's Thai food scene never fails to disappoint. Whenever I'm there, I got to try a new Thai…read morerestaurant to see how it fairs up to the other ones. This time we ended up at Khao San Road, which was busy from the get go. We got there a couple minutes before opening at 5pm, and before you knew it, there was a line waiting behind us. Inside was quite spacious between tables, and they were playing throwback tracks. We ordered a mango salad to share, which was okay but not my favourite. It got really sour near the end but next time I would try the papaya salad instead. For my personal main, I got the Pad Thai with no spice. It was still very flavourful and the noodles were cooked perfectly. One thing I appreciate is that the portion size is huge!! For me, this could've easily been 2, if not 3 meals. The Thai iced tea was also really good but on the sweeter side. A good restaurant to try if you're coming from out of town, wouldn't be disappointed.

Very rich, green curry, not much spice even tho I ordered level 6…read more nice Thai milk tea, a little too sweet for my taste however.