Having been to the original location of Darna on Bayview Avenue multiple times (as Darna is one of…read moremy favourite Middle Eastern restaurants in the city), we decided to give their new location in Roncesvalles a visit. The menu was exactly the same, and the food, service, and ambiance were also almost identical to its original location - 5 out of 5 in all aspects.
The menu can be described as "modern Middle Eastern", and is categorized into:
- Mezze (the typical dips such as hummus, labneh, mutabal, muhammara, etc. - served with bread)
- Shakshuka (different variations of shakshuka, which is a dish of poached eggs & tomatoes served with bread, typically eaten for breakfast or brunch)
- Salata (Middle Eastern salads such as fattoush, jarjeer, tabouleh, freekeh salad... many contain typical ingredients used in Middle Eastern / Mediterranean cuisines such as halloumi, walnuts, pomegranates, and bulgur)
- Mashawi (grilled items)
- Fukhara (braised stews in clay pot)
- Sawani (traditional oven-baked cassserole)
- Darna Signature (their signature dishes - I recommend the Siadiyeh but I'm sure all are delicious)
For most mains, you get to choose to have them with either rice or bulgur.
If you come with a big group, I recommend getting at least 1 item from each group to try the different dishes styles and cooking methods (grill, stew in clay pot, oven-baked casserole, etc.). They also have a small brunch menu that consists of omelettes, manakeesh (Middle Eastern flatbread), and a "brunch for 2 tray". All of their dishes are great for sharing.
Review of the dishes we ordered:
1) Falafels - This was given to us as a complimentary appetizer on the house. How very nice of them! The falafels were excellent - green-ish inside, indicating that they incorporated some green herbs as part of the chickpeas mix. They were aromatic, flavourful, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the inside.
2) Baba Ghanoush (tower of eggplant, bell peppers, green onion, coriander, parsley, chopped walnuts) - We always get this appetizer every time we come to Darna. It's not your typical baba ghanoush (the eggplant dip), but a beautiful tower of nicely constructed thick eggplant slices with bell peppers, green onion, coriander, parsley, an chopped walnuts for a nice crunch. We were able to order it without the pomegranate molasses (not a fan of sweet sticky stuff). It was already very flavourful without the pomegranate molasses. This was the prettiest dish on the menu IMO, like a work of art.
3) Jarjeer Salad (arugula, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms slices, carrot, walnuts, sumac) - Nice fresh salad as an accompaniment to the other main dishes. We were able to have it without the halloumi cheese and dressing as requested.
4) Mashawi (grill) - Lavraki (whole Mediterranean sea bass, stuffed with garlic and parsley, served with coriander potatoes and tomato-based sauce) - I was hoping for whole actual cloves of garlic or tons of chopped garlic inside the fish, but didn't see or find any. I didn't really taste the garlic, but it was still great nonetheless. (I prefer grilled fish and seafood with just minimal seasoning so the actual fish / seafood taste shines.) The potatoes that it came with were just so-and-so, but the tomato-based sauce was good - it had small chopped pieces of bell peppers.
5) Fukhara (braised stew in a clay pot) - Vegetarian Fukhara (potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and vegetarian za'atar gravy) - This is another dish we always order at Darna. Ours was served with bulgur, which paired nicely with the load of soft veggies. The vegetarian za'atar gravy tasted heavenly, and I loved the variety of vegetables in this dish (especially the zucchini, cauliflower, and eggplant).
6) Sawani (traditional oven-baked casserole) - Bahri (Mediterranean sea bass fillet, shrimps, calamari, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander), served with specialty rice (seasoned yellow rice with fried onion and slivered almonds) - The "specialty rice" was really good! I loved the crunch from the slivered almonds. It paired really well with the very saucy Bahri. The sea bass was perfectly tender and soft, the calamari was perfect without being chewy or rubbery, and the shrimps were alright. The tomato-based sauce that it came with was very delicious as well.
If you still have room for dessert, their selection consists of some of the best Middle Eastern desserts including pistachio knafeh.