Update: I had Planta again in December 2024 but this time I dined in and had a different experience in comparison to the other times I tried their food. Read below for the updated review.
Here is a review of a place that has been requested before and I have been meaning to do. Therefore, when this awesome opportunity came I had to do a blog post and review it. As stated in the video, this is my second time trying food from Planta and I hope this time goes a bit better. I also mentioned in the video that this was initial tasting and unboxing. The review (below) provides a more detailed review after I had more time to eat the dishes to form a better opinion on the dishes. So watch the video (like, share, and subscribe if you haven’t) before reading below!
Location
Planta is a very popular restaurant in Toronto that serves vegan Asian-inspired dishes and desserts. They have two locations in Toronto (Yorkville and Queen/Entertainment District) as well as several locations in the US such as Los Angeles and New York. This Queen location has a nice and cozy atmosphere with complementary coat check and is located at 180 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 3X3.
Price
The way you can enjoy this experience was directly through American Express and you needed to confirm the order at least 48 hours prior to the date of pickup. There are a couple of prepackaged options you could choose from, and from there you select the date and time you want to pick it up. The total cost of this meal experience was $60 CAD.
Dining in
When I dined in I was able to also try some of their limited-edition winter menu (December exclusives) items and also take advantage of dining credit when eating here. The December exclusives I tried were the black diamond roll ($18.75), Truffle Miso Ramen with chick’n katsu ($28.75), and Sticky Date Toffee Pudding ($15.95). Other items we tried were the chocolate brownie ($14.50), Chinese chick’n salad ($22.50), Bang Bang Broccoli ($16.25), Crispy Chick’n sandwich ($23.50), Singapore noodles ($21.50), and 1000 layer potatoes ($15.75).
Taste
Dining In Dishes
I included the picture of the Bang Bang Brocolli, the brownie, and the sticky toffee pudding with the menus because these items were meant to be shared (although I always share every item with my family when dining out). The bang bang broccoli is my favorite item from Planta and it didn’t disappoint this time either. The sticky date pudding was unique in terms of texture and I love that it wasn’t too sweet and you had a nice crunch. The brownie was very warm and comforting but I regret putting the chocolate sauce on top because yes it was nice and chocolatey but it was much thicker than I thought. My favourite item that I ate that night was the one I ordered which was the truffle miso ramen with katsu chicken. The miso sauce and truffle flavour blended so nicely and the vegan egg and katsu chicken provided more substance to such a warm, flavourful ramen with every sip and bite of noodles. My next favourite was the black diamond roll because the vegan caviar on top was a nice touch and elevated the sushi but I appreciated the kick of spice that creeps up on you. The 1000 layer potatoes also had caviar on top and it was decent, but I did feel for that one the caviar was the main aspect of that dish. The Chinese chick’n salad and Crispy Chick’n sandwich were okay and had substance with each bite so it was filling. My least favourite Singapore noodles because it was a little dry and basic.
Amex Exclusive
The first set of images is what I would consider the top three dishes I ate from the Amex take out promotion. I enjoyed everything from the texture to the flavour that you can expect in every bite. My favourite is definitely the bang bang broccoli (top right), it has a distinct texture and taste to it that doesn’t require a lot of chews. It feels torched a bit and on the website, it does mention peanut butter which definitely gave it a nice savoury taste. The spinach dumplings (bottom right) wasn’t bad either because the chilli wasn’t overpowering at all, instead complimented the stuffing in the dumpling which I believe is mushrooms. The last selection of my top 3 is the chocolate cake (top left) which had a nice rich texture and the cherry provided a nice contrast to give a nice sweet and sour feel, all while making it easy to devour.
The next pair of dishes I enjoyed were the pineapple rice (top left) and rainbow roll (top right). The pineapple rice had a great play on sweet and savoury with the fruits and cashews. The rainbow roll looks absolutely stunning and the avocado was creamy but the watermelon slaw was a little off-putting. That was a similar feeling with the Shanghai Slaw (bottom left) where the ingredients were fresh but didn’t really taste great on it’s own or with the other dishes in my experience. I felt that the Dan Dan noodles (bottom right) were a bit bland which is why I enjoyed it the least.
Overall
Although the experience was unique and there was a lot of food given for the price, ultimately it’s not something I would purchase again. I know Planta is a popular spot for many, and there were dishes I did enjoy but it wasn’t something I would love to try again. For me the overpowering flavour is what really takes away from enjoying the meals which is the main reason why I was disappointed. I do recommend them trying to still incorporate different flavours but keep it balanced like they did with the bang bang broccoli and pineapple rice. All in all, this is just my opinion and it was good to try their food again and was a great experience that I hope other restaurants can offer too. Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below and make sure you follow on Tiktok, Instagram & Facebook.
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