Dining: Calii Love

California Dreaming

Sometimes, when you're just dying to get out of town, a little food escape is just what the doctor ordered. I love visiting restaurants in Toronto that give me the feeling of travelling and I feel so lucky that the city has so much to offer.

We truly have such an amazing food scene and many restaurants hit the nail right on the head when it comes to capturing the look and feel of a certain concept.

Case and point: Calii Love. It's so exciting for a food lover like me to find a great Poke place in Toronto, since it's not widely available here.

Do the Hokie Poke

On my last trip to California, my cousin took me out for Poke. It's essentially a deconstructed sushi roll in a bowl: fresh raw fish, seaweed, rice, pickled ginger and all the other fixings.

In short- it's delicious. I also remember eating this when I visited Maui and found that both in California and Hawaii a great deal of people are very health conscious.

That is just fine with me, since it was super easy to eat clean, healthy foods while visiting. Also, I found that so many people who live there are focused on living a holistic, simple life. They are all about whole foods and natural products.

If you're trying to eat clean, California delivers and Poke is always a great option.

Ambience

Another thing that I think is so special about California, is the vibe....and Calii Love on King St has nailed it.

A bright, airy space...photogenic furniture and wall decor, as well as a few special California touches: each menu item is named after a feeling and when you choose what you'll have, they write it on a placemat along with your name. Ie. "Angelie is feeling Hopeful".

The Food

I loved the Poke bowls at Calii Love. The fish was fresh and the toppings on my "Hopeful" bowl were just right. 

My bowl had salmon, wakame, ginger, black rice, avocado, onion, tomatoes and jalapeno. You can also build your own bowl which means you can choose from a long bar of delicious toppings.

This was the perfect place to enjoy a lunch with a friend and I had the pleasure of dining with my friend, Irene (@thespicyolive1). It was a lovely afternoon and I know I will definitely go back to have another bowl. 

I'd also love to try their smoothies and one of my favourites: golden milk!

Have you been to Calii Love? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.