Genuine Food & Travel Review

This week I am taking you all to a super exciting place, Instant Du Palais. This restaurant specializes in West African cuisine. I dont remember trying any West African food before, therefore, I was super excited to get an opportunity to try out this place! I didnt really quite know what to expect but it turned out to be a lovely surprise! The restaurant is located near Davisville TTC station.

Website: https://www.instantdupalais.com/

FOOD FAQ

What is Thieb? Thieb is a traditional Senegalese menu which is also known as thieboudienne or chebu jen. One of the variation is made with fish, tomato flavored rice and varieties of vegetables.

Value & Vibe

Value: Overall the dishes definitely lean on a more expensive side. Thieb fish costs roughly $24 and goat meat is $38. For a semi casual restaurant, it is definitely not cheap but given the novelty of the dishes, I was not too upset to pay a bit more extra to try something new.

Vibe: Fairly casual. Well decorated. Decent amount of table. I wouldnt say the server was particularly friendly or attentive but definitely nothing that would be a major redflag.

Taste

We wanted to try more dishes but unfortunately many of the dishes were not available, therefore, we get to try two this time: Thieb fish and goat.

First dish that I want to review is the Thieb fish. It is served with seasoned rice, cassava, and carrot as the main ingredients. I personally really like the seasoned cabbage. The seasoning flavor really comes through as the cabbage really absorbs all the flavor and the juiciness. The seasoned rice was also excellent. The fish was also heavily seasoned but it was on a drier side. I believe that might be the way that it is intended to cook as it is supposed to be “dried fish”, but I personally have never been too much of a fan of dried fish even in my own culture. Overall the seasoning of this dish was fantastic though, I might opt out for a different protein next time.

Now on to the main entree, Goat meat / Choucouya de chèvre. It was slightly expensive at $38 BUT it was amazing! The seasoning of the goat and the onion and peppers really augment the flavor of the goat while balance out the aroma of the goat. The powdered spice was also SO GOOD. At the same time, the sauces are great additions to balance out the intense flavor of the goat meat. On top of it, the fried plantain was an excellent choice to pair with this dish. If you need a quick break from all the intense flavors, the sweetness but not overly sweet plantain is a great palate reset so that you can go back to enjoy the goat meat. I know it is on a more expensive side but for those who like goat, I HIGHLY recommend.

Overall, as a person who tried West African for the first time, I was really glad that I came to try it. The seasoning was fantastic all around from meat, vegetables and rice. I definitely prefer the goat over the thieb fish. Would love to come back to try more dishes next time!

Score

Atmosphere: 6.5/10. Decent decor. Average service.
Price: 6/10 (On a more expensive side. But I think the taste compensated for it)
Taste: 8.5/10 (Excellent. I would have given outstanding for the goat dish. The fish was decent)

Scale:
Would not recommend: Below 2
Need some improvement: 3-5
Average: 5
Decent: 6
Great: 7
Excellent: 8
Outstanding 9+