"Erin Mills has every reason to be excited"

Mississauga News - 11.24.2006

 Ask anyone in Erin Mills about the new restaurant Axia, on Eglinton Ave. between Glen Erin Dr. and Winston Churchill Blvd., and they'll say they've either been there or are trying to get in - especially on weekends.

The neighbourhood is excited about this original concept, which offers some fresh, unpredictable cuisine.

The young visionaries behind this innovative idea have taken four restaurant concepts - Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Southeast Asia - and put them under one roof. At this restaurant, you'll find a chef and a separate kitchen for each of the distinctive cuisines. This ensures the food is authentic.

The decor is fashioned as an outdoor market, complete with stone floors, umbrellas, bamboo, jasmine and stately trees. The one wall is designed as storefronts, which gives the atmosphere a convincing street scene feeling. The windows down the other side keep it bright and airy.

One of the drawbacks is that although the menu is presented well and complete with artistic photos, it can be overwhelming and a lot of page-turning is necessary until you narrow down your choices.

I recommend finding and appetizer first and ordering; that way you can spend more time absorbing all the wonderful selections offered.

I started with an Axia spring roll ($4.95) and a Thai vegetarian roll ($3.95). Both were delivered piping hot and fresh. The larger-than-usual Axia rolls (2) contained chicken and veggies wrapped in a light crispy skin.

The Thai rolls (2) looked similar: large and crispy, but they contained a lot of mushrooms, resulting in a much different flavour.

Both were excellent and too the edge off while deciding on the main course. The dipping sauces were irresistible.

I was tempted by an order of sushi. Spicy salmon rolls ($5.50 for six pieces) were a personal must-have, and they were fresh and moist with a good kick to them.

The Korean dumplings ($8.95) were offered steamed or fried. I tried the steamed version.

Tender and handmade, they contained lightly-seasoned beef with an interesting dark-coloured dipping sauce. They were great for sharing.

The seafood pad thai ($12.95) was excellent and impressive. Shrimps, scallops, calamari, and even mussels, garnished the massive portion. A faint, sweet tomato flavour with spices enhanced this dish.

The Korean beef ribs galbi ($12.95) was outstanding. The descriptive word that comes to mind, oddly enough, is velvet. I want the recipe. It doesn't seem possible to have beef this tender and intensely flavourful. Another great sharing dish, but you won't want to.

Erin Mills has every reason to be excited.

For reservations, call 905-608-2942

- Lori McLorn, The Mississauga News
(from her column: Dining Out)
"Authentic Asian food in a wonderfully calming atmosphere"

Online Food Review - 12.2006

Every neighbourhood has them: countless square blocks of dull cookie cutter mega-stores and big restaurant chains. These chains—bless their souls—satiate our famished stomachs but do nothing to please our palates or visual senses. Enter Axia Restaurant & Bar—a unique restaurant with a fresh take on Asian cuisine that delights our dulled senses.

Located in the growing community of Erin Mills, Axia opened to the public in mid July of this year. The restaurant offers four main types of delightful Asian cuisines: Chinese, Japanese, South East Asian (covering mostly Thai and Vietnamese) and Korean. Each is prepared in separately operated kitchens headed by a chef who specializes in each cuisine. In other words, you can count on getting authentic meals instead of getting dishes that taste nothing like the real deal.

With over 230 featured items listed, the menu acts like a directory for anything and everything you could possibly ask for. Japanese fresh sushi, teriyaki and tempura. Chinese sizzling plate beef tenderloin, noodle and fried rice combinations, Chinese style lobster. Pad Thai and curries with a complimentary blend of Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian and Vietnamese dishes. Korean dishes ranging from BBQ Galbi (short ribs) to stone pot bibimbap and an enticing selection of soups. The menu offers enough variety to repeatedly satiate the palates of even the pickiest of eaters.

Axia also offers a bar that features select wines, flavoured Korean soju, sake and bubble tea martinis that are exclusively featured at the restaurant. They take a whole new spin on bubble tea as they offer them spiked with alcohol—the first of it’s kind. I tried the Taro-Kahlua on my first visit and was pleased with the unique blend that gives the taro drink an almost chocolaty flavor.

With my drink in hand and a soft jazzy Asian themed soundtrack playing in the background, I felt as if for a second I had been transported to another place. The outdoor patio is surrounded by indoor trees and storefronts that give you the feeling that you’re sitting in the middle of a quiet marketplace in Asia. It’s a unique experience and one that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys authentic Asian food in a wonderfully calming atmosphere.

The owners have nailed down the concept of a one stop solution to getting your Asian fix. - J.K.

- J. Kim, web journalist/critic
"Everything was amazing and I will definitely make the journey back again."

virtualtourist.com - 11.2006

Nice little place in Mississauga, coming from someone who eats Asian food all the time (all my life) I consider myself a bit picky on average. Axia did not disappoint, they offer four menu sections Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and South-East Asian consisting of Thai, Vietnamese and more. The actual dishes are cooked in separate areas by different chefs (ie: Korean is cooked in a Korean kitchen called COREA and Chinese in a Chinese kitchen area called YU YEE HOUSE). It's a very interesting and unique concept. The ambience was incredibly done giving a real nice feel like you are sitting outside on the inside. Food was served off time a little, but that's more of an Asian way of serving so I didn't mind at all. We ordered the Pad Thai, some sashimi and the Korean Galbi. Everything was amazing and I will definitely make the journey back again.

Fav Dishes: Pad Thai Sushi was very fresh Korean Galbi Bubble Tea!

- H Chang, as seen on virtualtourist.com
"Price is good, service is good, place looks amazing, I'm coming back for sure!"

restoronto-reviews user - 11.2006

 Everything we ordered here came out just right. The menu is huge, but it seems like you can't go wrong no matter what you order. I liked the fact that they offer bubble tea on the menu, we all ended up getting some and it was probably the best bubble tea I've had in a long time. Price is good, service is good, place looks amazing, I'm coming back for sure!

- Miranda Ng, as seen on restoronto-reviews.com
"Axia is a gem of a restaurant."

chefmoz.org user- 11.16.2006

 Axia is a gem of a restaurant. Pretty different over any other place I can think of. A uniquely vast and diverse menu selection with almost every Asian dish one could wish for and surprisingly everything is excellent and very authentic.

- Anonymous - as seen on chef-moz.org
"Highly recommended! "

foodinc.ca user- 11.26.2006

 Some of the best Asian food I've had in a long time. It's nice to have a great place like this in the neighbourhood! Highly recommended!

- Anonymous - as seen on foodinc.ca
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