Restaurant Review: Seven Lives

SEVEN LIVES TACOS Y MARISCOS

69 Kensington Avenue ~ sevenlives.restaurantsnapshot.com Instagram: @sevenlivesto ~ Twitter: @SevenLivesTO Co-Diner: Tim Golem

Knowing where to get the best tacos in town is serious business. As it stands, the best tacos that I have ever eaten have been at Tacofino in Tofino and Tres Carnales Taquería in Edmonton. After reading that Seven Lives was voted #1 Best Taco 2018 by NOW Toronto, named in National Geographic magazine's Places of a Lifetime article, and called #1 Best Fish Taco and #1 Best Tacos by blogTO... They seemed like a sure bet. You'll find Seven Lives located in Kensington Market, one of the most eclectic corners of the city which suits them well. I visited the tiny shop on a Friday evening, prior to their early closing time of 7pm. They're definitely more of a lunch or early dinner type of place. It should also be noted that they accept cash only, so come prepared! The tiny shop is bustling and exciting, buzzing with taco energy. The bright walls and giant sign that reads "TACOS" sets the vibe perfectly. I also appreciate their logo of a cat with a fish in its mouth - and the insinuation that this cat is down to seven lives, having already lost two. There is one table that can seat about four people and then there’s a little bit of standing-room-only counter space. This makes things a little bit awkward if you plan to eat-in, as I did. The table wasn't available and so I stood at the counter in front of the window to eat instead. Which was fine. But certainly not ideal. The menu is fairly straight forward, including nine types of tacos, some sides, and some beverages. Your order is placed at the counter with a friendly staff member and they call out your name once the food is ready. Starting with something to drink, I was happy to see Agua de Jamaica on the menu. I always prefer an agua fresca when visiting a Mexican establishment, although I was also happy to see that Jarritos Mexican sodas are also on offer. (Their cola is my personal favourite of all of the colas.)

Agua de Jamaica, otherwise known as "hibiscus water" is a beverage that exists in several cultures. In Southeast Asia it is known as Rosella tea and it's basically the same thing. Tart and sweet, this refreshing drink was a perfect accompaniment to the food. We decided to get a Side as a bit of an appetizer. Tortilla Chips ($3.00) and Guacamole ($3.00 for small) seemed like the way to go.

Made fresh!

I was a bit surprised that the guacamole didn't just come with tortilla chips and that both items had to be purchased separately. However, I did enjoy the homemade nature of the chips and that a heaping amount of them are tossed into a brown paper bag and given to you. I'll take a bag of chips any day. Golden and ultra crispy, these tortilla chips are exactly what I wanted them to be. They were seasoned really nicely as well. The guacamole was fresh and bright, with a great acidic kick to it. Obviously chips and guac are a match made in heaven. Next it was time for the big show: the TACOS. Of the nine tacos available, two of them (the Adobada and the Carnitas) were already sold out. On the plus side, I probably wouldn't have ordered either of these anyway. Although, I must say that this did not leave much for meat options. There were four fish/seafood tacos, one beef and one chicken option, and a vegetarian. Nothing for pork at all. But again, I did not mind at all because I was going full ocean food - it's what they specialize in, after all. Baja Fish ($6.00) and Gobernador ($6.00) were the ones for me.

I loved the little condiments bar to the left of the counter that featured three different salsas (hot habanero, medium tomatillo, mild guajillo) as well as chili oil with sesame, and a bowl of sliced limes. This makes it very easy to customize your tacos to your preferred specifications and to control the amount of heat that you desire. The tacos did not take very long and before I knew it, a green plastic basket was placed in my hands. The tacos were certainly vibrant and demanding to be eaten. I began with the Gobernador (smoked marlin, shrimp & cheese). If Seven Lives has a signature taco, this is the one. Their front window even says "home of the Gobernador" right on it. I definitely loved the smokiness from the marlin the most, while the shrimp filled out the taco and added more texture. Everything had been grilled up deliciously. The pickled onion brought a great hit of balancing flavour and I liked the fresh tortillas a lot. Next I had the Baja Fish (fried haddock). The first thing that I noticed is how generous the portion of fish is! The haddock was big, juicy and fried to perfection. The rest of the taco was kept very fresh with cabbage and fresh homemade salsa on top. Both tacos were packed full and were pretty messy to eat, but in the best possible way. I liked both tacos but found them to be missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. I guess that I was hoping for something even bigger and more unexpected in terms of flavour. They were good... Just not the best that I've ever had. I was also very impressed to see a Cuitlacohce taco on the menu. Serving as their veggie option, this taco incorporates the use of corn smut, an ingredient that you don't see all that often (especially in Canada). Known as the Mexican truffle, huitlacoche is a delicacy. It's basically diseased corn that has been taken over by a fungus and has turned black. I'm here for it. Don't knock it until you try it! My expectations were pretty high considering that these are supposed to be the first and last name in tacos in Toronto and I'm not entirely sure if my expectations were met. Attempting to eat in the restaurant is a bit of an issue. However, I enjoyed my experience at Seven Lives overall. The food was pretty good and the prices were decently alright too.