Trying out new restaurants is a passion for some. And it’s often this quest for a new gastronomical adventure that leads a confirmed foodie to go out and try unchartered waters. There are times where you’re absolutely delighted with the tried and untested and then there are times you wished you had just stuck to the beaten path. So how do you go about finding that new restaurant that leaves your tummy pleased and your taste buds tantalised?

Word of mouth

The oldest technique in public relations – word of mouth. Get a good recommendation from a friend, and you’ve been nudged to try out “this fabulous new place.” Think about it. How often do we rely on our friends and family to suggest new venues to try out good food? And if a restaurant really wants to draw in the crowd, it should focus on quality food and excellent customer service.

The flipside of this recommendation is that that individual tastes do differ. And then there are times where your friend may have had an awesome meal with exemplary service but yours was plain awful. That points to inconsistent behaviour which doesn’t really give the restaurant any brownie points even if they do offer great food... on a good day!

Online reviews

The best way to find unbiased reviews and recommendations is use the internet. There are tons of forums and discussion groups out there that will dissect the soufflé at a particular restaurant down to the cheapest place to find wings on any given night. Try Bindilicious Reviews section or search function that has plenty of reviews on restaurants in Toronto and the GTA. Bindilicious also has a full directory of restaurants (eat-in and take-out places) that you can try out. If you’re an active member on the Bindi talk forums, then that’s a good place to ask around too.

There are other portals like the reader-driven, Chowhound.com, a site that offers reviews according to cuisine, geographic location and even price points.

Food festivals

We’re lucky to live in a city that has so many food festivals all year through. If you’ve been meaning to try out that uber chic restaurant, then be sure to try out Winterlicious and Summerlicious. For a fraction of the price, you can try out pre fixe menus that showcase the best of Toronto’s restaurants. Be warned though, bookings sell out fast for the top tier of restaurants and you may be forced to have a fairly close relationship with your telephone’s handset! But your patience will be paid off when you taste delectable and often, avant garde fare at Toronto’s best venues to eat.

Promotional and special events

Don’t look down at restaurants that host special events or offer too-good-to-be-true discounts. Often newspapers offer discounted gift coupons that you can bid for in auctions and you’d be surprised at how much you save when you get hold of vouchers this way. Another way restaurants promote their menus is by hosting special events for social networking groups that meet up in different parts of the city.