Restos in TO - Toronto Restaurant Reviews

BAR ISABEL: Small Plates, Big Flavours

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:35:00 -0400

416 532 2222 | $5-21 Sharing Plates | 797 College St

A restaurant heavily-inspired by a trip to Spain, France and Italy from two former head chefs at Black Hoof with an ingredient-first approach and an emphasis on simple, delicious sharing plates…how could this not interest you?

Clearly, this place needed to be tried, so I went with five hungry friends to taste as much as we could handle.

Image credit: blogTO

Food

Generally, a menu with this many items and diversity of ingredients would throw up a red flag, but there’s a really solid level of continuity and cohesiveness here. A lot of respectable riffs on traditional Spanish tapas dot the menu, alongside European staples (roasted marrow, arancini, blood sausage), and a healthy dosage of offal (horse, tripe, tongue, pig ears, etc).

Before beginning the meal, a drink from the cocktail menu sounded like a good idea. Grabbed a Pimm’s Cup (above), and they do quite a good one here.

The first dish to hit the table was boquerones (anchovies) with piquillo peppers and pickled jalapeno, served along side some spiced chips as mini vessels. Great start to the meal, nice mix of acid, heat, and brininess.

Next up was the devilled duck egg, salt cod, morcilla (black pudding) and hollandaise. While generally pretty tasty, found nothing really stood out. Thought the mix of salt cod and pudding would be more pronounced, but think the hollandaise may have muted it a bit too much.

We also decided to get the raw horse with hot sauce - you’re not going to find this on many menus, so why not?

I would say the horse was more about texture and less about taste. Very tender, a pleasant level of ‘chew’, almost like tuna. The hot sauce also grew on me and became progressively tastier the more I ate.

Following the horse came the beef tongue on brioche (a Black Hoof menu staple). My two favourite parts of this where the mound of thinly-sliced tongue and a terrific whole-grain mustard served alongside. You’d never know this was tongue, which for a lot of folks is probably a positive.

For vegetable content, we got the romaine with smoked ham and quail egg escabeche. The flavours made sense, but this dish was loaded with fresh dill, which I found a little overwhelming personally. I’d dial it down quite a bit, but some folks in our party liked it so keep that in mind if you’re a dill lover.

This dish was my guilty favourite of the meal. Honey-drizzled crostini topped with chunky slices of sobrassada, not to be confused with the Italian soppressata. This meat was a lot more like the dehyrdrated summer sausage you might find at a Mennonite market - another favourite of mine - but with paprika and other Spanish spices. Just delicious.

On the lighter side, we also ordered mojama (traditional salt-cured tuna loin from Spain) with blood orange, olive oil and marcona almonds. This dish was really nicely balanced and a good contrast to a lot of the richer/fattier dishes.

Speaking of richer and fattier, I present the roasted bone marrow. This dish was very bare bones (no pun intended, but sort of) with no accompaniments. On one hand, this presentation gave you a very good understanding of the distinct taste of marrow, but I think some balance could have been achieved here with fresh herbs or something pickled.

Next up was the salt cod arancini in tomato adobo (above on the left). One hell of a tasty dish, and a much more successful use of salt cod than the first. One of the better and less conventional arancini I’ve had in the city for sure.

The dish on the right was the marinated swiss chard with raisins and anchovies. I wasn’t particularly fond of this one. Thought it would be served hot, and I found the sweetness a little off-putting.

The next vegetable dish - broccoli, turnip, cabbage, yogurt and ginger - was more appetizing than the swiss chard, but again, thought it was out of place on the menu.

The tide quickly changed though when our fried chicken with sticky eggplant arrived. Your just KNOW that this was good. Perfect crispiness, juicy chicken and satisfying eggplant. Really simple, but a good combination I hadn’t seen.

The chicken wings escabeche (above) may have been one of the best dishes as well. While the chicken skin was a little mushy, the homey quality of the dish and subtle acidity of the sauce was hard to forget. We would have ordered more, but clearly had ordered our fill of food.

This whiting dish with brown butter was also stellar. The cripsy skin and perfectly cooked fish were paired nicely with a measured use of brown butter.

Our final savoury dish of the night, was a suitable topper to this part of the meal: stewed tripe, crispy tripe, chorizo, and a gooey egg. This is another case of an obviously tasty dish on paper living up to it’s description. Note: the chorizo in here was especially good.

Our two dessert options were the salted chocolate mousse (above) and the basque cake & boozy cream (below). Of the two, I think we were more satisfied by the firm, spongy texture of the cake. The flavours were pretty mild (booze included), but definitely inspired exaltation around the table.

Service and Ambience

I was a big fan of the inside of this place, mostly because I found it so unpretentious. The trend of awesome food in a comfortable setting continues to make me happy.

The dining room itself is pretty roomy for 75 seats and there’s a lot of unique features like the convex green walls, mosaic-style floors, red lighting and heavy use of wood. It’s both bare bones and charming in a strange way.

From a service perspective, we quite enjoyed the night. Our servers were friendly, knowledgeable and usually close by, while the multitude of dishes came out in good time.

We initially tried to order pretty much the entire menu save the bar snacks, and a la carte cheese/cured meats. Guy Rawlings came over to us afterwards and recommended we abandon that approach and order fewer dishes with enough for everyone to have a bite. After a bit of discussion, he talked us off the ledge, and I think by the end of the meal our stomachs were better for it.

The Reco?

Bar Isabel is one of the rare restaurants in the city whose slate of dishes can be very eclectic and yet still quite successful; the reason for this is clearly the skill and the creativity in the kitchen. I didn’t like every dish, but I loved at least five of them and that counts for a lot in my book.

Other Reviews?
blogTO | Urban Craze

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Apr 12, 2013

ELECTRIC MUD BBQ: Another electric success

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:41:00 -0400

416 516 8286 | $10-14 Sharing Plates | 5 Brock Ave

(special thanks to kiki’s BFF for the menu shot)

I don’t usually come this far west, but St. Patty’s day seemed like a suitable occasion to venture to Electric Mud. I would have been here sooner or later given my healthy appreciation for its sister restaurant Grand Electric, but some pretty unanimous early praise made this a must visit.

Food

Like Grand Electric, the menu here is pretty succint and split into two parts. The first is a small main board that boasts ribs, pork belly, hot links and duck ham along with some sides, while the second is a paper menu that includes roasted cauliflower, shrimp & grits, and a pork sandwich among other things.

Before diving into the various fatty and/or fried delights, I took a look through the cocktail menu and selected the ‘porch crawler’ (above) with thai basil gin and watermelon lemonade. Not too boozy, big glass, and more refreshing than sweet, which made it the perfect pairing for the onslaught/meal to follow.

Our first order was a side of hushpuppies, which we instinctively ordered after watching our friendly line cook prepare them in front of us. This proved to be a wise choice. Perfectly seasoned and crunchy on the outside, fluffy with whole kernels of corn and mashed potato (we think?) on the inside. The puppies sat on what I’d describe as a semi-tartar sauce with a hint of mustard, which added to the addictive quality of the dish.

Next up, a lightly-dressed creamy salad with soft-boiled egg halves topped with crispy pig ears. In a meal largely devoid of vegetables, it was either this, the coleslaw or the collards, and I think this worked for us. The portion was reasonably large, the pig ears had a just little bit of chew (a good thing), and the dish had good balance overall.

Do you like pig tails? I love pig tails, and these are the best I’ve had. Often treated like you might prepare a chicken wing, these were so tender, and had a great sharp buffalo sauce that made this my favourite plate of the night. Sure, you might creep some people out as you work your way through what are essentially vertebrae, but it’s so worth it.

We almost didn’t order the fried chicken, but our decision to say ‘what the hell’ was rewarded. These drumsticks had the perfect interplay of moist, juicy interior and crunchy, cripsy exterior that you look for with good fried chicken; however, I’ll say it was a little light on flavour for me. I think the crust could have used a generous sprinkle of spice or heat to play off the cup of honey on the side.

Next up, the token fish dish not named shrimp ‘n grits. This fish on a squishy bun came stacked with lettuce, a tart, creamy sauce and some kettle chips for crunch. Definitely a tasty combo, but again, felt it was one ingredient short of perfection. More acid? spice? Not sure.

Last, but certainly not least, the ribs. Tender? Check. Nice bark? Check. Peanuts on top? A smart addition. Clearly, I enjoyed these, but I think it needs to be said that they were a bit on the sweet side. I’d order them again, but I think these too could use some heat.

We ended with soft serve, because you should pay every great meal the compliment of ordering dessert. The twist here, was the mysterious flavour of bay leaf. I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what bay leaf tastes like, but I’d call this a variation on green tea ice cream, but less tea and more depth (not a good description, but it’s my best).

Service and Ambience

We first strolled by around 4:30pm to see if we needed to join a line for the 5pm opening, but with no one around, decided it’d be safe to have a pint nearby. We returned about 10 minutes after 5, and luckily snared some of the few remaining bar stools. Moral of the story: get here early.

As is usually the case, sitting at the bar is better. A portion of the kitchen operates right behind the bar, and you get to chat up the cooks and watch service. We felt right at home, got every dish pretty quickly, and really enjoyed ourselves overall.

The inside of this place is pretty much wall-to-wall particle board with retro-butch items at every turn - the opposite of pretentious. What a great atmosphere to dine on some unique BBQ eats.

The Reco?

I quite like this spot and you should absolutely drop in and sin a little. A few of our dishes were one element short of the ideal bite, but I’ll admit to being very picky because I feel the need to provide some kind of constructive critique. In summary, it’s delicious. Go before everyone knows it exists.

Other Reviews?
kiki’s BFF | My Life is Food

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Mar 18, 2013

HAWTHORNE: Not The Dinner I Had Hoped For

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:17:00 -0500

647 930 9517 | $16-28 Mains | 60 Richmond St E

After having gone to one of Rose & Sons first dinner services, I started to develop a tendency to try out other restaurants making their supper time debut. Hawthorne had been very popular for the lunch crowd over the past few weeks and was just beginning to offer a new menu in the evenings, so I decided to drop in with a bunch of friends to sample their offerings.

Exterior Image Credit: Karolyne Ellacott, Toronto Life

Food

I’m not exaggerating when I say the menu that night was extremely eclectic. The same menu shares edamame, lamb empanada, lemongrass ribs, fish and chips, peking duck phot and steak frites. Usually, this would send me running for the door, but the described elements of each dish seemed to be in harmony so we proceeded to order.

Starting with the ‘russian unorthodox’ above, there was a pattern of over-salting early in the early-going. The flavour combinations of horseradish, apple beet, caraway and dill made sense, but not all them showed up on the plate and I couldn’t help but feel the aioli was really salty.

One of the other starters was a mushroom ‘soup of the moment’ with some decent mushroom flavour, but really lacked depth. Felt very one-note and again probably had more salt than it needed.

The last app was a small beet and beef tartare with pickled mustard seeds, horseradish cream, and coffee oil. I can’t say I really picked up the oil, but for a third time, I’d say the tartare was too salty.

On to mains. My order was the ponzu glazed pork belly with lobster broth, long bean, crispy toast and chili peanut dust. While the broth did have lobster flavour, it was quite bitter almost like a Massaman curry. I was really hoping for some bright flavours or spice somewhere to help balance, but everything else on the plate was rather bland. No hint of heat or peanut, which made me wonder if there was any dust at all.

The crispy skin char with vanilla poached tomato, chestnut gnocchi, charred kale, onion fondue and bee pollen just sounded way too ambitious. I didn’t order it, but I did have a bite of a few elements and I just didn’t get it, especially the tomatoes. Very odd combinations here.

The beef cheek with bok choy, stone crab chow chow and crispy potato cake was another dish that sounded like there may be something there, but flavours didn’t really come together. Again, felt it was a bit bland.

The final dish sort of embodied the ongoing theme of promising description, followed by flat result. This chicken (while huge) was supposed to have east African spice and coffee essence, but really wasn’t as pronounced as it needed to be. Also, the presentation felt like Swiss Chalet take out and the croutons surrounding the bird were not what I’d call a good rendition of panzanella salad.

Service and Ambience

Safe to say the food was disappointing, but I did like the vibe of the place. Tasteful use of stone and wood with lots of jars filled with preserves made for a pleasant atmosphere. I can see how the giant bar facing into the kitchen would be buzzing during lunch.

Interior Image Credit: Karolyne Ellacott, Toronto Life

I also thought our server was very friendly, attentive to our large group, and was also around to answer questions or take any ad hoc orders. I really wish the food had been better so that we could have validated some of his recommendations.

The Reco?

I honestly think the menu stretches this place too thin and has resulted in dishes that seem to over-promise and under-deliver. I continue to hear good things about lunch here, and perhaps this early dinner service is not reflective of the food quality this kitchen puts out, but I can’t recommend this in the slightest based on what I tasted. Sorry guys.

Other Reviews?
No Dinner Reviews Yet

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Jan 11, 2013

ROSE & SONS: Hell of a Second Service

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 12:00:00 -0500

647 748 3287 | $15-25 Mains | 176 Dupont St.

So by now, I think it’s already pretty evident I had an amazing meal at Rose & Sons. This new comfort food restaurant from Anthony Rose, formerly of The Drake, is the first of three new openings he’s planning over the next little while, and if Rose & Sons is any indication of their eventual quality, this city’s in for a real treat.

The restaurant has been running brunch and lunch service for a couple weeks, but only began serving dinner on Dec 6th. I dropped in with a few friends on Dec 7th, only the place’s second dinner service, for a meal I won’t soon forget.

Exterior Image Credit: blogTO

Food

The concept for the restaurant is “comfort food with lots of loving”, and that’s aptly conveyed in the menu. The best way to describe it is a chef thinking of all the food they love to eat and putting it on one concise menu. You’ll find pork fried rice, buckwheat pancakes with whitefish and gravlax, steak frites, chili, and duck confit all just lines apart. Usually, that kind of assortment’s gotta make you apprehensive, but there’s no reason for anxiety here.

We started with the pork fried rice with egg, ginger, peanuts, and broccoli. I’m not sure what the best part was, but I’ll highlight the great little chunks of belly and the crunch of peanuts and crispy rice as my favourites. The dish as whole is addictive, simple, and assuredly comfort food at its best.

Next up: fries and gravy. If we’re eating comfort food, we might as well just go for it. The fries were fries, but the gravy was borderline creamy and had a really nice depth of flavour. The creaminess added thickness and textural contrast that made this a bit unique overall.

Next up, something I’m seeing a lot more: grilled romaine. The romaine had a good amount of char on it to impart bitterness, but the balance in the dish came from a good shaving of toscano cheese, and an assertive punch of garlic and anchovy. There’s nothing particularly complex here, but the trick is being bold without botching the balance. Well done.

Our means began with the pickerel, creamed squash and ‘green sauce’, that I’ll say is a riff on salsa verde. This was one of the more unique flavour combinations on the menu, but even reading it, you get the sense it’ll work. The verde was where it should be, the fish had a great sear and flaked as you’d hope, and the squash provided a good base of flavour and heft to the dish.

The patty melt (above) is one, among many reasons, you need to come here. Essentially it’s a burger and grilled cheese in one and is absolutely fantastic due to (1) the awesome rye dotted with caraway seed and (2) a juicy patty expertly cooked to medium-rare. This wasn’t my main, but I’ll remember my bite of it for a while.

The last main was the duck confit with brussel sprouts, beans, and poached pear - it didn’t disappoint. Tons of very tender duck, brussel sprouts that even the most vehemently non-vegetable eaters would love and some pear for mild sweetness that really compliments the protein. The only miss here I’d say were the beans that I’m quite certain were under-cooked and little chalky as a result.

Given the excellence that preceded it, dessert was a mandatory undertaking. We ordered a bread pudding with blueberries and split it between everyone to keep our hearts beating, even though it’s not actually that huge of a portion. A friend of mine described it as the perfect balance between custard and french toast, topped with some of the purest blueberry flavour I’ve had in some time.

Service and Ambience

I’ll start off by saying you’ll have a tough time reserving a dinner seat here once people know it exists; there just aren’t very many seats in the little space. The diner charm is undeniable and I really like the two-man kitchen in plain sight, helping make the connection between you and the people preparing your food.

On the service side, Anthony himself greeted us when we walked in, was our server for most of the night and seemed to be doing the expediting with the kitchen. You gotta love the advantages a smaller space provides. He was a great host all night, the food came out of the kitchen quickly, and we really got the sense this was his baby. Very cool.

The Reco?

I’ve found that ‘comfort food’ is a delicate line to walk, and can mean anything from really poorly-executed classics to gloriously simple but addictive plates. Rose & Sons is surely the latter. This is only my second four-star rating in nearly 80 tries, so if that isn’t recommendation enough, I don’t know what is. Go now and enjoy!

Other Reviews?
blogTO | No Dinner Reviews Yet

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Dec 7, 2012

JABISTRO: Ambitious concept, awkward delivery

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:02:00 -0500

647 748 0222 | $16-55 Sushi, $7-18 Bistro

By all indications, the people behind Guu can do no wrong in this city. The first location (Izakaya) is still ultra-frequented, the second location (Sakabar) appears successful, and their recent foray into ramen (Kinton) is a prime contender for the best and busiest noodle joint in the city. All this said, their most recent opening is easily the riskiest concept. Naturally, I was eager to try. Here are my thoughts.

Food

I’ll open by saying that the restaurant is still in soft opening, but has been serving for about a month now. The soft opening menu is split into two main parts: premium sashimi + sushi and ‘bistro’ fare. You could call one part the ‘ja’ and the other the ‘bistro’. We went for a couple items from either side.

The first two items delivered were our bistro items. The salmon pie with mushroom and oyster sauce and prawn bisque (above) was our first bite. The bisque/sauce combo was flavourful and the pastry had the flaky quality you look for, but the salmon interior fell flat. Not much flavour, the fish was definitely overcooked and came in awkwardly large chunks.

The other dish was nanban battered chicken (above) with tartar sauce, some sort of broth at the bottom and a slaw over top. From a taste perspective, this dish was addictive, provided you like a good tartar sauce. The juicy chicken was smothered in it, and on any given bite you were guaranteed flavourful moisture. My issue is that the best part of fried chicken, the crispy exterior, was unfortunately soggy. Sitting fried chicken in broth and pouring tartar sauce over top is a combination I’d recommend revising.

About a minute after our bistro dishes came to the table, both sushi items arrived. The tiger shrimp or ebi, was delicious and the most unique thing I tasted during the meal. The shrimp came topped with a sauce that I can only describe as bechamel and reminded me (quite fondly) of a savoury breakfast.

Our other sushi dish was a torched mackerel topped with a jam/chutney of sorts that I couldn’t identify. The fish was fresh, tender, and flavourful (as mackerel usually is) and each bite made me want another.

To finish, we went with the nashi, a warm pear pie with ice cream and some berries. The pie was well-executed, had the perfect level of sweetness, and was pleasant with the pairings on the plate. I’d also say this was probably the most successful bistro-style dish of the night, but also decidedly unambitious.

Service and Ambience

From an interior design perspective, this is a beautiful space. It seems every Guu offshoot has a keen eye for what makes a comfortable yet premium atmosphere and I think the fairly large space, with open-concept sushi bar, accomplishes this with ease.

Image credit: Jabistro Website

From a service perspective, we had a few bumps over the course of the night.

Felt a bit rushed when ordering, despite a half-full dining room
All dishes arriving at once didn’t make sense and again rushed us to eat before everything got cold
Ended up with $10 overcharge on a dish (corrected promptly though)

The Reco?

I’m positive you’ll really like this place if you come for sushi and sashimi, but this idea of incorporating a bistro theme is loose at best and definitely the weaker part of the menu today. While ambitious as a concept, the menus feels disjointed and the overall experience a little confused. For these reasons, I can’t say I’ll be back.

Other Reviews?
blogTO | Post City

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Dec 3, 2012

HAPA IZAKAYA: Fresh Fish Steals Show

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 21:34:18 -0500

647 748 4272 | $5-13 Small Plates

I’ve read some polarizing things about Hapa thus far. Before it opened, people lauded it as another hiqh quality izakaya in the mold of Guu, but more recent opinions have labeled it more pedestrian and used the dreaded word: ‘fusion’. I decided to drop-in anyways and give it a shot.

Food

The menu is basically split into three parts: cold tapas, hot tapas and the fresh sheet, an assortment features, rolls and desserts. There’s a ton of variety and you could probably eat all fried things or all sushi if you felt like it. Naturally, I mixed it up for the sake of the review.

Before eating, I began with a Shiso Mojito that sounded like a clever shift from the usual. I’ll say it might be tough to pick it out blindfolded, but I think it’s good value for $9. There’s also a heck of a sake selection (if that’s your thing) and some good beer if you’re a fan of Blanche de Chambly and Amsterdam brews.

Our first dish was the Salmon Yukee (above) topped with a raw quail egg and some nori chips. The tartare was clean, the egg for richness and moisture, and a nori chip that added a unique twist. It’s definitely fusion, but it worked for me.

Next up was the scallop tartare with bacon, mustard mayo, and some wontons. I think the bacon, mustard, scallop flavour combo made sense, but perhaps a bit heavily dressed for something that’s generally a little more delicate.

I think this was my favourite dish of the night. Beef tataki, quickly seared, sliced thin with an addictive sesame-chile topping, crunch, lemon for acid, and a good amount of raw red and green onion. It’s clearly not rocket science, but it’s well executed and hits on all the things I was looking for in a bite.

One of the few hot tapas we ordered was the Ebi Mayo: a very simple preparation of tempura prawns and some ‘spicy mayo’. Outside of the fact I’d call the mayo more ‘zingy’, that was a perfect tempura prawn. Really juicy and tender with a nicely crisp batter made me wish we’d ordered two.

This next plate, the Aburi Saba, is what everyone will tell you order - both for the show and the taste. Your server will bring out a blow torch and give the raw mackerel a quick 5-10 seconds over top. Mackerel is already fairly fishy and the torching brings that out, provides some novel temperature contrast and a slight char flavour. If you like mackerel (I do), you’ll really enjoy this. If not, steer clear.

If you had to nominate one dish you’d find at Joey’s, this halibut taco dish would be it. It’s tempure halibut with bacon bits topped with shoestrings served with a roasted jalapeno tartar sauce. I know it sounds pedestrian, but the sauce packs a good punch,the fish is ruined and the grilled taco is actually tasty. I didn’t want to like it, but I couldn’t help myself.

The last dish we shared was the tuna carpaccio with yuzu dressing. It looks simple, bright, moist and pure, and accomplishes all those things when you drop it in your mouth. Another successful fish preparation.

QUICK NOTE: This is a tapas restaurant, so if you’re not looking to spend big, you’ll likely come away hungry if you entered with an appetite. Luckily, it’s surrounded by super cheap pho places, so keep that in mind.

Service and Ambience

One thing you’ll always get at Guu is an unrivaled ambience. It’s buzzing, borderline too loud, and the kitchen greets you with joy and fervor. Something about the room feels less authentic and more ‘Milestones’ (flat screen TVs will do that), so even a similarly joyous greeting just seems out of place.

Service throughout the night was attentive and helpful, with our server recommending sake for the newer drinkers at the table and delivering all the dishes promptly and as ordered. No complaints here.

The Reco?

Like a lot of pretty well-executed ‘Asian fusion’ restaurants, Hapa probably has taken more heat than it deserves. I almost think of it more as upscale comfort food in some ways, and try not to hold it to the standard of other ultra-authentic alternatives. If you walk in with the same mindset, I’m pretty you’ll come away feeling similarly satisfied.

Other Reviews?
Globe and Mail | Kat Can Rawr

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 28, 2012

SANSOTEI RAMEN: Go Early, Leave Happy

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:31:00 -0500

647 476 3833 | $9 Bowls + Extras

It’s noon, your office is freezing, you have a ton of noodle options around, but you want THE bowl of noodles. You turn to a coworker, your go-to-foodie, looking for a nugget of wisdom. She tells you, “if it’s ramen you crave, Sansotei’s the place”. Jovial with this surefire recommendation, you race to the elevator, bust out the doors of your building, and make a beeline to 179 Dundas West.

Your problem? You’re already too late. There’s a huge line, it doesn’t move particularly fast, and you’re going to freeze your ass off outside.

Moral of the story: you can’t just show up here. I know you’ve heard it’s awesome, but so has everyone else, so plan ahead, leave early, and you too can enjoy a bowl of warm goodness.

Food

OK, enough with the narrative, let’s talk food. The menu is very focused on a few key variations of ramen. Wikipedia has a great description of all four: shio (salty), shoya (soy sauce), miso, and tonkotsu (pork bone). With each one of these you can add some extra egg, pork belly, veggies if you want to pack your soup with even more goodies. In addition to ramen, Sansotei also offers some sides like seaweed salad, gyoza, and a couple rice dishes.

I’m a big fan of seaweed salads, so we started with the one above. It should be exactly what you’re looking for: fresh, clean, and a tiny bit chewy for texture.

While Sansotei is known for the Tonkotsu ramen more than any other, I figured I might as well order another kind just for variety. Enter Miso (above).

Miso ramen originated in Hokkaido, Japan (see Bourdain video above for more) and has the familiar taste you’ve come to love, just amped up and combined with complimentary flavours like pork, green onion and corn (generally not found in other ramens). I was a big fan of the bowl myself: noodles had great chewy texture, the broth perfectly salty, and the portion was satisfying.

I’m no ramen connoisseur, but I very much enjoyed these.

For the hell of it, I also ordered gyoza, and found them to be steaming hot inside their thin crispy noodle exterior and full of pork flavour.

Service and Ambience

Once you step inside the restaurant space, you realize why there’s a line outside: it’s tiny; my best guess is around 20-25 seats max. While a hole in the wall, the interior’s very unique with an intricate rock wall lit from above and a giant rope that looks to have once been used to secure large ships to shore.

From a service perspective, the first thing to know is that you’ll be given a number when standing in line. Servers will pop out from the restaurant and call you in from the cold when it’s your turn for soup.

Once inside, best to ask your server to help you understand what comes in each ramen, as the menu isn’t very detailed in that regard. Your server may not have an awesome command of the English language, but she’ll do her best with a smile on her face, and you’ll eventually be able to make an informed choice.

The Reco?

I waited in line for about 15 minutes, and thought the meal definitely justified it. The purpose for your visit is straightforward, the menu is good value, and if you’re informed enough to arrive early, I’m certain you’ll have a pleasurable experience. Enjoy!

Other Reviews?
Where Jess Ate | blogTO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Nov 1, 2012

MOMOFUKU NOODLE BAR: More than ramen

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 20:27:21 -0400

647 253 8000 | $12-16 Bowls

Having already reviewed (and enjoyed) Daisho, it was only natural that I stop in to Noodle Bar to sample what continues to draw lines of folks outside the Shangri-La hotel.

We ended up waiting about 20 minutes on a Friday - not bad - and got to sample a few things off the menu. I won’t call this a complete review since we just didn’t try a lot, so consider this a mini-review.

Food

If you do any review reading about this place so far, you’ll start to see a consensus: ‘I came here with exceedingly high expectations, ordered the ramen, wasn’t blown away, and came away disappointed’. I’m not gonna argue with everyone, so I decided to sample some of the other menu elements.

The menu itself is pretty small with some buns (or baos), bowls, and extras. Since I’m a complete sucker for these fluffy steamed buns, that’s where I started.

We went the chicken versions (above), and thankfully they were some of the best I’ve ever had. I’d say they stack up well with Baohaus in NYC and those served at Chang’s Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar NYC. The texture is beautiful and fluffy, the chicken flavourful, and the crackling a special textural contrast. I’d highly recommend these.

Next up were the ginger scallion noodles (above), topped with shiitakes, cabbage, cucumber and a ton of scallions. A really clean, fresh, flavourful bowl for sure with noodles curled underneath. My friend really enjoyed it, but was hoping for broth of some kind to add another layer of flavour. Thankfully, the squirt bottle of awesome hot sauce was nearby.

My lunch main was the kimchi stew bowl with pork shoulder and rice cakes (above). I really enjoyed this dish with a bunch of hot sauce added to give it some spice. Match that spice with some of the sharpness from the kimchi and piece of tender shredded pork shoulder, and you’ve got a giant bowl of home.

Service and Ambience

I’ve already commented on the design of the three-storey edifice in another review, so I’ll describe the organized chaos you’re likely to walk into during weekday lunch. Almost all seating is communal, so be ready to rub elbows at the long wooden tables and bar. There’s some seating upstairs in Nikai while you’re waiting, but it’s not serving until dinner hour unfortunately.

As for service, I’d call it friendly and mostly efficient. They try to turn the tables quite quickly given the lunch rush, so you’ll get your food easily within 10-15 minutes. Our server did forget the beer we ordered, but small slips like that are likely to occur every now and then given the speed and noise level in the room.

The Reco?

Go to Sansotei or Kinton if killer ramen is your hankering. I know it’s called Noodle Bar, and everyone expects mind-blowing ramen, but I encourage you to check out some of the other options on this menu. I did, and I’ll definitely be back to check out a few more. I hope you do the same. Cheers.

Other Reviews?
Kiki’s BFF | foodpron

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 19, 2012

RICHMOND STATION: Subway Oughta Stop Here

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:11:11 -0400

647 748 1444 | $21-$26 Mains

Did you watch Top Chef Canada Season 2? If so, you’re pretty familiar with Chef Carl Heinrich’s style: well-executed, comforting, and far-from-convoluted. This rings true at Richmond Station, the newly opened project from Chef Heinrich and partner Ryan Donovan, both former faces of Marben (another favourite of mine).

Opening only about a week ago, I’ve already been twice. The first time for a quick bite with a friend, the second with a huge party of more than 20. My impressions from both visits are below.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

Unfortunately, the full menu isn’t yet available online, so I’ll do my best to describe it: the focus is very local and seasonal, with a handful of starters and sharing plates, mains, and desserts. I’d say there’s a good balance to the menu offering a bit of everything for carnivores (in-house charcuterie, rib-stuffed burger, coq-au-vin) and those looking for lighter options (roast beet salad, smoked trout, kohlrabi ravioli).

I’ll run through some of what we sampled on both occasions, but unfortunately don’t have pictures of my own due to lighting and a struggling iPhone. Thankfully, Toronto Life and blogTO have some great shots.

With Pictures

Photo Credit: blogTO

One of the starters for the big group’s fixed menu was a vibrant roasted beet salad with whipped goat cheese, pickled shallots, and candied hazelnuts. I’ll leave the description to my buddy Kevin:

“Probably my favourite dish of the night. Great balance between the goat cheese and sweetness from the (maple) vinaigrette. Beets were just right in terms of softness for me.”

Photo Credit: blogTO

This smoked rainbow trout plate (above) is another stellar dish. I ordered it on my first visit and came away thoroughly impressed. Served with kale, soybean hummus and antipasto that included nice chunks of eggplant, this dish yells Marben to me. A preparation that’s rich without being fatty and understands how to execute pairing hearty eggplant and hummus with a delicate fish preparation. Yum.

Photo Credit: Renee Suen, Toronto Life

The kohlrabi filled ravioli (above) is another good option, especially for the non-meat eaters in our group. I sampled this my first time in and thought it had the perfect level of buttery, earthy flavours without being overpowering on either account - I suppose the collard greens and portabellos helped preserve the right level of freshness as well.

Photo Credit: Renee Suen, Toronto Life

We’re jumping to dessert now, but we’ll come back to other starters and mains in a bit. The ‘Station S’More’ above is the restaurants version of the classic campfire favourite, but the consensus around the table is that it needs work.

The most common gripe I heard was it needed to be HOT, just like a s’more that’s on the edge of burning your tongue. The other issue was the chocolate’s texture - it’s basically pudding. I think the magic of the s’more is the gooeyness of the marshmellow contrasted with the barely melted chocolate bar.

On the plus side, the berry coulis was delicious and hazelnuts elevated the flavour profile.

Photo Credit: Renee Suen, Toronto Life

The other dessert we tasted was a table favourite: butternut squash sponge cake with mascarpone, honey, and toasted pumpkin seeds. It’s a perfect fall dish, that had great sweetness, crunch and creaminess from the quinelle of cheese on top.

I’ll also say these flavours inspired the distinct childhood memories of sugar crisp cereal; I managed to convince a few others around the table that I wasn’t crazy in this assertion.

Dishes With No Pics

Polenta Fries with Spicy Aioli and Cilantro - These were great little crispy bites to compliment a main. I wouldn’t have minded more heat in the aioli though.

Rib-Stuffed Burger - The entire table raved about this burger. Most words didn’t really seem to do it justice, but I thought this comment from my friend Kim came close as she finished hers:

“I don’t want this to end - it’s like reading the last Harry Potter book”

Wild Boar Ragu - I pleasant homey pasta dish with some oxtail as well, but I couldn’t help feeling like it was missing something.

Service and Ambience

For a place that looks like a bit of hole in the wall from a distance, it’s quite large inside with multiple sections seating a total of 80 people. The decor has a casual, neighbourhood vibe to it, helped by the retro transit imagery throughout. That said, the high ceilings also give the room some sophistication and the giant circular window in the front keeps the space somewhat modern.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Perhaps the most impressive part of our visit was the excellent service. We brought in more than 20 people to a restaurant that’s been open for little more than a week and they handled it like pros. Meals came out in good time, our servers were friendly and in constant communication with me to ensure everything was in order, and separated the bill for every single person at the table.

The Reco?

It’s not often you can walk into a restaurant twice so early into it’s life and come away so satisfied and ready for more. With a delicious set of dishes and a team of personable servers, Richmond Station has accomplished this feat and definitely earned my spirited recommendation.

Other Reviews?
blogTO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 19, 2012

STRADA241: Italy in China

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:18:00 -0400

647 351 1200 | $12-$17 Pizza & Pasta

Haven’t heard of Strada241? Neither had I ten minutes before I decided to go check it out. The Rubino brothers, of Rain and Ame, opened this spot up in the center of Chinatown last week, and I happened to spot it on Toronto Life. It was close to work and I was in the mood for pizza, so naturally I walked over with a couple coworkers to sample the menu.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

Simple tends to be very revealing and the menu here is very straightforward: antipasti, salads, a good pizza selection, a few pastas and some salumi/cheese options. You can’t hide behind a lot of these dishes, either you get them right or you have a super mediocre restaurant on your hands.

First up, selected the zucchini fritti served with fresh parsley salsa verde. Presentation here was awesome, with each slice spiked on it’s own nail coming out of the board. It tasted great too: the light crispy breading with perfectly done cuts of zucchini and that bright, savoury sauce worked well.

Both my friends ordered paninis and really enjoyed them, but oddly, they seem to have been removed from the most recent menu posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page. In case they make a return appearance, the pollo cacciatore sandwich (above) is delicious, hearty, and highly recommended.

The other panini we ordered, a mozzarella, tomato, lettuce, and pesto sandwich is clean yet satisfying as well. Just look at that bread. There’s a bakery on site that also serves a number of goods out front, which you might have guessed anyways on the basis of the bread alone.

The final main had to be pizza. I went with the Zia Rita, topped with a beautiful tomato sauce (so delicious when done this well), great spicy salami nduja, roasted onion, rapini, parmigiano, and mint. The crust was pretty tasty as well, and had a good mix of chewy and crispy.

We also ordered a side of cold rapini with a lemon vincotto dressing and some frisee. I’d never had cold rapini, but that lemon kept it real bright and I found myself coming back for more. That said, thought it could have used something else to contrast the level of bitterness just a bit more.

After a great meal, it only made sense to go with dessert. My choice was the ‘Limone’, a cold lemon custard of sorts topped with an almond crumble, ribbons of fennel and a touch of fennel frond on top. The pairing of fennel and perfectly balanced sweet/tart lemon was terrific. Throw in the textural contrast of the biscotti-like almond crumble, and this was one hell of a dessert. Highly recommend it.

Service and Ambience

Insulated from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, you’re more or less transported when you walk in. High ceilings, tons of brick and wood, and a very open concept make this a great space. The front area with coffee and sweets kind of reminds me of Dark Horse just down the street actually.

Our server was also good given the newness of the restaurant and the changing menu. Our waters were always full, she happily offered her recommendations, and was really cheery throughout.

The Reco?

I was so impressed by this place and will definitely be back. There’s a bunch of dishes I’d re-order and I also can’t wait to try the baked goods up front and the ongoing changes to the menu. It’s not the most ambitious food in the world, but it’s hard to find it all executed this well.

Other Reviews?
blogTO | dine.TO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 9, 2012

MOMOFUKU DAISHO: Fam Style Gets Progressive

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:46:00 -0400

647 253 8000 | $6-16 Small Plates, $23-27 Mains

Momofuku fever has hit Toronto pretty hard since its much-anticipated openings over the past week. Noodle bar gets mobbed at lunch daily and I’ve heard it’s been tough to get a reservation at Daisho or Shoto.

Thankfully, I managed to scoop up a table for 4 and invited a few friends to taste the creations of David Chang and former Acadia chef Matt Blondin.

Food

At first glance, the menu is sorted into some pleasantly unusual sections: miscellaneous starters, autumn, apple, starches, meat, large format meals, and dessert. It’s clearly designed for sharing, and once confirmed by our server, we got to ordering a spread for the table.

Some complimentary garlicky cucumbers arrived at our table right off the bat to get us started, which I’ve always taken as a sign of good things to come.

Our first appetizer to arrive was the cabbage with pork, pine nuts, and pok pok vinegar. My first impression was ‘I’m missing the pork and pine nuts’ from a flavour standpoint. Texturally, the firm cabbage and pine nuts provide a satisfying chew but I was hoping for assertive nuttiness and meat to compliment the vinegar.

Our next was eggplant with capsicum sauce, cardamom, and black olive. Very well-received at our table, this dish had really satisfying depth of flavour. The saucy eggplant was a comforting base for the olive and slight heat of the capsicum, and while it was hard to pick out cardamom, we could tell there something more to this dish. Definitely one of our favourites.

The wild rice with stinky tofu, oyster mushroom, and yuzu rounded out the trio of our first set of dishes. Another table favourite, we loved the texture of the rice. It was perfectly done, had the subtle varieties of crispiness that you expect from wild rice and the squishy quality of mushrooms. The stinky tofu wasn’t too fragrant and when mixed with the oyster mushrooms gave it a solid earthy quality. Maybe could use a touch more yuzu though?

The first of our next couple dishes was this famous import from Ssam Bar in New York: rice cakes, spicy pork sausage, chinese broccoli and tofu. The best part is undoubtedly the rice cakes, which are probably best described as crispy gnocchi with a soft and chewy interior. Such a pleasurable combination when joined with spice, pork, and greens for bitterness. I still dream about this one.

Our last dish pre-mains was the roasted (guessing) potatoes with fermented black bean, chili and orange. This was the only true miss of the meal, likely because none of us are super fond of fermented black bean. Maybe we’re too sensitive, but it’s use felt heavy-handed and the chili/orange promise didn’t seem to hit the plate.

Our first main was a perfectly cooked hanger steak with mushed up kimchi sauce, a ginger scallion sauce, some caramelized onions and bibb lettuce for wrapping. Definitely a tasty bite when all combined, but we could have used more onions and a stronger bite from the kimchi (both in terms of texture and sharpness of flavour).

Our last main was likely the most inventive of the evening, which is no surprise since it’s concept is credited to wd-50. Each piece of chicken was juicy and tender (sous-vide?), the egg yolk sauce at the bottom added richness, and the carrots did their job. All that said, the mole chip both delighted and disappointed me.

The delight? I’ve never seen it done before and after a bite of the chip, you get the slow sensation of some of the heat you’d fine in a mole. It challenges you’re preconception of what mole means to a dish.

The disappointment? My ideal mole smothers your mouth in heat, notes of chocolate and fruit, but still has a savoury quality that brings you back for more. It’s homey, decadent, and deep all at once. I found the mole chip was unable to convey all of that.

After an ambitious meal, we decided to close it with a pear trifle with frangipane, bourbon and black sesame ice cream. I’ll warn you now, it comes in a really large bowl that will be challenging to finish between four people if you’ve eaten well that day. You’ll want to try though because the black sesame is very forward and creamy, and we had no trouble finding great flavour from the pear, almond, and bourbon in the trifle.

I will say though that the ice cream was more like a paste than anything; assuming it melted quite a bit before arriving at the table.

Service and Ambience

This place is just beautiful. You would think eating in a giant glass box would feel overly opulent, but it’s really tastefully designed inside and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Great story from our waiter: More than $30,000 worth of plates and cutlery were originally purchased for the restaurant. David Chang came to Toronto to check on the project, told them not to bother with the fancy stuff, went to Chinatown just up the street and bought everything there. Today, the glitzy settings are still in storage and cheap stuff is on the tables.

Image credit: Momofuku Website

From a service perspective, this place was sensational for a restaurant whose doors opened only a few days prior. Our server was perfect: knowledgeable, conversational at the right times, and always helpful. Kudos upon kudos.

The Reco?

Toronto doesn’t have another restaurant like this: homey, classy, buzzing, and ambitious. Every dish isn’t hitting the mark yet, but you will certainly enjoy what does. It’s already one of the best ambiances in the city hands down, and within a few months, the kitchen’s likely to be even stronger. Personally, I can’t wait.

Other Reviews?
Can’t find any others yet for Daisho. Plenty for Noodle Bar, which is currently swaying the Urbanspoon rating. Hopefully, they’ll separate the four restos soon. You can find some opinions on Yelp though.

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Sep 28, 2012

WESLODGE: Potential Behind The Yellow Doors

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:13:00 -0400

416 274 8766 | $17-34 Mains

Does King West have enough restaurants? Yes. Does it have enough good restaurants? Debatable. East of Spadina? There’s serious room for improvement.

While Weslodge isn’t precisely east of Spadina, it’s close enough to get folks who work downtown excited. I kept hearing people say they wanted to try the place with ‘the big yellow doors’, so I decided I’d head there and sample it.

Food

A drink is definitely food, so I’ll start with what I drank. The mixed drink menu is a fair size and kinda pricey, and since this is a saloon, I felt compelled.

The drink above was entitled the Gentlemen’s Quarterly. Quite strong, really pronounced herbal/licorice flavour. At first I was surprised at the size for $16, but it packed a punch.

After a few sips, our two starters arrived. The first, a scotch egg surrounded by chorizo with tomato jam and truffle. While quite tasty, the best thing on the plate is the jam. Chorizo and truffle felt like it was missing unfortunately.

Next up, awesome garlicky snap peas. If you want to start with something green, this will be a great choice. The parmesan and radish are fairly subtle, but these are just really fresh and delicious. We should have ordered two of them.

Our first main was the fried cornish hen with chantrelles, corn, and black kale. The sauce had a bourbon note to it which was great and the hen was quite moist. The breading was a bit thick and maybe lacked a bit of crunch, but I think the dish fell short due to lack of salt. It just felt under-seasoned and the flavours didn’t pop.

This dish was terrific. The veal cheek was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but the balance of this dish was what sold me. The white bean puree provides a good hearty base, the escarole has a great sharp vinegar taste, the dates were just sweet enough, and the bacon adds just enough pork to round everything out.

We also ordered a side of carrots with harissa, yogurt, and crispy carrot tops. This was an unfortunate miss. It looked cool, but was ultimately more about harissa than carrot. I also thought the tops didn’t work given their lack of flavour and toughness.

Thankfully, the dessert was really creative to end the meal. It’s a cherry sorbet, with a machego cheesecake, melting chocolate bits and crumbs of condensed milk (I’m guessing) for texture. While the cherry wasn’t super pronounced, the machego cheesecake DEFINITELY tasted like manchego and the texture was really close to melting cheese. It’s hard to describe, but I think it’s a really unique composed dish.

Service and Ambience

It’s clear a ton of work went into to creating the vibe of this place. I’m terrible with describing these types of things, but the three words I’d use are old-fashion, ornate and open. I’ll say you can’t help but just look around for the first 10 minutes or so.

Our service was great for the most part. The server was very personable, helped speed up our meal so we could make a flight, and ensured we had everything we needed. He did miss the carrots when we ordered it, but was apologetic and got an order to us right away.

The Reco?

I would definitely recommend this place, but I think there’s attainable room for improvement. The veal cheek, snap peas, and dessert were real highs, and a few other dish concepts are inches away from that same territory. With an already impressive dining room and charismatic servers, this isn’t so far from a 3.5/4 in my book.

blogTO | dine.TO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited Sep 17, 2012

GUU IZAKAYA: Always reliable Japatapas

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:53:00 -0400

416 977 0999 | $3.50 - $9.80 Small Plates

I’ll start by saying this review is way overdue given that I’ve written almost 70 of these since last September. If you’re a reader of the blog, chances are you’ve already been to Guu because it’s massively popular and has been since it opened in 2009. I’d been a couple times before, but finally got around to going again, taking some pics, and thinking about what I’m eating. Here goes what you already know.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

The menu is a collection of 48 Japanese tapas nestled into categories like apps, cold dishes, deep fried, oden (slow cooked hot pot), grilled, and rice & noodle. The variety is impressive and, from my experience, you’re not likely to get a dud if you close your eyes and just pick items at random. That said, we decided not to do that, and instead picked what looked interesting.

Of course, you have to start with a ‘big mug’ of Sapporo by virtue of its novelty. It’s $9.50, looks about the size of a pitcher, and makes you happy. Good value.

I’ve also heard good things about the cocktails here, and at $6-$7 each, why not try one? (note: ordering the big mug is a valid excuse)

We started with the gyu shabu salad on the recommendation of our server, which is essentially very thinly-sliced beef warm beef on greens with an exceptional black sesame dressing. The salad greens and peppers were fine, but the tender beef with sesame combo was a definite winner.

Next up, deep fried octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce (delicious) and karashi mayo (a Japanese mustard-mayo). It’s kind of hard for these not be awesome; the two sauces are savoury and sharp, and the hot inner-octopus, while a bit chewy, was a good complement. Overall this is a very unique flavour combination for most North American palates.

Next up was marinated octopus with wasabi stem and nori wrappers. Octopus was much more tender here, and the I liked the idea of wrapping your own little bites. However, the wasabi stem is powerful. I’m not an enormous wasabi fan, so I got a little blown out by the dominance of the flavour.

Next up was marinated jellyfish, a first for me. It comes to the table looking like a clear rice noodle, but upon further inspection it’s clear this is something different. I’ll say it doesn’t really taste like anything; the marinade and salad is what you’ll taste. I found the jelly fish tough, rubbery, and arduous to chew even with a marinade that may have tenderized it.

Next up, we came back to traditional flavours with bacon-wrapped scallops and enoki mushrooms, a soy sauce and more karashi mayo. These are going to be tasty no matter what, and the added sweetness from the sauce with a little bit of mayo was delicious. I don’t understand why only half of them are stuffed with enokis though. Leaves some folks at the table wanting more.

We then jumped into the deep fried section again with prawns and mayo. This dish is really quite basic, but lets the seafood shine. The prawns were juicy and perfectly cooked with a thin, crispy batter and some spicy mayo.

As I went through the menu, it became obvious that mayo was on a fair number of these dishes. Not sure if that’s a Japanese preference with fried foods or just a Guu-ism.

Another deep friend item we ordered was egglplant with sweet miso sauce. While tasty, I was missing the crunch you come to expect when you read ‘deep fried’. Parts of the pieces were sort of crispy, but there isn’t any batter, so the sauce made the majority of them quite mushy. Conceptually, deep fried eggplant sounds like a great contrast between crunch and mush, but the contrast just wasn’t here.

Next we grabbed buta kimchi bibimbap with ground pork served in a sizzling stone bowl. This was great once we let our rice crisp up and gave everything a quick mix. I think we were hoping for a higher ‘stuff’ to rice ratio though.

We finished with a pseudo-dessert as opposed to something on the menu: deep fried brie with mango and blueberry sauce. Suffice to say this was an indulgence.

We found the textural contrast we were looking for here for sure, and the two sweet sauces with the fatty goodness over top made me promise myself that the next day would be a ‘salad day’.

Service and Ambience

The ambience here is particularly novel for Toronto (or at least it was before the copycats). The room is bustling with hungry folks at communal tables, happy to no longer be waiting in line, all of whom are greeted in unison by the kitchen and waitstaff both when they enter and when they leave.

Photo Credit: Toronto Life

Service was also pretty good, given how hectic the restaurant was (and usually is). You get the feeling the staff have gotten used to the high-paced environment.

Our food came out reasonably quickly, as is to be expected with tapas, and our server was happy to make a recommendation when we needed her to.

The Reco?

You already know you should go to Guu. For most of us, it’s the first time we’ve tried many of the dishes, and more often than not they leave you quite satisfied.

Yes, you’ll need to wait at least 30 minutes in line most days, but plan ahead, put your name down, kill some time, then enjoy one of the more unique dining experiences Toronto has to offer.

Other reviews:
FoodiegatorJ | Cafe Joie

Posted by: Jacob, Visited August 12, 2012

VERTICAL: Banker bar...with chops?

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:25:00 -0400

416 214 2252 | $19-25 Pasta/Risotto, $25-50 Mains

Eating in the financial district during weekdays is usually an exercise in banker avoidance. When the business model is built around alcohol sales on the patio, it’s hard to find somewhere that puts great emphasis on food. I was skeptical about Vertical for this very reason, but I think it’s safe to say you can eat well here even surrounded by our suited friends.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

A read through the menu shows you this is more than a bar. It reads very modern Italian with everything you’d expect to find in the apps and pastas, along with some mains that veer away from the traditional.

The four of us decided to start with three apps that we all agreed were the highlights of the meal.

The lamb meatballs in tomato sauce (above) were delicious - juicy and full of lamb flavour you’re looking for when you order lamb. I also enjoyed the focaccia with it to sop up all the leftovers.

Next up were the five balls of arancini (above) filled with saffron risotto and fontina cheese. I will always order arancini when I see them on a menu because, when perfected, nothing is more addictive. That, and they’re usually tasty even when botched.

That said, I thought these were pretty darn good. If you don’t like saffron, avoid these, because the risotto is rife with it. I enjoyed the bold flavour, along with thin exterior and accompanying sauce. Just a touch more fontina would have won it for me. I’m very picky.

This was a dish that tasted as good as it read on the menu. Seared scallop, watermelon, speck, corn and watercress. Watermelon and corn makes sense. Speck and scallop makes sense. Fresh, juicy, porky goodness.

The first main that caught my eye was the halibut over spinach, with a fennel and star-anise puree along with a porcini and potato ’crochetta’. In theory, sounds like a really smart flavour profile.

The good: Most of the fish was perfect, with an excellent crispy layer on top and moist, flaky interior. Spinach was a nice strong compliment. The mix of textures throughout the dish was really successful.

The not: The puree was ultra mild to the point where it was hard to say what it tasted like. The filling of the crochetta didn’t yell porcini either.

I think this dish has huge potential, but I really missed the promise of fennel, star-anise and porcini.

You may think the above is a ravioli, but this stamp-shaped pasta is called Sfoja Lorda. Vertical fills it with halibut and services with lobster, tomato, and wild fennel. I’ll say the star of the dish was the halibut filling, which I’ve yet to have in a pasta dish. My issue was the lobster is overwhelmed and the fennel flavour was missing again.

The last dish looked beautiful. The risotto of the day was also lobster, so we said why not?

The mouth feel was great and the flavour was pleasant, but I really wish something had stood out. Lobster meat is really quite subtle so anything to dial it up is appreciated and I just felt like I was missing it again.

The last dish of the night was the dessert above. I can’t seem to find that night’s dessert menu online, so I’m not going to take wild guesses at the ingredients. What I do remember is that the cake fell apart really easily, got sopped up in the sweet sauce below and turned into a bit of mess with the cocoa-flavoured sauce.

Dining Date Night

You may have heard me mention this service before, but I’m just going to reiterate how useful and easy it is.

It lets you make a reservation at some solid restaurants for $10 during off-peak nights (usually excludes Fridays & Weekends) for up to six people. In exchange, they give you 30% off the entire bill including alcohol. The four of us save $40+ and turned this pricier place into something pretty affordable.

Click below to sign up. Highly recommend it:

Service and Ambience

So here’s the obvious part: during weekdays in the summer this is a bar for business people in the financial district (and those eager folks that pursue them). If you don’t like that atmosphere, you may be put off. If you’re not and don’t mind a lively patio in a great location, this is your scene.

On the service side, I was impressed. The great thing about these restaurants is that the kitchen isn’t particularly bombarded with orders so your food comes out pretty quickly. Our server was also very attentive and was always around when we needed her.

The Reco?

This was a really tough one. The apps were great and definitely reco-worthy, but the mains and dessert all had some issues that held them back from fully delivering on the menu’s compelling promises.

Without the 30% off, I’ll say Vertical borders on being too rich for what it delivers. That said, the apps give me faith that there’s more delicious food to be had here, and with the available discount, there aren’t enough reasons not to come back.

Other reviews:
Food Junkie Chronicles (tasting menu) | Toronto City Gossip

Posted by: Jacob, Visited August 2, 2012

WINE BAR: Not bad for a forgotten destination

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 12:41:00 -0400

416 504 9463 | $5-$16 “Tapas”

So to be completely honest, I didn’t know much about Wine Bar before deciding to go there. Upon further inspection, it was once a celebrated Jamie Kennedy restaurant and also home of Scott Vivian (now of Beast). Today, there’s very little buzz about the place, but it’s conveniently located near Union so I managed to convince 20 friends to come with me to sample the menu.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

Wine Bar bills itself as a ‘tapas’ style restaurant with some serious variety. The menu really is all over the place with no consistent culinary theme, which did worry me initially. I also wasn’t pleased to hear they had a Summerlicious menu, so I abstained from those choices. Others at the table liked the good value though, so we ordered a mix of everything. It’s also worth noting that the dishes change, so you likely won’t be eating what we did.

I started with some mixed greens, apple, cheddar, grapes, spiced cashews, and mustard vinaigrette. This was actually pretty tasty overall. The cashew, grape, apple combo was dead-on. I’ll say the cheddar wasn’t very apparent, which was surprising given it was called an ‘apple and cheddar salad’.

Next up was a mixed platter of crostini/bread, prosciutto, chorizo, grainy mustard, pickles and pickled cauliflower. Again, the flavours were pretty satisfying. None of the ingredients wowed in particular, but they all worked.

Some friends of mine got the crab cake topped with some smoked salmon. This was probably my best bite. I’d never had a cake topped with salmon and I’d definitely do it again. Really appreciated the crab/salmon duo.

Next up was butter chicken poutine. I know, what the hell is this doing on the menu and why did you order it? I didn’t, but when there are 20 of you, someone’s going to take the plunge. Kudos to them though - it tasted good! Texturally, it was pretty soggy throughout, but I wasn’t complaining.

I believe the above steak dish was one of the Summerlicious options, and I think it showed. The presentation wasn’t very appealing, the leek underneath was served whole and stringy, and I heard a lot of people around the table say the word ‘Ziggy’s’ when they had the potato salad. As for the protein, the steak was prepared well with a sweet glaze that was met with mixed reviews around the table.

This was a pork shoulder with couscous from what I can remember. I think there was also an apple component here of some kind, just can’t remember if it was a glaze or what. I’ll say the portion size definitely wasn’t ‘tapas’ (could be a positive or negative), but from what I remember, it wasn’t bad. Quite tender, but fatty and didn’t get much flavour from it.

The beef cheek with root vegetables was the apple of my eye on the menu, but I’ll say I was kind of disappointed. While fork tender and melt-in-your-mouth, I found the cheek kind of bland and tasteless. Possibly under-seasoned? The potatoes and carrots around didn’t do much to that effect either.

We finished up with two desserts, the first was a strawberry creme brulee topped with berries and the other was an apple crumble.

The strawberry was quite sublte in the creme. I had trouble finding it, but others said it was there so I took their word for it. To be honest, I don’t have any memory of the crumble.

Wine

I know this is a wine bar so I feel obliged to make a quick amateur comment about it. The menu has a ton of choice by the bottle and decent amount by the glass with 3oz tasters available as well.

It is pricey though. I can’t remember if the wine menu in person matches the one online, but there’s only one glass under $10 which doesn’t make it very accessible for those looking for something simpler with their meal.

Service and Ambience

I like the design of the place. It’s dark and warm with a ton of seating around the bars on either side of the room. I was also really impressed that they managed to seat so many of us in the main dining area. The table they set up can seat 16 comfortably, but we managed to squeeze in a few more.

Photo Credit: DiningDateNight.com

From a service perspective, I have to really commend our server and the kitchen. We had 20 people all on separate bills, several of which arrived and ordered at different times. Everyone’s food came out shortly after ordering and there were barely any mistakes on the checks at the end of the night. Really impressive.

The Reco?

I was surprised by Wine Bar. The menu variety freaked me out a bit and I wasn’t a fan of the Summerlicious menu, but I did try some tasty things here. My hesitation with going to three stars is that none of the ‘mains’ were particularly strong and I didn’t have any ‘gotta order this again!’ moments. I might be back for a few bites if I’m in the area, but I wouldn’t put this among the better tapas in the city.

Other reviews:
kiki’s BFF | Nothing else recent

Posted by: Jacob, Visited July 20, 2012

BARQUE: More than a BBQ sweetspot

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:45:00 -0400

416 532 7700 | $24 Sample for One, $42 Sampler for Two

I’m admittedly a little late on the Roncy bandwagon. This was my first restaurant visit out on the west side and I’m happy I took the trip. There are a few supposedly good options including Hopgood’s Foodliner, The Ace, and The Westerly, but Barque felt most summery and frankly the dinner menu literally made my mouth water. That’s really all it takes, so out I went.

Food

It’s one thing for the allure of BBQ to tantalize you, but when you can add on great starters and compelling sides, it gets really difficult to pick. Thankfully, Barque understands and provides you with sampler options for 1 or 2 that give you the opportunity to taste a good chunk of the menu. We opted for the two-person configuration and grabbed some apps to start us off.

We began with some pulled duck tacos (above) that really didn’t sound like they belonged on the menu. To my surprise, they challenged for the best bite of the night. The pickled carrots really sliced through the hoisin and duck, and the tortillas were undoubtedly fresh. A great surprise to begin.

Next up came the smoked shrimp and bay scallop cocktail. Portion’s a little small, but the subtly smokey fresh seafood was tasty. Found the shrimp in the habanero sauce and scallops in the salsa verde to be the best combos. I’d say the salsa verde was oily and bit flat though.

Next we went the ‘Barque Plate’ (above). My assumption is this changes on a rolling basis, but when we dined there, it included two chicken fingers and two zucchini blossoms stuffed with pureed onion and bacon, then deep fried. Accompanying this included some cashews, almonds, olives, smoked tomato aioli and an awesome smoked hummus. The standous on the plate included the blossoms, fingers, aioli and hummus. Really hit the spot before the sampler arrived.

In a two-person sampler, you select three meats and three sides. We went with beef brisket, competition chicken thighs, and a 1/2 rack of baby back ribs for the proteins, and were thoroughly satisfied. The brisket is outstanding (especially when painted with a little more of the house BBQ sauce), the smoke on the baby back ribs is delicious, and the chicken is juicy and tender.

The side of smoked asparagus wasn’t a unanimous favourite. I quite liked the addition of smoke to it for a change, but the rest of table preferred a good charred asparagus sans-smoke.

The ‘Cuban corn’ was sweet and juicy, but I found myself looking for more. Some spice on it would have been a welcome addition.

We also ordered the picked vegetables as a way to cut through all the fatty, smokey proteins. While they were tasty enough, the form didn’t lend itself very well to eating with the BBQ. A really unique slaw incorporating some of the beets and/or carrots would have been ideal.

As our stomachs filled up, we decided to swing for the fence and close on a potential high note. Suuuuch a good decision. This pecan tart with strawberries and cinnamon gelato (above) was dead-on. The pastry was light and crumbly (think shortbread-ish), the filling wasn’t too sweet, and the cinnamon gelato was expert. Everything you could want in a dessert on one spoon.

Service and Ambience

I’d heard the dining room was quaint, but I have to say the place is a fair size, especially with the covered patio out to the side. The room’s a little quirky with Teletoon Retro playing on a TV behind the bar, a wall full of nic nacs, and some great fixtures all over the place. When packed full of happy people, it really is an enjoyable atmosphere though. On the other hand, maybe it’s just the meat talking. I find protein highs generally improve everything that surrounds you.

Despite almost every table being jammed, our food flew out of the kitchen quickly and we never found ourselves waiting long between dishes. Servers were also helpful letting us know what certain things were on the plate and recommending a good portion size for the three of us.

The Reco?

I really enjoyed the meal here and would certainly recommend coming over to Roncy. While some sides could use improvement, I can’t help but gush about the brisket, zucchini blossoms, hummus, pecan pie and duck tacos.

You don’t usually get to say things like that about a BBQ restaurant, and that’s why I’ll definitely be coming back for more. Enjoy.

Other reviews:
The Globe & Mail | blogTO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited July 14, 2012

BAR HOP: Where 99 beers happens

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:20:00 -0400

647 352 7476 | $10 - $22 Mains

Where in the city can you find a beer menu like this? I counted 99 on the menu online and found several of my favourites including Schneider Weisse. I’m truly a sucker for wheat beer and it looked like some effort was being put in to avoid settling at mediocre ‘pub food’. For those reasons and more, I dropped by this spot just before Spadina on King West.

Photo Credit: David Ort, Post City

Beer

Before we talk food, let’s talk beer. This place is all about it.

I’m not a connoisseur by any means, but I’m fairly confident there are at least a handful on this list that you can’t find in any other restaurant in the GTA. It’s comprehensive to the point of being obscure, which is kind of fun to be honest. You could keep coming back just to try bottles at random.

I ordered the Denison’s Weisse (never heard of it). More or less like a Weihenstephaner, but apparently made in Toronto. Learn something new every day.

Food

The food menu itself is a little all over the place to be honest: Italian, Mexican, an entire mussels menu, oysters, schnitzel, and chili among other things. You can either look at it as (1) all your favourites or (2) what on earth is this place doing?

I decided to reserve judgement and jump right in.

We jumped right in with some bar hop pops (above), essentially tempura-crusted meatballs on a stick with a parmesan marinara sauce. The batter was pretty thin and lacked crunch, but I found the meatballs quite flavourful. That said, $9 for four the size of Ikea meatballs isn’t what I call good value.

Next up were two orders of mussels, one of the lager & jerk persuasion, the other a green curry and lemongrass version. Both had bold and aggressive flavours that partially overwhelmed the mussels, but were particularly awesome for dunking the limitless supply of bread.

For my main, I went with the pork schnitzel with mac & cheese and greens (above). I was hoping for a bit of a guilty pleasure, but it fell short in a lot of areas. Mac and cheese was overdone and mild in actual flavour, greens were overdressed, and the schnitzel was a bit too thin so it dried out. A bite of all together was a bit better actually, but every element could have used improvement.

Even though I was full, I acted against my better judgement and ordered the beeramisu (above) because it sounded fun. My biggest complaint about tiramisu is usually that it’s not light enough, so one made with a porter wasn’t likely to impress. It was definitely heavy, but you could pick out the beer which is a positive.

Service and Ambience

One thing I really like is the location of this place: situated on King West just outside the entertainment district, but you don’t have to walk all the way to Portland to find something worth walking into. It’s also got a little patio that makes for great people watching.

I really liked our server. He was friendly, easy-going, and checked back on us frequently to ensure we had everything we needed (bread refills especially). I think part of the charm of this place is that it’s not ‘trendy’. If that’s something you don’t like about Bier Markt, I think you’ll like it here.

The Reco?

If this place didn’t have a killer beer menu, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it very much. The food was decent, but disappointing on more than one occasion. Even though that usually prevents me from recommending somewhere, I’d probably go back and try out more beer and give another dish a shot. Worst case, at least I get a great brew. I’m fine with that. Cheers.

Other reviews:
Caroline’s Culinary Delights

Posted by: Jacob, Visited July 12, 2012

LAMESA: Contemporary Filipino Tasting

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 15:02:00 -0400

647 346 2377 | $35 Five-Course Tasting

I was immediately drawn to the concept at Lamesa for two reasons: it’s a five-course tasting that changes nightly for $35 (win!) and it’s rooted in Filipino cuisine, an under-represented food culture in the Toronto restaurant scene. That was all I needed to know, so I grabbed a group of eight friends and ventured over to the new spot on Queen West to check out what it had to offer.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

So let’s jump right into the tasting menu: it’s composed of an amuse-bouche, a pulutan (small plate, tapas-equivalent), an ulam (main), a pre-dessert and a dessert.

Our amuse was a coconut and corn soup, topped with a chewy piece of bacon for some texture. This may have been one of the best bites of the night. I’m a sucker for great corn flavour and the coconut morphs it just enough to make it different. The bacon bit was also satisfying to munch on afterward.

I then selected the canton noodles with shrimp, beans, carrots, and cabbage for my pulutan. This dish was really clean overall, especially with a healthy squeeze of lemon over top. The shrimp flavour could be tasted throughout, and it was refreshingly devoid of anything overly fatty or oily.

The other pulutan ordered around the table was the ‘halo halo sisig’, a dish of ground pork, chicken and beef with garlic, chillies, tomatoes and onions topped with a fried egg. Some loved it, but some commented it was a bit too salty for them. I’ve been informed the onion and tomato are supposed to balance out the dish, but not sure that happened here. In my bite I also had trouble finding any of the garlic or chillies and felt the egg could have been left runnier for easy mixing (halo halo means to mix around).

The first main to come out was the steak with roasted red pepper, fingerling potatoes, olive tapenade and a pineapple and carrot puree. In concept and look, this dish looks like a standout. Despite the explosive colour, I found the flavour a bit bland. Perhaps the presentation over-promises, but the puree and jus on the plate didn’t deliver much and I couldn’t find the sweetness of the pineapple. That said, the steak was tender and couldn’t have been prepared much better.

The other main was the opposite to the steak dish in many ways. The pork cheek sinigang is a soup, presented here as a deconstruction of sorts, and looked a little bland. However, the tamarind found in the broth delivers a pronounced sour flavour that was probably more assertive than anything on the steak plate.

I see this dish as a bit of an acquired taste. The daikon puree is a bit bitter and when combined with the sour broth may not be your favourite combination. Thankfully, the pork cheek melts in your mouth and again shows these guys are good with their proteins.

The pre-dessert came as a crumbly little cookie that was playfully wrapped in brightly-coloured tissue paper. I’ve been told this is called a polvoron, a beloved cultural treat. It also came laced with a ‘surprise’ ingredient that changes the mouth-feel of the cookie. I won’t divulge what it is, but you’ll know a few seconds after you pop it in.

We had both of the two dessert choices: a maple-custard flan (above) and mini-empanada filled with a little bit of plantain (below). People really enjoyed the flan, with a texture similar to panna cotta and mild maple flavour. I ordered the empanada and was a bit disappointed. The pastry was OK and there was very little plantain to be tasted. Didn’t really get it.

Service and Ambience

I like the inside of the place, clearly designed to complement the more ‘contemporary’ style of the dishes. I was also a fan of the mellow hip-hop being played that keeps the atmosphere chill and casual. The one thing I didn’t get was the flat-screen TVs showing tropical landscapes. Added a bit of cheesiness to an otherwise beautiful room in my opinion.

Our service was excellent throughout the night. Our server ensured we always had a drink if we needed one, and all dishes were explained with careful attention paid to explaining the Filipino origin of the dish. Really appreciated that detail.

The Reco?

I’m really on the fence with the score for Lamesa. I think there were a number of dishes that were just OK and I wouldn’t say I had any ‘wow’ bites. That said, I think the $35 tasting concept is brilliant (even if two of the courses are one bite) and I really enjoyed the service.

I think I would recommend it to others on the basis of value and uniqueness, but not sure if I myself would go back for a second try.

Other reviews:
dine.TO | Food Trippin’

Posted by: Jacob, Visited June 22, 2012

P.S. Special thanks to Sam Chung for the Filipino subtleties.

ND SUSHI: Look past the sign

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:34:00 -0400

416 551 6362 | $3-$12 lunch rolls, $9-$19 boxes

I’ve eaten a lot on Baldwin Street. Having tried almost every spot of interest, you start wondering about places of no interest at all.

My coworkers and I have consistently walked past ND for one reason: the sign yells everything but “we have excellent Japanese cuisine!”. We’d walk down the street to Etsu for our sushi fix, completely ignorant of the quality that lay right before our eyes. Thankfully, I came across blogTO’s very positive write up and decided to walk in one afternoon for lunch. See how it went…

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

We just popped in for lunch, so I’ll call this a mini-review since I’m sure their dinner options are more ambitious.

The lunch menu itself won’t wow you with anything really different; a few apps, udon dishes, bento boxes and rolls are you options. The difference comes in the quality of what arrives at your table.

I know it’s silly, but I’ll start with edamame. Most of us enjoy these absent-mindedly, but I’d swear these were ‘fresher’ than usual. Couldn’t really tell you why or how, but they just were.

After having polished off all the beans, the mains arrived. The first order was a vegetarian box with crispy agedashi tofu, veggie-filled maki, and a great seaweed salad. The presentation was meticulous (shards of nori over the tofu) and all the elements on the plate were beautifully executed. I’m usually not a huge tofu fan, but the textural contrast was dead-on.

Next up was a spicy salmon roll with avocado, crispy tempura bits, and scallion. I’m guessing you’ve had your fare share of of spicy salmon rolls, but here are the little details that shine: the rice falls apart when it hits your mouth, the salmon melts, and you can actually pick out the flavour of the scallions. It’s still just a spicy salmon roll, but I can’t imagine it being done much better.

I decided to go a bit more ambitious for my main and went for the Spicy Rainbow roll. The layering of tuna, salmon, and butter fish with tempura prawn, and avocado running through it called my name on the menu. I put the first one in my mouth with a nice chunk of ginger and it was delicious.

The heat comes from spicy oil drizzled atop that builds as you make your way through the roll. Without the ginger to contrast, I think it overpowered the fresh fish a bit. That said, the textures are excellent throughout and the portion size was also good for a $12 roll.

Service and Ambience

The room itself is pretty bare bones and is surely not meant to be the focus of the experience here. It’s also pretty evident because there are rarely large groups of people inside. With some more positive reviews and a new sign, I could see this place picking up many more loyal customers.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Our server was very pleasant and ensured our water glasses were filled throughout lunch. Unfortunately, it was necessary because (1) there’s no A/C and (2) it took about 30 minutes for the food to come out of the kitchen in a pretty empty restaurant. You can tell your food is made to order, but I wonder if there’s any more than one chef in the kitchen.

The Reco?

I struggled between 2.5 and 3 stars on this, but I think it’s important to promote excellent food even in the presence of some negatives during the service. I used to call Etsu the best sushi on Baldwin, but I’m comfortable crowning ND as the new champ. I’ll be back.

Other reviews:
blogTO

Posted by: Jacob, Visited June 20, 2012

EDULIS: Western Europeish on Niagara

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:58:00 -0400

416 703 4222 | $9-$32 sharing plates

Niagara Street Cafe occupied this same spot just off King West for years, but as of about a month ago, it was reborn as Edulis. What does Edulis mean you ask? It’s a type of porcini mushroom. Who knew? Learn something every day!

The new menu caught my eye, so I decided to bring eight friends to descend upon the restaurant and chow down. Here’s how it went.

Photo Credit: Facebook Page

Food

The changing menu not only features some great shrooms, but offers an eclectic mix of Spanish, French, Italian and more that I’ve yet to find downtown. You’ll see things like paella, sweetbreads, foie gras torchon, lamb neck, ceviche and veal belly among other things, which really makes this menu stand out. Generally, I’m wary of too many cuisines on one menu, but everything just sounded so good.

We were graciously presented with a couple servings of this traditional ‘pintxos’ (spanish amuse-bouche/snack if you will) of olives stuffed with anchovies and spicy guindillo peppers (above). Very traditional salty, spicy, fishy combo with some bread to balance it out. Perfect little bites.

Had some fresh greens (above) to start off with. Not much to say here other than the menu reads ‘Soiled Reputation Greens’, which is just a reference to the name of the farm in Stratford where the greens come from. You won’t get any soil =P

Next up was the foie gras torchon with fresh oregon porcinis stacked with toasts and a pinenut vinaigrette (above). I stay away from foie personally, but my friends quite enjoyed the dish. Fresh, earthy, and nutty are words they uttered along with ‘mmm’. So far so good.

The next dish we ordered was the BC spot prawn ceviche with aji amarillo and cripsy corn. I was an idiot, and mistakenly deleted the picture of my favourite dish of the night. The juicy chunks of prawn were great, but the star was the really bright spicy peruvian chile pepper along the bottom of the plate that brought the dish to life. I’m also a sucker for corn nuts, so the cripsy corn was a great touch for taste and texture. Excellent dish.

Next up was the lamb neck with chickpeas (pieces and puree) and a simple carrot, onion and parsley salad (above). I quite enjoyed the lamb neck and the accompaniments. I’m not sure if it was too simple or I’m just being picky, but I feel like one more element (acid? extra seasoning of some kind?) could have made it just a bit better.

Then came the veal belly that many folks around the table quite enjoyed. I’d never had it before, but it’s like your pork belly texturally, but remove the bacon quotient from it. This dish was also clean, fresh, and straightforward.

A friend of mine wanted a healthy fish dish, so we got her the salmon cooked in cedar leaves with butter poached radishes, wheatberries and pea shoots. The preparation of the salmon was rare and you could really pick out the cedar flavour. That said, she was really hoping for crispy-seared skin on the top. Thought $24 for this portion size was also a tad pricey.

A new item on the menu that night was the soft shell crab ‘schnitzel’ with a fried egg and a bacon salsa verde…how can you not order that? All the combos made sense: deep fried, egg, bacon, seafood, fresh. The bacon flavour wasn’t quite as forward though, so if that’s what caught your attention on the menu, don’t expect tons of bacon. The portion overall is generous though, so you should get your fill of crab.

Another must order on the menu seemed to be the baby octopus paella for two. The chef clearly likes his Spanish food, and I’ve been longing for a great paella in Toronto to bring back memories of Valencia and Barcelona. Unfortunately, two critical things that make paella great were missing: (1) the soccarat and (2) perfectly cooked seafood (found the octopus to be chewy). The soccarat is the carmelized, crispy rice layer on the bottom that forms to give paella its trademark texture. It wasn’t there on arrival, so we let it sit for a while in the hopes it would develop - still no dice. Maybe it’s the pan or something, but it was disappointing for sure.

Next were the sweetbreads with porcini, asparagus and nettle-parsley pesto (above). I enjoyed the deep-woodsy green flavours in this, but found my sweetbreads chewier than I’d like. In my experience, great sweetbreads are juicy, tender, and taste reminiscent of a chicken’s dark meat. Didn’t quite get that here.

While the savoury part of the meal ended on a bit of sour note, I had faith some sweets could resurrect it. Our first order was baba au rhum. I’d never heard of it, but the description of fluffy, semi-rum-saturated cake with whipped cream was enough for me to order it. I’ve read reviews saying they didn’t ‘get it right’, but I really enjoyed it. Nice punchy, deep rum flavour with light cake and cream was just swell for me.

The last bites of the night were taken from a lemon tart with a brunoise of rhubarb and some crunchy crumble (above). Pastry was well done, lemon tart was clean and bright, and the little juicy rhubarb cubes and crumble provided the ideal textural mix for the topping.

Service and Ambience

I love how it feels to sit in this place. It’s homey, comfortable, and looks distinctly like a rustic french cafe/bistro. The polished stone tables give it a bit of class as well that you could say bridge into the somewhat less rustic food preparations.

Photo Credit: Facebook Page

I thought service was great. This was the night of the Union flood, so a lot of our party arrived sporadically late. Thankfully, our server had no problem explaining the menu items and concepts to everyone multiple times, and kept our courses coming out at a pleasant pace. I was also particularly pleased that upon our arrival, we were offered some wines by the glass that are usually only available by the bottle. I happily ordered a spicy Hungarian red on the server’s recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Reco?

I think it needs to be said this menu is ambitious; the scope and depth of European cuisines presented here aren’t easy to pull off. The place is also just a month old, and with more feedback, I believe you’ll see more and more home run dishes being put out of the kitchen. While you might get a miss, you’re also sure to be wowed and I think that’s a real reason to come back. I sure will.

Other reviews:
National Post | dine.TO | Cookbook Store Blog

Posted by: Jacob, Visited June 1, 2012