Mimi J.
Yelp
WOW, EASILY 5 stars! I haven't been this impressed in a long time.
I don't know why I waited so long to come here...likely since it was a bit far from downtown, but really only about 20 mins, so I had no excuse! (And you don't either)!
I tried:
- Charcuterie board (small): pleasantly surprised at the quality of the board given it was only $16 for the smaller portion!
o It came with 3 meats and 3 cheeses; the meats are made in-house, and literally melted in your mouth...I was super satisfied, and it blew other boards out of the water that I've tried! I especially loved the duck.
o I would probably get the larger size next time.
o There was also pickled jalapenos, pickles, two chunky sauces, and a pickle-based chunky sauce too, as well as beets! It was a stunning variety.
o Starting off with this board put a huge smile on my face, as I anticipated what was to come next!
- Scallops (small portion): it would be hard to decide between this and the confit as my favourite dish of the evening. The broth/sauce they were in was HEAVENLY. I seriously used all the bread to soak it up and wiped the plate clean. I would seriously BUY vats of this sauce if they sold it...it is THAT good.
o The little shrimps didn't add much value to the dish, however.
- Duck confit (large portion): You NEED to get this; if it's the ONLY thing you get, order this! It is the richest dish, but chock full of flavour, plus a nice mix of tender duck meat and crispy duck skin...divine. The goat cheese it came with made it even more rich, but the sweet pears cut the fattiness a bit. The interesting part was the spiralized potatoes, which was texturally a nice crispy contrast against the tender duck. I'm drooling just thinking about this dish!!!
- Seared foie gras: this went really well with the figs that were on top; the slight sweetness contrasted nicely with the rich oiliness of the foie. The brioche bread was also super soft and oily, so the entire dish was a bit too rich. Ideally, I would of just had the foie with the figs. The pine nuts added even more oiliness that was not necessary in my opinion!
- Tea (assam satrupa): I thought this tea would be really interesting since it had notes of tobacco, malt, and toasted grains, but it was more like a normal black tea but with some herbal, grassy notes. Easily drinkable and smooth with some milk and sugar!
The service was professional and bilingual, and prompt. The interiors were very lovely...everywhere, there is recessed lighting so it's soft, and there's enough activity going on for it to be interesting but not too loud. Next time, I will sit at the bar and see what that experience is like (the kitchen is partially open)!!!
One thing that made me sad was that I saw lamb pappardelle on their website, but they only had lamb sweet breads...once they actually get the lamb pappardelle back, I'll definitely be going to try it!
Overall, stellar experience and I will be back for sure! I already want to come back for my birthday.
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Edit (Oct 27, 2018): I actually came back again within 2 weeks since I loved it so much! This time I sat at the bar, so I could see the action in the kitchen, and got the Table d'hôte which is $59, and a good deal.
The soup was hearty, a pureed vegetable with melted cheese bits.
The salad was either a regular spring mix or an avocado one (extra charge); I saw the avocado salad come out and it looked amazing, piled high with bacon and large pieces of pecorino cheese, so I upgraded to that. Super impressed with the blend of flavours of avocado, pear, and basil...it went perfectly with the olive oil + balsamic sauce!
For the main, I got the scallops, since they were my favourite the last time, and it was just as good. I still wish I could just purchase the sauce.
For dessert, I chose the flourless chocolate terrine, which was dense, rich, but not overpoweringly so. I even got a small sample of some panna cotta + honeycomb as a bonus right before dessert!
The best part was being able to see the Chef meticulously finish each dish, and see the kitchen at work! A lot more fun than sitting at the tables.
Also, that night was the first snowfall of the season, so it looked extra beautiful outside, as the lights outside the building shone on the snow-covered trees...super romantic!
Overall, service was amazing, watching the kitchen was entertaining, and all dishes were executed well. I've been recommending this restaurant to everyone! :)
