 
Tried this new restaurant for Winterlicious lunch ($23). Very busy and packed; good food, small portions; room for improvement in the cleanliness of their dishes (sugar/cream set). I loved the Ginger Carrot Soup and I'm really into wine these days - Ruffino Pinot Grigio. The garlic shrimp on toast was good too.
Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Sweet Potato Puree, Caponata and Smoke Chipotle Aioli
Crackling Roasted Cornish Hen
Candied Apples, Root Vegetables, Spinach, Pan Jus
I never order chicken but this was the best/most special main - crispy outside, moist inside.
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Wedge Salad (nice plate)
poached shrimp, fennel, orange, pickled onion, radish, buttermilk dressing
Roasted Trout (local)
celery, beans, legumes, lemon crème fraîche, cashew brown butter
Chèvre Noir
pear compote, gingerbread
I was so hesitant to return to Luma for Winterlicious because a) the first time wasn't that great and b) the gimmick is not really exciting for me anymore. But because our first choice Adega was full and it was time for a girls reunion, I booked Luma again for the $35 dinner - average food, but pretty good environment for small group dinner. And actually, I was pleasantly surprised by my choices. The poached shrimp looks plain, but it was pretty good in texture, very smooth (滑 &爽) and pretty big portion. Trout dish was pretty natural and healthy, not a fan of the white beans. And the dessert - a very strong cheese, toned down with the pairing of gingerbread crisp and sweet pear compote. Overall not the best menu on paper, but turned out to be a pretty good night with good company.
Came here for Summerlicious 2015 lunch. Mmm.. the Kung Pao Cauliflower was hands down the best dish – deep fried and spicy. Brussels sprout was good too, with a soft poached egg. The fish I think was trout, served with greens and thin chips.
Recommended by the owner of Ferreira in Montreal, we ventured out to Chiado to try some Portuguese seafood for Winterlicious lunch - $28. (They raised the prices this year!) The space is pretty nice; the main area more old world while the inside dining room more modern.
To start, I had the Salmon Tartar. Fresh salmon with finely chopped apples and avocado mousse - very delicate presentation but just thought it was a bit too sour.
$25 Lunch
Canadian (New)
188 University Ave
For my final Summerlicious, I went to Bosk for lunch with family & B. Located in the lobby of the beautiful Shangri-La hotel, the restaurant itself is quite simple for a five star hotel, with light wood for a comfortable and organic feel. Service could be improved (eg. reception was rude and unfriendly, bus boy) but I was pleasantly surprised with the food quality.
Foccacia with fennel seed and garlic aioli
- Super soft and delicious. I loved this by itself and with the aioli. Not served hot, but still one of the best bread I've had.
Seared Albacore Tuna
- Great soft tuna with lime dressing
- Not a fan of the peanuts pairing or rice noodle though
Other appetizer was Heirloom Tomato Soup
- Had a few sips and wow! bursting with tomato flavor! It was very good and surprisng; not sour, but rather the fresh taste of natural tomatoes
Flat Iron Steak
- Nice salty crust on the steak and cooked to medium rare, juicy
- Fan of polenta fritter (although the batter was a bit thick for my personal taste)
- Love the daikon in the sweet sauce
- Again, oriental fusion with the green onion
Lois Lake Steelhead Salmon w couscous, tomato
- Salmon was bland
- Couscous was ok though, again with the fresh, flavorful heirloom tomatoes
Mango Pudding w sago, lime sorbet, coconut crisp
- Mango pudding was dense, but good paired with the sour lime sorbet (warning: very sour! But refreshing pairing so I didn't mind)
Dark Chocolate Mousse w chocolate soil, coffee granite, condensed milk syrup
- Beautiful presentation, looked like a plant in a glass, added touch with the purple flowers
- Not a fan of chocolate mousse but this was well balanced with the crumbles and I really enjoyed it!
Verdict: Great food (taste, presentation, innovation). Worth checking out for $25 Summerlicious!
Canadian (New)
188 University Ave
For my final Summerlicious, I went to Bosk for lunch with family & B. Located in the lobby of the beautiful Shangri-La hotel, the restaurant itself is quite simple for a five star hotel, with light wood for a comfortable and organic feel. Service could be improved (eg. reception was rude and unfriendly, bus boy) but I was pleasantly surprised with the food quality.
Foccacia with fennel seed and garlic aioli
- Super soft and delicious. I loved this by itself and with the aioli. Not served hot, but still one of the best bread I've had.
Seared Albacore Tuna
- Great soft tuna with lime dressing
- Not a fan of the peanuts pairing or rice noodle though
Other appetizer was Heirloom Tomato Soup
- Had a few sips and wow! bursting with tomato flavor! It was very good and surprisng; not sour, but rather the fresh taste of natural tomatoes
Flat Iron Steak
- Nice salty crust on the steak and cooked to medium rare, juicy
- Fan of polenta fritter (although the batter was a bit thick for my personal taste)
- Love the daikon in the sweet sauce
- Again, oriental fusion with the green onion
Lois Lake Steelhead Salmon w couscous, tomato
- Salmon was bland
- Couscous was ok though, again with the fresh, flavorful heirloom tomatoes
Mango Pudding w sago, lime sorbet, coconut crisp
- Mango pudding was dense, but good paired with the sour lime sorbet (warning: very sour! But refreshing pairing so I didn't mind)
Dark Chocolate Mousse w chocolate soil, coffee granite, condensed milk syrup
- Beautiful presentation, looked like a plant in a glass, added touch with the purple flowers
- Not a fan of chocolate mousse but this was well balanced with the crumbles and I really enjoyed it!
Verdict: Great food (taste, presentation, innovation). Worth checking out for $25 Summerlicious!
Summerlicious $15 Lunch
Canadian (New)
401 Bay St / Queen
A quick summerlicious lunch with B at yet another O&B restaurant. Didn't expect it to be so casual cafeteria style, but food was decent!
Salt-Baked Beets - split and sweet pea hummus, grapefruit, grenadine
Fresh, soft red & golden beets with nice presentation. Love the hummus and the kick from the grapefruit and seeds.
Roast Peameal Bacon Melt - bannock sauerkraut, cheddar, smoked tomato marmalade
Bacon and flatbrad (bannock?) was tough, but I loved the sauerkraut and tomato marmalade - the sweet and spicy combintation reminded me of kimchi! Served with taro chips - my favorite!
O&B Artisan Croissant Bread Pudding- spiced chocolate, peanut butter, kaffir lime
This was more of a dense/eggy cake, not the moist custard-drenched bread pudding I like, but I did like the chocolate sauce.
Cortland Apple Fritter - maple and cider dulce de leche
Like giant timbits! I like the berry compote and dulce de leche.
Overall, I enjoyed my lunch here. Great Canadian classics with a twist.
Summerlicious $35 Dinner
French
4 Front St E
Came to O&B's (@Oliver_Bonacini) Biff's Bistro for dinner with 2 friends. A nice, simple meal in a quiet, French setting.
Salmon Tartare with Belgian endive, zucchini ribbons & Espelette mayo
I liked this and it was great paired with the thin, slightly bitter endive - something different than pairing with toasts. The mayo was good too. There was a lot of thin carrot ribbons.
Also shared half a dozen of buck a shuck oysters. They were a BC variety, too fishy for my taste.
Beef Steak Diane with mushroom peppercorn ragoût & pommes écrasées
Nice charred crust but it was not as rare as I wanted for a medium rare. While it was tender, it was also quite fiberous/difficult to cut and could be more juicy. I liked the mushrooms, green beans and potatoes.
Bordelle de Fraise with French meringue, Ontario strawberries, rhubarb compote & Chantilly
Essentially strawberries and whipped cream, this was a nice sweet & sour combination. Very simple pairing of strawberries, rhubarb, light Chantilly and French meringue bits. (But the spoon was a bit big for the jar)
We sat inside and I love the French bistro décor (sat near the bar) - very comfortable and cozy yet classy and great place for quiet conversation. Service was ok but I found that the server interrupted a few times. Also the bread was very hard & difficult to bite.
Verdict: Dishes were very standard yet well executed. Good for dates or small intimate groups.
French
4 Front St E
Came to O&B's (@Oliver_Bonacini) Biff's Bistro for dinner with 2 friends. A nice, simple meal in a quiet, French setting.
Salmon Tartare with Belgian endive, zucchini ribbons & Espelette mayo
I liked this and it was great paired with the thin, slightly bitter endive - something different than pairing with toasts. The mayo was good too. There was a lot of thin carrot ribbons.
Also shared half a dozen of buck a shuck oysters. They were a BC variety, too fishy for my taste.
Beef Steak Diane with mushroom peppercorn ragoût & pommes écrasées
Nice charred crust but it was not as rare as I wanted for a medium rare. While it was tender, it was also quite fiberous/difficult to cut and could be more juicy. I liked the mushrooms, green beans and potatoes.
Bordelle de Fraise with French meringue, Ontario strawberries, rhubarb compote & Chantilly
Essentially strawberries and whipped cream, this was a nice sweet & sour combination. Very simple pairing of strawberries, rhubarb, light Chantilly and French meringue bits. (But the spoon was a bit big for the jar)
We sat inside and I love the French bistro décor (sat near the bar) - very comfortable and cozy yet classy and great place for quiet conversation. Service was ok but I found that the server interrupted a few times. Also the bread was very hard & difficult to bite.
Verdict: Dishes were very standard yet well executed. Good for dates or small intimate groups.
I visited Shibui for their $25 Summerlicious dinner. It's seems like a pretty good deal for four courses (2 apps, main protein + veg, dessert), but order a $10 drink or $20 sake pairing and it adds up!
Couldn't resist getting a drink. Ume Yuzu Mojito - very refreshing from the shiso leaf, love the yuzu flavor; alcohol wasn't strong!
To start I had the Crispy Rice with Salmon. The rice wasn't crispy.
Next came the Shibui Salmon Maki - average spicy salmon rolls, 8 pieces!! B had Pirikara Ebi Maki - crispy fried shrimp on top of the avocado roll. Didn't like this one; couldn't taste shrimp.
For main, I chose Black Cod in Miso Glaze with Asparagus. Thick, soft and meaty with a sweet glaze. The sweet potato was good also. Pork belly was a bit dry for my taste.
Second time at Auberge and while the menu wasn't as great as Summerlicious 2012, I still had a wonderful lunch in this cozy relaxing environment. Once again we were seated in the front dining room.. If I ever come again I want to sit inside!
I love warm bread. This was delicious with the artichoke spread and we got seconds :)
Love this warm soup! Slightly cheesy, slightly sweet from the onions, and sharp green onion to balance it all out.
Mom's starter. Huge portion! Dressing was nice and light, i like the blue cheese in small bits.
Love the sweet dressing on the spinach! First time trying confit - it tastes like smoked duck. Salty for my taste but balanced out by the cute sweet onions. First time trying gnocchi - always thought it was like a chewy pasta, but it's just little mashed potato pillows.
Now this is the texture I like - not too creamy, more solid. Nice presentation again.
Verdict: food, ambiance, service all good. Fav was the soup!
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I love warm bread. This was delicious with the artichoke spread and we got seconds :)
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| Salt-Baked Potato Soup ~ bacon lardons, candied onions, XO Gouda |
Love this warm soup! Slightly cheesy, slightly sweet from the onions, and sharp green onion to balance it all out.
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| Pear and Kale Salad |
Mom's starter. Huge portion! Dressing was nice and light, i like the blue cheese in small bits.
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| Smoked Salmon Rilette |
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| Gnocchi a la Parisenne ~ chicken leg confit, cipollini onions, spinach, apple cider glaze |
Love the sweet dressing on the spinach! First time trying confit - it tastes like smoked duck. Salty for my taste but balanced out by the cute sweet onions. First time trying gnocchi - always thought it was like a chewy pasta, but it's just little mashed potato pillows.
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| Cardamom Creme Brulee |
Now this is the texture I like - not too creamy, more solid. Nice presentation again.
Verdict: food, ambiance, service all good. Fav was the soup!
350 King St W, TIFF Bell Lightbox
Canadian/Contemporary
O&B
Lunch $20
July 19 2013
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| ALBACORE TUNA SASHIMI wasabi oil, melon, cucumber and shiso |
Luma was my only Summerlicious this year 'cause all the other ones I wanted were full and this one seemed close to work for lunch. Definitely a lot more casual and louder than the other O&B ones I've been to. Tuna sashimi was soft but warm.
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| CHILLED SWEET CORN + ONION SOUP chili oil and basil |
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| SLOW COOKED LAMB SHOULDER pesto couscous, piperade and toasted pine nuts |
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| MUSHROOM + RICOTTA LASAGNA peas and pecorino cream |
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| COCONUT MILK + LEMONGRASS PANA COTTA pineapple, passion fruit and mint |
This was my favorite course of the three. Pana cotta was so soft, silky smooth!! So milky with a hit of citrus.. and all the concentrated lemongrass flavor sitting at the bottom.
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| LAVENDER PEACH cornbread and verbena |
Cornbread was dry and hard..
Overall I'd say the Mains and Pana Cotta were the best prepared..
After this lunch.. food journey continues to Magnum Pleasure Store & Butter Avenue!
