Showing posts with label cauliflower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cauliflower. Show all posts

Daphne (Toronto)


Daphne occupies a great location and has a beautiful dining room, but their hosting operations needs improvement. They seem to seat people upon arrival, rather than pre-planning arrangements based on reservations, which is how we were sat beside the drafty door despite booking a month in advance.

The menu isn’t overly exciting but offers a safe selection so there will be options for all. A light spread of nibbles started our meal:

  • Olives ($8) – a variety of olives in a light citrus za’atar oil.
  • Bread and butter ($8) – a sizeable basket containing different breads like focaccia, sesame baguette, and whole wheat. They were all soft and fresh and went with nicely with the whipped cultured butter. It would have been even better if the bread was warmed.
  • Little gem salad ($20) – your typical salad that resembled a lightly dressed Ceasar. If it had more of the garlic parmesan dressing it would stand out better but did go with the other bites and kept things light.

If you want to visit Flavour Town, hop on the black truffle pizza ($36) train. While the price may take you aback, the pie does contain slices of the fungi, you’ll find them scattered amongst the thinly sliced potatoes. The soft puffy crust was a tad soggy in the centre, but it wasn’t surprising given the egg that oozes over the pie adding a lovely creaminess. The dish was delicious with the addition of taleggio cheese, potato crema, and herbs.

The duck mafalda ($35) was equally flavourful with the crimped pasta pulling in so much of the shredded duck and spicy sauce into its crevices. Although the dish isn’t the prettiest, I loved the powerful punch of the sauce, which has a pesto-feel but still the freshness of a red sauce.  

For those abstaining from red meat, the tuna ribeye ($65) offers a 16oz hunk of protein that’s great for sharing. We’re warned the chimichurri is spicy, so we asked for the condiment on the side. In reality, there’s not a lick of heat but was heavy on the citrus and was really needed to season the tuna, which otherwise is merely sitting in a muted truffle ponzu.

The fish paired well with the sunchokes ($16), the root vegetables well roasted and tossed with sunflower tahini, brown butter, and caramelized honey that created a tasty crust. These would even work well with the little gem salad.

I can see why the cauliflower ($32) is considered a main. An entire head of the vegetable arrives covered with sauces so there’s a heartiness even without protein. Elements like the basil herb sauce gave it a freshness while the roasted grapes some sweetness. Still, it’s a lot for one person so is best shared with a large group.

I would not save room for dessert. If I liked chocolate, the Daphne bar ($16) was tasty, like a tuxedo cake in bar form with its dark chocolate mousse and caramel wrapped in a soft chocolate ganache. Alas, chocolate and I have a difficult relationship.  

We had high hopes for the coconut cream pie ($17), but it resembled a white chocolate mousse rather than pie as the dessert lacked the salty crust element. The passionfruit gel was also too tropical and took away from richness I expected from a cream pie. If anything, it’s pretty to look at.

Strawberry shortcake ($18) is usually one of my favourite desserts, but Daphne’s was terrible… give me a supermarket version any day. The makrut lime cream was overpowering giving the cake a lemongrass flavour and the black sesame adding an earthy nuttiness that didn’t compliment the strawberries.

Daphne will likely draw a corporate crowd with its well-situated Financial District location, safe menu, and opulence without being too fussy. But if you’re celebrating a special occasion, this isn’t the restaurant - it lacks the pre-planning and warm hospitality you’d want for that event.

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: truffle pizza, duck mafalda
  • Just skip: desserts

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 67 Richmond Street West


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

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Alobar Yorkville (Toronto)


After opening the best restaurant in Canada and one of the fanciest diners in Toronto, what else can Chef Patrick Kriss do? He’s stepped out of their Queen West building and into Yorkville where the newest edition, Alo Bar, resides. Somewhere in between the tasting menu and casual eats spectrum, Alo Bar offers an a la carte menu with fancier dishes in a cozy dark environment.

As with all of their restaurants, you’ll be served fantastic bread. At Alo Bar, a cube of buttery brioche that’s so fluffy and aromatic that no condiments are needed. Even the hunks of sourdough that comes with the burrata ($16) is dangerously delicious, well grilled so it gives off a lovely smokiness amongst a liberal drizzle of olive oil. It’s so good that it almost steals the show. 



Nevertheless, the burrata is comforting, sitting in a pool of vibrant olive oil with figs done two ways – fresh and preserved in mustard oil, which is a delicious compliment with the neutral cheese and toasted bread.


For a dish that’s normally lighter, Alo Bar’s tuna tartare ($24) can hold up against beef any day. The delicate fish is chopped into small pieces and when mixed with the seasonings, copious amounts of grated truffle, and chanterelles becomes a rich spread against the thin rice chips. 


With a variety of sides, many could work as starters. I could barely make out the shishito peppers ($10) under the salty cotija cheese and creamy garlic sauce with a dash of tajin (a Mexican pepper seasoning)… there’s seriously more toppings than peppers. If you’re not a fan of vegetables, I can see this side being a great option. For me, it was too overpowering. 


The French fries ($10) were thin and crispy and would have been perfect if they weren’t SO salty. The only way to neutralize the flavours was to dip it in the aioli to form a barrier against the salt and my tongue. If only I could actually taste the potatoes. 


Even the cauliflower ($12) was heavy, despite the menu describing it as being accompanied with grape, mint, and almond. The combination was covered with a sweet syrup and the cauliflower cut into such small pieces and so well roasted with oil that it almost seemed deep fried. By the middle of the mains, I was seriously craving something fresh.

Something like the wedge salad ($18) that came at the beginning of the meal would be nice. The fourme d’ambert dressing brings a taste of blue cheese, but it’s sweeter and milder. Bits of bacon are mixed into nutty grains that goes surprisingly well with the crunchy iceberg lettuce. For a seemingly simple salad, it tastes surprisingly complex.


Maybe it was just our menu choices, but we ordered everything that’s sinfully opulent. By itself, the agnolotti ($28) is already a fairly flavourful pasta - stuffed with a sweet potato, parmesan, and piquillo pepper mixture so there’s a sweet, savoury, and spicy element. This is then covered with a cream sauce that’s undeniably rich, reminding you why the dish is more French than Italian.


It seems like the Muscovy duck ($42) is dry aged, so the meat is gamier than normal. Yet, you almost need a stronger flavour to hold up against the star anise flavour, which gives it an earthy licorice taste. Personally, I preferred the duck plain since the breast was cooked beautifully with a crispy skin. Save the bites of salty confit leg with poached plum for the end.


Be sure to save room for dessert. Alo Bar’s chocolate cake ($14) arrives as a slab with beautiful layers, each bite dense, creamy, and chocolatey. It would be nice if the caramel ice cream was replaced with something stronger ... a coffee based ice cream with a hint of bitterness would be great with the chocolate cake.


The menu’s description of the cheesecake ($14) doesn’t do the dessert justice… after all, does one get excited over cheesecake with cherries? Yet, when the Basque-style cheesecake arrived, the brûlée exterior was so dark that we thought it was chocolate. Upon cutting into the sizeable cake, we're greeted with a white creamy interior. It’s a luscious cake that’s sweet and cheesy, the caramelized sugar crust going nicely with the sour cherry jam. If you only have room for a single dessert, I highly recommend this one.


After experiencing the magic of Alo and Aloette, it’s difficult not to have high expectations. While Alo Bar is good, I didn’t leave with that same sense of excitement. Nonetheless, it’s a good option in Yorkville and Alo Bar’s lounge atmosphere is ideal for a night out. Consequently, if you’re looking for a quiet romantic meal, the loud music with bass vibrating through the banquette may not be the best option. Of course, it’s Yorkville and the neighbourhood parties. Now, with rich indulgent dishes, Alo-style.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 162 Cumberland Street

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this: