Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

Roses Cocina (Toronto)

Posted on Monday, May 08, 2023 by

Located on the second floor of Toronto’s Hotel X, Roses Cocina’s expansive corner lot windows provide a glimpse of downtown Toronto’s lakefront. In fact, time your dinner reservation right and on a clear day you may even get a glimpse of a beautiful sunset.

Roses’ Mexican influenced menu combines Mexican spices with more localized ingredients to create fresh and flavourful dishes. It’s not authentic and not even the “Tex-Mex” that’s described by Google, but one thing’s for sure, you’ll experience some heat.

Using smaller bay scallops in their ceviche ($22) was a smart choice as a larger crustacean can sometimes give off a gummy texture. Yet, I found the dish more crudo than ceviche as the acidic juices weren’t left on long enough to permeate the whole scallops (cutting them in half may help speed up the process).

The avocado was a smart pairing with the scallops, adding a lovely creaminess, but the dish contained too much red onion and lime, their strong pungent flavours detracting the scallops’ sweetness. The ceviche could have also benefited from more salt, especially since it wasn’t served with whole chips to scoop onto, which would have given it that seasoned crunchy bite.

Roses’ chopped salad ($20) had a kick from the chipotle ranch dressing covering a host of crunchy vegetables (romaine, slaw, and onions). Finished with savoury avocado cotija, shredded cheese, and tortilla crumble, there’s a satisfying richness to the greens. I just wish we thought to have it served alongside our main as the flavourful creaminess of the salad would go nicely with chicken.

You can certainly share the half chicken ($33) amongst two, the dish arriving with plenty of de-boned fowl slathered in an orange chipotle glaze there’s added a lovely smoky, sweet, and spicy taste. The first bites were so juicy and satisfying, but because the restaurant (like many hotels) was cold and drafty, the dish cooled down so quickly that by my second helping it wasn’t nearly as great. Do yourself a favour and eat this fast.  

The chicken paired nicely with the tomato and chorizo rice ($15), which was substantial enough to be a main - big chunks of tender spicy chorizo, mixed with a flavourful tomato rice studded with beans, and enhanced with fragrant scallions and crispy shallots. Once again, eat it while it’s hot.

Roses Cocina just does carbs right. In fact, one of the dinner’s highlights was their complimentary bread - a warm squash brioche served with honey butter dusted with chipotle seasoning. Yes, each fluffy bite was as flavourful as it sounds. I would have been happy having another one of these buns for dessert.

There never seems to be enough cheesecake crust to go around. Roses solved this dilemma by surrounding their margarita cheesecake ($14) with three thin crispy graham crackers. It’s an interesting choice as the savoury buttery crust gives the vanilla lime cheesecake that slightly salty zing, you’d normally find around a margherita glass. I just wish the tequila flavour was more pronounced in the margarita gel.

When summer arrives, Roses Cocina will be creating an outdoor patio along the balcony. What a great location to head to before a concert at Ontario Place or after a walk along the waterfront or the Ex. One thing’s for sure, Roses Cocina will give the Exhibition’s churros and tacos a run for their money. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in the mission statement, I will always provide my honest opinion. 

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 111 Princes' Blvd, 2nd floor (in Hotel X)


 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!

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Naan and Kabob (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2016 by

In Toronto, we’re blessed to be able to eat cuisines from so many cultures. Up until recently, I’ve never experienced Afghan dishes: the spiced meats, herbed yoghurt or fruit studded rice. The tastes are familiar – Persian, Indian, and Middle Eastern – but it’s still unique and the spices balanced and not quite as overwhelming for a virgin palette.

You have to try the mantu (5 for $6.99 or 10 for $10.99), they’re fantastic. Square shaped dumplings filled with sautéed onions and ground beef pinched into an ultra-thin wrapper. Generally, I find dumplings need to be piping hot to be at their peak, however, mantus are topped with a light garlicky yoghurt, stewed split peas and mint making it equally delicious cold.

For a heavier appetizer, the bolanee’s ($6.99) potato filling wrapped in a thin pan fried naan will satisfy. The mixture is studded with green onions and herbs, but there’s also a hit of heat that sneaks up on you. Since they don’t use a lot of fats at Naan and Kabob, the bolanee is rather dry; a dip into yogurt or the “magic sauce” really helps.


You can’t visit the restaurant without trying their namesake kabobs. Each is served with salad and fresh naan (more like a thick dry crusty flatbread than the flakey soft Indian counterparts). It’s worth paying the extra $1.50 to add rice, the long grains are perfect for mixing with pieces of meat and the accompanying sauces. For another $1.50 the rice can be topped with qabli, a mixture of re-hydrated raisins and slivered carrots, which keeps the rice moist and adds sweetness.


Having tried two pieces of the classic chicken breast kabob ($9.49) throughout the evening, it was a hit or miss. The first piece was the typical dry unappealing chicken – the output of something skinless and boneless. Meanwhile, a later piece was juicy and tender. 


If you’d rather stick with chicken (lamb is a more popular Afghan protein), I’d go with the tandoori breast kabob ($9.99) instead, which was succulent every time having been marinated and cooked at a higher temperature. Moreover, the tandoori spices adds flavour so you don’t need to rely on the hot or magic sauce for taste.


Their shish kabob ($8.40) takes ground beef and a house blend of Afghani herbs and spices then forms it onto skewers before grilling. It’s a tasty combination of seasoning and the sprinkling of lentils (?) put into the meat helps to seal in juices.


You can tell the kids that the chaplee ($9.49) are burgers with the naan substituting for the bun. The ground beef patties are more flavourful than the North American version, but also leaner and thoroughly cooked through.


Naan and Kabob only has one dessert, a firni ($2.49), but it’s a delicious one. After a heavier meal of rice and meat, it’s nice to end with a lightly sweetened rosewater milk dessert, its texture a cross between pudding and mousse, oh so silky.


There’s also a mango smoothie ($3.49) available, it’s a thinner consistency that makes it more like juice. For something really different try the doogh ($2.29), a water and yoghurt drink topped with dried mint. It takes some getting used to as the drink is salty, so works better when you’re eating the kabobs.


A portion of Naan and Kabob’s proceeds is given to Covenant House. But, they don’t stop at just donating money; the restaurant also provides youth job opportunities so they can get culinary training and develop their skills. A commendable endeavor the four-restaurant chain has implemented to give back to their GTA community. 

 Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1780 Markham Road
 Website: http://nandk.ca/

 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!

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Naan and Kabob Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Maillard meats delivered to your home

Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2016 by

For a person who loves food, I don’t particularly love cooking. It’s not a chore I hate and will cook about twice a week, but all the steps leading up to actually preparing the meal (grocery shopping and prep work) seems to take so much time. Meal kit delivery companies help reduce the effort, but may not be the optimal choice for people who like to create – after all, cooking is an art form combining ingredients to create something new. 

A company that delivers groceries can help save time and effort. Hence, when I was approached by Maillard, a Canadian company supplying premium meats across the country, to experience a selection of their offerings, my inner carnivore did a happy dance.

Maillard prides themselves by offering meat free of artificial colouring – those vibrantly red steaks you can see in grocery markets may not necessarily be natural. Moreover, except for the flattened chicken, everything is prepared and flash frozen in their facilities before being shipped as quickly as possible to ensure fresh products.

Meat is sent in an isotherm cooler packed with dry ice keeping products frozen for 30 hours – it’s quite a scene as you open cardboard box, lift the bags of dry ice and the smoke billows out (just take care not to touch the dry ice). Everything arrives separated and beautifully wrapped … a gift idea for any meat lover in your life.

My first dinner consisted of the flattened chicken ($21.24). Since it was fully prepared, my finishing touch was simply to marinate it in peri peri (a recipe is available on Maillard’s website, but I just used a bottle of Nando’s sauce) and bake the bird following the requisite time included on the packaging. It resulted in a lovely golden juicy chicken that cooked surprisingly fast (45 minutes) since it was flattened.


Using the trimmed boneless chicken breasts ($9.10 for pack of two), I whipped up a quick Cajun chicken for a weeknight meal. Even after fileting them (for a shorter cooking time), the chicken came out surprisingly moist.


Recipes suggest brining the Frenched bone-in pork chop ($6) prior to cooking as the meat is relatively lean and tends to dry out. Despite every intention to follow the advice, life took over and that evening I ended up slathering on an herb meat glaze and baking. Trust me, you don’t need to spend the extra time brining; the pork chop turned out succulent and one of best I’ve ever prepared.  


Since a boneless duck breast ($10.15) was included in the package, I expanded my cooking repertoire at home. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult to prepare – you score the fat, slowly render skin side down in a pan, and finish off in a hot oven with a swish of maple syrup. In my haste to taste the duck I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Next time, I’d definitely render the skin longer as there was still a bit of chewiness, but the duck meat was delicious and the quality comparable to restaurants.


Maillard’s products labelled as ‘Sélection 1913’ are their best cuts sourced from the highest grades (AAA and Prime), some are even aged 45 – 60 days to further enhance flavours. The 45-day aged boneless ribeye ($20.62) we sampled was fantastic crusted in Montreal steak spice and barbequed. The ribeye had such a lovely marbling throughout and the expected beefy taste (don’t you hate it when a steak looks great but tastes mild?)


If there are specific meats and cuts you’d like, items can be purchased on its own. For better value try their boxes containing 10-40 servings reducing the price per portion and providing variety. One like the ‘All Natural Box’ is $175 and includes steaks, ground beef, pork chop, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, chicken legs & drumsticks, and marinated chicken skewers, all together serving 40 portions.

For those who love great luxurious meats and also want to save time, having Maillard delivery a box to your house may be an ideal treat. And for those who still love to great creative - hopefully, Maillard will let out your inner ‘artist’ so you can transform ingredients and develop a beautiful and delicious dish.

 As a special for Gastro World readers, Maillard is offering you 10% off orders $50+ and free shipping! Just use promo code gastro10 on their website.

Disclaimer: The above meat delivery was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

CLOSED: Chabrol (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, May 07, 2016 by
Chabrol Toronto
Ruth Reichl writes in Garlic and Sapphires, “Restaurants free us from mundane reality; that is part of their charm. When you walk through the door, you are entering neutral territory where you are free to be whoever you choose for the duration of the meal.” Dining at Chabrol provides this illusion, suddenly I’m transported to Southern France, stepping into a quaint café, sipping wine as I joke around with a handsome tattooed French man.

The smell of melting butter and cooking shellfish is intoxicating, I was marveled by Chef Penfold’s ability to produce such delicious creations from two induction burners that makes my four top range at home look palatial.


Although the cool riesling poached foie gras ($19) had a silky smooth consistency that simply glided across the tongue, its slightly gamey after taste threw me off. I tried to mute it by using the refreshing black currant sauce smeared on the plate.

Chabrol Toronto: foie gras

Baked in parchment paper, the papillote of whitefish ($29) steams in its own juices and leeks infuse their aromatic essence into it. Cooked to perfection, the light fish was flaky and moist. The fish was accompanied with sea asparagus (like thinner French beans) and swiss chard before being topped off with vermouth beurre blanc at the table.

Chabrol Toronto: white fish

The ballotine of chicken ($29) was the sole disappointing dish. To be fair, my dinner companions enjoyed it and perhaps it’s because I tasted the chicken last and received an end piece but found the meat dry and tasteless. Trying to revive the chicken by dipping it into the vibrant green watercress soubise was no help as my taste buds have a heightened sense for bitter flavours. At least the roasted fennel and apple were good, but these sides can hardly save an entire dish.

Chabrol Toronto: chicken

All can be forgotten as Chabrol’s ttoro ($29), a bouillabaisse from Southern France, is simply sublime. The rich seafood broth is infused with green peppers, garlic and such a well-rounded feel from saffron. As the soup is dispensed at the table, the fragrance is so tantalizing that it took immense self-control to not dig in while the pouring continued. Of course, the seafood was well executed: the fish flaky, the mussels juicy and shrimps sweet.

Chabrol Toronto: Ttoro

Best yet, with the dish, the sommelier gave us a lesson as to what Chabrol means: essentially adding a splash of wine to dilute the remaining broth, bringing the bowl to your lips and finishing everything off straight from the bowl. We didn’t gulp the remnants, instead using it to dunk more of the great in-house baked crusty bread into. Forget letting the alcohol burn off, the remaining concoction tastes of wine, a dish straddling between food and drink.

Chabrol Toronto: chabrol

Do yourself a favour and get an order of the potato gratin ($12); not only does it smell amazing, the taste rendered me speechless. The thinly sliced potatoes are covered with a rich cantal cheese mixture (a semi-hard cheese that’s similar to aged cheddar) and thyme. Getting an order of this with a side salad would make for a perfect meal in itself.

Chabrol Toronto: potato gratin

After hearing so much about Chabrol’s apple tarte ($13), I couldn’t leave without trying it. Chef Penfold painstakingly stands over a double boiler whisking together eggs, sugar and calvados (an apple brandy produced in Normandy) until it becomes a smooth luscious sabayon. Indeed, it takes a while, but it’s well worth the wait and if you’re in a rush just order the dessert before the mains are complete.

Chabrol Toronto: apple tartThe large disc of puff pastry is airy and crisp; despite the strong buttery essence it wasn’t greasy. Ample amounts of paper-thin apples rests on top and the liberal dusting of sugar sweetens it just enough. It’s a fantastic dessert, the best I’ve had over the last year.  

Normally, I’d prefer sitting at a table, but gathering around the bar makes for such a jovial atmosphere. Where else can you joke with the handsome sommelier and converse with other diners? Even Niall McCotter, co-owner of the restaurant, swung by a few times to chat with us. He informed us that in the summer Chabrol will be expanding outdoors with an additional 20 seats, an outdoor kitchen and a champagne cart (which may or may not be manned by McCotter himself).

Thank you Chabrol for the delightful dinner and for a couple of hours freeing me from the cold Toronto winter … instead transporting me into a warm and welcoming French café.  


Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 90 Yorkville Avenue


 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!

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CLOSED: Mesa Grill (Bahamas)

Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2014 by
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas 
Address: 1 Casino Drive West (inside The Cove at the Atlantis)
Type of Meal: Dinner

 During our last visit to Atlantis, a conference was taking place and snapping up reservations at many restaurants across the resort. Mesa Grill was one of those spots that was booked solid for dinner. It was a bit disappointing I wouldn’t be able to eat at Bobby Flay’s 6th restaurant in his budding empire. I enjoy the Food Network – not as a learning mechanism, but rather to salivate at the dishes being displayed. Chef Flay’s creations, to me, had always seemed down-to-earth but promised to be packed of flavours.

Five years later, during a brief return visit, my chance to dine at Mesa Grill was fulfilled. Moreover, this time we were staying at the Cove (one of the many buildings at Atlantis), so dining there was even easier since it was but steps from the elevator bank. The stars couldn’t align any better.

The restaurant is spacious with tables everywhere – which made it that much more surprising we weren’t able to secure reservations last time. Perhaps they saw me shivering from their over air conditioned lounge/waiting area or they knew I’d appreciate seeing action, but we ended up being seated at the table directly in front of kitchen. People were bustling and the stone pizza oven was ablaze adding some much needed warmth to the chilly restaurant.

On the advice of a friend, my husband and I both started with the crab and corn chowder ($12). He raved about it and warned it would be a dish that we wouldn’t want to share. Since we didn’t try other appetizers, it’d be hard to confirm it’s indeed the best starter. But, we both thoroughly enjoyed the soup and it was my favourite dish of the meal.


The corn puree base was sweet, thick and had just the right touch of creaminess to it. Clumps of crab meat were dotted throughout along with chives and tortilla chips to add crunch. But, it’s the drizzle of chilli oil atop everything that’s the most surprising, adding that kick that Chef Flay is known for. The complementary jalapeno corn bread and doughy bread knots were great for wiping up chowder remnants from the shallow dish.


After such a strong start our mains were disappointing in comparison. The sixteen spice chicken ($39), although tender, was much too tame for something promising sixteen spices. The dry rub really didn’t add much so most of the flavour came from the much too tangy tamarind barbecue sauce on the plate. As a saving grace, the bits of red cabbage and jicama slaw topping the chicken was delicious and could easily be made into a side dish for purchase.


The pan roasted shrimp ($45) would be a better choice with three huge prawns cooked nicely. The sweet corn puree on the bottom was also delicious but became overwhelmed by the smoked chile butter and cotija sauce. There was simply too much of this rich oversalted sauce that it covered the subtle sweetness of the shrimp and corn. In my opinion, the sauce would be better suited for the leaner chicken instead.


For sides, we shared the Southwestern fries ($9.50) and a sweet potato tamale ($9.50). The fries, although crispy and fresh, lacked anything special to classify them as “Southwestern” or warrant the price.


The sweet potato tamale ($9.50), albeit much too sweet for my liking, at least showed some creativity and skill. The tamale was smooth and flavourful, infused with corn kernels and topped with a crushed pecan butter sauce. You could even consider ordering this as a dessert as it was certainly sweet enough and satisfying.


Instead, my husband and I had the churros ($13) to share. It’s hard to go wrong with freshly deep fried dough dusted with sugar and spices. These were enjoyable by themselves or dipped into the chocolate sauce on the side. Thankfully, the star anise was only subtly added so the licorice flavour wasn’t too pronounced and went well with the sauce.


The service was efficient and friendly, but lacked the flair you’d expect for a restaurant classified as “fine dining”. If you were only going to have one nicer meal at Atlantis, I’d suggest Café Martinique instead. Prices are a touch higher but the dishes better executed (the duck was delicious) and the atmosphere more refined.

In the end, I’m happy I had the chance to try Mesa Grill and Chef Flay’s menu. But, as with most celebrity chef restaurants, too often you’re paying for the name rather than substance.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10

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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!

CLOSED: Houston Avenue Bar & Grill (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 33 Yonge Street
Type of Meal: Lunch and Dinner
Too often the restaurants in the heart of Toronto’s Financial District (Yonge to University and Wellington to Adelaide) are somewhat expensive so visits generally only involve drinks unless expense accounts are available. Houston Avenue Bar and Grill defies this stereotype by offering reasonably priced mains despite its location and “trendy” environment.

On a recent visit, I tried the half-rack of ribs ($16) which were the expected fall-of-the-bone tender and well glazed with BBQ sauce.  Indeed, it wasn’t smoked beforehand (on account on the missing smoke ring and barque), but it was decent quality and quite a substantial portion for a half rack. The coleslaw was vinegar based like I enjoy but still a bit too heavy on the sugar for my taste.  The shoe string fries, although not house-made, were satisfying arriving hot, crispy and well-seasoned.
Previously, I visited during lunch where they have a 2-course special, the steak frites ($21) I ordered included a salad to start.  For the price, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality; it was tender, cooked well and a good portion.  A red wine sauce added some flavour and the fries were the same as what accompanied the ribs.

My suggestion if you do visit is to stick with beef – think steak and ribs.  My co-worker ordered the chili lime glazed chicken ($19) and it was dry and overcooked. Additionally, despite asking if the chicken was breaded and being told no that it was only lightly “dusted” with flour; the poultry arrived with a pretty thick coating.  I recall the flavour was decent – hint of spicy, ginger and citrus and wouldn’t have been so horrible if it weren’t so tough. 


Unlike some restaurants, I’ve found Houston is usually accommodating with large group reservations and last minute changes.  If you’re visiting on a Thursday or Friday after 4pm, service can be slow as they tend to be a popular after-work drinks location. Overall, Houston isn’t the most delicious restaurant, but is a reasonably priced choice if you’re looking for somewhere to eat in the Financial District. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10



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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!



CLOSED: Jamie's Italian (Edinburgh)

Posted on Monday, November 11, 2013 by
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 54 George Street
Type of Meal: Dinner  


I first knew Jamie Oliver as the Naked Chef, a cute looking blond British chef recognized for his down to earth shows and later his stance against processed foods in the American school system. So, although I’ve never had a desire to eat at one of his restaurants, when the opportunity presented itself I thought “his Italian food must be good, let’s do this!”  Unfortunately, I was dead wrong and eating at Jamie’s Italian was a disappointing experience.

Perhaps it all started with our dismal experience with being seated – yes something so simple left a bad taste in our mouth.  We walked in on a weeknight, after a couple of minutes of reviewing the computer system the hostess brought us to a table in a fairly empty dining room.  After settling in, another hostess approaches the table to tell us that we were seated in the wrong spot and had to be moved. So, we were ushered into the downstairs area with a more casual vibe.  Normally, it wouldn’t matter, but the situation was just handled so abruptly and awkwardly without an apology.

As we had a heavy multi-course lunch that day, everyone wanted smaller dishes.  My husband started first and requested the vegetable plank appetizer in which our waiter answered “is that all?” in a somewhat dissatisfied manner.  Certainly, I agree restaurants should sometimes try to up-sale customers to add extra items to their meal, but to be off putting about it is another story.

Usually, I could have overlooked these faux pas if it weren’t for the substandard dishes Jamie Oliver chooses to serve.  Honestly, my experiences with chains like Olive Garden and Alice Fazoolis was far better than what I had that night.   

To begin, the vegetable plank (£6.85) was pretty mediocre and something I could whip up at home.  The slices of grilled zucchini and eggplant topped with pickled peppers in the middle bowl were cold and uninspired tasting despite being “marinated”. A small piece of buffalo mozzarella was also bland despite being described as having “chilli, mint, pecorino and an amazing chilli jam”. 

Strangely, nothing came with the vegetables so he decided to order the Italian bread selection (£3.75) as an accompaniment.  Although the basket looked impressive, the bread was cold and unexceptional. Especially the focaccia which is normally known to be soft airy bread saturated with olive oil – how could it be so mealy and dry? Sadly, this is when I reminisced about how good the Olive Garden bread sticks could be.
Luckily, the vongole tagliolini (£11.25) I ordered was better.  The house-made pasta was nice and al dante and the olive oil sauce providing a decent flavour (mix of garlic, white wine and hint of chilli).  But, the clams were just so small and poorly cooked - to put size into perspective the red things you see are grape tomato halves.  They were overcooked and shrivelled into the shell so the meat ended up being the size of a caper and difficult to taste.  To make matters worse there were remnants of sand at the bottom of my dish likely as the clams were soaked long enough. 

In the end, if I were just having a dish of linguine with garlic olive oil it would have been palatable, but the fact that it’s marketed as clam pasta was disappointing.  The clam linguine I generally order at Alice Fazoolis, a Toronto chain, is loads better than the mediocre fare served at Jamie’s Italian.

But, my husband and I should have counted ourselves lucky as my mother-in-law complained her dish of free-range chicken (£13.25; not pictured) was so dry and overcooked that it half of it could not even be cut into.  Normally, she’s a person who’s quite forgiving in her expectation with dishes, so a basic grilled chicken should not be what stumps a kitchen.

I’m very disappointed to review Jamie’s Italian this poorly as I can’t begin to comprehend how the delightful Naked Chef shown on TV can serve something so mediocre.  Sadly, this experience has ruined my perception of Jamie Oliver as a chef and his brand in general.  As for his philosophy about chefs feeding the masses at reasonable prices, I will happily pay a few extra pounds to not eat such substandard quality food again.   

 Overall mark - 3 out of 10


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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!

CLOSED: Stock (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, September 08, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 325 Bay St (inside the Trump International Hotel and Tower)
Type of Meal: Dinner


Stock, situated in the Trump Hotel, is a restaurant you have high hopes for.  I’d imagine it to be plated in gold, filled with Italian suit clad men and overall be an ostentatious affair.  So, upon arriving on the 31st floor, I was a little surprised to be lead into a dining room that was more Old Hollywood glamour than gilded royalty.  With soaring ceilings and a classic white and black motif, Stock is contemporary and comfortable.  Of course, there are still some luxurious touches such as foldout purse stools and a 40-year old Bowmore scotch (approximately a $5K value) encased at the entrance.



Having heard the restaurant is known for over-priced mediocre meals, I’ve never had the urge to visit the place and and waste my hard earned money.  After all, I don’t have a Bay Street expense account to back my culinerary outings.  So, when my friend told me about Stock’s summer supper menu (2 courses for $39 or 3 courses for $49), it seemed like an opportune time to visit.
The highlight of the night was the seared yellowfin tuna appetizer.  Encrusted in corn meal, the tuna was beautifully seared to retain the raw pinkness in the middle.  The vegetables making up the salad just screamed summer with sweet corn kernels, zucchini ribbons and various herbs and sprouts.  The strange touch was the sweet butter pickles garnish – it wouldn’t have been my pick but one friend enjoyed them.  Most importantly, I loved that they stayed away from the tasteless tomato vinaigrette that seems to be gracing so many summer menus.  Stock’s dressing, a zingy and spicy lemon jalapeno aioli, was piped into the zucchini tubes so that you could customize the amount of dressing that goes into your salad.

When the harissa (a spicy North African chilli paste) roasted shrimp arrived, the dish was equally colourful and visually appealing.  Sadly, unlike the tuna, the shrimp were overdone and bordering on rubbery, despite its large size. A salad of crispy green beans, sweet grape tomatoes, corn, roasted red peppers and dandelion accompanied the dish but was a bit bland as there was no dressing.  Overall, a disappointing dish after such a delicious start.    

My friend’s chicken breast was the tastier option.  Cooked sous-vide style, the chicken was very tender as you’d expect.  A generous portion of toasted späetzle accompanied the poultry with chorizo and corn mixed throughout.  The sous-vide poached egg was just heavenly when the creamy yolk was mixed into the crispy bits of späetzle and chorizo.  An olive jus flavoured the entire dish; unfortunately, not one of my favourite flavours which was why I didn’t order the chicken to begin with.  But, the olive taste wasn’t too overpowering, which made me have Orderer’s remorse.

What Stock does right is their service. Everyone we encountered that night was efficient, friendly (in a professional manner) and exceptionally attentive – my water and wine never dipped below a quarter full and after polishing off the basket of warm bread, a second arrived without even being requested. But, of course that’s what you’d expect from a restaurant situated in a luxury hotel.  However, the food still needs improvement to reach equality with Shangri-La and the Four Season’s offerings.  After all, a good starter and mediocre main shouldn’t be tolerated by a hard-hitting boss like Trump.


Overall mark - 7.5* out of 10

*Mark was increased by 0.5 due to the exceptional service.



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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!

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