What makes a Visa Infinite Dinner different is the melding
of acclaimed chefs from outside of Toronto with well known local restaurants. My
first experience brought together the 30+ year institution, Auberge du Pommier,
with Mastard of Montreal, which is part of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. Together
they created a food and beverage tasting menu ($282.50 per person inclusive
of taxes and gratuities) combining the talents of two kitchens.
Don’t worry about arriving late to the weeknight dinner.
With the 6:30pm start, the first bites of canapés didn’t start arriving
until well past 7:00pm. And instantly I was intrigued on what the low-sided
crystal bowl contained. The concentrated ham broth with cameline oil gave off a
smoky ham-fueled flavour that was intense solo. But once I dipped a piece of brioche
into consommé, the flavours mellow and combined nicely with the buttery toast
studded with the sphere of meaty duck sausage.
Sweet and salty combinations run in the blood of both chefs.
It’s evident in the brown cheese taco filled with whipped foie gras that
creates a creamy and crunchy combination. It continues with the first taste of
dessert, a spice cake that gets a savoury spike from black garlic emulsion. Get
ready riders as we set off to Flavour Town.
Next station, a candied sockeye salmon that’s dense
and chewy swimming in dill oil and dollops of smoked crème fraiche. I’m glad the
dish incorporates a lot of green sorrel chiffonade as it helps neutralize the
abundance of silky dill sauce. It’s a dish loved by the table, but I found it
too oily (half the oil is sufficient) and salty.
Give me another slice of lettuce tart any day. Chef
Simon Mathys undersells the dish as a mere combination of lettuce and caviar,
but it’s so much more. The lettuce juice forms a silky custard with a vibrant
green colour that screams of spring. They smartly went with a thin flaky tart
shell that’s crispy and contrasts against the creamy centre. And of course,
it’s finished with caviar, the saltiness complimenting the tart wonderfully.
Chugging along, the spring mushroom risotto was too
overdone resembling a porridge packed with mushrooms, grilled wild onion,
artichoke crisps, and first-of-the-season morels. Chef Kane Vane Ee notes how
many contacts it took to source the morels, which were sublime and made the
dish. Thank you for the hard work!
I enjoy dishes featuring different textures and enjoyed
seeing the battered and deep-fried fowl in the quail and scallop. While
the quail’s breast was a tad chewy, the drumstick was cooked to perfection and
made me want to nosh through half a dozen more. The scallop was also seared nicely
and paired well with the shrimp sauce, which had a bisque-like taste that made
me wish I asked for a spoon.
A vibrant green tea opera cake finishes the luxurious spring menu continuing the lovely green colour palette. Thin even layers of almond sponge, chocolate ganache, and elderflower cream is painstakingly put together by Auberge’s new pastry chef. If you’ve read my historical visits to Auberge, I generally find the desserts boring and end with a cheese plate. That will change if the opera cake graces the menu.
As the ride makes its way to the final stop around 10pm, the atmosphere has really shifted. They’re generous with the alcohol, regularly topping up wines and even the Diplomatico rum based cocktails for diners who want more. And with the liberal liberations, the once hushed diners start to let loose.
We almost don’t want to leave as the plate of petit fours
are presented. I slowly made my way through the chewy pistachio macaron and
sampled a bite from the two chocolates.
It could be due to the two extra glasses of Domain des
Coutures L’Insolente saumur blanc kicking in, but it took me a couple of
attempts to pick up the candied quince meringue… of course the top layer of
cream can’t be held, move down to the crispy base instead! At last, the airy
meringue, juicy cube of quince, and cool cream made for a great ending. Visa
Infinite Dinner, until we meet again in June.
Address: 4150 Yonge Street
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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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