Showing posts with label pork belly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pork belly. Show all posts

CLOSED: Shibui Robata Bar (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 230 Adelaide Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner


Shibui Robata Bar shares space with Copacabana – it’s on the bottom while Copa’s just above. Upon entering, the welcome desk was abuzz with a model-like midriff baring hostess who seems like she’d be working for a nightclub than a restaurant. Yet, upon descending the stairs and entering Shibui, the atmosphere changes. Although still much loungier than your typical izakaya, with its round booths and glowing artwork on the walls, the vibe at the bottom starts to calm down.

Of course, breaking into the sake could have also helped the situation. For Summerlicious, Shibui offers a four-glass sake tasting for $20. It’s not a pairing, as you’re given them all together and only have to drink the pink one first. It provides a variety of tastes from sweet plum, crisp & dry, bitter and sparkling. My favourite was “Mio” the sparkling one – with the happy face smiling back at me and drinking it right after the extremely bitter Genshu, it ended the tasting off on a high.


My friend had recommended we visit Shibui for their Summerlicious menu and I’m so glad she did. For $25 we were astounded by the amount of food received and had a great experience! With all the delicious choices we broke off into pairs and shared each course. I highly recommend sharing as there’s plenty to go around and some dishes are rich so you’ll appreciate the variety.


To start, a helping of the Chilean sea bass dumplings and crispy rice with tuna. The dumplings contained a good helping of black pepper spiced fish in a delicate wrapper. It was light and a good start. The accompanying sesame vinegar dipping sauce (?) was subtle and hard to distinguish so neither added nor took away from gyozas.


The crispy rice with tuna is like a cross between sushi pizza and pressed sushi. Chopped tuna is mixed with spicy mayo then garnished with a fried garlic chip and sliver of jalapeno packing tons of flavours. We chose wisely starting with the dumplings first or may have found them bland after eating the flavourful crispy rice. The combination of creamy tuna, soft warm rice and crispy base was delicious and definitely worth ordering.


Next, we each received an eight-piece maki roll (four orders pictured below). As they brought out these dishes heads turn and eyes light up when you realize YOU GET THE ENTIRE ORDER!


The Shibui salmon maki, pictured first, seemed like a classic spicy salmon roll based on the menu’s description. Indeed, the ingredients are typical consisting of salmon, spicy mayo and tempura flakes. However, their execution is what differs. Rather than mixing the tempura bits into the spicy salmon (causing it to get mushy) or sprinkling it on top (so that it’s the first thing to hit the tongue) Shibui puts it beside the salmon in the middle of the roll. The outcome is that as you bite through the roll you get distinct textures and flavours rather than one mushy clump. The salmon maki was a table favourite.


The pirikara ebi maki looks amazing with the battered shrimp skewered onto purple pickled plum (?) rice. And has promise to taste good with the crispy asparagus and julienned cucumber inside. Together each item stands on its own but also compliments well (the heaviness of the fried shrimp with the freshness of the maki). However, the downfall was that the over battered shrimp was cold and also caused the spicy mayo to congeal.

Of course, I understand the stresses of serving so many diners during Summerlicious – when you’re pumping out this much food certain items need to be prepped ahead of time. Unfortunately, the pirikara ebi maki was a bad choice to include on a Summerlicious offering as it really detracted from an otherwise delicious meal.

Finally, onto Shibui’s claim to fame - robatayaki style cooking. With their open concept kitchen you’re able to see the chefs at work as they move skewers across various levels further from or closer to the hot coals. In the beginning, I expected the food to taste like yakatori but because the skewers are cooked further away from the direct heat it stayed juicier, fresher and crispier.

The pork belly was one of the moistest I’ve ever had. Literally when you pick it up and squeeze oily juices drip off of it. Covered with shichimi pepper there’s some heat to the pork and a welcomed change from the sweet and salty concoctions. But, these are still heavy and one skewer is enough – even my pork belly loving friend agrees. So, you should definitely share! The sesame and teriyaki asparagus on the side was good, crispy yet cooked through.

 

If you’ve read previous posts you’ll know I love miso marinated black cod. I pretty much try it everywhere and couldn’t pass up sampling it at Shibui. Although it wasn’t the best I’ve had (Yuzu No Hana and Blowfish still hold these titles) it was still delicious - flaky, tender and well flavoured. The side of corn glazed with yuzu butter was fine. But, I actually found the middle garnishes more intriguing with the zucchini topped with sesame oil pickled carrots and the pickled daikon flower – all devoured despite the abundance of food already consumed.


To end, we shared amongst the table the passion fruit mousse (extremely sweet but one friend really liked it), mango gelato (creamy and devoid of the dreaded fake mango taste) and petit gateau (a rich dense dark chocolate cake). Honestly, none of these wowed me, but I don't have a sweet tooth so it really has to be good for me to want more. My fellow diners enjoyed them and all were polished off by the end.


From the savings calculated below, you’ll get a sense that Shibui’s Summerlicious menu is a great deal. Certainly, it’s one of the highest calculated savings I’ve had as a Licious dinner. So, based on the numbers – this is a steal! I highly suggest you make a reservation and try it now as Shibui’s normal prices can be a bit steep. But, if you can’t make it out by July 20th, have no fear, as they do offer a fixed price lunch with many of the same items for $20.



Let’s be clear, Shibui isn’t a traditional Japanese restaurant; their dishes have been modified for the North American palette. But, we need a bit of each. Slap more spicy mayo on those rolls I say because the Shibui salmon maki was just as great as a plain piece of fresh salmon any day. 

 Is Summerlicious worth it?

 As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

 Summerlicious - $25

 Regular menu - $60 - crispy rice with tuna ($14), pirikara ebi maki ($12), grilled black cod ($22), grilled asparagus ($7) and petit gateau* ($5)

 Savings - $35 or 58%

 * The dessert isn't part of their regular menu; the price based on a wild guess

    Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
    Like the blog?  You can now follow me on twitter for notifications -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!

    CLOSED: Parts & Labour (Toronto)

    Posted on Saturday, February 08, 2014 by

    Location: Toronto, Canada

    Address: 1566 Queen Street West
    Type of Meal: Dinner

    I’ve always had the intention to visit Parts & Labour, but the commute to their ultra-Queen West location is so long that excuses to delay the visit were easily made. Still, a glance at their Winterlicious menu (and its delicious sounding options) bolstered my decision to visit; a reservation was made and a trek through the February chill commenced.


    Upon entering, the cozy wood fireplace at the entrance was an immediate warm welcome. But, after glancing at the dining room my heart sank – oh no it’s communal seating!  The dining room is a series of rectangular tables seating eight with the only other options being sitting at the bar or some four tops in the kitchen (alas these were filled). Sure, call me old fashioned or even a snob, but is it too much to want some personal space? Really, when did eating in a restaurant become a food court affair and patrons are expected to get cozy with complete strangers?


    We were brought to a table with only one other couple, so at first it didn’t seem too bad since an empty chair divided us. Unfortunately, this only lasted for 20 minutes and soon another couple was seated right in between us (in pretty tight quarters). My fellow guests noticed there were empty seats at tables further in the dining room (which never got occupied).  So, the arriving guests could have easily been seated elsewhere making the dining experience more comfortable for everyone. I can go on about this some more, but will sum it up with a warning – if you don’t like sitting beside strangers requiring you to talk over them to hear your guests, don’t visit Parts & Labour; it’s not the place for you.


    Onto the food! After all, its delicious sounding nature is what drew me to the restaurant to begin with. To start I had to try the pork belly, a dish that is absolutely delicious when done right. Luckily, Chef Matheson knows his pigs as the pork belly was great. The cut was perfect with alternating layers of fat and meat and cooked slowly so the tough skin mellowed to a nice chew. Moreover, it was rendered well so what’s left of the fat wasn’t oily but just added a nice thick richness to the meat. The sweet glaze caramelized well and went quite nicely with the tart pickled shallots. For me, I found the smooth parsnip puree too sweet to eat on its own but went well when swiped onto the pork.

    Originally, the maple-glazed cod was going to be my main. But, when the helpful waitress informed my husband that he could get the P&L burger instead I had to change my order.  And I’m so glad I did as this “best burger in Toronto” was delicious albeit an absolute mess to eat. Its brisket based patty was every ounce as juicy and full of flavour as I’d expect. But, if this weren’t enough there’s also lush caramalized onion with bacon, melted Monterey Jack cheese and mayonnaise topping it.  Really the soft milk bun could not hold it together and disintegrated in my hands; I switched over to a knife and fork to finish it off. 

    The fresh shoestring fries were also good – hot and just the right amount of seasoning so it wasn’t overly salted. Mine just kept sticking together so it’s a bit hard to eat with a burger in your hand, but certainly not a deal breaker.  

    The P&L Burger was a much better choice than the maple-glazed cod, in my opinion.  My friend offered me a taste and the overly sweet stock was not for me. Of course, it’s “maple-glazed” but I would have liked the dish to use a more savoury stock to contrast the sweetness of the glaze. If I had to eat a whole order of the cod I would have been very disappointed. Even my friend agreed that it was good for the first bite but after a while the sugariness was a bit off putting. But, if you’re a fan of sweet fish, this would be the perfect dish for you!

    If you didn’t want a burger and sugary fish also doesn’t sound appealing, perhaps the flat iron steak would be a better bet. From what I could see from the two orders that came to the table they were cooked to a perfect medium and the individuals eating it were thoroughly satisfied.

    The desserts all arrive in Mason jars, with a choice of lemon meringue pie, salted chocolate mousse or blueberry cheesecake. I opted for the later and was satisfied. The smooth cheese layer had enough flavour and went well with the graham cracker crust, while the blueberry sauce topping it had a pleasant freshness. All in all, not an outstanding dessert, but still a good ending to the meal.


    Is Winterlicious worth it?

    As a special feature to the Winterlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

    Winterlicious - $35

    Regular menu - $37 - pork belly ($14), P&L Burger* ($15) and cheesecake* ($8)

    Savings** - $2 or 5%

    * The burger isn't on the official Winterlicious menu but otherwise I would have gotten the halibut (which based on the cod's price would also be $15).  The cheesecake isn't on their regular menu so price based on guess by me.
    ** Attempts were made to contact P&L to determine if my calculation was missing something as the savings appear dismal. No response was received so I'm assuming it's correct.  I welcome P&L to post a reply in the "comments" section should they disagree with the analysis.

    Overall mark - 6.5*** out of 10

     *** Based on the food, I would have given it a 7 but the seating situation such a turnoff that it's hard for me to say I'd return.
    Like the blog?  You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - 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!

      

    CLOSED: Estrella Taqueria (Toronto)

    Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 by
    Location: Toronto, Canada
    Address: 4899 Yonge Street
    Type of Meal: Dinner

    Estrella Taqueria isn’t located on Dundas, Queen or King West but rather in North York at Yonge and Sheppard. Taking over the former Smokey Joe’s, it’s a big restaurant occupying over 4,000 square feet and seats 280 inside and another 130 on their rooftop patio. Unfortunately, we visited in the winter so we couldn’t see the patio, but will be interesting to see how this outdoor oasis is updated next year.

    From the moment we entered, the staff was friendly and efficient. Frederik, our waiter was great - very friendly, attentive and generally smiles at all times. Service was definitely not an issue at Estrella as everything came as ordered and we were in and out in less than 40 minutes. What they were lacking was good food, the most important part of any restaurant. In reading the few reviews available, people noted the guacamole was plain and in general the appetizers a disappointing, so we decided to play it safe and ordered six tacos to share. 
    Of the bunch, the short rib taco ($5.50) was the best.  The beef was a decent size, pretty tender from being braised in cola and fairly flavourful. The addition of chimichurri and chipotle aioli provided a good balance of heat and freshness.  Topping the taco were slivers of yukka chips, which would have been even better if they were crispy to add some contrasting textures.


    Even the elote de tortitas ($4.95) had some promise. Being the sole vegetarian option, it consisted of a big corn fritter flavoured with black bean puree, pico de gallo and chipotle aioli.  If only the fritter was shaped evenly, cylinder rather than football, it would have allowed the fritter to cook uniformly.  Unfortunately, the middle of our fritter was underdone so you could taste raw batter, whereas the sides were cooked well and enjoyable.


    Sadly, anything that’s worth eating stops there.  The oyster taco ($5.50) was dismal and made from such small oysters that they could have been clams for all I know - the cornmeal batter was more plentiful than any actual seafood.  Overall, it was rather tasteless despite it having a miso/celeriac remoulade; the sauce simply has to be stronger (or at least saltier). The thought of pairing it with green tomatoes is commendable since if the oysters were big enough this condiment would let them retain dominance while still adding some freshness to the taco.  
    The taco de panza’s ($4.95) pork belly, although described as being slow braised, was pretty tough and should be classified as boiled at best.  The fat wasn’t rendered enough so that it was still white and hard which made it inedible.  Despite the menu noting the taco containing guajillo sauce, cilantro and queso panella, nothing really stood out except for the large portion of cabbage (also quite bland) on top.  I actually had to resort to squeezing the lime on it hoping to add some taste. 
    On the other hand, the baja fish taco ($4.95) was extremely spicy (likely on account of the pickled chilis mixed with chipotle aioli).  This would have been nice if the deep fried snapper wasn’t so small and dried out. There was no flakiness at all and appeared to be frozen based on the crumbly consistency and slight fishiness. Sorry for the somewhat dim picture quality, but should give you an idea of how small the fish is. Usually, most competing tacos I’ve had the fillet is longer than the shell; at Estrella you could hardly see it under the slaw.  Let’s be honest, snapper is a pretty inexpensive variety of fish, with a $5.50 price tag they could easily offer a larger piece using fresh fish and still make a profit.


    The last taco I tried, duck confit ($5.50), ended the meal on a low.  Normally, I expect duck confit to be tender and flavourful on account of slow cooking duck in its fat.  Estrella’s version was shredded and dry so it’s almost like eating rehydrated duck jerky mixed into coleslaw.  The flavours were also pretty lacklustre and needs something (maybe a sweet and spicy bean paste) to wake it up.  Estrella should consider slicing the duck rather than shredding to help retain some moistness and allow the customer to actually taste the duck’s essence.  
    In general all the tacos were pretty small and about the size of a cd or dvd (readers younger than 20, you’ll likely have no idea what these are so please refer to google images for a photo and description). Thankfully, they do use corn tortillas, rather than the softer wheat ones, but when the taco didn’t have enough sauce on the base they ended up cracking and falling apart – especially the taco de panza. Usually, other taquerias would use two layers and more sauce to prevent this from happening, so this is something Estrella should consider.

    For the quality and size, the tacos were significantly over-priced so really you’re paying for the surroundings more than food.  I’ll admit, the atmosphere is nice and an improvement from the former tenant. There’s a large bar on the bottom floor and a section with two ping pong tables in the back (no one actually playing on our Saturday visit). Conceivably, all this space that is non- revenue generating would need to be subsidized by food and drink sales; so, the tacos are a poor value if you’re only going to eat.  

    In the end, Estrella is only a superficial improvement from Smokey Joes. It’s disappointing as I frequent the area and was hoping for a good non-chain restaurant. Who knows, maybe I’ll return for drinks in the summer and check out their rooftop patio.  But, it’s doubtful that food would ever be a big draw to visit again.

    Overall mark - 4 out of 10

    Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - 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!





    CLOSED: Estrella Taqueria (Toronto)

    Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 by
    Location: Toronto, Canada
    Address: 4899 Yonge Street
    Type of Meal: Dinner

    Estrella Taqueria isn’t located on Dundas, Queen or King West but rather in North York at Yonge and Sheppard. Taking over the former Smokey Joe’s, it’s a big restaurant occupying over 4,000 square feet and seats 280 inside and another 130 on their rooftop patio. Unfortunately, we visited in the winter so we couldn’t see the patio, but will be interesting to see how this outdoor oasis is updated next year.

    From the moment we entered, the staff was friendly and efficient. Frederik, our waiter was great - very friendly, attentive and generally smiles at all times. Service was definitely not an issue at Estrella as everything came as ordered and we were in and out in less than 40 minutes. What they were lacking was good food, the most important part of any restaurant. In reading the few reviews available, people noted the guacamole was plain and in general the appetizers a disappointing, so we decided to play it safe and ordered six tacos to share. 
    Of the bunch, the short rib taco ($5.50) was the best.  The beef was a decent size, pretty tender from being braised in cola and fairly flavourful. The addition of chimichurri and chipotle aioli provided a good balance of heat and freshness.  Topping the taco were slivers of yukka chips, which would have been even better if they were crispy to add some contrasting textures.


    Even the elote de tortitas ($4.95) had some promise. Being the sole vegetarian option, it consisted of a big corn fritter flavoured with black bean puree, pico de gallo and chipotle aioli.  If only the fritter was shaped evenly, cylinder rather than football, it would have allowed the fritter to cook uniformly.  Unfortunately, the middle of our fritter was underdone so you could taste raw batter, whereas the sides were cooked well and enjoyable.


    Sadly, anything that’s worth eating stops there.  The oyster taco ($5.50) was dismal and made from such small oysters that they could have been clams for all I know - the cornmeal batter was more plentiful than any actual seafood.  Overall, it was rather tasteless despite it having a miso/celeriac remoulade; the sauce simply has to be stronger (or at least saltier). The thought of pairing it with green tomatoes is commendable since if the oysters were big enough this condiment would let them retain dominance while still adding some freshness to the taco.  
    The taco de panza’s ($4.95) pork belly, although described as being slow braised, was pretty tough and should be classified as boiled at best.  The fat wasn’t rendered enough so that it was still white and hard which made it inedible.  Despite the menu noting the taco containing guajillo sauce, cilantro and queso panella, nothing really stood out except for the large portion of cabbage (also quite bland) on top.  I actually had to resort to squeezing the lime on it hoping to add some taste. 
    On the other hand, the baja fish taco ($4.95) was extremely spicy (likely on account of the pickled chilis mixed with chipotle aioli).  This would have been nice if the deep fried snapper wasn’t so small and dried out. There was no flakiness at all and appeared to be frozen based on the crumbly consistency and slight fishiness. Sorry for the somewhat dim picture quality, but should give you an idea of how small the fish is. Usually, most competing tacos I’ve had the fillet is longer than the shell; at Estrella you could hardly see it under the slaw.  Let’s be honest, snapper is a pretty inexpensive variety of fish, with a $5.50 price tag they could easily offer a larger piece using fresh fish and still make a profit.


    The last taco I tried, duck confit ($5.50), ended the meal on a low.  Normally, I expect duck confit to be tender and flavourful on account of slow cooking duck in its fat.  Estrella’s version was shredded and dry so it’s almost like eating rehydrated duck jerky mixed into coleslaw.  The flavours were also pretty lacklustre and needs something (maybe a sweet and spicy bean paste) to wake it up.  Estrella should consider slicing the duck rather than shredding to help retain some moistness and allow the customer to actually taste the duck’s essence.  
    In general all the tacos were pretty small and about the size of a cd or dvd (readers younger than 20, you’ll likely have no idea what these are so please refer to google images for a photo and description). Thankfully, they do use corn tortillas, rather than the softer wheat ones, but when the taco didn’t have enough sauce on the base they ended up cracking and falling apart – especially the taco de panza. Usually, other taquerias would use two layers and more sauce to prevent this from happening, so this is something Estrella should consider.

    For the quality and size, the tacos were significantly over-priced so really you’re paying for the surroundings more than food.  I’ll admit, the atmosphere is nice and an improvement from the former tenant. There’s a large bar on the bottom floor and a section with two ping pong tables in the back (no one actually playing on our Saturday visit). Conceivably, all this space that is non- revenue generating would need to be subsidized by food and drink sales; so, the tacos are a poor value if you’re only going to eat.  

    In the end, Estrella is only a superficial improvement from Smokey Joes. It’s disappointing as I frequent the area and was hoping for a good non-chain restaurant. Who knows, maybe I’ll return for drinks in the summer and check out their rooftop patio.  But, it’s doubtful that food would ever be a big draw to visit again.

    Overall mark - 4 out of 10

    Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - 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!




    CLOSED: Bent (Toronto)

    Posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 by
    Location: Toronto, Canada
    Address: 777 Dundas Street West   
    Type of Meal: Dinner
    It’s been years since I’ve eaten at Susur and Madeline; so, when news that Susur would be teaming up with his sons to open Bent was announced, I was excited to try his Asian fusion creations again.
    Bent is much like many of the new west-end restaurants – small with compact seating where all that separates you from the neighbouring table is half a foot of space.  Much is discussed about its décor – it’s designed by Barbara Bent, Susur’s wife, and pays homage to them and their son’s childhood by including their toys and school pictures.  Indeed the family feel is interesting but what makes Bent great is the food.
    As a warning, if you don’t like dishes that are strongly flavoured and a mixture of varying textures and tastes, you will not like Bent.  Undeniably, the main ingredients are often covered with so many sauces that you won’t be able to taste its natural flavour; but, it’s these distinctions that make Susur’s creations his own.


    The highlight for me was their ceviche, which is surprising, as I'm normally not a huge fan of acid cooked seafood.  My favourite was the Peruvian style ceviche ($15) that incorporates tart lime juice, the heat of chili and freshness of cilantro.  All are laid on top of carpaccio slices of white snapper, pieces of mussels and calamari and a few in shell clams.  I love being able to fill the clams with the sauce and eat the clams straight from the shell.  The shaved red onions add a great crispy texture against the tender fish.
    The tuna and watermelon ceviche ($15), although also chili and citrus based, has a sweetness to it from the cubes of watermelon.  The tuna is cut into cubes and more like the ceviche you’re typically used to. I actually prefer the carpaccio slices as it soaks up the flavours more and you can cut slices of the snapper and wrap it around the herb mixture.  Topping the tuna and watermelon ceviche were croutons of fried Chinese dough stick, which is an interesting play on the Asian traditions.  The croutons are great for soaking up the citrus spicy sauce.

    We had many fish dishes that night, aside from the ceviches we also tried the tartare 2 ways ($10) - spicy tuna with avocado and onions and salmon with shallots, capers, gherkins and dill.  Both are served on top of a crispy sushi rice cake so it resembles eating a mini sushi pizza.  The dish was good but I found the rice cake a bit chewy and tough.  If it were perhaps thinner it may be crispier and add a better contrast to the tender fish.

    Another was the smoked cod taro tacos ($15), which was personally my least favourite dish.  I liked to tomatillo and jicama salsa that topped the taco – it was refreshing and crunchy. The shells were interesting as they were made from fried taro slices; I liked the starchy crispiness.  The smoked cod mixture itself reminded me of a tuna fish salad and was okay.

    Some of the meat dishes we had included the rare beef ($14), thin slices of what seemed like tenderloin beef that’s quickly seared and sits in an olive oil and ponzu sauce.  I’m normally not a carpaccio fan but, found this to be quite good, perhaps because the raw beef was masked with so many flavours.  The menu states it’s served with a crispy rice cake but on that night arrived with a parmesan crostini instead.  I didn’t mind the substitute but found the strong parmesan overwhelmed the delicate beef.

    The Shanghainese steamed pork belly ($19) is marinated in Shao Hsing wine, although it was really hard to distinguish. It’s likely due to the Romano bean & turnip puree and poached apple sauce being so sweet that it covered up other flavours. In the end, the pork belly ended up tasting like any other braised meat, which isn’t necessarily bad, but just not very Shanghainese. I liked that the dish came with a mixture of fattier and leaner cuts to give variety to patrons.  I had the leaner slice and because of that it was a little tough. The poached apple, although to me tasted like pear, was too sweet for my taste and could be left out.

    If you were going to get one hearty meat dish, I’d suggest the braised spiced short ribs instead ($22).  The meat is tender and went really well with the thick demi glace (?) and the silky truffled parsnip puree.  Even the roasted baby potatoes accompanying the dish were great.  Crisp on the outside, yet tender and light on the inside, with just a hint of rosemary; all baby potatoes should be prepared like this.

    To balance out all the proteins we ordered the vegetarian roll ($10).  It had a good mix of flavours – sweetness from the braised daikon and eggs, earthiness of the shitake mushroom, saltiness from soy sauce and the bitterness of the legume on top.  However, overall nothing remarkably different from a typical futomaki roll you’d get at a sushi restaurant.

    The duck salad ($14) was an interesting mix of tender shredded duck and vegetables dressed with a sweet and salty sesame dressing which reminded me to having cold sesame noodles. The coleslaw type mixture was topped with crispy taro slivers and served in a fried vermicelli bowl. Given the mixture of ingredients it was difficult to taste the duck itself unless you specifically pick it out.  The duck was surprisingly tender and I wish it was served in a slice format, rather than shredded, so it could be better appreciated.

     A salad I shockingly liked better was the kale and tofu salad ($10). I know, it sounds very healthy and bland so how could it taste good?  But, I loved the soft tofu and crunchy kale mixture.  Domino sized slices of tofu are marinated in a miso soy sauce and sesame dressing, so even when eaten by itself was wonderfully flavoured. Topped with large amounts of chopped kale coated with a sweet dressing (similar to the Japanese seaweed salads but less sugary), the dish was refreshingly light.

    At Bent, all tables receive a complementary dessert, which pays is similar to getting fortune cookies, sliced oranges or red bean soup from Chinese restaurants. Given there was four of us, we got to try all four desserts (guests get one per person). 
    • The lemon curd was a welcomed addition after feeling so full as it was nice and light.
    • The coffee pannacotta with foam was nice and rich a favourite of my friend. 
    • The chocolate mousse with crispy cocoa rice bits was good and tastes just like it sounds.
    • The fried sesame ball with red bean filling in a rum caramel sauce was a bit tough as it’s likely made ahead of time and gets cold and stale.
    We ended up ordering 11 dishes for four people and we were very full; likely a better number is five dishes for every two people.
    Service was good – the staff were pleasant and checked in to make sure we actually liked the dishes. But, what could have greatly enhanced the dining experience are some simple cutlery improvements:  
    • After some of the saucier dishes, Bent should offer to change the patron’s dish.  My plate ended up having such a mess of sauces after 10 courses that flavours blended together. I’d like to enjoy the dishes as they were meant to taste; 
    • Given Bent encourages sharing dishes they should offer serving utensils – some simple like chopsticks, a spoon and a fork for the table would suffice; and 
    • A utensil holder, similar to the chop stick and spoon rest some Chinese restaurants use, would be helpful given Bent provides four utensils and it’s very difficult to ensure everything is balanced on the small plate once used.
    In 2014 I returned to Bent for their Winterlicious menu. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was as successful as their regular menu.  To read about the Winterlicious offering please go here to read about it.

    Overall mark - 8.5* out of 10

     * Mark could have been a 9 if Bent had a bit more polish in terms of servicing customers. The food was good but it’s the small things (like the recommended changing plates and having serving utensils) that scores higher marks.

    ____________________________
    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!
    For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html
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