Shomal (North) Restaurant (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2012 by
ocation: Toronto, Canada
Address: 100 Steeles Avenue West, Unit 27
Website: http://www.northrestaurant.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

You'll be pleasantly surprised when you walk into North with its large space and delightful decor. It feels like you've walked into the middle of an outdoor courtyard in Iran and are dining with the village.

A co-worker recommended this restaurant for good traditional Persian food, so a group of friends and I decided to try it. Ordering "family style" is definitely recommended as the portion sizes are large and dishes are flavourful so you will likely want to try a number of items to get a mix of flavours. We ended up getting four dishes for five people and this was more than enough.

Our first dish was an appetizer called Mirzaghasemi ($10). Warning: do not order this dish if you're on a date or plan to be close to anyone after dinner as it’s filled with garlic! Chunks of roasted garlic are incorporate with roasted eggplant and scrambled eggs to form a warm, thick, delicious spread. I loved the freshly toasted flat bread that accompanies the dish - the thick garlicky spread on ultra-thin, chewy, toasty bread was a great start.

 

Mirzaghasemi (1)


I was a bit disappointed with our mains after such a wonderful appetizer. Overall, everything had a citrus taste to it, so it was a bit repetitive and overpowering. But, if I had known a little Persian this could have been avoided, so hopefully this little lesson will help you in the future. "Torsh" means sour in Persian. Two of the dishes we ordered - Morghe Torsh and Torshi Tareh have the word in it, which should have indicated to us that the dishes are sour.

Half of North's menu is dedicated to kebab style dishes so we had to try the North Special Kebab ($30) which consisted of long skewers of beef tenderloin and chicken. The beef of course was very tender, but, unlike steak the meat is cooked thoroughly so there’s no pink left in it. The chicken was average and covered with a red spice that was slightly lemony. Although we couldn't see this being prepared, based on the menu, I believe it's broiled over charcoal. This left a powerful propane after taste to the meat that I didn't enjoy when eaten by itself. However, once some lemon juice, cilantro and raw onions were added to it, the gassy taste was masked and the kebabs were more enjoyable.
North Special kebab (1)

Morghe Torsh ($14) is a chicken stew with different herbs. It's much waterier than North American stews and resembles a sour lentil soup with a large hunk of chicken breast. The chicken itself was tasteless as it seemed it was just boiled, so may have been better if North chose to use bone-in dark meat instead. The broth of the stew tasted good and went well with the rice.
Morghe torsh (1)


Our last dish was Torshi Tareh ($13) a vegetarian dish consisting of broken down leafy greens (could be spinach?), herbs, what seems to be the juice of two lemons and scrambled eggs. When the dish was first served, it looks similar to the Indian spinach paneer. But, they taste nothing alike. The thick vegetable sauce was extremely tart and very strong. My least favourite and definitely will not order again.

Torshi tareh (1)

Despite the restaurant being very busy, our food arrived quickly. However, the service afterwards was very slow. The employees themselves were friendly; just not very attentive and somewhat forgetful. After all the rich flavours we really needed water. Unfortunately, we had to ask three individuals before someone finally brought us water. Additionally, when inquiring a staff member about dessert options, we were advised there is no menu but there are two items. She quickly listed them off, in Persian, offered no description and left. Given we had no idea what these were; we decided to avoid ordering dessert and just leave.


Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10

I given the restaurant a 6.5 as I normally wouldn't want to return to this restaurant based on the meal above. But, if we had ordered a better selection of flavours it'd likely be more enjoyable. So, I'll likely go back to give it one more try - this time hopefully with more help from the waitress/waiters to avoid another "torsh" experience.


____________________________
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
Photo Sources:
  1. All photos courtesy of Shomal (North's) menu - http://www.northrestaurant.com/

CLOSED: Fare Bistro (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2012 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1097 Queen St East
Type of Meal: Dinner

The dark, jewel-toned candlelit restaurant certainly resembles a classic bistro and makes a great date location. However, with limited seating, you should make a reservation to avoid disappointment.  On the night of my visit with girlfriends, we found a similar crowd - groups of friends catching up over glasses of wine and traditional French cuisine.

We decided to start with their appetizer of the day, pork belly with tempura shrimp ($14). The shrimp was the better of the two proteins but I wouldn't consider it to be tempura - more like lightly battered. The pork belly, although crispy, was too lean for my taste; a thin layer of fat would have given it more flavour and contrast to the crisp skin.

I ordered the duck confit with a black current glaze ($26). It was refreshing to have a confit that wasn't overly salty so that the taste of duck could still be enjoyed. The meat was very tender and went well with the black current glaze. The skin could be rendered more as most parts of it were slightly soggy. Surprisingly, the crisp green beans accompanying the dish were one of the most enjoyable parts - perfectly cooked and flavoured.

You can't be at a bistro without trying the steak frites ($27) which is what one friend had. The frites were exactly what I like - fresh potatoes fried until they are crisp on the outside but still dense and flavourful in the middle, only lightly salted. The strip loin (?) was a generous portion and tender but lacked the stronger "black Angus" flavour I prefer.
My other companion had and the daily risotto ($25), on this day was with lamb and goat cheese. Keep in mind I'm basing this review on only one bite - I must say it's not what I like. The tangy goat cheese didn't merry well with lamb and risotto in my opinion. Its slightly grainy texture ruined the creaminess of what I enjoy about risottos.
Given I don't have a sweet tooth, I rarely order desserts. But, my friends are very different from me, so we ordered two things to share. If anything, I thought their desserts were the highlight in the meal.
  • The chocolate terrine was a cross between a ganache and mousse and was a melt-in-your-mouth creamy texture. It also went wonderfully well with the raspberry and vanilla custard sauces that decorated the dish.
  • The blackberry upside down cake was my favourite. Cooked in a skillet, the dish was served warm and topped with generous amounts of sweet black berries which baked right into the cake. I thoroughly enjoyed the plump blackberries popping in your mouth and combining with the sweet warm vanilla cake.

Dinner for three with a bottle of wine and three cafe au laits came to $199.
 
Overall mark - 7 out of 10

____________________________
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: Frida (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, October 12, 2012 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 999 Eglinton Avenue West
Type of Meal: Dinner

Note: Given the sheer amount of items ordered and shared within this meal, prices are given beside the dish rather than providing an order total


Amongst paintings by Frida Kahlo, as educated by my friend, we dined in a small quaint restaurant. The self-portraits are definitely interesting - a particular bare breasted one of the artist sparked some conversation.


We couldn't go to a place voted by the Toronto Life as "best guacamole in Toronto" without trying it, so we shared an order to start. It was definitely the best guacamole ($11) I've ever tried and love the micro fine pieces of red onions and cilantro laced throughout. Rather than spicing the dip with jalapenos, the chef used chili oil - an interesting twist. But, I'll admit, if some diced jalapenos happened to make their way into the dish, I wouldn’t complain. A bunch of arugula accompanies the dish, which adds a fresh peppery bite when topped on a guacamole tortilla.

We didn't know, but Frida also provides tables with a complementary dish of fried corn tortillas accompanied by two sauces - salsa verde (a mild sauce derived from tomatillos) and salsa morita (a spicier sauce made from dried chipotles). They were a departure from the red tomato salsa we’re normally use to and I enjoyed the salsa morita.

Given I wanted to try a number of items, I opted to order from the "Little Bites" menu. I wish someone would have warned me that what Frida notes as "Little", it really means "One to Two Bites" menu. When the three items were placed in front of me, I was shocked at how small they were:
  • Camaron a la diabla ($3) - my favourite of the three and consisted of a good sized prawn cooked perfectly with a spicy diablo sauce. It was flavourful but wasn't overly spicy, rather had just a slight kick to it.

  • Empanada de champinones ($4) - I found the corn crust of the empanada slightly overdone and bit too hard. The portion that was covered with salsa verde was better, but since it was so crusty, it was a bit difficult to appreciate the delicate mushroom and corn flavours of the empanada.

  • Taco de barbacoa ($3) - a sliver of mediocrely flavour lamb served on a tortilla crisp. I hadn't read the dish’s description in detail and thought it would be a mini taco, but the taco was actually like a pita chip. Definitely the most disappointing of the three.

Restaurant staff should feel comfortable warning patrons about how small these Little Bites portions are.  I would have appreciated if my waitress warned me so I wouldn't have been disappointed on my choice.  The staff doesn't have to complain about it - a simple "have you eaten here before?  Just want to let you know that the Little Bites is meant to compliment a meal and is almost like a hors d'oeuvres would suffice.


Luckily, my friend had also ordered the Little Bites and was more than happy to split the Tacos de carne with Oaxaca cheese ($13) with me. Three soft corn tortillas topped with a generous portion of slice steak arrived at the table. They were good but nothing spectacular. Perhaps it's because I've been too accustomed to westernized Mexican food, but I expected the tacos to be more flavourful. I had to add quite a bit of salsa morita to give it the taste I wanted ... rather than relying on a well-seasoned steak.

I also had a glass of the raspberry sangria ($9) that tasted more like sweet pink lemonade with muddled raspberries. But, it was still refreshing - if you weren't expecting sangria.

Our waitress was friendly and attentive. Perhaps it’s because we ordered five types of Little Bites, but I found the pace of receiving dishes to be a bit slow. 

Overall mark - 6.5* out of 10

* If the rating was based purely on the items ate I'd rate Frida a 6. However, I now realize we should have ordered dishes off their "entrees" section and tried the churros for dessert. So, if I am ever in the neighbourhood, I may try Frida again - even if it’s just for the guacamole.


____________________________
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

Catalonian Croissants (Barcelona)

Posted on Monday, October 08, 2012 by
After arriving into Barcelona at 8:00 am, or midnight from the destination we flew in from, we were determined to power through the day to reduce jet lag. What we needed was a strong cup of coffee and some breakfast.

Catalonian coffee or European coffee in general, is richer and more flavourful than what we're used to in North America. When you order it with milk, it tastes similar to a North American cappuccino (minus the foam).



Catalonian croissant (1)


Little did I know, but, even croissants taste different - likely as North American versions follow the French recipe.

Instead of looking like a horn, they are crescent shaped. The baking temperature and/or duration are higher/stronger as the tips of the croissant are crispy and resemble croutons. Rather than being somewhat savoury, Catalonian croissants are glazed with a sweet egg wash so that it ends up tasting like sweet challah bread (except with toasty tips). It's not as buttery but still hits the spot!

At less than 4€ for 2 coffees and 2 croissants these are an excellent breakfast options while travelling in Barcelona.

 Photo Sources:
  1. Foods from Spain (http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/controller/pageSGT/0,9459,35868_6863776_6912650_4539865_0,00.html)

Thanksgiving Baked Goods

Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2012 by
This weekend I will be enjoying many great meals; but, not in a restaurant where you can visit.  Therefore, in lieu of reviews, here's a post about the recipes I'm trying this holiday.

 A word of warning, I'm not a professional chef and I generally perfer cooking to baking.  However, since I volunteered to bring desserts, I'm baking today!  Given my limited skills, I've decided to keep it simple and look for recipes with a few staple ingredients and simple instructions.  If I can do it, you certainly can!

 After an afternoon of baking, I made three desserts - the pictures are my actual creations.

 Perfect Pumpkin Pie

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/perfect-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx

Thoughts on the Recipe:

 It may be my oven, but after baking the pie for only 35 minutes the edges look a little overdone.  Next time I'm going to lower the temperature for the last 10 minutes to see if I can avoid this.

 A lovely classic pumpkin pie that's extremely easy to make.  With a dallop of whipped cream on top it's a great classic.
Baked Apple Crisp

 After reading numerous recipes, I couldn't find one I liked.  I found most of them called for too much sugar. Since I'm planning to eat the Apple Crisp with vanilla ice cream, I wanted something not overly sweet to begin with.  So, after reviewing the recipes for key ingredients, combinations and timing I came up with my own recipe *fingers crossed*:

Ingredients:

 Apple Mixture
  • 6 medium golden delicious apples - cored and diced into sugar cube sized pieces
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Crisp Topping
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 375F
  2. Toss all the ingredients in the "Apple Mixture" section to combine and place into a baking dish - I used a 2.5 quart dish.
  3. Bake the mixture for 30 minutes.
  4. Mix together first five items in the "Crisp Topping" section.
  5. Add in the cubed butter and mix, break butter into smaller pea sized pieces with pastry cutter, 2 knives or your fingers.
  6. Add in chopped walnuts and stir.
  7. After the "Apple Mixture" has finished baking for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and top with the "Crisp Topping".  The amount to add depends on the size and shape of your dish (rectangle vs. circle). I used a circle container and found there was too much topping so ended up discarding about 1/2 cup of prepared Crisp Topping.
  8. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Thoughts on the Recipe:

It actually tasted good and the reduced sugar was not missed.  In fact, it was still a little overly sweet when served with ice cream.  I would suggest reducing the amount of sugar in the "Crisp Topping" - perhaps to 1/3 cup if planning to serve with ice cream. 

Note to improve presentation: Either combine the "Apple Mixture" in another bowl and then pour into the baking dish or wipe all excess sugar/cinnamon from the sides of the baking dish before placing into the oven.  I didn't do either so the excess sugar/cinnamon ended up browning on the dish and made it look messy.
In order to finish the leftover pumpkin puree and walnuts on hand, I found the recipe below.  Given I only had about 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree left, I halved the recipe and made one large loaf instead.  However, I used 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree instead of 1 cup - as the recipe would call for if halved. 

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Delicious-Pumpkin-Bread/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Thoughts on the Recipe:

 While the recipe is titled "bread", this will not allow you to make sandwiches. Rather, it's similar to banana bread and tastes almost like a cake. 

Since I placed 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree instead of 1 cup, the Pumpkin Bread was dense and moist in the centre.  My husband and I didn't mind this as it also had a stronger flavour. But, if you'd rather it be the banana bread consistency I suggest you follow the recipe. 

Overall, it tasted pretty good and I'll definitely be making again.  The walnuts added a toasty crunch that I really like.  It could use a bit more spice, so next time I may try adding a bit more cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  I could taste the sweetness so it's almost comparable to eating a pie, but it wasn't too sweet.

 It tastes even better the next day after the bread had time to cool down and dry out a bit.  The flavours appear to get stronger and it was much more fragrant, so perhaps doesn't require any additional spices.

 I haven't actually tried this, but if you use this to make French Toast and top with whipped cream, instead of maple syrup, I'd imagine it would taste amazing. If you end up doing this please let me know how it turns out!

 With the exception of the Pumpkin Pie Bread, the others won't be eaten until tomorrow.  I will revise the blog with my thoughts later, so stay tuned! 


7 Portes (Barcelona)

Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2012 by
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Address: Paseo Isabel II, 14 
Website: http://www.7portes.com/catala/index2.php
Type of Meal: Lunch

 During the morning we were visiting Barcelonetta, the port/harbour area of Barcelona, and went to 7 Portes as I wanted paella and heard they had a long standing reputation in serving it.  I've previously eaten paella in Toronto's Little Spain and in Barcelona (at a budget friendly establishment as a student), so was excited to try something nicer and hopefully more authentic.

The restaurant is large, compared to other Barcelona restaurants, and reminds me of the old Fish Houses we had in Toronto.  

The waiter started us off with a basket of cold rolls and small plate of green olives (as a warning you're charged 7€ for and not given a choice of).  Each table has a selection of 2 or 3 types olive oils which are interesting to try although they taste very similar.

 We each had a salad:
  • A seasonal salad for myself, which consists of different types of lettuce and endives with vegetable garnishs (a piece of carrot, celery, 2 wedges of tomatoes and sprig of green onion).  The salad was undressed but I could easily make a dressing with the oil, balsamic vinegar and salt available at the table.  There was nothing special at all about this dish but portion was large enough to serve 2 as a starter.
  • A rocket salad for my husband made up of spring mix salad and a large portion of baked goat cheese dressed with a raspberry (?) viniagrette.  The rocket salad was definitely the tastier of the two salad selections.
Seasonal salad (1)



We split the parellada "rich man's" paella which contained a mixture of chicken, chorizo, scallop, shrimp, calamari, mussels and lobster. I must admit, I was disappointed. When you look at the menu on 7 Porte's website they showcase large whole prawns and crab legs on their paella. What we received was chopped up pieces of rubbery meat and seafood in rice. 
For a city with such abundant seafood, the amount featured in the dish was extremely disappointing.  The prawns were small shrimps, the scallops & calamari cut into small cubes and the lobster one of the smallest I've ever seen - really a large crawfish at best.  As the meat and seafood was cut into such small pieces they were overcooked and lost all the texture and flavour seafood should have.  For all I know, the seafood could have been frozen as it certainly tasted like that. 


The rice itself was okay - wasn't too soggy from liquid but the actual flavour wasn't for me. Firstly, I expected the rice to be golden yellow (from saffron) and plump and fluffy in texture. The rice we received was light brown and seemed like it was drenched with soy sauce (which I know likely wasn't the case). After some post-trip research, I now realize the paella containing saffron, which is show cased on cooking shows, is the "Valencian" style. Whereas, the Mediterranean mixed paella generally does not contain this rare spice.

The bits scraped from the bottom of the pan tasted good as it had a smoky nutty flavour. So I'm not sure - was the paella just not cooked long enough or perhaps they should have served it in the pan rather than showing us the pan and then plating it?

Parellada paella

Service was good; the staff weren’t overly friendly but attentive. The only problem arose as we had a difficult time getting our bill - it took two attempts asking different waiters and even the second person took a while to get it to us.

I didn't think the meal was worth the 52€ (also had bottle of sparkling water and a beer).  In the end, the meal wasn't horrible, but, I feel like I could have gone to other restaurants and received something of similar quality for much lower prices.

If anyone reading this is Spanish and has tried 7 Portes - can you please comment as to whether the paella served is authentic? If it is, perhaps my palette just doesn't like paella.

 Overall mark - 6 out of 10

____________________________
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
Photo Sources:
  1. Seasonal Salad. Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187497-d697396-r121336864-7_Portes-Barcelona_Catalonia.html)

Restaurant Montiel (Barcelona)

Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 by
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Address: C/ Flassaders, 19
Website: http://www.restaurantmontiel.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

 If you didn't realize, Spaniards tend to eat dinner later than North Americans - most restaurants don't serve dinner until 8:30pm.  Being Canadians, we were the first people at the restaurant.  But, were quickly joined by more tourists, thanks to Trip Advisor, where I discovered this establishment.

On Trip Advisor, reviewers suggest asking for a table downstairs.  We were sat upstairs and didn't see any problems.  There was an air conditioning unit and we found it more secluded as you didn't constantly have the door opening and closing.  The decor is warm and well-lit with small wooden tables and chairs.

After ordering, our waiter presented us with a dish of tapas. I believe this was free as can't recall there being a "cover charge" like many restaurants in Barcelona.  The tapas consisted of pickled Spanish green peppers, mild Glossette sized green olives, a rich olive oil with sugar cube portions of bread to dip and some wedges of sausage. 

Montiel does pork right.  In North America pork isn't a prevalent meat, but it is very much so in Spain.  Our appetizer of cured Iberian ham was some of the best charcuterie I've tasted  - paper thin sheets of briny ham that wasn't too dry.  It had just the right amount of fat that melted in your mouth and coats your tongue with the most heavenly taste.  I especially liked that it wasn't overly salty or waxy like some charcuteries often turn out. 

My husband also got pork for his main.  I had read Catalan cuisine includes great suckling pig so he ordered the "suckling pig service on the table with seasonal accompaniment".  What we received was a leg of fall off the bone pork capped with a crispy exterior and sprinkling of sea salt and pink pepper (?).  The skin was extremely delicate, had an excellent crackling texture and appears to be seasoned with a sugary topping so that once roasted the skin took on a slightly sweet brulee coating.  The waiter explained that the pork was so tender as it was made from a 2-month old piglet and slow roasted for 8 hours.

By "accompaniment" the dish included a handful of undressed spring mix salad (essentially the type you find in a bag in the supermarket). This was a bit disappointing as the dish was so heavy it needed more greenery, preferably with vinaigrette to cut through the fattiness of the pork.





Suckling pig (1) 

I had the "pan seared duck with wild mushrooms creamy rice" as I love duck and don't cook it at home. The duck breast was cooked to medium and the skin was well rendered so it became very crispy.  The meat itself could have been flavoured more as it didn't come with any sauce so perhaps a light marinade or brining would have helped. Nevertheless, the duck went well with the "mushroom creamy rice" which tasted like a brown rice risotto (sans butter) with earthy mushrooms that had a crunch to it.  If you've ever had Chinese black fungus, the mushrooms almost had that texture.


Pan seared duck with wild mushrooms creamy rice (2)

 The restaurant caters to tourists as all waiters spoke excellent English and the menus were printed in English.  The service was great and at the end of the night our waiter gave us a hand shake before leaving!

If you're looking for an affordable delicious meal go to Restaurant Montiel.  Our bill came to approximately 95€ with a large bottle of water (no tap water here), glass of wine, 2 beers and a double espresso.

 Overall mark - 8 out of 10

____________________________
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
Photo Sources:

       1. and 2.  Monkey see, Monkey feast!
      (http://monkeyseemonkeyfeast.blogspot.ca/2012/08/montiel-restaurante.html#!/2012/08/montiel-restaurante.html)

CLOSED: La Luna (Barcelona)

Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2012 by
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Address: C/Abaixadores 10





 We just happened to find La Luna while wandering around the Barri Gothic district in Barcelona before dinner.  

 The ambiance matched the gothic neighbourhood; La Luna's interior reminds you of a Medieval castle with exposed brick arches, wrought-iron lamps and warm wood furniture.  

 The bartender was kind enough to warn us, before we ordered anything, that the electric system was going to be reset and they'd be without power for 10 minutes.  We decided to stay anyways and he lit some candles for us.  It made us think how Medieval bars would have been like - drinks by candlelight.

We only had drinks here:
  • My husband picking through a selection of European beers
  • Me a glass of sangria which was much better than the glass I had earlier that evening.  The sangria was filled with fresh chopped fruits and followed a more authentic receipe - not overly sweet and much stronger 
Very affordable and great atmosphere; we had 3 drinks for 11€.


Lasarte Restaurante (Barcelona)

Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2012 by
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Address: Carrer de Mallorca, 259 
Website: http://www.restaurantlasarte.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

Nestled in the Passaig de Garcia (Torontonians think of Yorkville but larger and more posh) the restaurant is decorated with a white, clean, modern interior. The chairs were uber comfortable; even though our dinner lasted almost 3 hours I didn't feel any stiffness.

 Lasarte gifted me with one of the best meals of my life!  Reservations are required as they have very limited seating - I believe only 16 people. And their service is impeccable with purse stools, serves simultaneously clearing plates and a fresh napkin before desserts are served.    


 Our course, the food is the most important. Their dishes are works of art. Every course is set upon different serving trays to accentuate its presentation and contrast colours as necessary. With an 11-course tasting menu there was much artwork to behold.

 First, various pre-dinner courses compliments of the chef including a platter of five hors d'oeuvres:
  • Rich and flavourful coconut ice cream topped with crunchy salty kernels which complimented the sweetness
  • Melt in your mouth warm croquette of cheese that were heavenly after the cold ice cream
  • Large green olive stuffed with a grapefruit segment - surprisingly tasty for someone who doesn't like olives; I'd like to think of it as a combination similar to the Italian cantaloupe and prosciutto
  • Piece of local melon with a petal of a flower to add a floral note the melon's sweetness
  • Small pack of roasted nuts covered with curry and honey that went well with our crisp white wine
Next, a "lasagna" of smoked foie gras, green apple and eel with a delicate candied brulee green apple topping. When the waiter was breaking down the dish I had doubts note particularly a fan of foie gras and with eel? However, the combination of the velvety foie gras, sweet green apple and seared eel actually complimented quite well. It wasn't my favourite but I didn't dislike it.

Foie gras, green apple and eel lasagna (1)

Granular cubes of cucumbers with raspberry foam topped with a fresh small oyster. An outstanding dish, the raspberry foam was a great palette cleanser and the micro cubes of cucumbers added such an interesting texture.  The oyster was clean and tasted great with the foam mixture. Lasarte should add it to their menu and charge for it!

Oyster with raspberry foam and cucumbers (2)

 Even the bread being offered was extraordinary.  We both opted for the brioche with American bacon.  Yes, it's as amazing as it sounds. A butter soft brioche bun with speckles of bacon throughout to add to its rich flavour.

After all those amuse bouche dishes we knew we were going to have a mind blowing meal. 

Red tuna tartare with curd cucumber - finely chopped tuna topped with a layer of cucumber gelee and another layer of salmon roe.  The smooth tuna tartare is full of flavour and toned down slightly by the cucumber gelee, but as you chew the briny salmon roe just pop in the mouth. As if this wasn't enough, the dish is accompanied with crisp crackers each topped with four dried mini prawns.  Definitely the best tuna tartare I've ever eaten.

 Smoked oyster on the grill, steamed spinach with sesame and crispy tubers - brought out in a domed dish, the top is lifted in front of you so the smoke actually wafts into your face before eating.  The scent is intoxicatingly powerful so that patrons at other tables can even smell it.  Despite the impressive entrance it wasn't my favourite dish, but then I've never been a huge fan of oysters.

 Vegetable leaves salad, herbs, sprouts and petals with lettuce cream and lobster - if food could be art, this dish would be a masterpiece.  When placed in front of me I was memorized by its many components and trying its combinations was even better.  All the ingredients are set upon a shallow tomato consommé gelee that compliments the many dollops of sauces and leaves of herbs, sprouts and petals.  There was a very small cube of lobster that was perfectly cooked, I just wished there was more!  One of the stand out dishes of the tasting menu in my opinion.
Vegetable leaves salad, herbs, sprouts and petals with lettuce cream & lobster (3)

 Tempered beef steak slices on foie gras curd, iodized salad and mustard ice cream - the mustard ice cream went very well with the slices of beef, which was almost a carpaccio style.  A good dish but not as spectacular, in my opinion, as the rest.

Prawn, royale of sea urchins, caviar of goat's burned milk and almond - I was expecting this to be one of my favourite dishes but surprisingly it was not.  The prawn was cooked perfectly but I found the accompanying items didn't add much to it.  Something about the dish, perhaps the goat's burned milk, made it overly smoky and slightly bitter.
Prawn, royale of sea urchins, caviar of goat's burned milk and almond (4)

Farmhouse egg with beetroot and liquidised herb salad, Basque "cocido" carpaccio and smoked cheese - I overheard from another table that the egg was cooked for an hour to get it to achieve this dish's consistency.  This is certainly no normal egg!  Upon cutting into it the yolk runs out in a molten state - not liquid like a poached egg and not cooked through like a soft boiled.  A great flavourful dish, I only wish sticks of brioche could accompany the dish so I had something to dip into it!

Low-temperature cooked sea bass on a bed of bacon and parmesan cream, goose barnacles and cauliflower couscous - in case you're wondering what are goose barnacles they have nothing to do with the fowl and actually grow in the ocean.  The fish was cooked well a tasty but not memorable dish.

Sea bass on bacon & parmesan cream, goose barnacles and cauliflower couscous (5)

Roast pigeon rested on a creamy stew of durum wheat, touch of truffled potato and spicy sauce - the pigeon was cooked perfectly with its crisp skin and medium rare finish.  I was so glad there was finally a meaty rich dish to contrast everything else. Although by this time I was stuffed I wished there was more.  I couldn't get enough of the meaty pigeon, hearty durum wheat and silky potatoes!  My only wonder was where was the spicy sauce?  I actually found the sauce more sweet than spicy.

Roast pigeon with durum wheat, tuffled potato and spicy sauce (6)

Lemon peel ice cream, vanilla iced drink with citrus and mint tea - after such heavy dishes this was such a good dessert to start with.  The ice cream floats upon a dish of vanilla, citrus and mint liquid and was so refreshing and cleansing for the next dessert dish.

French toast with frozen coffee crème and plum compote - after eating this dessert you may have thought you went to heaven.  The French toast must have been sitting in a cream egg mixture for a lengthy time.  Imagine a piece of creamy bread pudding dipped in egg and then seared until there's a brulee crust on it.  The warm French toast was not sweet and instead the frozen coffee crème gave it a lovely contrasting cold, sweet taste.  I absolutely loved the dish!

French toast with frozen coffee crème and plum compote (7)

Petit fours - to finish the night a tower of petit fours were presented consisting of mango mouse on sponge cake, a square dark chocolate truffle topped with gold flakes, rich vanilla butter pound cake and a Catalan white chocolate gelatin with honey which tastes almost like an egg panna cotta with syrup. The latter was a treat to be introduced to and I'd love to have it again.

If you're ever in Barcelona and have 3 hours and 288€ to spare (includes tasting menu for 2 and bottle of wine) you have to try Lasarte. The experience is amazing and memorable.

Overall mark - 9.5 out of 10.  Why didn't this get perfect if I loved it so much? Since I'm not a huge fan of oysters, I wish there was more variety in the tasting menu (3 of the dishes showcased oysters).  That would have made it perfect for me.

 ____________________________
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!
Photo Sources:
  1. Foie gras, green apple and eel. The Wandering Epicures (http://epicures.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/lasarte-barcelona/)
  2. Oyster with raspberry foam and cucumbers. Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d809578-Reviews-Restaurante_Lasarte-Barcelona_Catalonia.html)
  3. Vegetable leaves salad, herbs, sprouts and petals with lettuce cream & lobster.  Black Caviar (http://shopblackcaviar.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/lasarte/)
  4. Prawn, royale of sea urchins, caviar of goat's burned milk and almond.  Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d809578-Reviews-Restaurante_Lasarte-Barcelona_Catalonia.html)
  5. Sea bass on bacon & parmesan cream, goose barnacles and cauliflower couscous. Black Caviar (http://shopblackcaviar.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/lasarte/)
  6. Roast pigeon with durum wheat, tuffled potato and spicy sauce. The Wandering Epicures (http://epicures.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/lasarte-barcelona/)
  7. French toast with frozen coffee creme and plum compote. Black Caviar (http://shopblackcaviar.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/lasarte/) 

Welcome to Gastro World

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 by

You can tell by the name, this blog is about food … food from across the world: in terms of geography and cultures. The focus is on restaurant reviews – I love eating and there are just so many talented chefs out there creating amazing dishes. But, Gastro World also dabbles in all things delicious from food events, food products, food services and maybe even a recipe every now and again.


My Mission to be an Advisor

I hope to be your food advisor. Not an advocate or story teller but rather recount my meals in enough detail that you gain a view about the dishes. Taste is subjective so even though I don’t like something, read about the elements I didn’t fancy, you may find that you’ll still enjoy the dish.

Gastro World also hopes to support restaurants. It’s competitive in the culinary world and like other industries restaurants need to change and evolve to stay ahead. The hope is restaurants will appreciate my honest thoughts and not feel offended. Sometimes, I may point out things that could be tweaked and even offer suggestions on what I feel may make it better.

Of course, by no means am I an expert. As a chef or an owner of a restaurant just consider the feedback, you never know if could be helpful. After all, it’s much better to hear about it from me than to read about it later in a national newspaper or magazine when food critics are in town.

As an aside, Amy Pataki and Chris Nuttall-Smith if you ever find the time to have a meal with me I’d be ecstatic and promise never to reveal your identities. I love your reviews!


To Reveal or Not to Reveal?

In the beginning, I wanted to be anonymous, thinking this was the only way reviews could be fair and objective. Eventually, I realized it hindered my development as I had to turn down events which have proved to be invaluable to meeting fellow bloggers and gaining a deeper understanding about restaurants and what I’m eating.

So, although I’m not shouting my personal details from the rooftop, I’m also no longer hiding in the shadows. The majority of the meals are personally paid for and restaurants are not informed that I’m a food blogger when reservations are made. For those that are invited and complementary, I still believe in providing an honest opinion. After all, if I lied it’s really doing the restaurant a disservice as they won’t receive feedback which may help them evolve and stay competitive.


Other Things To Keep in Mind

Pricing is provided to allow you to judge "value for money".  Pricing will either be shown as a bill total which includes food/drink costs, taxes and mandatory service charges or in most cases the menu price for the dish (excluding taxes and gratuities).

 All reviews are my personal opinion. As I mentioned, taste is a subjective thing so you may feel differently about a certain dish or restaurant. 

 I receive no compensation for restaurant reviews. Meals are paid out-of-pocket and if they are complimentary the post will indicate it. I receive no reimbursement from the restaurants to write about them. However, for food product or services I may charge for sponsored posts, which are identified. Rest assured, I would never agree to write a sponsored post if I hated something.   
In the end, I hope you enjoy reading Gastro World as much as I love writing it. Please enjoy and I hope to entice you to try some of these places. 

Bon appetit!


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