Richmond Station (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, November 23, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1 Richmond Street West
Website: http://richmondstation.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
Just a helpful piece of advice on finding the restaurant: It's not actually in the building with "1 Richmond Street W." sign.  Rather, you need to walk west on Richmond past Sunset Grill to where the public parking entrance resides.  On the left is where you'll see the glass door for the restaurant.

Richmond Station is where you go to get comfort food with a twist.  The dimly lit atmosphere is casual and laid back so you feel you can sit and relax.  Their service feels the same being unhurried but still attentive. Although the regular menu isn't extensive, they always have a few daily chalkboard additions on hand so there's more than enough choice.  Additionally, there's a changing daily price fixe lunch ($22), which is a great option if you have an hour and half to spare.  But, this post will be dedicated to their dinner menu.

Normally, I don't comment too much about the bread unless there's something noteworthy.  In Richmond Station's case the bread looks pretty plain when it arrives (a small wedge cut into slices with a large dish of oil/vinegar) but is surprisingly good.  It's warm, chewy on the inside and has a great crust. Moreover, they pair it with grape seed? oil rather that olive which was tasty and went well with the bread's existing saltiness.

My favourite dish of the night was the polenta fries ($8).  It's great for sharing (as you really can't eat it all yourself) and one of those dishes that you can't go wrong with - a combination of deep fried goodness, truffles and cheese! Sticks of thick cut polenta arrive hot and very crispy sitting on truffle oil aioli and topped with shaved asiago cheese and chives.  I enjoy the slight creaminess of the polenta mixed with the bursts of flavor from the truffle and cheese.  This is a great treat and just as good as a poutine.


The fennel and potato perogies ($22) were one of the better ones I've had.  The dough had some elasticity yet stayed soft; the seared crust adding texture, colour and eliminates any sticky feeling. They were simply filled with potato and light amount of cheese (I couldn't really taste the fennel), so that the accompanying puréed beets and thick full fat sour cream stood out. I think the sides were paired well, sautéed swiss chard and caramelized onions, which helped to lighten the meal and bring some "juiciness" against the starch. At first I was a bit turned off about the "cinnamon mushrooms" noted on the menu but really didn't taste these at all so must have blended well into the other ingredients.

For some individuals, you may find the dishes a bit salty; they were okay for me butI tend to like saltier things. To me, my friend's chilli and fennel sausage pasta ($23) was quite heavily salted, so if you're sensitive to this than you may want to request them to add less. Nonetheless, the hand-made orecchiette was a good thickness and cooked perfectly al dente.

Richmond Station does appear to use a number of different ingredients in intriguing ways.  Perhaps it's me, but I found because of this the menu description sometimes sounds unappetizing.  The empire apple posset ($9) describes the dessert as incorporating celery sorbet, grapes and fennel fronds.  In reality, any celery taste in the sorbet was slight; I couldn't remember even eating any grapes and the celery fronds were actually deep fried so they resembled the texture (but not the taste) of a shrimp chip.  This is a good dessert for those who don't like overly sweet things as the sorbet was relatively neutral, the deep fried fennel adding a touch of savouriness and really just the crème fraiche having a strong apple flavor.


We also shared the special dessert feature, milk kulfi ($9), which consisted of a milky ice cream log, crumble topping, smoked pear and elderberries. The addition of elderberries was interesting as it had a slight bitterness that contrasted against the sweetness of all the other ingredients.  Overall, the desserts were decent but I find they're a bit of a mismatch with the rest of Richmond Station's menu and atmosphere.  The other dishes tended to be more "traditional", whereas the dessert much more deconstructed and abstract.  Conceivably, it may be that Richmond Station has a separate pastry/dessert chef, but I somehow find the meal a bit disjointed in theme.

Some chocolate wedges arrived with the bill, which is always a nice gesture.  Unfortunately, they were orange flavoured and I personally detest fruit/chocolate combinations.  But, it's the thought that counts and my friend liked it.

Despite making a reservation almost a month in advance, during the night of our visit we were sat in the table right by the door (not the greatest during winter weather).  But, the hostess and waitress recognized this immediately, was apologetic and tried to better the situation by bringing us a space heater and ensuring the velvet curtains at the door were closed.  I was impressed by this level of service as it shows genuine concern for the welfare of their customers. It's refreshing to see a restaurant go above and beyond being just friendly, attentive and knowledgeable (although these are all necessary qualities).  I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Richmond Station and hope to come back to try their lunch menu.

Overall mark - 8 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!


Touhenboku Ramen (Toronto)

Posted on Thursday, November 21, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 261 Queen Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner 
As the weather starts dipping lower, the opportunity for bowls of hot soupy noodles is welcomed once again.  Luckily for us, another new option has just opened up so that the lineups will hopefully lessen if not cease. Touhenboku differentiates itself by offering a chicken soup base, perfect for those who have previously shied away from eating ramen due to the pork components.

Right away what makes this place great is their accommodating friendly service.  Sure, at competitors you’re always greeted in cheerful unison but at Touhenboku they never try to force you to wait outside (ahem Kinton) and actually talk to their customers.  From the hostess to the owner/manager (?) they reached out to ask us how we were doing, kept us informed about our position in line and ensured we were being satisfied. These little touches really add to the experience and somehow make waiting bearable (we went at about 7pm on a weeknight and were seated in approximately twenty minutes).

Their main offering is ramen ($10.50) with the following choices:
  • Soup base: white (regular chicken), red (spicy), black (garlic infused) or light (calmed down version of white)
  • Meat: lean pork, rich pork or chicken
  • Noodle width: thin or thick
  • Salt preference: shio (sea salt) or shoyu (soy sauce)

 Being my first visit, I went with the white, lean pork, thin noodles and shio flavoured ramen. The base is very different and is much like condensed chicken soup; not only is it rich but there’s a creamy smooth texture to it.  Normally, the richness comes from oil, however, in Touhenboku’s case I think it’s likely from the collagen off of chicken cartilage as you get the silkiness without seeing a layer of oil on top. My first few tastes were heavenly but soon it became too much and the saltiness became overwhelming. I certainly enjoyed the soup but need to opt for the “light” version next time.  If you generally find ramen too salty, do yourself a favour and just order the light to begin with.

The noodles are slightly softer than competitors likely on account to them making them fresh in house.  Overall, these weren’t too bad but its doughiness probably added to the fullness of the meal as the thick soup just clung onto the noodles! The meat does need some improvement and in my opinion the worse of the bunch.  Maybe it’s because I went with the lean version but it was pretty dry and tasteless.  My friends that ordered the rich version felt it was much better and to be honest didn’t really have that much fat on it anyways. But, the half of soft boiled egg that sat upon everything was amazing – I loved the fully cooked exterior and creamy yolk.
Sharing with a friend, I also had the opportunity to try the black and thick noodles version. To be honest, any difference between thin and thick is pretty slight so both were good to me.  You certainly could taste the garlic in the broth but what made it nice was they used a garlic oil/liquid rather than pieces of garlic so it wasn’t too in your face.  I even liked the small touches like the black noodles coming in a bowl with a black stripe (the red has a red stripe) making it easier for the servers to distinguish.

We decided to share the karaage ($4.50) which was great with the dark chicken meat being very tender.  The crispy coating wasn’t overly battered and was lightly salted so that it went well with the flavourful ramen.  Sometimes I find karaage very heavy but Touhenboku’s version was lighter tasting, which could also be on account of it not drowning in mayo.

Sadly, the gyoza ($4.50) was not as successful.  The wrapper was hard and pork filling dense and dry.  Some scallions or green vegetables are needed in the filling to give it some juice and the wrappers definitely need to be reformulated to allow them to become thinner. Additionally, there was either a thin layer of oil on the dumplings or in the soy sauce making it impossible for the sauce to actually stick onto the gyoza – we had to resort to biting into it and then pouring some into the middle.
A pretty extensive dessert menu was available but sadly on the night of our visit only three were actually on hand.  The restaurant prides themselves by offering Japanese desserts made by a pastry chef from a Japanese Hotel.  Nonetheless, the chiffon cake ($5.50) we had was pretty lackluster and store bought tasting.  The cake was airy and light but lacked any flavours (even some vanilla bean would be nice), while the whipped cream came out of a can and the glaze just drizzles of syrup.

In the end, I liked their ramen (but likely will opt for the light, rich pork option next time).  But, what really makes me want to go back is Touhenboku’s friendly all female staff (at least on the evening we visited).  I heard Tonhenboku sometimes means a person who pretends not to understand to get their way.  So, maybe the gyozas need work and the desserts aren’t as great as they claim, as long as the ramen is good and people keep coming back, isn’t that all that matters anyways?
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!

Milagro Cantina (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 17, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 5 Mercer Street
Website: http://www.milagrorestaurant.com/Welcome.html
Type of Meal: Dinner

Before the expansion of taquerías there was Milagro Cantina, one of the first Mexican restaurants that deviated from tex mex in Toronto. At Milagro, jalapeno laced cheese isn’t sprinkled liberally on top everything, but rather flavours are added with smoked peppers, creamy avocados and freshly made salsas. It’s my go-to location for tacos and burritos, since I can make reservations, am not required to share a table with strangers and actually get plates and cutlery to go with the meal. 


Having visited all three locations, my favourite is the uptown Yonge site (pictured in this post. Update: this location has since closed) but each has their own appeal.  The Mercer location is by far the largest and best for large parties and its proximity to the entertainment district. Meanwhile, Queen West is intimate and quieter so good for casual meals where conversation is key.  The Yonge location is the happy medium – still fairly large (with two floors) and a nice vibe (bustling bar but not so loud that you can’t carry a conversation).    
At all the restaurants, complementary house made tortilla chips and salsa is handed out after ordering.  Although delicious, the salsa is rather small and never enough to last past 10 chips, so we added on an order of guacamole ($11.50 for large) to satisfy ourselves (so much so that we had to get a refill of chips).  The guacamole is simple with the tomatoes and onion, muted so that the fresh creamy avocado shines through with some salt and citrus.  A bit of serrano peppers is scattered throughout but sparingly so there isn’t much heat.


On this visit I’ve decided to finally try their ceviche; with five to choose from and two sizes each, we ordered the snapper ($15 for large) to share. It’s too acidic for my taste and all you can taste is lime, lime and more lime - perhaps, if they strained the mixture out of the liquid rather than serving the ceviche in it the citruses’ can be calmed. Additionally, if there was more mango the sweetness could have better counteracted the pungent lime. The dish does have a nice heat to it with more of the serrano peppers. Certainly, it was nicely presented in an oversized ice cream container – although it’s a bit messy to spoon out for the first person.


Milagro’s camarones burrito ($14) is the one dish I’ve ordered on multiple occasions and is my favourite burrito. Having eaten it at both the Yonge and Queen West locations, they were both delicious but at the Yonge location has more heat and seems saucier. It’s a substantial meal with the well toasted tortilla shell jam packed with ingredients – aside from several large grilled shrimp, there’s also thick black refried beans, flavourful rice, smoky roasted peppers, guacamole, chipotle-may, jalapenos, onion and cilantro. On the side is some spicy warm corn (at Yonge) and more rice (at Queen West).


What makes this burrito my favourite, other than the fresh ingredients, is that the shell is so nicely grilled adding a toasty crunch to it. Also, the burrito has sauce but not so much liquid that it becomes a huge mess to eat.  So, if you generally like super moist burritos, this wouldn’t be the one for you; the beans and guacamole are much thicker and there’s no sour cream or blended jalapeno sauce adding unnecessary liquid to it.


My husband ordered the tacos le perla ($18 for the entrée version).  The battered snapper wasn’t really crispy so being deep fried didn’t matter, so I’d prefer it just be grilled so that it’s healthier.  But, the fish was fresh and topped with a lot of great ingredients including a sweet tropical slaw (could be pineapple?) and chile crema that contrasts it with a spicy finish.


In the past, I’ve tried other tacos and find the capital ($11, ribeye steak, cilantro and salsa verde) and rosarito ($12, shrimp, refried beans, crema and avacado) were both wonderful.  In terms of mains, the pescado Rodrigo ($21) is good if you want something lighter as it’s a simple piece of pan seared snapper with zucchini and topped with olive oil, lime and cilantro.  Regardless, I’ve eaten at this chain five times and have loved it more each time.  Milagros is the place I head to when I need a Mexican fix, and it’s nice to know you don’t have to wait forever to be satisfied.  
Overall mark - 8 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!

The Dome (Edinburgh)

Posted on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 by
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 14 George Street
Website: http://www.thedomeedinburgh.com/
Type of Meal: Light dinner and drinks
The Dome is an impressive building with stately columns out front and a grand entrance.  Originally, built as the Physician’s hall and later demolished to serve as the headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland, it’s now home to two restaurants, lounge, tea house, outdoors patio, suites and events venue. On both visits we sat is the lounge where we were able to take in the elaborate ceiling which gives the building its name.  

 Despite the fancy surroundings, drink prices are reasonable and approximately £2 for a half pint, £4 for a pint and £6 for a glass of wine.  On one visit we shared a platter for four (£22.50) but given there were eight of everything this could easily serve more. Comprised of many fried favourites - coconut shrimp, duck spring rolls, mozzarella sticks and sweeter fried dough stuffed with cabbage - plus the lone grilled chicken skewers the platter has something for everyone.


Everything arrived crispy and hot with my favourites being the crispy fragrant coconut shrimp, the slightly gamey duck spring rolls and the tender chicken skewers.  The whimsical use of take-out chopsticks to skewer the chicken was also a nice touch.

On another night, we went back for dessert and drinks and I treated myself to an absolutely delicious mocha complete with real chocolate shavings at the bottom of the glass.  The other guests had some delicious desserts, approximately £7 each, and were substantial portions.

During both visits the Dome’s lounge was fairly busy filled with suits, couples and tourists alike. But, tables turned over quickly and we never had to wait to secure a table. The breathtaking décor, efficient service and fair pricing are definitely worth a visit.

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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!

Anstruther's Fish Bar (Anstruther)

Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2013 by
Location: Anstruther, Scotland
Address: 42-44 Shore Street
Website: http://www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk/
Type of Meal: Lunch
Anstruther's Fish Bar is located right on the pier so fresh fish is what you’ll expect and get.  In fact, on top of their takeaway counter sits a sign that proudly announces which fishing company caught the haddock for the day.  The restaurant is simple with a take-out area as soon as you enter (£5.90 for the haddock), a dining area with about a dozen tables in the middle and an ice cream parlour at the other end.

But, don’t let the casual interior fool you, Anstruther is serious about fish and chips and won many accolades including being recognized the Best Fish and Chip Shop in Scotland and the UK’s Fish Shop of the Year.  Discreet Scotland Tours brought us here right after our visit in the St. Andrews district and noted its popularity with visitors and students of St. Andrews University – including the infamous Prince William.

Having walked around all morning, we decided to eat in and luckily scored a table.  Everyone had to try their speciality, deep fried haddock (£8.25), although Anstruther offers other seafood such as sole, hake, cod, prawns and crab.  For those who don’t like seafood (gasp), deep fried chicken, pizza, burgers, curry chicken, macaroni & cheese and savoury rolls are also available.  

The haddock when dining in costs a bit more but does come with bread & butter (regular sliced bread), a selection of sauces (ketchup, tartare, malt vinegar or brown sauce (aka HP sauce)) and a hot drink. I went with the tartare sauce which sadly was a packaged Heinz variety that’s meritocracy actually ruined the fish – in the end I just ate it plain with some malt vinegar on the chips.
The batter is light, crispy and not greasy at all allowing the freshness of the fish to shine through.  Meanwhile, the haddock is just cooked through so that the fish retains its moistness.  Portion sizes are fairly large with the paper platter containing one and a half fillets and a significant amount of chips. The chips are ordinary yet still tasty and just needs some salt (found on the table) to give it some flavour.

Not having grown up on fish and chips, I must say this is one of the best versions I’ve tasted. Admittedly, I have had a similar calibre fish and chip in Toronto at Rock Lobster where they make a wonderful house-made tartare sauce. My father-in-law, who eats it more and has tried other UK locations, ranks this as one of his top picks as well.  In the end, I wouldn’t make a special journey to Anstruther’s Fish Bar; but, if you happen to be in the St. Andrews area you should definitely stop by.
Overall mark - 8 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!

The Beverley Hotel (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 335 Queen Street West
Website: http://thebeverleyhotel.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
The Beverley Hotel is located on a busy stretch of Queen West with the restaurant centrally located on the ground floor. While visiting in the evening, I almost missed the simple glass doors embossed with their name if it weren’t for the point-of-sale signage located out front.  The dining room is a narrow but long set-up with one side dedicated to a large bar and tables and banquettes along the other side and the back. Its décor is reminiscent of a steak house with the dark wood accents and leather clad seats; the dim lighting makes it a good place for a date or drinks.

The French Kiss 75 ($13?) was a fair sized cocktail made from pink prosecco, gin (?) and grapefruit.  A bubbly concoction with a citrusy twist and just a hint of sweetness, it’s refreshing and a nice sipping drink.  I also enjoy the whimsical lemon rind twist adorning the glass.

Not hungry that night, I opted for the mussels + brussels appetizer ($10) which was a surprisingly large portion.  Cooked in a beer based garlicky broth the mussels were done well but would be even better if there was more cooking liquid to dip them into.  I thoroughly enjoyed the variation on frites using brussel sprouts instead; they were slightly charred and crispy adding sweetness and smokiness to the dish. I would have liked an empty bowl to discard shells as it was difficult to eat until one of my friends could offer me their finished plate to use.

Beverly Hotel’s steak tartare ($14) is the first I’ve seen that sits upon a disc of cold herbed mashed potatoes.  Made from hanger steak, the tartare has a bit more bite to it and generally a decent flavour.  Thankfully, they give enough pieces of pumpernickel toasts (what’s with restaurants now a days giving a huge portion of tartare and then 3 small pieces of crostini?). To top everything off there’s a quail egg, pickled green beans (sadly I didn’t try but heard pickled vegetables is one of Chef Wood’s specialties) and micro greens.



 My husband’s Beverly burger ($16) was cooked to a medium doneness so that patty was still soft and juicy.  Sitting on top of a soft sesame bun with a heavy dose of fried Guernsey cheese there was certainly a barrage of flavour.  As if the hollandaise sauce, in lieu of mayonnaise, was not enough, my husband also added a fried egg (additional $1) making it a saucy and messy burger.  I tend to like firmer charbroiled burgers so this one was a bit mushy for my taste; but, my husband liked it and rates it top 10 on his list (although still behind the Harbord Room’s rendition). 


Unfortunately, my favourite part of the dish, the fries, was lukewarm and stale – what a disappointment.  There was hardly even a full portion of them when they arrived so perhaps the kitchen ran out and didn’t feel like making another batch.

The Beverly Hotel is a nice classy destination on the Queen Street West strip.  The cocktails are delicious and appetizers a considerable portion at reasonable prices. Overall, I sense the restaurant will do well as a drinks and shared plates place, which may just work in the trendy neighbourhood.

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!



The Tea Room at Harrods (London)

Posted on Sunday, November 03, 2013 by
Location: London, England
Address: 87-135 Brompton Rd (inside Harrods, 2nd floor)
Website: http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/the-tea-room/
Type of Meal: Tea  

If you’ve ever been to Harrods, it’s a multi-level mad house with shoppers and merchandise everywhere.  Their Food Hall, on the main floor, certainly draws crowds who are looking for something to eat. My preference is for the Tea Room tucked away from the hustle and bustle on the second floor. It’s not the Ritz where you’d dress up and go for high tea that last for hours.  Rather, it’s a great alternative for those who just want tea and a quick bite – exactly what my husband and I needed after a morning of site seeing.

We both ordered the Chelsea (£12.50), which is simply tea with scones, clotted cream and jams. Harrods offers an extensive list of tea but the 1849 Blend, a black tea, caught both our interest given it was made to commemorate Harrod’s 150th anniversary and promises an intense aroma with rich flavour.  At first, the 1849 Blend really didn’t taste that different from regular teas, but once we skipped the milk and sugar, the intensity came through and the slight bitterness went well with the sugary jam.
Two large scones, plain and with raisins, arrive with a generous dish of thick clotted cream. This really is the quintessential thing to try when you go to London and it’s great at Harrods.  The scones were freshly made arriving hot, soft, slightly doughy but still airy in the middle. For me, the best part is the clotted cream which makes everything so much better. The thick, buttery spread is heavenly and goes well with the strawberry or raspberry jam or on its own.

If you’re visiting London for the first time, likely you’ll end up in Knightsbridge at Harrods.  My suggestion, take an hour (perhaps at the Tea Room) to just sit back, relax and enjoy some tea with company – and I guess scones and clotted cream doesn’t hurt as well.


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Libertine (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, October 27, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1307 Dundas Street West
Website: http://www.thelibertinespeak.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner
If you’re going to visit Libertine, make sure you know what to look the restaurant has no signage.  Instead, you’ll see a neon rectangle “tarot cards palm reading” sign over the doorway and likely see a group of older men smoking outside at the billiard’s place beside it.  It’s situated in the basement of the building and along the way down you’ll see a small room behind a beaded curtain where the fortune teller resides (when we visited on a Friday they weren’t there, but readings range from $25-$45).

The lounge/dining room is open and spacious, making you forget about the narrow door and stairway you just descended.  There are plenty of horseshoe shaped booths, long barstool tables for large groups and a fair sized bar.  The mythological fortune teller theme continues with the art adorning the walls and wheel of fortune at the back. 

The menu changes depending on ingredient availability, but generally offers a fair number of vegetarian and vegan options.  Libertine is another “small plates” format restaurant where dishes are meant to be shared around the table.  During our visit we tried a total of five dishes;   in general, they were decent but some a bit confusing with the addition of elements that didn’t go at all.  Normally, I like dishes with varying flavours and textures, but there has to be some cohesion or at the very least have complementary ingredients for the concoction to be successful.  

The pierogies ($14) was an example of such a dish. Included in the dish were pan fried pierogies with a piece of pork belly.  But, then sprinkled over everything were flakes of sweet freeze dried (?) milk that stuck to your teeth (an ingredient our table would have happily had eliminated from the dish). Aside from the milk flakes, the dish consisted of three mediocre pierogies and a small piece of chewy pork belly.  The pierogies’ potato and cheese filling (cheddar and gruyere in Libertine’s case) was tasty but could be a bit saltier as it really didn’t hold up to the dough.  I’ve had much better ones at Pravda.  The pork belly was also lackluster with none of the richness you’d expect. When seeing it on the menu, this was the one I was most excited about but ended up disappointed with.
Another mishmash dish was the poached prawn ($14).  The prawns were well cooked and when combined with the sprinkles of chorizo added a great salty essence to everything. The edamame pods were also good and brought a nice fresh crunchy aspect to everything.  But, then there were cubes of potatoes and guacamole piped into shrimp chips; although good on their own, didn’t seem to go with the poached prawns.
But, there were some good dishes such as fried tofu ($11).  Delicate pieces of silken egg tofu were freshly deep fried and combined with a flavourful dashi broth and aromatic shallots.  Some small pieces of broiled (?) cauliflower were also included to contrast the soft tofu.  Sprinkles of nori strips and edible flowers topped the dish giving it a beautiful presentation.  This is an excellent example of a dish that does have a lot of flavours and ingredients but they worked.
Another one was the fried chicken ($16), but it’s pretty hard to mess up crunchy chicken.  The pieces were tender and still had a crispy savoury crust. Small pieces of bibb lettuce and pickled carrots accompanied the chicken to give it a bo ssam feel (although it’s weird that there are six pieces of chicken but only four pieces of lettuce).  But then again, the dish appeared to be torn between being Korean or Southern as it also had coleslaw and ketchup included with it that didn’t really go well with the bo ssam theme.

Lastly, the pasta fritta ($7), reminding me of a cross between a pita puff and garlic knots was split between our table.  I found it to be fairly flavourful with the coating of black garlic and parmesan making it a good snack to accompany beers.  But, another guest detested it and found its oiliness off putting compared to the other menu items.

Libertine only offers one dessert nightly, which for us was a panna cotta ($8).  I didn’t actually have any but appeared to be enjoyed by the other guests.

Instead, I opted for the Miss Shirley cocktail ($11.50; even though the menu states all cocktails are $13).  It took a long time for it to arrive and when it did looked as if someone had already drank from it (the enclosed picture is actually how it full the cocktail was at arrival). Who knows, perhaps that’s why they didn’t charge full price for it. Nonetheless, the cocktail had an interesting herby taste that I enjoy from the basil added to the gin and strawberry puree.  Although it looks sweet and girly, the dash of white balsamic Libertine adds to it actually cuts the sweetness.
A libertine is described on Wikipedia as “one devoid of most moral restraints … especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour sanctified by the larger society”.  During our visit, the patrons didn’t seem to be libertines at all; rather, most were quiet with only one person dared to spin the wheel of fortune, capturing everyone’s attention for a brief moment.

We left the restaurant at about 10:30 on a Friday and even at that point it was still relatively empty and the lounge vibe didn’t start yet.  In the end, Libertine appears to be trying to become another supper club but in my opinion hasn’t mastered either yet.   

 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!


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