| rev:text
| - I was recently invited to review the Black Ox Bistro in Scarborough, a modern steakhouse that is also Halal. This was a fun and interesting experience with a restaurant that is catering to two different target markets, mainstream and Halal. Their biggest challenge is that they can't serve alcohol, which is where this review begins...
Because they don't serve alcohol, they worked very hard on developing and creating 'mocktails' that look and taste like the real thing. Tried both the Raspberry Mojito and the Pina Colada. Both were excellent!
We then tried the brisket poutine and the beef bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers. Loved the poutine, best I'd ever had with a great sauce and covered in brisket. The brisket itself was a little tough, but the poutine was still excellent. The poppers were visually stunning, but not as enjoyable. The beef bacon wrapped around the poppers were very good, but the poppers themselves were served more on the raw side. I prefer the more traditional poppers that are fully cooked and breaded.
The main course was visually spectacular, massive and meat lovers dream come true. Called the Meathead Platter, the meal for two (or one for some people) includes 1/2 kg beef rib (no pork on the menu), 10oz Sirloin steak, buffalo wings, fried quarter chicken with garlic mash, pulled brisket baked potato and coleslaw. Although I prefer fried chicken wings, these baked wings were still very good, good size wings and buffalo sauce. The fried chicken was huge, meat was juicy, but the coating lacked flavor. I prefer the more traditional breaded and spiced fried chicken. The garlic mash with the chicken was very good. Beef ribs were also very good, tender and fall off the bone. The steak unfortunately was over cooked. If I were to have this platter again I would order the steak medium. The baked potato and coleslaw were both very good. While we were eating the platter they also let us try a homemade hot sauce they use for their Black Ox Burger. It was VERY hot, and would be fantastic on a burger. Overall an impressive platter, huge portions and great presentation.
We tried two deserts, a classic creme brûlée and a tiramisu which was a brand new item on the menu. The creme brûlée was excellent, loved it! Again this was interesting as an Halal establishment can't use vanilla, and yet you would never know the brûlée didn't have it in the recipe. We had a brief conversation with the restaurant manager about how the chef works hard to research, develop and create recipes that will satisfy both a mainstream and Halal customer base, very impressive.
One last thing to note is the great menu. Even though it is a steakhouse, it has an impressive amount of fun and varied foods to try like a Philly Cheesesteak, a number of different burgers, great appetizers, pastas, fish, chicken and more.
Overall this was a fun experience and a must try for anyone that is looking for high quality food, big portions, great service and/or also requires Halal.
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