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| - Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to meeee, Happy Birthday to me :)
What a pleasant surprise to see that this restaurant right by my soon-to-be-home was the location of my surprise party, planned by S :). As I walked in, there was this long table with familiar faces... boyfriends of my roomates... and then I see them - MY ROOMMATES from university.... it's hard enough to get all of us in the same place and for all of them to be here was truly wonderful!
Another bonus - all their food here is sourced locally and their menu changes based on what their suppliers / friends give them... which is awesome! Known to be a place of sharing, we all shared several appetizers and also each got our own dish as a main.
The bread was fresh with a dipping sauce tasting like maple syrup. We had run out and the waitress said she was going to bring us more.. but it never happened. Oysters were 3.50 / piece supplied by Rodney's Oyster House in Toronto, and also sourced locally.... So i am a bit of a seafood snob and didn't think this oyster would live up to my expectation.. but prove me wrong.... nah that didn't happen. The oyster was pretty small and didn't have any plumpness to it. The cucumber mignonette was too bland imo, as I like the usual vinegary taste that adds a bit of bite.
The sharables included the gnocchi - top of mind because I thought it was delicious.. it was chewy and puffy, different from what it seems to be the usual buttery and lightly friend gnocchi. They reminded me of little pillows, which is what I think they should be. Although starchy, it did not feel heavy at all. The beet salad was actually an orange/pink beet which was very refreshing..... the shredded asparagus with fresh cheese was okay, with the asparagus as the hidden element becuase the pieces were too fine, and had lack of taste. The cheese however, was nice and creamy... but i was hoping for more asparagus. We got some softshell crab to share, which was nice - good to have a little crunch in your meal. I'm cannot judge whether it was done well or not because I do not usually eat it by itself (but in sushi), but overall it tasted pretty good.
For the main - I had the duck with kale and puree of some sort.. if I remember correctly... it was seasoned nicely.. the meat felt a little tough - not sure if that's how they cook it, or if that is just Ontario meat? It was still very tasty. Everyone else also raved about the other dishes, including the burger, jerk chicken (which could use more heat), and the gnocchi once again.
Little did I know, S ordered dessert for everyone which included a very large portion of Chocolate ice cream sandiwiches - there are two in one plate .... definitely enough for two people and comes with chocolate and vanilla sauce. I'm not sure what was so special about it as I found it to be a typical chocolate ice cream sandwich. I was excited to try the apple bread pudding (you know... me and my apple pie). I'm not sure if the bread is supposed to be fluffy or light or heavy and saucy, but mine was definitely on the heavy side.. not warm... is it supposed to be? There was a dollop of rich rich marscapone cheese which had both sweet and pinches of saltiness to it... it was very delicious, but cannot eat the whole thing. I didn't want to waste as everyone was so full so I ate more dessert than I could handle!
I have to say that the food was great and so was the company. as much as the server was really nice and patient... there was also a lack of service. Our water glasses were never filled and no one ever came to check on us. We were supposed to get more bread, but it never came. The service between servers was very inconsistent. I'm guessing this is how the friday night service works?
Come for the food, don't be in a rush. Enjoy your company. I will be back.
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