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| - *3-1/2 stars*
It amazes me how the same restaurant can yield 2 different experiences. My first experience at Nota Bene was a little disappointing. Although they used high quality ingredients, I didn't think the food was anything special. But cue the namesake Suckling Pig & Bouding Noir Tart that has made Chef David Lee famous - and the result is phenomenal.
The restaurant was quite busy when I arrived, and without a reservation we were only able to nab a table at the front of the house. Lucky for us, it was a window seat. The crowd in here is a little older, and is a mix of the business and pre-show opera crowd. It isn't what I would call a casual dining restaurant as I spotted a lot of fancy dresses and dapper business suits.
While waiting, I sipped on a Muy Thai cocktail which was a drink for the senses. With lemon grass, red chillies, a splash of coconut, and basil leaves - there were many different flavours that came together in this seemingly simple, yet complex drink. It may just be one of the best cocktails I've had in Toronto. It is subtly sweet with a smooth coconut taste. Just as the mellowness of the coconut hits your tongue, the red chillies slowly make their way to the tip of your tongue to spice things up again. This is definitely a cocktail that is meant for slow sipping for the flavours to seep in.
We opted to skip on appetizers since the complimentary bread basket tided us over and head straight for the mains. My mission this time was to try the limited-time-only Suckling Pig & Boudin Noir Tart (available until February 9). For your information, Boudin Noir refers to a type of blood sausage that is almost black in colour composed mainly of pork and pig's blood. The tart was extremely rich in flavour and is something that should be shared. Although generally speaking there were many different components to this dish - the sauce was so rich that it turned this into what I would call a melting pot dish (e.g. everything tasted like the sauce). Texturally, this was an interesting dish. A puff pastry serves as the base of the tart, which loses its textural uniqueness with the sauce drenched all over and therefore losing the buttery, flaky texture. The tart itself is composed of crispy pork rinds, portabello mushrooms, tender pieces of pork, the Boudin Noir, thin slices of bacon and truffle vinaigrette. While I appreciate that this was a very rich and savory dish, I kind of wanted to be able to taste the distinct components that came together to tantalize the taste buds versus just having the same taste which came from the sauce in every bite. The slices of bacon were translucent in appearance and just melted in your mouth as was the pieces of juicy and tender pork. The blood sausage had an almost liver-like taste to it and was unique. The pork rinds were perhaps the only textural contrast in the dish as it steered away from being "soft" like the rest of the components in the dish. All in all, despite the lack in textures, the dish was savory.
My favourite pasta is Pappardelle (which is basically a broader fettuccine), particularly the egg variety. Eggs just make everything smoother and better! Tonight's pappardelle would be a Rabbit Sofrito. Sofrito, refers to a blend of "...aromatic ingredients [which have been] cut in very small pieces, and slowly sauteed or braised in cooking oil for 15-30 minutes." [1] Rabbit, to me, can be described as having a more tender texture than chicken. The sofrito consisted of ground up meet and a rich sauce and was no doubt, heavily lubed up from either cooking oil or butter. This is probably one of the better dishes I've had at a restaurant. The pasta was fresh and delicious.
I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but the most disappointing part of the evening was dessert. I still can't believe I said that because those of you who know me, know that I love dessert! Last time I opted for the Sticky Toffee Pudding which was way too sweet. This time, at the recommendation of our server, we ordered the Apple Galette. It was served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a Blueberry Sauce. I found the pastry shell to be too hard. It was not buttery in taste, and was probably not made the same day. The filling was the best part, although you don't have to be a culinary genius to make a good pie filling.
Verdict:
I've now had 2 dining experiences at Nota Bene, one good and one so-so. With cocktails priced with an average price tag of $15, Nota Bene is definitely not an everyday indulgence. I applaud Chef David Lee for crafting the Suckling Pig & Boudin Noir Tart as I don't think I've ever had anything quite like it in my dining experiences. However, I think their desserts still need a bit of work.
This is a great place to go pre-theatre or for a special occasion. Our bill rang in at around $103 before tax and tip.
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