| rev:text
| - Generally speaking, when I look at menus like the one of Richmond Station, I'm generally not really impressed - the pricier mains just don't catch my eye. However, after coming here for a company lunch yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing quality and execution of food! The service was also top notch; the waitress was so polite and friendly!
We were seated in this semi-private area that functioned as their pantry. I saw a chef come in at some point for more ingredients! The charcuterie was also hanging in the cold room.
We started off with some shared apps for the table, and ordered the following.
Charcuterie Board:
We ordered the six piece assortment; the waiter had explained all of them in detail, but the specifics have escaped me! I did really like the large pale pink round piece that resembled ham or bologna, as well as the prosciutto like pieces. The pickled vegetables was also a nice addition, though I felt they could have given more.
Quinoa Salad:
This was well loved by the group, but it wasn't my favourite. That said, it may be because I've never been a huge fan of quinoa. The taste was good, and the contrasting textures interesting, but I found that it paled in comparison when placed beside the Baby Gem Salad.
Cucumber Salad:
This dish was subtly refreshing, due to the cucumbers and addition of dill. That said, I did find the dressing a little on the heavy side, though I couldn't quite peg down what ingredient contributed to this. Perhaps it was the fresco or the tzatziki. However, my colleagues all loved this salad and claimed it was the best one.
Baby Gem Salad:
This take on the Caesar salad stole the show for me. The briny, fishy taste of the anchovies highlighted the saltiness of the egg yolks and parmigiano. The smoked almonds added a nice crunch, and I could swear that they were slightly sugared. Definitely my favourite, and I'm not usually a fan of the classic Caesar salads. Maybe I'm just a huge fan of anchovies, as I'm definitely seeing a trend in my preferred dishes...
White Asparagus and Baby Ham:
Approximately 6 pieces of asparagus came topped with three pieces of ham/bacon. Apart from the fact that the asparagus was white, I didn't find this dish particularly interesting. The shoots were sweet, and the ham was a nice salty contrast, but overall it wasn't a memorable dish for me. I personally found it overpriced, but the selling point for the table was its white colour.
I also ordered a hibiscus lemonade, which was refreshing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it as I did find it on the sweet side. The citrus lemonade paired really well with the added floral syrup, and received praises all around the table.
For the main, I ordered the cod, but was able to try a bit of the flavour of the duck accompaniments.
Slow Cooked Black Cod:
Since cod is known for its fatty rich flavour, I was really interested to see how this restaurant would cook this fish. I've only ever had it at Japanese restaurants, where it's grilled with miso and kept relatively dry and sauce free. I was therefore really surprised to see Richmond Station serve the cod with tomato salsa, basil, and the red pepper rouille, but the combination made sense to me right away. Since the cod is so fatty, it seems logical to add some tangy tomato and light spices to brighten up the flavour.
The cod was grilled perfectly! It was flaky, moist, succulent, and tender. The outside, however, was crispy and delicious. There was a bit of fat stuck the skin, and that made everything more awesome! Since I'm a purist in flavour, I really enjoyed eating the fat fish alone... But felt very full and stuffed soon afterwards from all the oil and fats. Perhaps it would have been smarter to eat the fish with all the salsa and rouille, as was intended.
That said, though I was impressed with the fish, I was surprised that it was paired with so many beans. The red pepper added a delightful spicy kick and was great with the sourdough, but I found it to overpower the taste of the fish (partially the reason why I opted out of eating them together). I did, however, enjoy the fish with the pairing of fresh roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus!
Duck Two Ways:
A colleague of mine ordered this dish, and I was able to try a fiddlehead with the grains and jus. Maybe it was because I was too full, but I found the dish on the heavy side. In fact, my colleague said the very same and had difficulty finishing his dish after the appetizers. The fiddlehead had a grassy, green flavour, and retained its crisp, providing an interest contrast to the rest of the dish. I much preferred my cod, which was comparatively lighter!
By the end of the meal, we were so stuffed that we couldn't even order dessert. That said, one party member who came late (and thus didn't get to share in the appetizers) didn't find the cod filling enough. Overall, Richmond Station is slightly pricey, but it's a decent mid-budget first date or business lunch place.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)