* Sous chef needs a wake-up call *
I really wanted to like this bistro. It has all the markings of what could have been an excellent meal. But sadly some of the little details that were not paid attention to (likely by a sous chef) left me with a less than enthusiastic reaction.
The ravioles d'agneau (lamb ravioli) with mushrooms and white truffle oil was a nice start. The lamb filling was tender and had a good amount of lamb flavour, which balanced nicely with the mushrooms. The truffle oil was not detectable though, and perhaps the sous chef forgot to apply it? Overall a nice dish, even without the truffle oil. Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=jLu2DKP9ehtTBjaAmVvYrw
The dorade poêlée on salicorne and chanterelles was again a nice concept dish. The salicorne were cooked perfectly, as were the chanterelles and combined to form a platform for the fish. The fish was crisped nicely and had tender flesh. But unfortunately that blasted sous chef forgot to remove all of the scales. Boo. So what could have been a really nice dish ended up having me have to descale it (I didn't have the heart to send it back - although in retrospect I probably should have). Photo http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=CjvrmxiLIB-_9ZbWSY5I g and a soft-focus close-up of some of the scales left behind http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=jIGFE0-6VaFhLPUwM_Wa w Leaving scales on fish is truly sloppy and a real shame for what otherwise was a nice dish.
They had a nice selection of cheeses on offer, and we ordered a plate with a variety of three (Photo http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=4eXptUoul87FaYu0ouybSg . The Beemster Gouda (pictured on the far right) was the highlight. It had a flavour that reminded me of salted caramel. The plate came with a nice apricot confiture as well as some cranberry crisps (http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=G0QbGoiCc9PVKAjnCX_wfg).
The strawberry mousse was served on top of a layer of chocolate ganache with fresh strawberries on top. The berries and the chocolate ganache were the highlight of this dish and the mousse was a bit flavourless (damn sous chef again?). Photo http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=DMV2XoO3xCjswnK141b55g
T e chocolate "bouchon" didn't strike me as a bouchon, but more of a ganache square. It was served with a vanilla ice cream, a nice salted caramel, and topped with caramelized peanuts . Photo http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/Wbagz9_qZe10Rq3_g1FGzg?select=67IkWHYv20tCQZ2xj5EG w This dish was a winner.
Overall there were some signs that this could be a great bistro. But the lack of attention to detail was truly disappointing. While I'm blaming the sous chef, in reality it is the head chef's fault for letting those dishes out of the kitchen, no?