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| - I have a lot to say about Bar Chef however if you are looking for a simple yes or no answer, then yes I would recommend trying it!
I've been following @barcheftoronto on Instagram for a couple weeks and the marketing of their "modern takes" cocktails are truly something to behold. The concept of bringing chef level creativity to the cocktail menu truly is unique and requires dedication and talent! Knowing I would be in Toronto for a week, I was beyond excited to see what they had to offer sooner than later. I did not want to read any reviews in advance as I truly wanted it to be a first time experience.
Walking into the restaurant from the frigid 20 degree weather into a dark black candle lit room felt warm and mysterious. I was overwhelmed with feelings of pure excitement as we were escorted to our table. How can you not be intrigued by the assortment of drinks, the friendly smiles and the giant wall of house made bitters. Unfortunately this is where things took a bit of a turn. We were seated at the last table on the left of the restaurant, unlike the rest of the dimly lit landscape our table was overly bright with white lights reflecting from the bitters display case. I would have to imagine this is the worst seat in the house as it not only was too bright, but it spotlighted the extremely cheap and tacky chairs, tables and wall decor. Moreover the uninspiring plates for some of the appetizers we ordered in advance simply didn't match the extraordinary creativity of their signature cocktails we came there for. Additionally, although the wait staff was welcoming and informative, their execution from order to table was beyond poor. Some examples include the table being filled with finished appetizer plates and instead of taking them away before presenting our 25-30 dollar showpieces of a cocktail, they just slid and pushed them onto the table. Also as a rule of thumb they brought out my cocktail with the appetizers and I had to wait 15 minutes for my other two guests drinks to arrive before even trying mine. We had ordered 3 separate "modernist cocktails" so I'm sure some take longer than others but this was a huge mistake in my mind. It destroyed the opportunity to wow the entire table with (1) unveiling of each person's cocktail.
Our first cocktail and I would say best tasting was the "Black Truffle". It was more of a tasting experience than a drink but I absolutely loved It! The plating was elegant and the 5 individual soup spoons holding the individual mouthfuls were delicous. It was a perfect combination between sweet and savory and you could really taste the truffle. The dill as a garnish was perfect with the combined flavors!
Our second drink was my least favorite and was called "Pear and Juniper". Although the plating was artistic and beautiful, I found the Cocktail to be overpoweringly sweet. We weren't able to finish It.
"Essence of Fall", our third and most elaborate drink, was hands down the most impressive and unique drink I have ever been served. This drink represented the entire reason for us coming to Bar Chef. A punchy but sweet brandy served with a frozen ball of ice bitters (of which was delicious) combined with a gorgeous nitrogen show flowing through the miniature forest right on the table in front of us, was dreamy. The only thing that ruined this experience as I stated above were all the dirty plates surrounding and even placed in front of this culinary art piece.
There is no doubt in my mind that Chef Frankie is extremely passionate about what he does, you can see it in his eyes as he walks the floor asking every single table how their experience is and if they have any feedback for him. . I believe with a little more investment in the decor, serving plates and updated protocol on the front of the house, Bar Chef will be and even greater success. I am happy to have visited Bar chef and am looking forward to my next review!
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