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| - Summerlicious Round Three: Gentleman's choice, and he did a good job! We arrived with high expectations, especially my boyfriend since he lives in the area and has been wanting to try Edo for quite a while. In the best possible way, this dining experience was reminiscent of an infomercial to me.
Anyone who's tried to find something to watch between 2am and 9am on a weekend knows how infomercials work - it's never as simple as "5 easy payments of $19.99 buys you this wonderful device!" They always knock off a payment, add a carrying case, double the quantity, offer their first born - to really convince you that it's a deal. So as a lover of deals and, admittedly, an occasional victim of infomercials, how could I not be excited by a place that goes above and beyond the expected three courses for Summerlicious?
Online, I had learned that there was a "surprise complimentary amuse" to start things off, and a sushi course offered with your choice of entree! When we sat down, we were presented with a tiny dish (a little bigger than a toonie) with some julienned greens and glass noodles. It had a mild flavour, but I enjoyed what I presumed was our amuse. But wait, there's more! Apparently the amuse was still to come, and this was just another extra that had been thrown in for good measure. The actual amuse consisted of vegetables wrapped in rice paper with sauce. It was very pretty, and was tasty too - although the first bite didn't have much sauce and as such not as much flavour as the second. But, like the first dish, it was light and refreshing and a nice way to start the meal.
There's always one not-an-actor testing the product who gets really REALLY excited by it - this part was played by my boyfriend as he gulped down two Japanese Slipper martinis before I managed to finish my first. I got the impression he liked it.
I do have to mention the server we had. She was amazing, and really embodied a TV presenter as she described each of our courses. I loved the details she gave, including the chef's suggestions on how we should eat each item. It elevated the meal to more than just dinner - it was an experience. She described each of the 4 types of sushi the chef had created. All delicious, a particular favourite was one with a small piece of cream cheese on top. Each piece had individual sauces, and weren't served with soy sauce because "they don't need it", our server informed us. She was right!
The product salesperson and/or inventor always has to take some time to explain to you why it's so much better than the competition. Through the grapevine, I've heard that the main chef's concept for the restaurant is to show that Japanese cuisine is more than just sushi, and as such there isn't a lot of it on the regular menu.
Perhaps to emphasize this point, our main courses consisted not only of the assorted sushi plates, but also of a separate entrée. I selected the Wafu Umino-sachi Noodle - shrimps, scallops, and mushrooms with soy flavoured spaghettini. The seafood, the server informed me, had been soaked in sake. I could taste it, but it wasn't overpowering. Again, the flavours were mild but worked well and I really enjoyed the dish. My boyfriend ordered the Kobe Beef Hamburger Steak. It was the first time trying kobe beef for both of us - and WOW. So flavourful, so juicy...just delicious. I highly recommend it!
As for desserts, I ordered the pear and he the chocolate fondue. Both dishes came with a good amount of fresh fruit and were both very tasty and a nice lighter finish to the meal.
Luckily, that's where the comparisons end; there was no mad grab for further sales when we finished our meals. This is the way I believe a Summerlicious experience should be - professional, and really showing why we should come back to the restaurant for the regular menu. An extra hat tip to this lovely experience - as we were leaving, the chef himself called after us to thank us for coming. A very nice touch.
All in all, it was a fantastic meal with amazing service in a very nice setting.
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