We went to Valens for Winterlicious. Although we made our reservations a month in advance they made us wait at the door (where it was absolutely freezing) for quite sometime till they figured out the seating arrangement. Once seated, we couldn't even take our coats off. Felt like we were seated in a refrigerator, the heating was on low. I looked around the restaurant and everyone was bundled up and shivering. Finally someone complained I think, so they turned the heat up.
For starters we ordered mussels and carpaccio. Mussels were good, but the bread they gave us to soak up the broth was stale and cold. The carpaccio was a little chewy, very average. For the main course we wanted to order the lamb shank but they only had one left. So I ordered the veal, my cousins ordered the steak, seafood fettuccini and one lamb shank. Thank the lord for that because the lamb shank turned out to be the worst of the lot. It had a strong smell and wasn't close to melting off the bones. My veal was ok but the mashed potatoes were heavy and clumped up like glue.
Turned off by the main course, we were quite skeptical about the dessert. However that turned out to be the best part of the meal. We ordered the creme brulee and the banana cake. The creme brulee was delicious and the portion was large (not in the usual sized ramekin). The banana cake was moist and flavourful. I could actually taste the real banana pieces.
Overall I'd say if the dessert wasn't good I think I'd give this place a rating of 1 star. But the dessert made an impact on me so based on that I'm giving it a two.