| rev:text
| - enjoy the view
:Harbourfront:
Last night I joined my friend Cracker and her crew at Toula It really has a spectacular view. From my seat I had a clear unobstructed view of the CN Tower and the surrounding concrete jungle. The view more than made up for the tired décor. If you liked it, I reckon your favourite colour is boring?
Service was bueno.
Toula has by far one of the largest Winterlicious menus I've ever seen. I ate three bread rolls while reviewing the menu. It's really detailed and there are typos. (Pause). Anyway, every dish on their menu sounds so intricate, but after having a day or two to contemplate, I would say that it didn't translate as such. The dishes had good flavours but overall, uninspired.
The five of us "tried" to cover the menu, but sometimes when you know what you want, you just don't want anything else. Let us break it down for you:
The best appetizer of the three that graced our table was Cracker's: "Center Cut, Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass Medallion On San Gimigiano Carnaroli Saffron Risotto Cake Finished With A Citrus Bur Blanc Sauce"
I don't know about the bur blanc whatchamacallit - I'm sure it did something - but the bass and the risotto cake alone were so good.
The second best was the "Sautéed Portabella And Shitake Mushrooms Tower Over A Fresh Polenta Cake Finished With A Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Fondue". Sidebar: Fondue is usually fun-do, but there was no fun to be had here. There was neither a communal pot nor any dipping going on. The dish was still good.
My appetizer, of course, wasn't, because I have a tendency to order wrong. I had the "Fresh Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp Tuscan Tempura On A Bed Baby Aromatic Arugula, Drizzled With 20 Year Old Balsamic Reduction". I think I always order shrimp because I'm mildly allergic. It makes me feel badass to order something I know I'm not supposed to eat. Apart from the shrimp being big and fatty, I wasn't impressed.
Everyone but Venus ordered the tenderloin. Being a meat and potatoes kind of girl it was a no brainer for me, and then I saw the truffle mashed potatoes part and lost interest in everything else.
Let me start with what Venus ordered, because I was waiting with anticipation. It was "special imported paccheri pasta" with PEI lobster. Special import = Big expectations. The dish arrived and Venus said it best, "ohhhhh, special imported pasta means giant rigatoni".
The rest of us had "Certified AAA Beef Tenderloin Filet Grilled to Perfection With a Medley of Sautéed Wild Mushrooms In An Amarone Red Wine Reduction"
Grilled to Perfection is incorrect; then again no one sent theirs back. The "Black Truffle Fontina Cheese Mashed Potatoes" were really, really good.
Dessert was relatively mediocre. Most of us ate, just to eat.
All in all, it was still a good meal, because it was $35.
I left content, but underwhelmed. Toula simply didn't do enough to sway me to return post-Winterlicious. So I suppose they technically failed, because after all isn't the point of Winterlicious to wow me so that I might think of you again in the future?
Toula who?
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