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| - When searching for a restaurant to try on Taste MTL's website, I was looking for something reasonable (the $19 three-course meal) and highly acclaimed by internet food critics. On Yelp, Lola Rosa received four out of five stars, while on Urban Spoon it received a 91% positive response.
Lola Rosa is a cute vegetarian restaurant located in the Mile End neighbourhood. The atmosphere was warm and reminiscent of the cozy fall season. Most of the furniture was made from wood, contrasted with deep orange and crimson red decor. Bookshelves were placed throughout the restaurant, and glass milk jugs were used to serve water.
For appetizers, I ordered the small Rosa salad, and my friend ordered the tomato soup. The Rosa salad was a delightful surprise of various flavours. Goat cheese, beans and freshly sliced fruits and veggies were coated with a light maple balsamic dressing. However, I did not realize the main course was also accompanied by a salad (not as decorative or exciting as the Rosa), so I should have gone with the soup. The soup was made from brown basmati rice. The maple definitely added richness.
I chose a tartlet for my main course. My friend and I swapped half of our meal in order to get a more diverse experience. She ordered the quesadilla. Both dishes were accompanied with a side of salad and brown rice. They acted as fillers, and were bland addition. Unfortunately, the tartlet tasted like wasabi had been smeared onto it--must've been the mustard seeds. I tried to be adventurous and dig into the beets, parsnip, confit shallots and maple Chantilly tartlet. The best part was the crispy tart, with everything else scraped off.
While I found the tartlet too powerful, the quesadilla did not do much for my taste buds. There was no trace of satisfying, melted cheese between the crispy tortillas. It contained sweet potato, jalapeno and avocado, which tasted like a limp mash. The main courses weren't terrible, but they surely weren't amazing.
I was most excited about ordering dessert. I ordered the nut and maple tart, and my friend chose the vegan chocolate cake. When I received my dessert, it was a bit awkward at first. There wasn't any tart component to it. A scoop of vanilla ice cream sat on top of sugar coated roasted pecans. I had to savour each little spoon of dessert, but in reality, I could've finished it off in one bite. It was delicious, but I did find the portion disappointing. My friend's vegan chocolate cake was warm, and drizzled with raspberry sauce. I am not one for mixing chocolaty desserts with fruit. However, I did try a bite, and the cake was moist. I probably couldn't have guessed it was vegan.
I was still eyeing the other diner's meals; namely the nachos, which weren't part of the Taste MTL menu. I did leave the restaurant feeling bloated, and somewhat satisfied with my experience. The waiter was lovely (my friend broke a glass) and the service was pretty good. I would consider going again, and ordering those nachos. I felt it was a three-and-a-half star experience. For a university student though, I expected a bit more for the $19 I spent.
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