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| - A lovely, small Spanish restaurant in the Mimico / New Toronto area! I had it bookmarked for a while and decided to visit La Vinia for my bday dinner.
Atmosphere
Restaurant is small! There are only about a dozen or so tables, so reservations are highly recommended. Yes, even on a random weekday! I visited on a Thursday evening and it was a full house.
Mid-way through the meal, the chef does come to each table to check in on you. He seemed very warm and like he really cared.
Food
We ordered a sangria (white, but it looked like pink grapefruit colour), 2 tapas (pulpo, chicken croquettes), an order of paella de mariscos (seafood), mango cheesecake, & coffee. This was good enough for 2 ppl, we were stuffed! Highlights from those dishes were the chicken croquettes (light, mousse-like filling) and the cheesecake.
Paella was good too, especially the initial bites, but I wished there was more saffron flavour and less salt or even garlic. It did feel a bit heavier when comparing to paellas I've had in Barcelona. Seafood was cooked beautifully though, especially the monkfish!
Pulpo was again, soo tender, but I didn't find the dish itself had that much flavour - neither the pieces of octopus nor the potatoes. Other than a hint of pimenton, it was on the bland side, even the potatoes.
Skip: Sangria, especially "white" sangria and perhaps order the house wine instead. Apparently, the chef's name is on it and you can't get it elsewhere. They do also have a good wine list of stuff that didn't seem readily available at the LCBO, so take advantage of that!
Also skip the coffee (a bit watery) and just go for an espresso.
Service
Excelente! Absolutely no complaints about the service. Every server seemed happy to be there to serve you. We had a tall, skinny guy, who was friendly and helpful especially with suggestions.
I'd definitely be open to visiting again to try other items! It is on the pricier side, so keep that in mind. The entire menu is online, so it should come as no surprise. :)
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