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| - I struggle with writing a review that is as flawless as the meal that I had at Toqué. I confess that I took countless pictures and texted many notes to capture the flavors tasted.
Toqué offers a 7-course tasting menu as well as an à la carte menu. In the past, we've always gravitated towards the latter, attracted to various new and inventive dishes. This time around, we decided to be surprised by the kitchen and went with the tasting menu, without knowing exactly what was on it. After sharing a food allergy, we were prepared to be amazed. And we were. So, if you prefer to be surprised - spoiler alert (until the menu changes)!
The meal began with a warm, airy and velvety artichoke mousse amuse. It was a delicious start to the meal.
The silky sea urchin zabaglione combined many tastes, including whole oyster, finely diced daikon and soya in its prickly, spiny shell. The flavors of the various ingredients shone in this artful and imaginative dish where soft meets spiky. This is where the restaurant excels: the skilled chefs celebrate each ingredient, including them in distinctive and complementary ways.
Next up was the seared scallops topped with celery root brown butter and capers, served on a scallop shell with puréed carrots. I liked that the sweetness of the scallops and carrots were balanced by the brininess of the capers. It was very well conceived.
Perhaps the only course that I did not enjoy was the suckling pig loin. While the pork was perfectly prepared, pink and tender, the herbed yogurt was overly salty, taking away from the fantastic zucchini tempura and accompanying olives and mushrooms. Because of that, I ended up eating around it. The roasted red pepper coulis, as well as the rich demi-glace, were savory.
The roast lamb chop was heavenly. The thick cut of hearty meat was tender and well-marbled. Served with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower and onions, I loved every bite of this dish, including the nicely-smoked bite of tongue sausage.
We had a choice of a cheese course or a second dessert course. We chose the latter, which runs counter to the palate of the majority of Toqué's more sophisticated clientele. The first dessert featured a cloud-like popcorn mousse with a poached apple slice. It also included a creamy Geneva apple sorbet (red apple with red flesh) and included caramelized popcorn and peanut crumble. There was even a dash of a rich and luscious hay caramel. It tasted like how hay smells.
The other dessert included several different chocolates: chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, and roasted white chocolate. The latter was so different and so good that later on that evening, I searched for the recipe. Other flavors of the dish included a bright raspberry sorbet, crushed meringue, and an interesting crumble of tarragon-almond flour.
As we lingered, we enjoyed a few mignardises, little bites of fruit gelée and maple sugar fudge.
Service throughout the meal was first-class. Even with the number of meals that I've had, I rarely encounter this level of professional and warm service. The elevated service was a tangible ingredient in our meal. Our server patiently and knowledgeably answered all our questions and provided us with detailed information about the ingredients. While the meal took 4 hours, it flew by because of the well-orchestrated and choreographed talents of the kitchen and restaurant staff. It is one of the best meals that I've ever experienced and deserves its more official ranking as the best in Canada.
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