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| - North 44. Bymark. One Restaurant. What do these all have in common you ask? They all belong to the renowned Canadian chef, Mark McEwan. His legacy continues with his latest restaurant, Fabbrica, which just recently opened on October 1st. Having gone on opening day, I had the honor of meeting the culinary mastermind behind all this as he attended each table with a warm greeting.
Having gone to North 44 and Bymark before, my assumption of a modern and chic interior was inevitable. Of course, they delivered the goods. An alluring colossal wall of wine bottles immediately grabs hold of your eyes when entering. That being said, that is also where the bar is located. This is also where you'll find many individuals dressed in business casual attire chit-chatting about. Further in is the dining room which was echoing with people, and towards the back is an open kitchen. Beside it, is the stylishly decorated washroom. The usage of Italian and common sink area had me confused at first, but I managed to pick the RIGHT side. But enough about the design, the real stars of the show have yet to be discussed.
3 dishes: Neck of Lamb, Pappardelle and Orecchiette.
1. Neck of Lamb ($26) - This dish LOOKED good, but suprisingly the flavours did not come out as I thought it would. Although the meat was tender, the flavours were flat due to under marinating. However, the sausage that accompanied the lamb had fresh italian flavours, but it was not anything new.
2. Pappardelle ($26) - The description sounded absolutely mouth-watering, but again, the flavours were monotonous. This dish had crab, prosciutto and a poached egg to top it off. It was not a super rich dish, the sauce had a medium-consistency and I found that they did not allow the other ingredients to shine enough. However, the pasta was cooked perfectly.
3. Orecchiette ($18) - This was also a pasta dish with a promising description. Yet, I was fooled. But, with ingredients such as rabbit and rapini, how could someone not? This was by far the worst dish of all. It was just plain bland and that's all I can say about it. Dissapointment.
My waitress came over and asked how everything was, but seeing as though my dad and sister were too nice to tell the truth, I did them the favour. I told her my two dishes were okay, but my sisters' dish was bland. She said she'd let the kitchen know. Now, I was not asking for a free dessert or free meal, but to my suprise, the Orecchiette was deducted off the bill, which was a plus for me as I was paying for my dad's late birthday gift. It totalled out to be $70 including tax and tips. Keep in mind this was only two dishes. This is definately on the pricey side, but since it was one of Mark McEwans, I just had to give it a try.
(And yes, some of you may think I am harsh when I told her it was bland, but when my food is bad, I am one of those people who will say something and not let it slide, because honestly, if you're paying to eat somewhere, don't you think you should be getting your money's worth? Besides, restaurants WANT feedback. Which restaurant doesn't want to improve?)
OVERALL: This place was mediocre. His other restaurants are better, but it was worth a try. Although I do wish I had chosen a better place for my dad's birthday dinner as he was disappointed as well.
Sidenote: I got a picture with Mark McEwan. -Super Big Smile-
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