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| - 4.5 stars... Food is perfect and normally I'd give Hexagon a 5 star if not for a service blip at the end. I'll probably return for dinner. Maybe not as quickly when I first started my brunch but worthwhile for sure.
I can't express my surprise at Hexagon... the calibre of the restaurant is normal for any large metropolitan. And yet here we are, in the heart of Oakville, with a place that changes every perception of what a 905 restaurant can be. It's not to say a suburban GTA restaurant can't be refined, excel at gorgeous plating, bring out amazing flavours from ingredients, or have a beautiful atmosphere ... it's just not done. Till Hexagon.
As mentioned, the restaurant is beautiful. The lobby area splits off into the dining space and their cafe which has gorgeous pastries and specialty coffees. The cafe does have a few bar seats by the window so it's not only take out option if you just wish to relax. The dining space is open to the kitchen and the attention to detail is noticeable immediately. The statement wall where it has agate slices mounted just draws your eyes immediately. The amazing gem like minerals just takes all the natural sunlight and brings the wall to life. The rest of the room is designed with dark azure blue leathers, burnished slate metals, and dark marble table tops... it's one of the nicer restaurants I've stepped into in Toronto and GTA. Hexagon shaped lighting and hexagon shapes are found in the details everywhere. The floating fire pit is another interesting room focus.
Service here is subtle and attentive. It's not stuffy and they do try to make a connection as they help with the menu. I appreciate how all servers are helpful regardless who is the primary server. It makes for a flawless experience...till the end (more on this later).
Brunch menu is similar to most upper end Toronto restaurants... except Hexagon quality surpasses. You can find everything from a regular big brunch (egg Benedict), sweet offerings (french toast), and healthier options (salads). Though the menu reads like a regular dish, expect the dish to have a wonderful twist to elevate it. Also, their tea offering is the famed Kusmi tea. Definitely appreciated as it has a better flavour than most other brands.
Pain Perdu (French Toast) - After trying probably every french toast in Toronto, Hexagon's version is near to the top. It's so indulgent that it almost feels like dessert. Instead of a slab of bread dipped in custard, it's torn pieces of bread layered into a bread pudding ... baked, cut into a perfect rectangle, and then seared crisp. It's the perfect custard and not too sweet. It's accompanied by sweetened ricotta, berry jam, and bourbon maple syrup. 5+/5
Beef Cheek Hash - Beautifully plated tender beef cheek sits on top of a medley of potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, oyster mushrooms, and the most perfect poached egg. The tastes just matches the appearance. The beef is rich and savoury and if you pierce through the egg, the yolk just coats everything in a golden sheen. The bright & tart sun dried tomato flavour is a nice pairing to the beef. My only wish for this dish is to have the potato to be crispy... they looked crispy but they were just soft. It would have been a great contrast to the tender beef. 4.5/5
Almond Croissant - Hexagon also does viennoisorie and wow, do they ever do it well. This was delicious. The crispy shell just unleashes shards of buttery croissant pieces as you bite through. The almond pastry cream (?) was delicious. It's one of the better almond croissants I've had in a long long time. 5/5
Banana Custard Tart - Hexagon tempts your will by wheeling out the full display of all the amazing desserts on a cart to your table. How can I say no to amazing desserts? Vanilla beans flecked in creamy custard, held in buttery shortbread crust, and topped with bruleed bananas. It was very delicious. 5/5
So about this service blip... normally once I'm done with a meal, I like to wrap it up and explore. With downtown Oakville, it's ... limited. So we spent time chatting afterwards and aware that the restaurant was about half full. So we weren't thinking we would be rushed out before their brunch service was closed. Well, after our coffee was done... the wait staff dropped off the bill without our asking. Brunch service still had an hour before it closed. He then returned within a minute with the card payment machine... to emphasize we needed to leave... now. No prior mention that they needed the table or that they hate to rush us and we had a time limit. It just felt too pushy... especially when it is a forced abrupt voiceless action from the staff. Did we need to stay? No... but it could have been handled much better from them.
Overall, incredibly food in an amazing space and tastes that normally is reserved for the very best spots in downtown Toronto. Definitely worthwhile... just hoping service keeps up with the food.
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