| rev:text
| - Asian fusion cuisine, as Ginger's clearly is, seldom comes together to form a flawless dine. When the different and, upon closer inspection, complex styles can be combined and mastered, the establishment deserves recognition.
Ginger leaves nothing to chance in creating a swanky and welcoming atmosphere. The softer asian-inspired loop music is a good backdrop to the dim lighting and the monochromatic, yet luxurious decor. The leather couches have been upholstered with care and one is hard pressed to find any element of penny-pinching within one's surroundings, if there is one.
The attention to detail and appearance doesn't stop at the table. A small liquor display behind the bar is a pick of top-shelf products: there's no concession to cheapness, and in Ginger's case this is welcome even by a cheapskate like me.
Although the Agedashi tofu wasn't the best I had tasted, the remainder of the meal was a delight. The vegetable tempura was awesome and the batter was crisp: it is a very difficult feat to get all the elements balanced. The main courses justify their price in more ways than one. Firstly, one is guaranteed a filling meal by very generous portions. Secondly, Ginger's kitchen churns out beautiful compositions where the key ingredients are left to play out their part without being drowned out by the sauces ubiquitous in other fusion outlets. As an example, on the same plate the broccoli is cooked to perfection with the right mix of crunchiness and softness, and zucchini are in the butter zone where they're tender, their taste is enhanced and there's no mushiness in sight.
Since karma is as karma does, Ginger gets in crowd what it gives in food and service. On a Friday dinner, the establishment is popular mostly with trendy girls' nights. A full restaurant counted eight male patrons in total, yours truly included. For a place that pays such attention to detail, it was a pleasure to see it filled with an apparently appropriately picky crowd.
This reviewer will indulge his picky side too. The mixed drinks may need a change of outlook. The top shelf liquor selection is the ideal palette for creating mixological masterpieces. If the James Bond franchise succumbed to gender equality and Agentess 007 were dispatched to Montreal, she'd drink a litchi martini at Ginger and be unimpressed.
The reason would be clear: the cocktail is a Martini in appearance only. It comes as a tasty, but weak concoction. Once the three whole litchi garnish hogs a large proportion of the martini glass, the addition of ice into the glass is a recipe for weakening both the proof (which I do not mind) and the taste (which I do). Ginger should not trade taste (and Martini orthodoxy) for apparent quantity. Its picky customers would, in this reviewer's opinion, appreciate being introduced to a true Litchi Martini displaying strong taste that endures, in a cocktail that needs to be savoured at length.
I was pleased with my experience at Ginger. It's a spendy restaurant that is successful in attracting the crowd that can appreciate the creations of its very skillful kitchen. All things considered one gets even more than one pays for and it's a delight to know there's such a place in my neighbourhood.
As I am in a good mood, I will let the drink slide and give Ginger five stars because they make a valiant effort and succeed in giving me Asian fusion fused just right.
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