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| - This place is plain fantastic. The food is excellent. The ambiance is hip yet relaxed. The prices are reasonable and the service is good.
Charcuterie appetizer ($16) was excellent, especially the Culatello and the summer sausage. The quinoa salad over soybean hummus ($10) was exceptionally tasty, with lots of different ingredients, and nice acidity. The smoked trout ($26) was beautifully smoked and cooked perfectly. The sirloin steak special ($28) was exceptionally well executed with lots of flavour. All the garnishes were spot on. The cheese plate dessert ($12) was also nice. A bottle of Lobetia Tempranillo was reasonably priced at $45.
The highlight of the restaurant is the open kitchen right next to the dining room (on the upper floor.) There are seats overlooking directly into the kitchen, if you wish to see the show, or interact with the chefs. The kitchen is clean, busy, efficient, and QUIET. When we were there, celebrity executive chef Carl Heinrich (winner of Top Chef Canada, season 2) was in the kitchen cooking up a storm shoulder-to-shoulder with the other young and energetic chefs.
My only minor complaint is that the dishes are a little bit on the small size. But then again, the prices are quite reasonable. This is one of my favourite new discoveries in the city.
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