R&D can best be described as a non-pretentious version of Lee Restaurant on King. Everything from the graffiti mural of General Mao, faux crumbling walls and the staff wearing orange Home Depot-like aprons creates a laid-back vibe.
Since first stumbling upon MasterChef Canada Season 1 accidentally and following the whole season, I was rooting for Eric the whole time. I was really excited for R&D to finally open. The Chef de Cuisine is also a fellow Queen's University alum!
Now, to the food, which work really well for sharing.
Pina Colada Bubble Tea had great textures with the toasted coconut and tapioca pearls. The sweet and chewy textures contrasted with a really strong-rum flavoured drink.
Salmon Belly and the Lobster Chow Mein: Presentation and plating was great - loved the details! The fresh chunks of lime in the Lobster Chow Mein complemented the dish. Salmon Belly was super tender and the 5-grain healthy rice was really savoury.
Crispy Smoked Milk and Banana Split were great. We loved the sour cherry and peanut butter ice cream - not so much the bitter chocolate flavour. The in-house ice cream - a tribute to Eric's finale dessert from MasterChef - were the highlight.
There was a small mixup when another server delivered our Lobster Chow Mein to the table beside us, who had ordered Eric's Curry. They ate it unknowingly (you think they would ask why they're eating lobster instead of beef). We had to wait a while and we overheard the server "discreetly" apologizing to the other table for delivering the wrong dish. Other than that little blimp, service was attentive.
When we were leaving, this random staff said, "See you tomorrow!" Bold. Maybe not so soon, but we will definitely be back to try some more dishes.