| rev:text
| - I really had no idea what to expect when I booked Hola Cafe. I had made same-day plans to meet a friend for dinner and did a quick look online for places in Leslieville with high ratings, and the first restaurant to pop up was Hola Cafe. (Note that the menu has changed recently so this review is based on what I understand is a more upscale menu compared to their earlier menu that included things like empanadas and other "snacks").
To start, Cesar, the owner, called me to confirm the reservation that afternoon and checked on any food allergies. I thought it was a nice touch that he was the one to call and also that he introduced himself, so when I walked in, I felt like we were already old friends and Cesar was there to greet me when I arrived.
We started with yummy pisco sours, a nice memory for me of time I've spent in Peru and Ecuador. Both Cesar and our server gave us recommendations for our meal and we shared 5 small dishes plus the steak.
Each dish involved elaborate preparation based on science. I found the process very interesting but probably what matters here is to say that every bite was outstanding. The olives, which are not exactly olives but rather made of olives, were such a delightful surprise. The prosciutto-wrapped dates were a wonderful combination of sweet and savory and the artichokes with brie were delicious but my favourite dish overall was the chicken boccadillo, which actually uses perfectly crisp chicken skin as the "bread". I was so distracted by how delicious it was, I can't remember everything Cesar told me about it but I'm salivating thing about it! My friend also had the crab cakes which she said were fantastic.
This might sound like a lot of food but it's not like the tapas you've had in Basque bars in Barcelona; chunks of bread with little morsels of food on top of them. Each tapas plate came with 2 or 3 bite-sized items, so along with a the steak that we shared (which was also perfectly done), we had just enough to eat.
I don't often order dessert but my friend ordered the creme brulé, which was more of a whip with broken up pieces of sugary crust. Of course, I had a taste and it was light and fluffy and delightful.
A note about the wine. There were a handful of wines available by the glass and these were all reasonably priced, for example, the Tempranillo was only $10 a glass.
PS - Don't let the signage dissuade you. This restaurant will give you one of the most interesting dining experiences at a reasonable price.
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