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| - I can update this review b/c the pastry team has opened up their own bake shop called Andrea's Gerrard St Bakery, which was in my opinion the best part of my Cafe Belong experience. The food at the restaurant was def 3 stars, especially if I take-out the dessert, which again was prepped by the pastry people.
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Previous review:
This is a toughie! I've been hear for dinner and am a regular here for their baked goods.
Here's my takeaway. Dinner is OK. Probably a 3*, but the baked goods/pastries are a 5*+++. This places bakes my favorite scones (blueberry in the city) and their sourdough chocolate brownie is rich beyond belief.
Let me start with the scone. As my mom pointed out, it's not really a scone. It's crusty on the outside and amazingly cakey and fluffy on the inside. There are lots of blueberries, which gives the scone a nice sweetness and tartness. The best part is that they are baked fresh, so I typically get a warm scone, which is hard to beat for breakfast!! I'm salivating as I write this!
As for dinner, I came here for my mom's b-day and we did the 5-course tasting. Honestly, the dinner started off on a weak note. There were two complimentary starts/amuses: mushrooms fritters and pickled veggies. The mushrooms were super greasy. Plus, we weren't told that they were complimentary, so we thought it was Course 1. We then thought the pickles was Course 2, which got my parents really nervous that they were going to starve! Thankfully, they redeemed themselves! Once the actual courses started to come the food was solid. Highlights be the brown butter salad (imagine: salad coated in butter!), seafood stew, the beef brisket. The true highlight of this meal was, once again, their desserts. They gave us 4 different desserts and each was delicious! I don't know who bakes for them, but I want him/her to live at my house!
I should also mention that they were able to accommodate my veggie demands while the rest of my family had meat. I also like that they have themed tasting menus: meat, seafood or veg...or something like that.
In closing, food needs some refinement and staffers need to explain the 5 course tasting better. And, the patisserie chef deserves a raise!
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