Perfect Chinese Restaurant 雅瓊海鮮酒家 (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4386 Sheppard Avenue East
Website: http://www.perfectchineserestaurant.com
Type of Meal: Dim Sum
Prices: $1.70 for most items (main dining room) or $1.90 for most items (VIP room). They also offer "special" dishes for $2.00.


If you want to eat cheap, this is the place to go. The pricing above is based on weekdays at lunch time when they do the "cart style" dim sum.  If you come on the weekend it may be slightly more expensive, but shouldn't be more than $0.25 per dish.

Perfect is opened 24 hours a day.  So, if you want dim sum after the bar you can come here.  At night you order off the menu so the prices vary and will be higher.  At this time, they only off some of the "staple" dishes.

My Favourite Non-Staple Dishes:


  • Deep fried pigeon - Essentially tastes like quail but is smaller.  Tastes best when it's hot out of the kitchen and has a crispy salty skin and flavourful dark meat.


  •  Steamed banana leaf wrapped glutinous rice rolls with red bean paste - a lovely dessert that's unfortunately not offered all the time.  Chewy rice rolls are filled with a thick sweet red bean paste and wrapped in pieces of banana leaves (to be discarded and not eaten).
 
Overall mark - 7 out of 10


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

CLOSED: Ginger and Onion (Markham)

Location: Markham, Ontario
Address: 7131 Kennedy Road, Markham (in Market Village at Pacific Mall)
Price: $2.60 for any dish on weekends
Type of Meal: Dim Sum

I love the variety of dishes they offer - there must be almost 100 types. Since they serve dim sum cart style they often have new "special" dishes. Additionally, unlike most dim sum places, they actually offer many vegetarian options so there's always something for everyone.

My Favourite Non-Staple Dishes:
 
  • Stir fried spicy prawns - this is a special that they don't often have. Each dish contains about five head-on shrimp that are flash fried then stir fried with salt, spices and peppers. If you like the calamari version of dish (often served at dinner or at congee restaurants) you'll love this.

  • Sago wIth egg custard pudding - a warm dessert that's a thick custard pudding mixed with sago (small clear tapioca balls) and a lotus paste centre.

  • Deep fried, large, hollow sesame glutinous balls - wonderful when they are fresh out of the kitchen! They look huge but they are actually hollow on the inside. It's a slightly sweet crispy sesame covered gluten ball that is soft and chewy on the inside.
 


Overall mark - 8 out of 10


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Owl of Minerva (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 5324 Yonge Street
Type of Meal: Dinner


Owl of Minerva is a Korean chain restaurant with locations throughout the GTA.  I’ve only ever been to the North York location, which is opened 24 hours and busy no matter what time you visit.  It’s a no-frills restaurant with quick turnover, so even if there’s a line-up you can normally get a table in less than half an hour.

During warmer weather, Owl of Minerva offers Korean barbeque on their patio out back between the chaotic parking lot and the restaurant itself.  They were smart enough to build a wooden fence around the patio so that you’re blocked off from the unsightly parking lot.  Even though you’re sitting outside, it can still get smoky so this is really somewhere you eat if you don’t mind smelling like food afterwards.

Unlike typical Korean barbeque joints, it’s not all you can eat and there are a limited number of types of meat available (five). My friend and I shared the beef rib combo ($35.99) which comes with five pieces of kalbi, four bottles of beer or a bottle of soju, a soup to share and some vegetable wraps with fixings.  Dishes for one, which comes with three pieces of kalbi, are available for $13.99.  Beer is available for the low price of $3.50 a bottle so you can easily make your own combo.
The staff there happily cooks the meat for you, if you’re squeamish about doing it yourself.  However, they do it too quickly and the fact they keep putting the tongs back in the raw meat juices after using grosses me out.  So, my preference is to cook it myself.  Even though Owl’s staff speaks limited English, they are friendly and try to be helpful at explaining on how to prepare and eat the barbeque.

Owl’s kalbi is a nice thick even cut, but served as-is so relies heavily on the bean sauce and fixings to add flavour.  I would have liked the meat to be marinated prior to adding to the grill to give it more depth of flavour.

Everything is served ssam style where Owl provides you with a basket of vegetables (romaine lettuce, napa cabbage and perilla leaves), a sweet bean sauce, marinated onions and a green onion & lettuce salad.  You simply take a piece of meat, add some sauce & fixings and wrap it in a leafy vegetable before eating.  It’s a great summer alternative for a lighter meal.
Additionally, the meal comes with two banchan – kimchi cabbage (which they serve in hot by putting on a bowl on the grill) and kimchi pickled cucumbers.  I’m a little disappointed with the limited amount of banchan as that’s what I enjoy about Korean barbeque.  A bowl of chicken and bean sprout soup also arrives in a bowl to share amongst the table.
Without a doubt, Owl of Minerva’s “star feature” dish is the kamjatang or pork bone soup ($7.99).  No table comes into Owl without ordering this hearty spicy savoury stew of pork bones, a large hunk of potato and napa cabbage.  Topped with diced jalapeno and cracked pepper the deep red soup has a kick to it.  If you ask for it extra spicy they will add red chili flakes to it, but watch out that gets very spicy. 

The best part of Owl’s pork bone soup is it’s served in a hot stone bowl and generally arrives bubbling hot.  I’ve included two pictures below, the first taken by me over a year ago with my less than ideal Blackberry camera and the second by someone who obviously has way better skills than me.  In all fairness, the second photo actually looks more like what you expect to get.

Pork bone soup is perfect for Canada’s cool weather and really warms you up.  Served with a bowl of white rice and dishes of banchan (cold cabbage kimchi, pickled cucumber kimchi and turnip kimchi), it’s a great value meal and super filling.
Throughout my years of eating at Owl, I’ve tried other dishes including their bibimbap, bulgolgi, stir fried kimchi pork belly, pan fried seafood pancake and hot & sour chicken wings.  All these other dishes are good, but nowhere as good as the pork bone soup.  So, if it’s your first time trying Owl of Minerva, you need to make sure you have at least one pork bone soup for the table to share.  But, keep in mind there are generally only three bones that come with it so you may need more than one or risk fighting for this great dish.



Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!



CLOSED: Splendido (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 88 Harbord Street
Type of Meal: Dinner


Splendido has been a restaurant I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time but never had the opportunity; my first chance to try their food came on the second last day of this year’s Summerlicious.  From the outside, Splendido is an unassuming restaurant that you may pass by if you don’t notice.  Inside, the dining room, although not very large, looks surprisingly spacious with its open layout and clean lines. A feature wall of pickled vegetables is a bit cliché but reminds you of its Italian roots.


The most interesting sounding appetizer on their menu was the perfect hen’s egg.  After having some amazing slow cooked eggs at Yours Truly and the Guild, I was eager to see how Splendido will accentuate the regular chicken egg and make it “perfect”.  Sadly, I think the entire dish was a miss and the egg wasn’t showcased at all.  A copious amount of foam arrived in a short tumbler with instructions to really dig in and get to the bottom.  Not being one to not follow instructions, I dug in expecting a perfectly cooked egg but found nothing but mushrooms, croutons, parley puree and TONS of foam… in fact, way too much foam.  Foamy parsley spoon after foamy parsley spoon didn’t reveal the anticipated egg, so the dinner started off disappointingly.
 


Luckily, the Mediterranean sea bass was much better.  The skin was pan fried to a lovely crispiness and presented on top of warm caponata and a cold fennel salad.  Caponata is a traditional Italian dish consisting of cooked eggplant and other vegetables (usually celery, carrots, peppers, etc.) in a sweet acidic sauce.  It added a good flavour to the mild fish and also worked well with the bread they served.  The dish could have been improved if the fish was cut a little thicker as it ended up being slightly overcooked and lacked the moist flakiness you normally expect.  But, overall was still an enjoyable dish.
My friend’s hangar steak was cooked well and arrived beautifully presented with large colourful wedges of tomatoes, a thick red pepper sauce and leaves of basil.  With droplets of balsamic around the dish, the hanger steak was certainly pretty to look at as much as it was tasty to eat.
Splendido offered on their Summerlicious menu side dishes (each a supplement of $5) including fries, brussel sprouts and a last dish I can’t remember.  We opted for some fries to share.  They were freshly made arriving hot and crispy, but the chef needs to lighten up on the seasoning as the fries on the bottom half were unbarably salty so we couldn’t finish them.
Surprisingly, the normal sounding dessert – strawberry lemon mille feuille - ended up being one of their most inventive.  Simple pieces of puff pastry was surrounded by pickled strawberries, macerated strawberries, raspberry sorbet, a lemon cream and plenty of toasted poppy seeds.  I loved the different flavours you got from the tarte pickled strawberries, sweet sorbet, light lemon cream and nutty poppy seeds.  The dish was one of those mix and match desserts you tried out to find what combination you liked best.   



Overall, two of the three dishes were good and delicious, yet nothing outstanding.  Toronto is filled with high end Italian restaurants, and for the same price point there are many tastier options out there.  Perhaps where they offer some advantage is their friendly and professional staff which are simply a pleasure to be around. When we made a bit of a mess they graciously cleaned everything up and even brought an extra napkin to cover the stain so no one would get dirty.  The down to earth attitude really helps to take the snootiness from the restaurant and makes you feel comfortable to just be casual and enjoy.   


Is Summerlicious worth it?

As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

Summerlicious - $45

Regular menu - $60 - hen's egg* ($15), sea bass* ($32) and mille feuille ($13)

Savings - $15 or 25%

* All the items aren't on their regular menu; prices based on the lettuce salad, sea bream and mousse




Overall mark - 7 out of 10




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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


CLOSED: Scarpetta (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 550 Wellington Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner

My first experience eating at Scarpetta was in Las Vegas after spending most of the afternoon outdoors for some fun in the sun at a pool party. After not eating since
breakfast, we were famished and right after ordering they presented us with a basket of stromboli (bread pin wheeled with salami), it was the most delicious thing at that time.
I'm happy to say the Toronto offshoot also offers this delicious bread (and more). In fact, their bread basket not only comes with the stromboli, but also crispy wedges of focaccia and soft airy ciabatta buns. Served with mascarpone whipped butter, caponata (like a vegetable tapenade) and olive oil, it’s perhaps the best bread basket I’ve ever had! It’s so good that a big risk of eating there is you’ll fill up before you food actually arrives. This is particularly a shame if you’re about to eat a three course Summerlicious menu!

Of the five restaurants I visited this year, Scarpetta was the only one that served everything I ordered on their regular menu. I feel they should be commended for this as you don’t get the feeling that they’re serving you a "slimmed down" version for the occasion. I wish more restaurants would follow this trend as what’s the point of eating something they don’t normally offer?

The highlights of the meal were the appetizers, so delicious that I could go back and just order a couple of them to be a meal itself.  My appetizer consisted of a generous portion of braised short ribs; three slices of tender yet non-fatty beef.  Sometimes braised meat can be overly salty but Scarpetta’s had just the right amount of flavour and went well with the farro risotto.  Mixed into the risotto were cubes of zucchini, other vegetables and gooey mild cheese.  To make this decadent dish even better a thin slice of parmesan cheese covered everything.
My friend’s creamy polenta was absolutely delicious and the most buttery rich polenta I’ve ever had.  Served with a little pot of mushrooms cooked with truffles, once spooned on the cheesy polenta it’s a dish that you wish you ordered yourself and could eat more of.
When the roasted pork chop arrived I was astounded by the sheer size of it.  Even though it was 1.5 inches thick, the meat was evenly cooked throughout and still tender - even the meat right at the bone was cooked to the same doneness as everything else.  I commend the kitchen for the great job they did at cooking the pork. The massive crusted chop sat on top a dollop of shallot puree and mixed sautéed greens.  On the side was a small rectangle of deep fried pork jowl.  I’m normally a big fan of the uber tender cheek meat; but, this was brined so much that it was unbearably salty so I just couldn’t enjoy it, what a shame.      
If you look at the picture below you may be under the illusion that the panna cotta is the small football shaped object on the side of dish.  In fact, that is just a coconut cream; the panna cotta is actually the entire bottom of the dish!  Covered with passion fruit syrup and pieces of diced pineapple the panna cotta was rich and flavourful.  If eaten with the pineapple it’s more tangy and light, whereas you can mix in the creamy coconut addition to sweeten everything up.  Scarpetta’s panna cotta was one of the best I’ve had. 

My friend’s cheesecake arrived like a work of art – one of the cylinders vanilla and the other blueberry. Served with marinated berries and crumbles of graham crackers on top, it was a good deconstructed cheesecake.
Scarpetta is where you go if you want decadent food; it’s definitely not for the health conscious.  With their hefty portions you certainly get the feeling that you’re enjoying a hearty home cooked Italian meal. Yet, their dining room is open and airy with high ceilings and the floor to ceiling windows.  Other than a large wine fridge along one wall everything is nice and opened and contemporary looking.  In the end, Scarpetta was a nice combination of delicious Italian food in a modern setting.  It’s definitely worth a try, just for their bread basket alone!



Is Summerlicious worth it?
As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).   
Summerlicious - $45
Regular menu - $63 - short ribs ($16), pork chop ($35) and panna cotta ($12)
Savings - $18 or 29%
* Congratulations to Scarpetta who actually offers the same dishes that's on their regular menu on the Summerlicious menu!

Overall mark -  8 out of 10

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Jump (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 18 Wellington Street West
Type of Meal: Lunch

Jump’s reopening brought with it an open concept dining room, the removal of much of their plush banquette seating and the addition of large stunning scotch & wine feature walls.  A new patio arriving just in time for the warm weather is also a welcomed addition and usually full.


Given Jump’s proximity to the financial district, it’s the perfect place for a lunch, especially during Summerlicious.  In line with the warm weather, I decided to start with the Ontario summer salad.  The salad was a mix of green; surprisingly, Jump decided not to mix in other colours to give it some contrast – what happened to Ontario tomatoes or cheese which could have jazzed up the salad?  Rather, it consisted of shaved asparagus, leaves of baby kale and pistachios.  The dressing was a poor choice (fennel) as there wasn’t enough flavour to do anything to the salad.  Instead, it just felt like I was eating individual ingredients with the boldest flavour coming from the pistachios. 

Pretty disappointing start to the meal, I’d suggest getting the tomato tarte tatin, which my coworker ordered and looked much tastier.  To be fair, this was also the dish our waiter suggested.  As a warning, the dish really isn’t a “tarte” but rather sits on a piece of bread. Nonetheless, a significant amount of fresh ricotta and tomatoes top the bread so the dish looked satisfying.

Sadly, my main was another let down – I ordered the BBQ sustainable B.C. Albacore tuna.  The tuna was cold, hardly the BBQ I was expecting; but, to make it worse arrived unflavoured and slightly fishy tasting.  Luckily, my coworker had ordered the same dish so I realized the tuna was missing the sauce.  After asking the waiter to bring me a side of it (a thickened teriyaki glaze with a hint of spice) the fishy taste was luckily masked. 

The menu described the dish as being accompanied by spinach and grilled king oyster mushrooms, so I was expecting warm sides and those ingredients.  The “spinach” was uncooked and unflavoured, reminding me of the lackluster first course.  Moreover, I highly suspect the vegetables weren’t spinach as didn’t taste or look like it.  The “oyster mushroom” was grilled but once again lacked any seasoning and relied solely on the sauce I luckily procured.  Like the “spinach” it was substituted with a king mushroom rather than the promised oyster, but I didn’t particularly mind the switch.  Overall, the menu did a terrible job at describing the course, which also consisted of julienned carrots and fried taro slivers.

Once again, I gazed longingly at my coworker’s crab BLT, which looked more satisfying with the large brioche bun and healthy portion of fried vegetable chips.  Alas, this meal was all about ordering remorse.

Jump’s best dish off of this Summerlicious lunch was the cannoli offered for dessert.  I’ve mentioned many times that I’m not a huge dessert fan so it’s the worse when that’s the best course of a meal.  However, the cannolis were crispy, filled with a thick delicious cream and accompanied by a nice flavourful lemon curd.  Finally, some flavour after a bland first two courses!



My past experiences with Jump, albeit ordered off their regular menu, were much better than this visit.  It’s unclear if they’ve recently changed their chef along with the revamp. But, if these are the dishes on their new menu, someone actually needs to taste it and add some flavour.  If the food quality is staying this way, Jump may become a drinks only place for me.
Is Summerlicious worth it?

As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

Summerlicious - $20

Regular menu - $45 - salad* ($11.25), tuna ($24.95) and cannoli* ($9)

Savings - $25 or 56%

* All the items aren't on their regular menu; prices based on the winter salad, grilled salmon and regular dessert prices


Overall mark - 5 out of 10



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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html







Banh Mi Boys (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 399 Yonge Street or 392 Queen Street West
Website: http://www.banhmiboys.com/
Type of Meal: Lunches


My first glimpse of a banh mi was in Asian supermarkets when I was younger.  They looked unappealing, an unsightly bland combination of cold cuts and slivers of vegetables in a cold bun all saran wrapped together. 

Banh Mi Boy’s version unquestionably differs from my childhood memory.  The kalbi beef banh mi ($5.99) arrives with hot pieces of meat topped with kimchi, pickled carrots & daikon, cucumbers and cilantro all sandwiched between a warm toasted bun.  A tangy Asian sauce tops the meat, which was unanticipated as I expected the sauce to be sweet and garlicky like the kalbi sauce at Korean restaurants.
The short ribs were tender and a good portion of vegetables were placed into the bread so that the bread to filling ratio is 50/50.  The customer gets to choose the spiciness level of the sandwich (essentially how much sarachi sauce gets squeezed on).  I chose “medium” and although it didn’t seem spicy at first, the last half of the sandwich certainly had some heat as it slowly accumulates with the kimchi sauce.

Bánh mì is really the Vietnamese term for bread and is influenced by the French baguette.  I wouldn’t describe Banh Mi Boy’s bread to be baguette like, but rather softer, dryer and cased in a thin crumbly crust.  Overall, it was a decent sandwich, though I wish they pulled out some of the middle of the bread so that it didn’t get as soggy.  Although it was filled with a lot of ingredients, I still found that there was too much tasteless bread for my liking.

In my mind, they should have called the place Bao Boys, I know it really doesn’t have the same ring to it.  But, the highlight of their menu is not their namesake but rather the steamed bao ($3.49). Mine was stuffed with a substantial portion of braised beef cheek, juicy and tender and caramelized in a sweet hoisin tasting sauce.  The pickled carrots, slices of cucumber and sprigs of cilantro helped to lighten the bao. All wrapped up in a hot soft white steam bun Banh Mi Boy’s version easily rivals the one found at Momofuku at a fraction of the cost.


Banh Mi Boy’s tacos ($3.99) are also tasty and superior to their sandwich.  Their taco shell was interesting and unlike any other I’ve tried. Its texture is almost like a mixture between a tortilla shell and roti so that it was a bit chewy.  I enjoyed that they toasted it up so that the edges were slightly crispy.  The squid version I tried consisted of deep fried calamari rings topped with creamy lime vinaigrette, purple cabbage coleslaw, the customary pickled carrots and daikon and a little bit of cilantro.  There was so much filling that eating it got slightly messy.  However, since the squid is relatively it got somewhat lost is everything.  I think one of the stronger proteins such as the braised beef cheek, grilled chicken or pork belly would stand up better in the taco.



For other blog readers, you may notice one key item not reviewed here - everyone raves about their kimchi fries, essentially a poutine made from kimchi, mayo and pulled pork.  However, after reading a Toronto Star article that clocks it in at 1,180 calories and 86 grams of fat, it seemed a bit generous for one.  I should have never read the article given ignorance is bliss (sorry for ruining it for you).  But, will eventually try it if a few people agree to split it with me so that I can limit the indulgence to a quarter of the poutine.

As a warning, arrive early if you want to beat the lunch time rush and avoid Fridays at all costs if you don’t like lines.  I made the mistake of going on Friday on my first visit and found it be mayhem.  Further visits, during the beginning of the week, were much better with less than a two minute wait and actually being able to sit and dine there.

Although the initial ordering and payment line moves quickly, you then have to wait in another line to get your food which moves at a much slower pace. My visits were at the Yonge and Gerrard location and found the layout awkward.  The single trash can is placed near the cash register so that everyone leaving has to manoeuver through the line-ups adding to the congestion.  Patience and constant moving around to allow people in and out of the space is required if you’d like to survive the lunch hour here. But, if you go just before noon on a Monday, you can happily enjoy a steamed bao at Bao Boys (will that ever catch on)?


Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10*

*Mark is for the steamed bao and tacos, their actual banh mi would only earn at 6 for me.


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html







The Fifth Grill and Terrace (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 225 Richmond Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner


Having never been to the Fifth, other than to go to the club, we decided to try dinner there. Upon entering, I’ll admit it was strange to see the club functioning as a restaurant; where the bouncer welcomes you in and the person selling tickets brings you to an elevator. The club’s dance floor was spruced up with extra furniture and the pillars covered with white veils.  

The restaurant itself is located on the fifth floor, hence the name, and you get to it through an old fashioned elevator complete with operator.  It’s quite large with an indoor dining area and outdoor terrace. The dining room is classically decorated with white, tons of light fixtures and comfy chairs. The only odd décor was a mini disco ball hanging from the middle of one fixture which was whimsical but also tacky.

An amuse, a tomato caeser shooter, arrived as soon as we sat down.  Not being a caeser fan, I tried it nevertheless - it was thick and garlicky without the zing of horseradish but could be refreshing on a summer day.  A basket of bread arrives after ordering, soft French bread but cold so nothing crazy.

 

My appetizer, the house cured bacon and summer melon salad, was beautifully presented.  A combination of sweet melons, sour balsamic and slightly salty and smoky bacon, the salad was certainly flavourful.  I enjoyed the thick cut bacon but could have done without the balsamic glaze over it as with the citrus vinaigrette the dish was a little sour for my taste.

     

While viewing what other diners were eating, the striploin appeared to be the overwhelming favourite so I chose that as well.  A generous portion of steak arrives which dwarfs the small square of sweet potato gratin and sprinkle of French beans beside it.  The steak itself wasn’t the best cut; mine was unevenly sliced which caused half the steak to be perfectly cooked at medium rare but the other half extremely rare.  I also wish the Fifth invested in better steak knives as it became difficult to cut through the thicker rare part.

 

A pat of bercy butter - butter mixed with shallots, parley and white wine - sat on the steak.  It needed more herbs as it’s supposed to add a burst of flavours to the steak but really just tasted like unsalted butter with specks of parsley.  The beans were good, thin and crispy, I wish there were more of them!  However, the sweet potato gratin arrived luke warm and seemed like a bit of an afterthought. 

I ended with the vanilla panna cotta which didn’t really taste like panna cotta.  It was a thicker and creamier consistency than most, but I enjoyed the richness.  The strawberry rhubarb sauce wasn’t too sweet so really lightened up the dish. The dessert was the highlight dish of the night, which is disappointing for someone who likes savoury dishes more.

 

The panna cotta, in my opinion, was better than the lemon lavender cheesecake that my friend had. Although the flavour was spot on, I could really taste the citrus and lavender, the consistency was a bit lumpy.  Additionally, the batter was too watery as it arrives slightly saggy looking. 

 

Accompanying the bill was some individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies to bring home which was a nice touch.  Sadly, the cookies, although buttery, were hard and crumbly.


I was surprised the Fifth’s Summerlicious offer was priced at $45, which is normally reserved for the fancier restaurants in Toronto.  The Fifth simply doesn’t have the same polish and food quality that you would expect for a place charging $45.  It may be a strange comparison, but I felt like eating at the Fifth was similar to eating on the Niagara Falls strip – overpriced but satisfactory food.  Service was great at the beginning with the person at the entrance enthusiastically welcoming us and the attentiveness of the gentlemen operating the elevator; but the service in the restaurant seemed lack luster in comparison.  The food was decent but not amazing.

It was a bit strange they keep plates of food on tables between the elevator/bathroom and dining room before serving.  While visiting the restrooms I could see the various plates left there with slips of paper marking the table.  Somehow, it feels a little unhygienic and it certainly means the food is not under heating lamps and gets cold while waiting to be presented.

On the plus side, having dinner at the Fifth Grill and Terrace does get you admission into the club, so you avoid lines and cover.  So, it’s a good option if you’re looking to go out dancing to burn off calories afterwards. 

  
Is Summerlicious worth it?

As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

Summerlicious - $45

Regular menu - $62 - salad* ($12), striploin ($38) and panna cotta* ($12)

Savings - $17 or 27%

* The summer melon salad and panna cotta aren't on their regular menu; prices based on the chopped salad and chiffon cake

Overall mark - 6 out of 10


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Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html










Teroso (Collingwood)

Location: Collingwood, Ontario
Address: 18 Schoolhouse Lane
Website: http://www.tesororestaurant.ca/
Type of Meal: Lunch

During a trip up to the Blue Mountain’s Scandinavian Spa, we stopped off in Collingwood for a nibble.  We decided to try Tesoro, which my friend heard about through a poll of the top restaurants in Collingwood - it was voted first place.  Tucked in a quiet lane way off the main road, Tesoro has a nice patio area lined with greenery; perfect for dining on a sunny day.

While at an Italian restaurant, you can’t go wrong with carbs. Since we were outside, it felt too hot for pasta so I opted for their 8” lunch pizza ($11.95) instead.  Chosen from a selection of approximately a dozen choices, I selected “Roberto” which had a tomato-based sauce with mozzarella, Sicilian meatballs, mushrooms, garlic and parmagiano.  The home-made meat balls were enjoyable; not too fatty or salty and really made a meal of the pizza. A ton of garlic was sprinkled over everything and added a fragrant aroma. However, the crust needed some work. Although it was an adequate thickness and had a decent crispy yet chewy texture, too much flour covered the bottom of the pizza.  So, the first thing you tasted is powder when it hits your tongue.  If the chef used corn meal instead, at least a nicer crust would have formed on the bottom of the dough.


The pizza is accompanied by your choice of green salad or soup. Strangely, if you prefer Ceaser salad over garden an extra $1.50 is required. But, since I had a hankering for it, I ordered it anyways and requested it to be lightly dressed as I detest soggy dressing soaked lettuce.  Alas, when it arrived, my request was ignored so I had to scrap off the dressing myself.

Although I'm by no means a regular diner at Collingwood, I'm surprised Tesoro won the top spot on this poll. Obviously, I’m not privy to knowing how many people voted and who the audience was, but having been to a couple of other restaurants in Blue Mountain, I would not consider Tesoro superior to them.

Nonetheless, the prices are reasonable and the surroundings quaint - the patio had European music piping out the speakers which made it a quiet and relaxing environment.  And to be fair, although we were having a later lunch, a steady stream of customers was still visiting Tesoro so it must be a popular destination.  So, perhaps it’s not the food quality that will bring you here but rather the peaceful environment away from the buzz of Blue Mountain.  


Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10


Like the blog?  You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
For further general discussions about this blog please refer to http://gastroworldblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-to-gastro-world.html