Rain Restaurant

Rain Restaurant - 19 Mercer Street, Toronto

Heard good things about this place...and I definitely agree! The food was awesome..but the presentation and experience was what made this little restaurant unique. I didn't know what to expect since it was "Asian Fusion" cuisine..which seems soo overrated these days...but this place was definitely "east meets west" asian fusion. We opted for the a-la-carte menu. Each dish was prepared in small portions suitable for sharing, which was great since we got to try almost everything on the menu amongst the seven of us. Portions seemed small..but at the end of the night..I was soo full!

For my main, I had the Pairing of Lobster and Muscovy duck. Duck was made just right! But my favorite was still the Pairing of Blue Fin Tuna & Kurobuta pork...mmmm..a must try. For sides, we tried the Asparagus and Somen Okaki Tempura and Steamed Japanese custard "Chawan Mushi" style - lobster and crab. I liked the lobster and crab custard...I gotta post the pix..cuz they were really creative with the baby lobster claw =) Portion looked small, but there was a sizeable amount of lobster and crab...definitely worth it for a $12 side dish. The pairings of different flavours was very unique and soo delicious. Everythings a must try!

Now for Dessert, we couldn't resist their taster menu! My favorite was the pairing of pumpkin and apples - pumpkin pie and eggnog foam, cinnamon parfait, and buttermilk sherbet. The cheesecake brulee was good..but really rich. For a small piece, it was definitely the filler.

Food was great, waiters were helpful in explaining each creation...I say "creation" because each dish was presented like a work of art. Desserts were ok..I still like the desserts at Amuse Bouche better..but the taster desserts had enough variety to tickle the tastebuds.

Overall, I'd give it a 9/10. I still think the desserts could have been better.
I'd recommend going with a group...preferrably 4 people, since most dishes were portioned to share amongst four..and it gives you the chance to try a bit of everything.

Thanks Tammy and Will for the recommendation! Jay..the next one's gotta live up to Rain!

Truffles

Truffles @ Four Seasons Hotel never disappoints. I forgot we already went there last year but the menu was different and the food still good. For appetizer - Roasted Cauliflower Veloute, Marcona Almonds, with a touch of Curry Chantilly..this was made just right..nice and warm and the grounded almonds added a nice nutty touch. For the main, Saffron Glazed Salmon, Chorizo, Mussel Orzo, with Smoked Tomato Jus. Nothing too spectacular here...but at least it didn't have any fishy smell to it..which is always a plus! Smoke Tomato Jus was a little salty and took away from the taste a bit, but still good. Portions were reasonable. For dessert, Blood Orange Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Sorbet...mmmm...I love my cheesecake! Topped off with a dark chocolate sorbet...even better!! Overall, it was a good meal - 8/10. Ambiance was nice, servers were nice, all and all a nice dinner with friends.

Calphalone Culinary Centre - Winterlicious 2007

New to me this year was the cooking demo at Calphalone. Apparently they've had this before during Winterlicious, but I never paid attention to it. For $60 you get to watch a cooking demo of a complete 3-course meal..and of course, taste the food too..that's the best part!
For the first course, we had a pear puree soup with crisp carmelized lentils. This was one of the best soups I've tasted in a while! Something unique and different, but very flavourful and delicious. For the main course, we had roated dijon mustard crusted beef tenderloin with horseradish mashed potatoes and grilled root veggies. Mmmm...tenderloin was nicely cooked and soo moist and juicy. Root veggies of carrots, white turnip and celery root added a nice side to the dish. Horseradish mashed potatoes was nicely done with just a hint of horseradish. I'll definitely try to make this at my next dinner party! Hopefully it'll taste the same too =)
For dessert, we made Maple Creme Brulee...mmm...I love creme brulee...it's probably sooo unhealthy, but oh soo good! This is definitely going into my recipe book as a favorite dessert! Can't wait to try out the recipe!

Overall, the food was good...small portions of course, since it's only a demo, but enough to leave you satisfied....at least, I was! Chef Ian was entertaining and overall experience was good. I'd definitely go again next year if they have a different menu. To top it off, we got a nice 3-piece Calphalone cooking utensil set..worth $27 (?)..so the $60 cost for the demo wasn't too bad. It's not a hands-on class, but it's just as good watching someone else cooking you a meal and getting to eat it too..then screwing things up yourself and it not tasting how it should =)

Can't wait to have my own kitchen...it's gonna be decked out in Calphalone cookware, utensils, knifes, I want it all!

Toula

Located on the 38th floor of the Westin Harbor Hotel in downtown Toronto, we kicked off Winterlicious 2007 at Toula. Jeff tried making reservations there last year...but confused it with Le Mezzin (on the first floor of the hotel)...so we finally got it right this year.

I was pretty disappointed with the food and quality of food. Appetizer was good (jumbo shrimp wrapped in procciutto (?))..but there was only two shrimps..so just enough to get the taste buds going. For main dish, I ordered the Salmon originally. It was a small 1-inch thick piece of salmon on a bed of risotto. Had a fishy smell to it..which good, fresh cooked salmon should not! Jeff ordered the rack of lamb, which had a very game taste and he didn't like at all, so we switched dishes..I didn't mind the game-ness of the lamb too much. Lamb was covered in a gravy-like sauce, so it took away from the taste a bit. Wasn't too impressed though, since the dish tasted like something that was prepared in the morning and quickly re-heated for dinner. For dessert I had the apple strudle with a chocolate glaze. Once again, disappointed! Dessert did not taste fresh at all...almost like a store-bought pastry taken out of the fridge and sliced up.
For $45 (after tax & tip - w/o the wine) it was definitely not worth it...and if the quality of the Winterlicious menu is the same as the everyday menu, I'd definitely not go back.

The restaurant ambiance and view did make up for the taste-less food. Being on the 38th floor, we had a beautiful view overlooking the city...kodak moment type pictures! =) If you don't want to go up to the 360 at the CN Tower, the view from Toula is still an option. Although the restaurant does not rotate like the 360, you can still enjoy a nice view and if you really want to see the city, just walk around the restaurant =) A nice place if you want to go for drinks.

Overall rating: 5/10 (wine and appetizer was still good..but main and dessert...probably never again).

EPIC - Fairmount Royal York Hotel

For our regular friday team lunches, we decided to venture off a little to EPIC @ The Fairmount Royal York....it was a cold (we're talking -25 degrees) 10 minute walk outside..but luckily the food made up for it. For appetizers, I had the grilled Grilled Romaine Lettuce, Bocconcini Cheese, Cherry Tomato, with Caper-Black Olive Dressing ...that's right...grilled lettuce! It was different...they pretty much took a whole romain lettuce (stripped down to only a few leaves of course) and grilled it lightly. Still a little crunchy, but also a little warm..and the bocconcini cheese was oh soo yummy! For my main dish, I chose the Seared Tilapia Filet, Pine Nut-Butternut Squash, Garlic Scented Broccolini, Lemon-Basil Butter Sauce....portion was decent (ok..I would have liked a little more tilapia...it was soo good!). For dessert, Maple Pumpkin Brulée, Walnut Biscotti...now this was soooooo good! Never had pumpkin brulée before, but this was made just right..and the taste was just mmmmmm! Overall, although portions were kinda small (the guys wanted to go get more food afterwards)..it was enough to make me satisfied..and not soo full that I'd go back to work and just sleep the whole afternoon.

Overall, 8.5/10...I'd definitely wanna go back for dinner.

Bb33 Bistro & Brasserie

Delta Chelsea Hotel - Bb33 Bistro & Brasserie
Going ghetto fine dining style. With the entertainbook in hand, we were determined to find a restaurant downtown after a crappy week at work. Tonite's line up, seafood buffet at the Delta Hotel. They've got all sorts of fish, salmon, smoked cod, which were alright. Also, shrimp, and Roast Beef... but our favorites were the King Crab and Lobster... mmmm. My favorite snow crab legs are from the buffet at Falls View Casino, however, King Crab legs are bigger and meater. Definitely worth the price. ($35 each, but $27 off total bill w/ entertainment coupon). They had plenty of prepared desserts, so since we're going ghetto, I gotta try it ALL! Chocolate mouse, apple pastry thing, fresh fruits with flan, berry bowl, and more fresh fruit baked stuff. Man i've never eaten so many sweets at once. All in all Lu & I enjoyed our experience, nice ambience, and good conversation, Lu and I were looking for a nice quiet evening out. I give it a 7.0, with Lucy giving it a 7.5. Basically, its worth trying it once! with $27 off.

Don't eat to live, live to eat!

(Review courtesy of JV)