Aloette

Having not secured a reservation for Alo in Toronto, we decided to visit their more relaxed and approachable baby sister restaurant below.  This Michelin-recommended spot is unpretentious but still offers up an elevated experience with its food and service.  Sure, it looks like a jazzed up diner inside (which it is), but it is all business when it comes to the execution and plating.  This was a taste of what the Alo Group is about and a precursor to my visit to Alo several months later (spoiler alert!).

We kicked off our meal with the Torched Hamachi Crudo.  This was such a delicate and impactful dish at the same time.  Bright, buttery and sweet, the hamachi could stand on its own, but was highly influenced by the aromatic smoked coconut.  That tropical feel was interrupted by the tangy spice of the jalapeno and then further more by the tanginess and slight bite of the finger lime.  As if this wasn't enough, we found some shiso that added the complex final herbaceous notes.

Possibly our favourite dish of the meal, the East Coast Mussels were served on the half shell.  If you look at the picture, you'll notice that they were supremely plump.  Moreover, the cook on them was perfect allowing the buttery soft texture to shine and the sweet brininess to be the star of the show.  But c'mon, there needed to be a sauce right?  Oh yes, that koji butter was on point with a mild tang, plenty of umami and of course butteriness.  The side of charred sourdough was the perfect vessel to soak it all up.

In addition to the charred sourdough that came with the mussels, we were also served the complimentary Cheddar Brioche with spiced whipped butter.  Really airy and light with the nuttiness of cheddar.  I truly loved their interpretation of a Wedge Salad as it took half a head of lettuce and put all of the components on top.  Oh the textures were on display here with the crunch from the lettuce, the nuttiness and light crispiness of the puffed rice and the tangy bite from the pickled onions.  There was a wealth of chive cream on top which helped dress the lettuce.  It was bright and not overly heavy.  Extra creaminess was provided by the avocado.

With our larger plates, we went for the Grilled Sea Bream.  We found the cook on it to be on point where the properly salted skin was crispy while the meat was flaky and buttery.  It sat atop a beurre blanc with snap peas and chanterelles.  On the side, we got the Crispy Butternut Squash.  These fried nuggets were indeed lightly crispy on the outside while intensely sweet and delicate inside.  It was topped with a brown butter hollandaise which was rich and full of depth.  It was aromatic too, but the candied pepita on top provided some more sweet aromatic nuttiness.

So you know we couldn't get out of there without trying their famed Aloette Burger.  Absolutely in love with the seared crispy and melted beaufort cheese.  Beyond being a contrast in textures, the cheese was nutty and sweet.  That complimented the juicy and meaty beef patty.  It was properly salted, yet at the same time, had a real beefiness.  There was plenty of shredded iceberg and onion for some freshness while all held together with a soft brioche bun.

We capped off this fabulous meal with the Lemon Merignue Pie.  This was tall with a buttery crust holding in all that tangy and sweet lemon curd.  It was topped off with torched meringue.  Gotta say that this meal was one of our favs during this trip to TO.  Although not inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination, the prices at Aloette are approachable.  Considering the level of execution and deliciousness of the food, it is very well worth it.

The Good:

- Approachable well-executed eats

- That burger

- Service that is not fussy

The Bad:

- Seating is not super spacious, but the place is still cool