Quetzal

Another meal in Toronto and another Michelin-Star restaurant in Quetzal.  This modern Mexican spot on College Street prepares all their cooked food on a 28 foot wood fire.  Yes, that is right, am open flame that does not have temperature regulation.  That is absolutely amazing since the flavours and intense flavours imparted by wood fire cannot be replicated by gas or electricity.  Viv and I were excited to try the place and went for the curated menu so we could get a great overview of the menu.

The first few dishes to arrive included the Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche and Blue Fin Tuna.  The ceviche was dressed in a squid ink leche with ground cherries and topped with crispy leeks.  As much as the buttery soft and sweet scallops were the star of the plate, the super sweet gooseberries added so much to the mix.  It helped impart bursts of flavour when most of the other components were mild.   There was also some earthiness in it all with just a kiss of the sea.  Crunch from the leeks provided texture as well as a nutty brightness.

Not featured on the regular menu, the Blue Fin Tuna was quite the treat.  Consisting of big fat slices, the tuna was at its buttery best despite being the akami.  It was fresh, bright and sweet.   However, the rattlesnake chili paste did overwhelm the fish, yet it was delicious being smoky, spicy and nutty.  We found some blood orange segments and daikon underneath that helped lighten up the flavours as well as providing texture and acidity.

We moved onto 2 different dishes each as Viv doesn't prefer *gasp* lamb!  So she had the Memela that featured a base of fried masa that looked like a tart shell filled with smoked shiitake mushroom conserva, quesillo, salsa de Chile morita and mizuna topped with chicharron.  Loved this as it was both a study in textures and flavours.  From the firm crunch of the base to the airy crispiness of the chicharron, there was great mouth feel.  Then we had the stringiness of the cheese melded with the smokiness and juiciness of the shiitake.

For myself, I stated I wanted to eat the lamb despite Viv not wanting any part in it.  They obliged and sent out the Empanadas Oaxaqueñas stuffed full of lamb barbacoa, salsa molcajete, valentine radish and salsa de ajo.  This was absolutely delicious with succulent and juicy lamb that was meaty-tasting with depth-of-flavour.  Served at the same time was the Ensalata Verde with baby gem lettuce, Cookstown radishes, chayote, poblano kosho and trout roe.  This was a fresh salad with a lot of surprises.  Beyond the crunch from the radishes and chayote, we found pops of brininess from the roe.  Then, the kosho added citrusy notes while the poblano imparted smokiness. 

We moved onto another off-menu dish in the Sablefish marinated in blood orange and fall spices.   The fish was prepared properly where it was flaky and buttery while sporting a slight char on the outside.  We got some smokiness and caramelization as well as a nutty earthiness.  The addition of finger lime on top added some acidic crunch.  On the side, we found a creamy parsnip and hazelnut puree. 

Then, we had the extraordinary Newfoundland Scallops served in the half shell.  Each scallop was cooked ever-so-lightly which meant the meat firmed up slightly but retaining its buttery raw texture.  Also, the natural sweetness really came through.  It sat in a delicious green garlic butter that was reminiscent of escargot butter.  Some popcorn vibes came through with a buttery nuttiness.  I used the bread we had to soak up all of the buttery leftover goodness.

We moved onto the next dish which was the Octopus which featured a beautifully grilled tentacle.  It was smoky and well-seasoned while being tender with only a bit of chew.  It was sitting in a salsa macha which was nutty and crunchy with muted spice.  The addition of corn miso added fermented sweetness. Topping things off, we had crunchy Napa cabbage and kohlrabi.  Our last savoury item was the Mushroom & Shishitos.  Beautifully charred and blistered, the shishitos were bright and slightly sweet.  The oyster mushrooms were nicely caramelized having a smoky saltiness.  On the side, there was crema poblano which imparted some smoky creaminess. 

We can't go without dessert right?  So we had the Avocado Leaf Ice Cream and the Tres Leches Cake. Really enjoyed the ice cream as it was smooth and lightly sweet.  Most of the impact came from the Saskatoon berries in the form of sweetness and the raspberry gel.  For texture, there was a mess of corn flakes on top.  As much as I feared that the Tres Leche Cake would be too sweet, it really wasn't.  The cake was super moist from the soak of the 3 different types of milk.  Naturally, the dominant flavour was the sweetness of the condensed milk.  On top of the cake, we found horchata cream which afforded some sweetness and aromatics.  For textural contrast, there was a large rice tuile.  Overall, the meal at Quetzal was outstanding.  It is amazing what they can do with open flame.  Great combination of spices that were impactful and aromatic.  Totally worth all the accolades it receives.

The Good:

- Impactful and delicious

- Well-prepared proteins

- Attentive yet not intrusive service

The Bad:

- A little strong with the delicate blue fin

- You will smell like smoke after you leave

Byblos Downtown

Staying within the vicinity of our last food adventure (Pai), we paid a visit to Byblos just down the street.  This bustling restaurant dishes up classic Eastern Mediterranean cuisine that combines new methods with traditional ingredients.  This place came highly recommended and we were super excited to dine here.  So much so, we went a bit nuts with the menu.  Our server was a bit concerned with the amount of food we ordered, but hey, "this is how we do it!".

We kicked off things with the Labneh.  Thick and rich, the tangy labneh was beautifully balanced off by the sweet wildflower honey.  Some crunch, nuttiness and savoury elements was provided by crushed pistachios.  This was great with the side of nutty barbari bread.  To literally top it off, we found tender and earthy beets.  Served in a cast iron plate, we found the Turkish Manti Dumplings sitting in a yogurt sauce with date molasses and creamy eggplant.  I found the dumplings to be delicate with a thin skin that had a slight chew.  Absolutely loved the tangy sweetness of the dish and the soft textures.

There was a whole section of Pide, which is a type of flat bread topped with cheese and other components.  This reminds me of a Khachapuri (which is one of my favs).  We ended up choosing black truffle & cheese.  As you can see, the leavened dough was nicely charred. Hence it was nutty and crispy.  In the middle, the cheese was stringy and nicely savoury.  There was just enough black truffle for some earthiness.

Even though Viv doesn't enjoy eating lamb, I went ahead and ordered the Lamb Ribs for myself.  These fatty ribs were so moist and fall-apart tender.  There was such an aromatic nuttiness from the dukkah while the raz el hanout glaze provided the classic fall flavours that naturally complimented the lamb.  It added such depth and aromatics.   There was also a bit of background spice.  Adding more sweetness was the red chili schug.  Drops of cool yoghurt completed the dish.

Wearing a beautiful glaze and charred edges the Short Rib Kebab was so flavourful and delicious.  Each piece was buttery soft while still exhibiting a meaty chew. If you look at the picture, you can see the intense caramelization. This was further enhanced by the chemen spice mix that included earthy cumin.  The pine nut dukkah gave the dish nuttiness and an extra hit of earthiness.  If all that depth wasn't enough, we found some more earthiness from the truffle yogurt.  It did cool things down a bit as well as the brightness of the mint.

As if the previous dishes weren't tasty enough, the Whole Grilled Branzino was just plain excellent.  Featuring crispy and well-charred skin, the fish was flaky and super moist.  It was already well-seasoned, but the chermoula on top gave off tangy, earthy and aromatic vibs.  To literally and figuratively top things off, there was a creamy saffron toum which added such intoxicating floral notes.

As a side, we added the Sweet Jeweled Rice with carrots, saffron, barberries and almonds.  Aromatic, sweet and nutty, this rice was pretty tasty by itself.  Ultimately, we paired it with the short rib and fish.  Went quite well as it wasn't intrusive.  We ended the meal off with their famed Chocolate Olive Oil Cake.  This was so rich and chocolatey that we really didn't need anything else added to it.  But there was, in the form of nutty tahini chantilly, sweet medjool dates and almonds.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Byblos.  The Eastern Mediterranean spices offered up aroma before we dug into our plates and flavour when we did.  If you are looking for something a bit different before catching a show, this is your place.

 

The Good:

- Appealing aroma and flavours

- Nicely cooked proteins

- Balance of sweet and savoury

 

The Bad:

- Need to order more dishes to be full, even in bigger groups

- There might be less expensive options but then again, the dining room and service are exceptional 

 

Pai

Normally, I'm not a sucker for being influenced by a celebrity when it comes to restaurant recommendations.  However, when I saw Simu Liu enjoy his favourite bowl of Khao Soi at Pai in his hometown of Toronto, I thought that we should go there too!  It also helped it was only an 8-minute walk from our hotel as well.   We didn't make any resos but got a seat anyways since the place is deceptively large.

Before we got to the Khao Soi, we went for some appies starting with the Mango Slaw.  This was similar to a green papaya salad except it featured other julienned components such as carrot, red cabbage and pickled green onion.  Also, the dressing was similar too with plenty of acidity from the lime juice and tamarind with sweetness from the coconut sugar.  The crunch from the veggies was great and the aromatic crunch from the peanuts gave some relief from the tang.

Possibly the best dish of the meal was the Moo Ping (Pork Skewers).  These skewers were generously graced with pork that was super tender and juicy.  Aggressively-marinated, the pork was flavourful throughout.  The sweetness really came through in the meat whole the caramelization on the outside added intense, but balanced sweetness.   There some smokiness as well.  This was all levelled out by the savouriness as well.

Onto the mains, we dug into their signature Khao Soi first.  We chose to have this with beef and there was a tonne of it.  Although tender and flavourful, half of the pieces were a quite dry.  As for the broth, it was delicious with the creamy aromatics of coconut milk and the earthiness of the curry.  The sweetness was definitely there as well helping out balance the dish.  Noodles were al dente and soaked up the tasty broth.

We also had the Green Curry with chicken served in a fresh coconut.   There was some extra curry on the side since not all all of it fit into the coconut.   There was also coconut rice wrapped in banana leaves.   I thought the curry itself was good with the usual aromatic coconut milk, slight spice and sweet savouriness.  There was some firm pieces of chayote as well as a wealth of chicken breast.  Although chicken breast tends to be drier, I found this one a bit drier than what I prefer.   

Our last dish was the Pad Thai Goong with some extra spice on the side (which I used liberally, yum!).  This was also a great dish where the rice noodles were al dente and sauced with a good amount of tamarind and palm sugar.  Hence it was tangy and sweet while extra spicy (when I made it so).  In the end, I wanted to really like Pai, but it was hit and miss for me.  Some of the proteins were dry and chewy.  However, the flavours were really good.  So I guess your experience will highly depend on what you order and what protein you choose.

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- Noodles were done perfectly
- Eclectic dining space

The Bad:
- Some proteins were chewy and dry

 

Edulis

Sitting at #2 on Canada's Best 100 restaurants for 2024, Edulis is also the recipient of a Michelin Star.  It is truly a destination restaurant tucked within a cozy bistro on Niagara in Toronto.  The Manager, Philip Shaw, welcomes and warmly guides you throughout the tasting menu that takes a journey though in-season seafood, vegetables and mushrooms.  Viv and I were fortunate enough to snag a reservation for this exquisite experience.

You must be quick when the resos are available and also need to prepay.  We had a 7:00pm reservation and began with the Snacks consisting of Edulis "Gilda Matrimonio" with Cantabrian anchovy, Valentine Radish with Liptauer cheese, Profiterole of Winter Parsnip & Black Truffle and Coppa di Testa of Mangalista Pork with Eggplant Sott'Olio.  A very nice introduction to the menu where we literally whet our appetites on the tangy and briny skewers with stuffed olives and anchovy.  Our favourite of the bunch was the profiteroles as the choux pastry was perfectly crispy with an airy centre.  The sweet parsnips were creamy and gave off foie mousse vibes.

 

As a supplement added at the table and not part of the original tasting menu, we had the Jamón Joselito for an extra $50.00.  This was well worth it though as each slice of ham was super buttery and richly salty, yet still a bit sweet as well.  On top, we found some Picos (Spanish bread sticks) that were a bit dense. This is the best ham in the world coming from a small company founded in 1868 and based in Guijuelo.  I would agree that this is one of the best I've had and would gladly have more!

Seemingly simple but complex in flavour, the Roscoff Onion Pannacotta was delightful with a rich creamy texture.   Mildly milky, the pannacotta served as a canvas for the sweet & earthy onions.   Although there was no curry to be found in this dish, there was a faint curry finish.   I loved the addition of crunch to the mix that added textural contrast.  Of course we couldn't forget about the generous dollop of Oscietra "Prestige" caviar.  That provides pops of salty brininess.

 

In between courses, we were served the Red Fife Bread with 84% fat cultured butter.  We went for the black truffle supplement and they went nuts with it on top of the butter.  The bread itself had a nice crunch with the crust while the inside had a heavy fermented flavour.  It was densely fluffy (if that makes sense).  We didn't go easy with the butter and that made all the difference in the world.  It was creamy and a bit gamy with lots of truffle woodsiness.    

One of our favourite courses was the Wild Red Sea Bream that was lightly cured and sandwiched in between sheets of kombu.   The slices of fish were supremely bright and naturally sweet with a kiss from the sea.  With Buddha hand citrus, we had all the acidity and fragrance the fish needed.  We had a bit of licorice finish from the fennel seed but also some slight brightness and bitterness from the cardoon.

Keeping the hits going, the Dungeness Crab was a beautiful dish where the main ingredient was allowed to shine.   Fluffy, briny and sweet, the crab sat in a sweet macadamia cream that featured crab butter.  It was full of umami and of course, crab flavour.  This made the flavour profile extremely crab-forward (which would've been the point).  We found some wild bears garlic finishing off the dish with delicate aromatics.

If crab and sea Bream wasn't a seafood treat already, we had the Just Shucked Mahone Bay Scallops next.  These were lightly poached in dashi that firmed them up but left the scallop raw.   They were buttery and naturally sweet.  This sat atop fermented aji verde which was bright, herbaceous and slightly spicy.  We had some Ontario ginger and pickled ramps which added bite and tang.

Moving onto something a bit different and more robust, we had the Smoked Eel "Schnitzel".  We found a piece of eel that was coated in breading and fried until golden brown.  It was crispy and aromatic while the short-finned eel itself was firm (like it should be) and lightly sweet.  Underneath, we found some white asparagus sitting in a stinging nettle vichyssoise with mustard seed mignonette and red wine reduction.  This was a fairly mild dish overall.

The next course featured diced BC Spot Prawn Crudo in saucy bomba rice with Mangalista sobrassada spread.  I thought the saucy rice was the best part of this dish as it sported concentrated flavours of prawn shells.  It was super briny, aromatic and pleasingly salty.   There was some meaty spiciness from the sobrasada that provided depth.   However, the delicate spot prawn was lost in all of this.  The good news was that the texture was as still there.

Our last course was the Dry-Aged Mangalista Pork with hedgehog mushrooms, cabbage sausage, roasted apple, celeriac & mushroom puree and cider sauce.  The pork was absolutely delicious where it was barely cooked through.  Each piece was juicy and succulent with natural sweetness.   The mushrooms help add some woodiness and the apple and cider sauce provided sweetness and slight tang.  really enjoyed the roasted pork rib on the side.  Such succulent and well-seasoned meat!  

Onto dessert, we ordered 2 of them including Niagara Baby Gold Peaches sitting in vanilla crème Anglais and raspberry sauce.  This was a simple dish, but was truly a refreshing way to cleanse the palate after all those fabulous courses.  But the real dessert was the Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Soma kokoa kamili chocolate, Niagara apricot preserves and hazelnut praline. Oh this cake was so rich and chocolatey while being only purposefully sweet.  This was lighter than it appeared and was super fluffy.  Loved the crunch from the pralines on top.  As you can see, this tasting menu was a lot of thoughtful and well-prepared dishes.  Really great experience, especially with the personable service we received from Philip.  We can see why it is ranked so high on Canada's Top 100 Restaurants.

 

The Good:

- Outstanding service

- Good use of fresh Canadian ingredients

- Delicious

 

The Bad:

- Super hard to get a reservation

- With all the supplements and wine, it can get pretty expensive 

Jz's Pizza

It has been nearly 8 years since we've last been in Toronto.  Finally, we returned but it wasn't our first choice.  Normally, we would head to a warmer destination during Spring Break, but we wanted to stay within Canada for a variety of reasons.  So here we are back in TO!  After arriving at Pearson, we made our way to Downtown on the UP Express to Union Station.  Making our frigid walk (this was March) to our hotel, we noticed JZ's Pizza across the street.  It looked busy and we were not in the mood for travelling far for food.

We started with some appies on the form of the Apple Pecan Salad.  Okay, I'm not usually the type to order a salad, but we need some greens and it did sound tasty.  Consisting of romaine, candied pecans, dried cherries, apple and gorgonzola, this was actually delicious.   Loved the play of different crunchy textures with the sweetness of the cherries and creamy mild sharpness of the cheese.  We dusted this off pretty quickly.

Next, we had the Eggplant Parmigiana which arrived in a large portion.   Topped with a considerable amount of melted and browned mozzarella, the dish was fulfilling and robust.  Underneath, the large slices of eggplant were tender while not being completely mush.  It was bathed in a tangy and lightly sweet tomato sauce.  It was bright and flavourful while giving off some earthy vibes.  Loved the crostinis that came with the dish.  We could've used more of them!

Of course we had to order a pizza, so we got the heartiest of the bunch in the Quattro Carne.  This think crust pizza was not exactly Neopolitan-style.  Rather, it was flatter and less raised on the edges.  However, it was still good with an appealing chew and being well-seasoned.  Nice char on the bottom and it was topped with a tangy sauce.   The amount of meat on this was substantial consisting of pepperoni, sopprasata, salami, hot Italian sausage and smoked apple wood bacon.  Suffice to say, this was not lacking salt nor spice.

We also had the Linguine Jambalaya with tiger prawns, hot Italian sausage and sliced chicken breast in a Cajun-spiced tomato sauce.   This was a pleasing pasta where the linguine was al dente and the flavours were slightly spicy, due to the sausage.  The sundried tomatoes added an extra layer of tanginess.  Amazingly, the chicken breast was moist and tender while the prawns had a meaty and sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Jz's was solid and we came away satisfied.  It won't set the world on fire, but fits the bill for most, especially late-night.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Friendly people
- Open late

The Bad:
- Don't expect gourmet, but it isn't trying to be either

 

Gordon Ramsey Steak (River Rock Casino)

I guess it was a matter of time that we got our very own Gordon Ramsey Steak in the GVRD.  Hey, he already has a location of Gordon Ramsey Burger in the Hard Rock Casino out in Coquitlam!  As much as there is plenty of hype with the name, I appreciate that he shows up for his restaurant openings.  It shows that he cares about his establishments and wants it to start off on the right foot.  Well, Eileen and I paid GRS a visit to see if it can live up to the hype.

Things go started off with an Amuse Bouche that was a Gougère filled with sharp cheese and top with blueberry and pickled onion.  A nice little bite with airy pastry and a good balance of flavours.  Our first ordered dish was the Dungeness Crab Cake.  This was pan-fried and not deep fried like other places.  It was practically all fluffy crab meat with very little filler other than some mayo to bind it.  It was definitely crab forward with sweet brininess that was complimented by some herbs and that was about it.  Nice crispy crust on the outside.  There was some herb aioli and a charred lemon as well.

We had one more appie in the Tuna Tartare.  It was beautifully plated with cucumber "scales".  The tuna itself was buttery soft and well-seasoned.  Maybe it was a bit too seasoned as I found it on the saltier side.  The spicy ponzu was quite dominant and did obscure the natural sweetness and flavour of the fresh tuna and ripe avocado.  This came with some sesame crackers, which were nutty and crunchy.  This helped alleviate some of the saltiness.

Of course we had to get their signature dish in the Beef Wellington.  As you can see in the picture, it was beautifully prepared being somewhere in between rare and medium-rare.  Unfortunately, the tenderloin was a touch chewy and the pastry was a little doughy.  Not that this wasn't good though, it was, but the one I had at Hell's Kitchen in Vegas was superior.  This came with a red wine demi-glace which was velvety and flavourful without being salty. 

We added one more main dish for good measure in the Miso Glazed Sablefish.  This was well-prepared where the fish was nicely seared while still being flaky and moist.  It had intense smokiness and caramelization as well as a rich saltines that didn't overwhelm the fish.  This sat in a briny and sweet shrimp dashi with Napa cabbage, bok choy and shimeji mushroom.  Good crunch from the veggies and added earthiness from the mushrooms.

For our sides, we chose the Heirloom Carrots and the Potato Purée.  Roasted with caramelized honey, the carrots came out intensely sweet and smoky.  It further intensified the natural sugars in the carrots already.  As for the potato purée, it was noticeably buttery and silky smooth.  Even though it was aggressively seasoned, we could still taste the natural potato essence.  Some chives on the top not only added colour, it did provide some brightness.

Why have only one dessert when we could have 3?  I attacked the Vanilla Mascarpone Cheesecake first because, well I'm a sucker for it.  This was a good one where it was creamy and rich without being super dense.  It was certainly cheesy and aromatic with on point sweetness.  We had some fruitiness provided by the berry compote on the side while tanginess came in via the lemon curd.  To top it off, there was some airy meringue.

Now the cheesecake was pretty solid, but my favourite was the Chocolate Tart.  Beginning with the firm and crispy tart shell, it held a silky and rich chocolate ganache.  It was a bit bittersweet (in a good way) where the dark chocolate really came through without being too bitter nor too sweet. It was topped with some chantilly cream which helped keep things a bit light.  A brush streak of salted caramel added that something something to bring out the sweetness even more. 

Now does that mean I didn't enjoy the signature Sticky Toffee Pudding?  Well, I did like it, but once again, it wasn't as good as the one I had in Vegas.  The date cake was still super moist and fully caramelized in flavour.  Yes, the dessert was pretty sweet, but hey, it's sticky toffee pudding!  I think the toffee sauce was the point of no return for the sweetness in this dish.  It was a bit smoky and plenty sugary.  I did enjoy the toffee ice cream as it had that rich nutty caramel flavour.  Overall, this visit to Gordon Ramsey Steak in Richmond was okay.  Other than the crab cake, nothing really stood out.  Things were competent and service was excellent.  However, when you are paying those prices, you expect a bit more.

The Good:
- Excellent service
- That crab cake
- Solid desserts

The Bad:
- Beef Wellington was not as good as expected
- More refinement needed