Alo

In March, when we were in Toronto, we had enjoyed a delicious meal at Aloette on Spadina.  Its approachable menu with well-crafted eats made us curious about their bigger and older sibling upstairs.  Alo, which is headed by Executive Chef Patrick Kriss, dishes up modern French fare that is globally-inspired.  So this time around, we made resos.  The dining room is simple, yet elegant, leaving the emphasis on the intricate dishes.  Service is focused while at the same time, not intrusive.  Even before we got to the food, the whole outfit exuded Michelin-Star quality.

Now, we do need to get to the food and they offer a blind tasting menu for $225.00 per person.  Reservations are a must as I was barely able to get one where we dined at 8:45pm. We started with a trio of canapés including the Spot Prawn Tartare topped with prawn shell mayo, Thai lime and pomelo.  This was a bright little bite with sweet spot prawn that was amped further by the briny mayo.  Hits of acidity was provided by the lime and pops of sweetness from the pomelo.  Great what to whet our appetites!

The next was the A5 Waygu Tart with masutake shoyu while topped with Osetra caviar and purple shiso.  Loved the textural contrast of the crispy shell with the buttery wagyu (surprisingly not chewy despite the uncooked fat).  The use of shoyu was percise as the beef flavour still came through and was complemented by its umaminess.  Of course the caviar added pops of salty brininess while the purple shiso provided earthiness.  The last bite was a Foie Gras Parfait done with apples 3 different ways.  First method was the puree with apple calvados, second was the apple gastrique done with brandy and last was a disk of granny smith with an upper leaf cress.  This was a study of contrasting textures with the crispy exterior giving way to a creamy and rich silkiness inside.  There was a certain sweetness complimented by butteriness and only slight liver taste.

Our next set of dishes consisted of a Bluefin Tuna Tasting with all 3 cuts including Akami, Chutoro and Otoro.  With the leaner Akami, we found it wrapped around cucumber and radish sitting on yuzu relish and black vinaigrette.  Due to the lack of fat in the akami, the impactful vinaigrette did the heavy lifting in terms of earthiness, tang and umami.  Loved the crunch from the veggies.  The Chutoro sat on a piece of crispy nori, tapioca and miso barley.  Since Chutoro is buttery and sweet by itself, it didn't need much to be good.  Hence, the simplicity of the compliments allowed the fish to shine.  Only a bit of sweet and tangy notes came through as well as some earthiness.

Being the fattiest cut, the Otoro was wrapped around uni with some hot sauce and a marigold leaf on top.  Since it was so fatty, it melted in my mouth and had the taste of the sea combined with the sweetness of the fish.  With Hokkaido uni in the middle, it doubled-down on the brightness of the sea as well as the intense inherent sweetness.  Loved how they dialed down on the compliments to this dish as the otoro could totally stand on its own.

Sporting a lovely shade of orange red, the piece of Kinmedai was hard-seared skin side with the scales.  Inside, it was medium-rare and served with a champagne sauce and foam on top.  Some snow pea leaves dressed in wasabi, salt and wasabi oil finished off the dish.  Loved the crispy skin but the scales were a bit hard to eat.  The champagne foam was buttery and bright while the salt level of the dish was precise.  The fish itself was buttery soft.

Staying with the seafood theme, we had the Dungeness Crab with poached egg yolk, pureed buttered spinach, black truffle, smoked butter and shaved cured quail's egg yolk.  It was finished off with a scrambled egg emulsion.  As much as there was a lot of components in this dish, the delicate crab was not lost amongst them.  Fluffy, slightly briny and sweet, the crab was at the forefront while the silkiness of the egg provided texture.  Only a background bit of truffle and smokiness came through.

My favourite dish of the night had to be the Nova Scotia Lobster with shiitake mushrooms, 3 different types of seaweed, dashi broth and finished off with the Koshihikari rice.  The sliced lobster was barely cooked through.  Hence, it didn't even have a chance to become rubbery.  In fact, it was buttery soft with the unmistakable essence of lobster.  There was a lot of umaminess due to the mushrooms, seaweed and dashi where flavours were bordering on salty.  We also found a bit of nutty smokiness.

Moving away from seafood, we had the Hudson Valley Duck with morels stuffed with duck mousse, grilled white asparagus, ramps and basil ramp pistou finished with mustard cream.  Cooked to medium, the duck was tender while maintaining a pleasant meatiness.  Once again, we found umaminess with earthy notes and brightness from the herbs.  The morels were at their woodsy best with a springy texture.  Inside, the duck mousse was a bit meaty and totally duck-forward.

For our second meat course, we had 2 different versions since I'm the only one that wanted lamb.  So for mine, I had the New Zealand Lamb with an Ontario lamb roulade with pistachios.  The lamb sat atop a salsa verde consisting of cilantro, tarragon and parsley.  It was finished off with a lamb jus seasoned with the salsa verde.  Accompanying this was asparagus, fava beans, goat's milk yogurt and citrus jelly.  As you can see, the lamb was perfectly medium-rare and succulent.  Perfect seasoning on the meat.  The roulade was nutty and had a beautiful muted gaminess.  Due to the heaviness of the meat, the salsa verde was exactly what it needed to brighten things up.  

The other dish was the A5 Wagyu Ribeye and Rib Cap.  This came with grilled maitake mushroom, pan-seared ginger, beef jus seasoned with wasabi.  On the side, we found pickled mustard seed, freshly grated wasabi and hot Japanese mustard.  Yah, this A5 was legit as it melted in our mouths.  Lots of beefiness and we could adjust the sharpness of the dish with the mustard and wasabi.  The rib cap was a bit meatier, but due to the fat, it was so flavourful and beefy. Both dishes came with bread and cultured butter from Normandy.  The bread was light and airy, yet with some structure.  However, the star of the show was the creamy and totally beefy-tasting butter.

From these heavy dishes, we moved onto dessert with the Loquat & Matcha.  We found some creamy matcha ice cream that was balanced in terms of bitterness and sweetness.  The tang and stone fruit vibes from the loquat compote was a nice compliment.  More brightness was thanks to the Meyer lemon as well as the sparkling sake and elderflower foam.  Next, we had the Rhubarb prepared 6 different ways with a Greek yogurt parfait   So this was less of a sweet dessert, which was fine by me.  Lots of tang and acidity from all the elements.  I couldn't even keep track of all the forms of rhubarb, but some did stand out.  One was the vanilla rhubarb salsa and the rhubarb pieces poached in simple syrup.  Aromatic with tangy sweetness and some crunch. Finally, some ginger and lime gelée afforded some contrast to the predominantly rhubarb forward dish.

Finally, we were served Petite Fours including a Canelé, Macaron, Chocolate Bonbon, Peanut Butter Cup and a Pavlova.  It wasn't as if we were hungry anymore, but we couldn't pass these up.  The canelé was textbook with a crispy smoky caramel crust and a tender custardy centre.  With a delicate, but crisp shell, the mini-macaron was soft and chewy.  It was floral due to the orange blossom and apricots.  Filled with a coffee ganache filling and tiramisu flavoured, the bonbon was sweet and aromatic.  We also had a peanut butter cup filled with spicy mango and passionfruit curd.  These were so up my alley with tangy sweetness with a kick as well as a crunch from the peanut brittle.  On top, we found a vanilla chocolate cremeaux.  Lastly, we had a coconut pavlova with coconut cream that was sweet and tropical-tasting.  Some shishito added another flavour element to the dish but it was subtle.  Wow, I have to say this tasting menu at Alo exceeded my expectations.  For the #3 restaurant on Canada's Best 100 Restaurants, it certainly did not disappoint.  Not only was the food expertly prepared and utterly delicious, there was a lot of it and we went away happy and full.

The Good:
- Precision in execution
- Professional service that is not pretentious
- More than enough food

The Bad:
- It is pretty dark and if you don't have the right table, you won't be able to see your food clearly 

DaiLo

Oh I've been trying to get to DaiLo for quite some time.  We were in Toronto when it was in its infancy, but didn't get a chance to visit.   In fact, I missed it once again earlier in the year while we were in town.  However, this time, I made a reso so we would finally dine there!  Meaning "Big Brother" in Cantonese, DaiLo is headed by Chef Nick Liu.  His French influences on Asian cuisine are evident while still honouring the classic dishes he grew up on.  Seeing how many items we wanted to try on the menu, the best solution was having their Premium DaiLo's Choice tasting menu for $155.00 per person.

This started with an Amuse Bouche consisting of a Tom Yum Custard.  This little gem was only a taste of what was to come, but it was a loudspeaker of a beginning.  Silky and light, the egg custard was merely a blank canvas for the classic Tom Yum flavours including a hit of bright lemongrass and the tangy brininess of kaffir lime and fish sauce.  Some spiciness appeared from the chili oil and of course the usual bite from the galangal.  We found some smoked tomatoes, butter poached shrimp and pickled chilis which added more layers of impact.

Something a bit out of left field, we had the Spanish Tortilla with sesame crème fraîche, Kaviari Osetra Caviar and chives.  This was a beautiful rendition of a tortilla with tender pieces of potato sandwiched in between fluffy egg and onion.  There was a ever-so-slight nuttiness coming from the sesame crème fraîche while the salty brininess of the caviar provided that umaminess for the little bite.  Sure, this wasn't Asian, but it was beautifully executed.

One of my favourite bites of the meal was the Crispy Octopus Taco.  This was pretty ingenious with a thinly sliced piece of jicama as the "taco shell".  This totally kept things light and fresh.  That was necessary since the red braised pork belly was sinfully delicious.  The richness of the meat melded perfectly with the equally tender octopus.  Providing some spice and depth was the sambal aioli.  Once again, the bright crunch of the jicama really balanced things out.

Moving onto the next item, it could very well be an Amuse as well since it was a one-biter.  The Smoked Trout Pomelo Betel Leaf reminded me of the Thai Miang Kham which literally means many things in one bite.  However, this one had different components such as cold-smoked trout, lime leaf, lemongrass, shallot, nut crumble, puffed rice and coconut caramel dressing.  Lots of things going on here, but the textural crunch from the ingredients provided a nice mouth feel.  In addition, the lemongrass really came through while the smokiness came on a bit later.

In addition to the Tom Yum Custard, the Soft-Shell Crab Banh Xeo was another off-menu item.  This featured turmeric-battered crab sitting on a betel leaf and lettuce while complimented by pickled bean sprouts, chili oil and sambal vinegar.  This was inspired by their recent collaboration with Montreal's Street Monkeys.  I found that the soft shell crab was super light with a crispy and earthy batter.  That crunch was reminiscent of the crisp banh xeo texture.  In addition to this, the bean sprouts provided the veggie crunch as well as some acidity. 

We were served 2 items next in the Sweet & Sour Pork Hock as well as the Vietnamese Phaux Beef Carpaccio.  The 2 large nuggets of pork hock were nicely marbled giving it a meaty texture with intermittent butteriness.  Lots of crunch on the outside while the fat was full of umaminess.  The accompanying sweet & sour sauce had a light viscosity but still clung onto each cube beautifully.  It was appetizingly tangy with just enough sweetness.  As for the beef carpaccio, the meat was buttery soft while exhibiting rich beef flavour that wasn't as sharp as I would be expecting from a 90-day aged ribeye cap.  There was spot-on pho flavours including meaty saltiness accented by star anise and cloves with background sweetness.

Next, we were presented with something that was a bit odd at first.  I really didn't know what to think of it, but alas, it was described as the Bonito Potato Espuma.  Okay, so it was a potato foam of some sort and the best part, it had bonito in it.  Hence, it was briny and full of umami.  It was super light and airy while the exhibiting an appealing smokiness.  If that wasn't enough, we found a piece of anchovy on top with some chili crunch. That afforded even more briny saltiness and some spice.

We finished with the small plates with a pair of dumplings including the Pea Dumplings and Hakka Brown Wontons.  The pea puree filling was absolutely money with a creamy sweetness that was elevated by the rich brown butter.  The dumpling wrapper was super thin and delicate while retaining a chew.   As if that wasn't enough, there was some creamy bone marrow to make the duck bacon dashi nage extra rich and silky.  We found some chanterelles, pea shoots, peas and summer truffle in the mix to add woodsiness and some freshness.  As for the Wontons, they were filled with tender and juicy pork.  They sat in a mix of house XO sauce, toasted sesame oil and almond crumble.  The result was something quite nutty, briny and somewhat spicy.  Although I we enjoyed these, this was probably the most "ordinary" dish of the meal.

What we had next was genuinely awesome in the Singapore Chili Lobster.  It was truly a masterpiece consisting of a decently-sized lobster bathed in a nutty, spicy, briny and savoury sauce.  The addition of peanuts and lemongrass really gave this a SE Asian punch that was finger-licking good.  The lobster itself was live before cooking, hence, the meat was bouncy and sweet.  Sandwiched in between the pieces of lobster, we found fried noodles doused in the same sauce.  What a nice crunchy snack of sorts in between pieces of lobster.  On the side, we were served some Gai Lan with black garlic tofu dressing, oyster mushrooms chips and chili oil.  This was a fairly simple preparation but the steamed gai lan were still crunchy and were fully seasoned by the umaminess of the dressing and the nutty spiciness of the chili oil.

As a palate cleanser, we were served an Aloe Vera Sorbet with pickled ginger.  After the spicy lobster, it was very much welcomed as it cooled our tongue and got us ready for the Olive Oil Cake with a white chocolate crémeux, caramelized white chocolate and mango.  This was a nice fruity and light way to finish the meal.  The cake was ever-so-moist and the sweetness was just right.  Nice contrast of textures.  Overall, the tasting menu at DaiLo was really good and we weren't left wanting for any more food.  Nice array of dishes that were mostly unlike each other and kept things interesting.  Sure, DaiLo isn't the shiniest new thing in TO, but it is still a solid choice amongst all of the great places to dine at.

The Good:
- Good combination of elevated dishes and rustic ones
- Impactful flavours
- Wonderful service

The Bad:
- Some dishes were bordering on salty, if not salty

Published on Main

Here I am at Published on Main once again.  This is one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver that include AnnaLena, Elem, Elisa, June and L'Abattoir.  Back in 2022, Published was bestowed the honour of being #1 on the list of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants.  I wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment given that their OG menu items were on point and beautifully-plated.  For the next 2 years (2023 and 2024), Mon Lapin in Montreal was awarded #1.  I actually visited Mon Lapin in 2023 and despite being delicious, I wasn't sure if it was truly #1.  In 2025, it is now Pearl Morissette in the Niagara region being touted at #1.  Spoiler alert, I made my way out to their converted barn situated on a farm restaurant in June.  That will be posted soon.  For now, this is just my latest visit to Published, which currently sits #9 on the list.

So we started with one of our favs in the Chips & Dip.  This menu staple was missing from the menu the last time we were here since they could not source the right potatoes.  Good call because if it isn't up to specifications, take it off the menu!  With this version, I found the chips to be a bit thinner and lighter than before.  No matter, still really tasty potato chips (which were salted just right).  As for the smoked fish dip, it was creamy, chunky and full of smokiness and dill.  A seemingly simple item, but a must order.

We had the refreshing Dungeness Crab next with a cute crab on top.  The delicate crab sat atop some preserved tomatillo and was surrounded by cornichons, green olives, sungold tomatoes and sea asparagus with some fennel fronds.  All of this was finished off with a clarified gazpacho.  Lots of natural tomato flavour and brightness in this dish.  More tomato came in the form of Pan con Tomate on the side.  The bread was crunchy and a bit smoky while the tomato was bright, fresh and full-flavoured.

We them moved onto an OG menu item that has been there from the beginning - the Aebleskiver.  These pancake balls are unassuming but utterly delicious.  A bit crispy on the outside and plenty soft and pancakey inside, these were filled with stewed herbs. Full of aromatics and umami, these were tasty by themselves but ultimately, the herb emulsion completed the dish.  It was creamy and subtle, giving some much needed moisture to the Aebleskivers.

Just like the chips & dip, another must-order for me is the Kentucky Fried Maitake.  At first glance, one might assume these fried mushrooms are heavy and dense.  That would be completely wrong as these were lightly crispy and almost light as a feather.  The coating was beautifully seasoned with enough salt, pepper and spices.  However, the garlic scape ranch on the side was not just for show, it was creamy and bright with a slight sharpness.

Of course we need to get some veggies into this meal and we did with the Badger Flame Beets with golden beets.  Visually-appealing, the beets were sweet and a bit earthy while sitting on a tasty paste comprised of lemongrass, black vinegar and miso.  That really gave the dish a kick in the pants with sweet tang, brightness and rich fermented saltiness.  The whole thing was topped with shiso and sunflower seeds for extra herbaceous hits and texture.

We continued the vegetable theme with the Hispi Cabbage.  At first, the dish didn't look all that exciting, but we shouldn't judge a book by its cover right?  Well, the cabbage was excellent being firm, but cooked through and charred while dressed in a hazelnut mole and sat atop mucho macha salsa.  If you can imagine, this was a flavour bomb of nuttiness, earthiness, sweetness, bitterness and a touch of spice.  To finish the dish, we found some pickled onions and serranos which added crunch, mild heat and more tanginess.

The veggies didn't stop there as we also go the Summer Squash.  The slices raw zucchini were neatly arranged atop a tabbouleh salad.  Mixed within it, we found roasted squash and pickled patty pan squash and herbs. It was dressed in mega miso which was of course, full of rich fermented umaminess.  The delicate texture of the squash was still noticeable amongst the other ingredients while the raw zucchini on top (with lemon dressing) provided a bright bitterness.

I long for the days when the scallops with apple was on the menu, but the Roasted Scallop with sweet corn, 'nduja and lobster mushrooms sounded quite good.  In fact, it was excellent.  The scallops were seared beautifully with the centre still rare.  Hence it was naturally sweet with the extra caramelization on the external surfaces.  With enough savoury elements and a touch of spice from the 'nduja, the sweet corn was able to compliment the already sweet scallops in a balanced manner.

One dish that I was indifferent about was the English Pea Tortelli.  This really tasted how it appeared.  It was very green with the lovage being dominant in the pistou.  I'm sure that was intentional, but for me, I didn't get much of the peas. The pasta itself was firm and al dente, but it was a bit thick in my opinion.  Hence, it was dense and not delicate.  I did like the pickled ramps as it helped deviate from all of the green flavours.  Some added crunch on top was appreciated.

Moving along to the meat portion of the meal, we had the Sticky Pork Ribs.  These were fall-off-the-bone tender while retaining a meat texture.  It was glazed with a pickled fermented fig BBQ sauce which was money.  It was sweet, tangy and had a little something something.  On the side, we found a summer beans and sungold tomatoes dressed in a Maggi dressing.  I believe I've had this dressing summer beans last year and it was great!  Nicely emulsified, the dressing was creamy and full of umami and saltiness.

In addition to the ribs, we added the Summer BBQ Beef for good measure.  The tender slices of beef were meaty and quite lean.  It was slathered with a lacto paprika BBQ sauce which was savoury more than sweet with some tanginess and definite paprika vibes.  Underneath, there was some cheesy semolina grits where it was surrounded by spicy and crunchy brassicas in a calabrian garlic sauce.

Of course we had to get dessert right?  We went for the classic (from day one) Hay featuring aerated hay custard.  That light and barely there custard was mildly sweet and nutty.  It was complimented by the green apple granita as it provided that burst of tangy sweetness as well as a hit of cold.  The floral nature of the chamomile was also present.  Beyond the pretty flower petals, we had some crispy meringue to add some needed texture.

  

So our second dessert happened to be the newest dessert in the Elderflower featuring a rose curd on the bottom with an elderflower mousse and a yogurt sorbet with honey lemon verbena.  This was an appealing mix of floral, tangy and sweet with contrasting textures between the creamy curd and light mousse and firm top.  As per usual, when they bring you the bill, it includes some final bites in housemade jellies and caramels.  Once again, it was a fantastic meal at Published on Main.  It truly earns its place in the top 10 of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants and I personally believe they should stay there.  However, I still reminisce about the OG menu where they got to the top of the list.  Maybe one day they will get there again.

The Good:

- Solid meal with some surprising flavours

- The classic dishes kept on the menu are excellent

- Just enough service that it isn't obtrusive

The Bad:

- I did enjoy the meat dishes, but they do not hit the highs of the ones I've had in the past 

 

Elem

Yes, here we are with another visit to Elem.  It was a long time coming because it was supposed to be in May.  It was for my mother's birthday, but she got sick and we had to postpone it to June.  This would be the first time that she and my kids got to try Elem.  Moreover, I haven't been to Elem since they made Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list.  Congrats to them and I know they are working hard to be better every day.  I think this is my 6th visit?

Like every other meal we've had here, it all starts with their Rye Bread with butter.  This time, it was black garlic butter and there was definitely the sweet umaminess combined with the usual creaminess.  Love the bread here, so soft and fluffy but having a chew to them as well.  Next, we had the Glorious Organics Salad with magnolia vinaigrette, radish and toasted nuts.  I'm not much of a salad person, but this was a good way to get some fresh and crisp greens into the meal while having some really apparent texture with the crunchy nuts.

One of the daily features was the Morels stuffed with spot prawn mousse in a lemon garlic mouseline sauce with morel broth.  As you can imagine, the morels were at the forefront of this dish and there was intense umaminess.  Texturally, each morel had the classic sponginess giving way to a delicate, sweet and bouncy filling.  The sauce was also spiked with morel woodsiness and had plenty of aromatics and creaminess.

Okay, what can I say about the Dungeness Crab Toast that I haven't already stated?  I've had this every meal at Elem and it never disappoints.  Of course, this time was no different.  The ample amount of fluffy and sweet crab sat atop milk bread surrounded by lemongrass ginger foam.  There was a good contrast of texture between the crab and the crispy toast.  Moreover, the light airiness of the sauce matched well with the crab. Naturally, the SE Asian flavours of the sauce make the dish with the aromatic brightness of lemongrass.

We also had the Carrots and the Grilled Lamb Skewers where I was elated to to have the latter.  You see, most people I dine with do not like lamb.  However, the lamb skewers here at Elem are fantastic.  With a good mix of meat and fat, the skewers were succulent and tender.  They were nicely paired with the thick and tangy labneh and sweet date glaze.  Nice crunch from the buckwheat on top.  As for the carrots, they were sweet and earthy while atop whipped miso tofu.  This was good, but I probably would not order them again.

This time with the fam, I didn't go too extreme with the cocktails and only had two of them.  Both were on the "Fifth Dimension" supplemental menu.  The first was the Black Sesame Whiskey Sour with peanut butter washed Shelter Point whiskey, black sesame paste and egg whites.  Definitely aromatic and nutty with the hit of lemon to keep things bright.  The other was the Wild Rose Daiquiri with earl grey rum, wild rose cordial, lime and curry leaf oil.  This was the stronger of the two, yet at the same time, went down easy.  This was partly due to the sweetness offered up by the cordial.  At the same time, there was some tang form the lime and earthiness of the curry leaf oil.  If I had to choose between the two, I would take the latter.

It seems like every culture has a version of fried chicken, so why not have Indian Fried Chicken?  This version featured large thigh pieces that were coated in a crispy, but light batter.  Inside, the meat was juicy and super tender.  Underneath, we found a butter chicken sauce which was well-balanced with a touch of spice.  I found it creamy, but not heavy while having a muted tanginess.  Topping it off, we found a few blistered shishitos.

I'm glad they kept the Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the menu because as simple as it may seem, the dish is delicious.  Firm, but cooked through, the sprouts were tender and nicely roasted.  The pops of sweetness was provided by the sultana raisins while there was some balancing acidity from the pear agrodulce.  As per usual, we also added the Barbecue Chicken Fried Rice topped with a sunny side egg.  Beyond the chewy texture of the rice and the nutty caramelization, there was tang and spice from the house kimchi.  Yet, the proverbial cherry on top was the chili crunch on the side.  This made the rice with nuttiness, crunch, smokiness and a bit of spice. 

For our pasta dish, we had the stunning Short Rib Scarpinocc beautifully plated with fresh spring peas and pickled rhubarb.  This sat in a lightly creamy beurre blanc sauce that was not heavy with perfect balance of sweetness with a touch of acidity.  The sweet peas added bursts of flavour while the rhubard provided extra tanginess and a bit of crunch.  The pasta itself was appealingly firm with tender and intensely savoury short rib.

Moving onto our meat course, we had the Dry-Aged Duck.  This consisted of a succulent duck breast which was cooked perfectly as well as duck leg with fall-apart meat.  Both featured rendered skin which were glazed with sweet prunes.  Underneath, we found a duck jus that was full of umami and sweetness.  Also on the plate, we found a braised shallot that was finished off some broiling.  It provided even more sweetness to the dish.

We ended up with some desserts including the Nemesis Cake and Popcorn.  I've had both of these before and that cake was fantastic.  This time around, it was just like I remembered.  It was rich and creamy with the slight bitterness of dark chocolate at the forefront with mild sweetness.  The vanilla miso ice cream on the side added some saltiness while the tarragon wafer provided crunch and subtle licorice vibes.  A nicely balanced and composed dessert.  As for the popcorn, it is a whimsical dessert, where it really did taste like aromatic sweet popcorn.  Totally intentional because it is supposed to emulate the flavours of Chicago mix.  So therefore, that is why we found cheddar on top while sitting on a corn mousse & foam with caramel sauce.  Very light and airy dessert that wasn't too heavy.

Our third dessert was a new one back when we had it in June.  The Piña Colada  Baba au Rum Cake was quite balanced.  I've had rum cake before that it was so strong, I could barely eat it.  This had a hint of it where the soaked cake was moist and semi-sweet.  We found some chewy pineapple bits that added concentrated sweetness and texture.  Tangy black lime crema offered up some tangy bitterness.  Lastly, there was some pandan coconut ice cream which was floral and purposefully sweet.  Along with the bill, we had one more small bite in the White Chocolate with lemon zest.  These were creamy and of course sweet, yet not as much as I would've expected from white chocolate.  So there we are, another delicious meal at Elem with a few new dishes that go off in different directions.  That is the concept with Elem as there are influences from around the world (both food and beverages) in a metropolitan space with Michelin-worthy service.

The Good:

- Thoughtfully-conceptualized dishes

- Good ambiance as per usual

- Great service as per usual

The Bad:

- The bill can get up there, but nothing is inexpensive these days