Published on Main

After enjoying a delicious meal at Elem, we were right back at it the next day at Published on Main.  I've yet to try their tasting menu and this meal, the drought would continue as we went à la carte.  As much as it can cost more money (not all the time by the way), à la carte gives more control over the dishes ordered.  Published is one of our favourites right from day one in its existence.  I still love their original launch menu and many of the subsequent menus up until 2023, hence the #1 ranking in 2022 on Canada's Best 100 Restaurants.  I am looking forward to them ranking in the top 5 again and am always on the lookout for new dishes from them.  This time around, we had some classics as well as some seasonal items.

My prayers were answered when our double-order of Aebleskiver arrived.  I've always wondered why they didn't offer up their tasting menu version of the dish.  Small one-biters that capture the deliciousness without committing to the 3 large ones in the à la carte menu.  These were excellent with a mildly crispy and aromatic exterior giving way to a soft pancake texture on the inside.  The stewed herbs on the inside and herb emulsion on the bottom offered up the herbaceous notes while the generous dollop of caviar added saltiness and brininess.

Next, we had another classic dish in the Chips & Dip.  Other than that time they took it off the menu due to a lack of the right potatoes, this has been on the menu from day one.  Although advertised as "sturdy", these chips were far from being heavy.  However, they more or less stayed in one piece when dipped into the smoked fish dip.  Combined with the sour cream, onions and dill, this dip could be put atop anything and it would taste good.  The cooling smokiness with a bit of tang really lightens up an otherwise perceived heavy snack.

At Published, they have created many different versions of the Dungness Crab.  Last time we were here, they had Sungolds and preserved tomatillos.  For this iteration, we found a flying tiger sauce with serranos, lime, basil and cilantro.  Triangles of crunchy kohlrabi were neatly placed on top with angry bird seeds finishing the dish.  Definitely a bit of spice and lots of herbaceous notes while the tang and brininess of the sauce came though.  But none of it overwhelmed the delicate and fluffy dungeness crab.  

Despite my protests against ordering the Glorious Greens Salad, we ended up with it anyways.  Well, turns out that I was wrong as the salad was rather delicious.  Consisting of 25 different greens and veggies, this had plenty of different textures and crunch.  Furthermore, the greens really had inherent flavour on their own (appealing bitterness as well as sweetness).  We had some sweet crunch from the praline and candied walnuts.  This was all brought together by the tangy and floral elderflower vinaigrette.

Normally, there are never any bad dishes at Published, however, our order of the Kentucky Fried Maitake was a miss.  We've had this dish countless times before and it has always been on point.  Unfortunately, these were fried far too long and/or the mushrooms lacked body.  The result was extremely crunchy batter but no mushroom texture could be found.  Hence, it also ate greasy and despite the delicious garlic scape ranch, it felt like we were eating batter only.

Back to our regular programming with the GBP Gnocchi.  This was a fantastic offering with pillowy small pieces of gnocchi.  Despite being soft, the gnocchi still retained a chew.  Although the sauce was buttery, it didn't eat heavy.  Shallots added sweetness and brightness while the white wine kept things light.  We went for the extra shaved black truffle and it didn't overwhelm the dish.  In fact, it added the proper amount of woodsiness.

The dish I was looking foreword to the most was the Smoked and Candied Sablefish and oh did it deliver.  That fish was a flavour bomb with sweet smokiness that had an appealing saltiness.  It was perfectly balanced by the aerated sweet corn dashi.  We had some charred corn which also provided another layer of sweetness and a bit of smokiness.  Crunch was added in the form of puffed rice on top.  Nice textural contrast.

Bringing things down just a notch or two, we were served the Badger Flame Beets.  These were so plump and juicy being sweet and not exhibiting any earthiness.  To compliment the sweetness, we found a sunflower seed miso underneath that was rich and exhibiting unmistakable fermented saltiness of miso.  Nice balance between salty and sweet while the crunch from the pralines on top added textural contrast.

Ending off the savoury portion of our meal, we went for the PEI Blue Dot BBQ Beef Striploin prepared perfectly medium-rare.  It was well-rested where there was no residual juices on the plate.  Underneath, we found a burnt onion soubise which was buttery and smooth with a touch of smokiness.  We had some chanterelles for both texture and flavour while the potato dumplings were a bit chewy on the outside, but tasty on the inside.

Of course we had to finish off this delicious meal with another day one classic in the Hay.  That aerated hay custard was so light, yet creamy at the same time.  Definite grassiness with mild sweetness.  The green apple granita surrounding it was key for texture and flavour.  The refreshing and cold crunch of the ice complimented the less cold custard.  Secondly, the green apple tang and sweetness provided another layer of flavour to the mild custard.  Lastly, some chamomile provided a bit of floral notes.

We had one more small dessert in the Total Currant Dilly Bar.  This was an interesting creation that tasted like things I would find in the forest.  We found hits of black currant leaf, wood and flowers.  I was thinking fruity when I first saw it and it did have tartness, but the true flavours were the elements of the forest for sure.  Of course there were a few treats accompanying the bill as always in some Brown Butter Caramels and Sweet Tea Pâtes de Fruits.  Once again, a delicious meal at Published where we enjoyed fan favourites as well as some stellar new dishes.  Too bad about the maitakes though.  I'm sure that was a one-off.

The Good:

- In typical Published fashion, dishes were well-thought out where components did not conflict with each other

- Layers of flavour

- On point service

The Bad:

- Too bad about that Maitake dish...

Corima NYC

When booking restaurants for NYC, I was looking for something a bit different.  Look no further than an elevated Mexican-inspired tasting menu at Corima, located in Chinatown.  Chef Fidel Cabarello was a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Best Chef award.  With already a Michelin-star after its first year of operation and being named to North America's 50 Best Restaurants, Corima is one of the hottest places to dine in NYC.  We were lucky to secure a reservation!

We began with an Amuse Bouche consisting of a Beef Cecina with edamame guacamole and chapulines.  This little one-bite tart featured buttery beef that still had a meaty chew to it.  By its appearance, the beef was supremely fresh and it tasted that way too. In additon, the flavours were bright and there was some nuttiness brought forth by the grasshoppers.  Naturally, they also provide some crunch.

The most under-the-radar dish we had was the humble Sourdough Tortilla served with recado negro butter.  This was the softest and fluffiest tortilla I've ever had and on top of that, it still retained a beautiful chew to it.  Nice smokiness from the sear too.  Now that butter was super complex with creaminess, smokiness and saltiness combined with the burnt chilis and black garlic.  Lots of umami here.

Masterfully constructed, the Abalone Tostada sported layers of abalone and shiitake mushroom.  It all sat atop a crispy tostada which provided textural contrast.  As for the abalone, the slices were tender yet with the classic bite similar to Humboldt squid.  However, we also got the slightly spongy texture of the earthy shiitake as well.  I found hits of fermentation to go with the tangy salted yuzu.

Completely covered with chives, the Branzino Collar was not only a textural delight, it was also a flavor bomb.  The combination of chintextle paste and cascabel afforded intense smokiness, some brininess and just the slightest of spice.  As much as the green from the chives made things colorful, it was also important to the dish as it provided brightness.  The collar itself was buttery tender.

We moved onto the Rajas Croquette next and they were pretty light and airy.  We enjoyed the creaminess of the croquette along with the tangy spice of the jalapeno.  To literally top it off, there was some huitlacoche that offered up some fermented and earthy notes.  Served on the side was a Consomme with peashoot, ginger and sesame.  This was clean-tasting and light with the silkiness of chicken fat.

Wrapped in thinly-sliced jicama, we found the Surf Clam Crudo.  This was almost like an unsealed dumpling.  Mixed with the surf clam was green gooseberry, chayote, squid ink and coppa.  So just beyond the initial crunch of the jicama, we had the sweetness of the clam that was brightened up by the tartness of the gooseberry.  Add in the rich saltiness of the coppa and things were pretty balanced.

With vibrant colours, the spring carrots hid the Mussels underneath.  It sat atop a mole amarillo.  From here, there was another course, but it was so delicious, I ate it before I took a picture of it.  That was the Morel Taco with lamb and artichoke.  Click the link to see their Instagram picture.  That was fantastic with the with tender and juicy lamb that was not all that gamy.  Of course the morel added the unmistakable texture and flavor.  There was some spice and also brightness from the onions.

The meal kept moving along with the 10-day dry aged Turbot with white asparagus and plankton.  We found the fish to be buttery soft and delicate while retaining some firmness.  Silky with a balancing amount of acidity, the sauce was silky and smooth.  There was a background fermented hit to it which added depth while the caviar provided brininess.  Adding extra umami was the kombu foam.  Loved the crispy fish belly on the side.  It was also smoky and aromatic.

Topped with the salsa verde and celery, the 60-day aged Pork Collar was sous-vide, hence the rare color.  It ate super buttery where it required very little chewing.  The pork itself was rather mild, so the bright and tangy salsa verde did all of the heavy lifting.  Loved the fresh crunch from the celery on top as it provided textural contrast and brightness.

Topped with Avocado Leaf and cherrelle, the tangy yogurt sorbet was lightly sweet and refreshing.  There was a bit of dill water to make things herbaceaous and bright.  Hidden underneath, we had some crunchy and aromatic granola and cereal.  There was fermented hits from the black garlic while the sour notes from the yogurt kept things light.

Not satisfied with only one dessert, we added the supplementary option that was a Chocolate Tart of sorts.  It contained a rich banana ganache with chocolate mousse on top.  This was finished with some crunch from the cocoa nibs.  All of this was topped with ice cream and shaved black truffle.  This actually didn't eat as heavy as the shell was crispy while the mouse was light.  It was also not that sweet where the dark chocolate bitterness came through.  Not really sure of the black truffles though.  It didn't really go with the rest of the dessert in my opinion.  A little too overpowering.

The meal ended off with some Crispy Black Garlic Profiteroles with toasted vanilla and Passionfruit Caramel Bonbons.  Loved the contrast between the 2 bites as one was a bit savory and the other was tangy and sweet.  We even had some cookies to take away with us.  Overall, we really enjoyed the tasting menu at Corima.  It validates all of their accolades and awards a few times over.  Considering their tasting menu is only $140.00, we felt it was not only reasonable, but somewhat of a steal.  We went away full and truly impressed with Chef Fidel Cabarello's creations.

The Good:

- Modern Mexican that is delicious

- Well-priced tasting menu

- Excellent service that was not fussy

The Bad:

- Our main server was excellent, explaining everything.  But some others provided less information.

Le Bernardin

When making reservations for restaurants I was planning to visit in NYC, I debated over whether to do lunch or dinner at Le Bernardin.   We ultimately decided on lunch as our schedule was rather packed.   For $137.00, it includes 3 courses plus amuse bouche, bread and mignardise.  If you don't already know, Le Bernardin is one of the best restaurants in NYC with a 3-Michelin Star designation.  Headed by Executive Chef Eric Ripert, it is well-known for it's seafood-focused menu.

We began with an Amuse Bouche consisting of 3 bits including Raw Fluke with cucumber and green apple, Hamachi Tart with watermelon radish and Lobster Capuccino. The green apple and diced cucumber "sauce" was almost like a gazpacho.  The raw fluke was delicate and sweet with the crunch of the cucumber being a nice contrast. The hamachi was buttery soft and had the sweetness of the sea.  My favorite of the trio was the lobster cappuccino.  The combination of lobster essence and truffle exuded luxury.  Some texture was provided by bits of lobster.

Moving onto some Bread, we had a choice of 4 different ones including brioche, mini-baguette, raisin walnut and focaccia.  We were able to try all of them, and the best of the bunch was definitely the focaccia.  With a prominent rosemary essence, the focaccia was flavorful and aromatic.  Texturally, it was fluffy with a chew.  We found the brioche to be pretty solid as well with layered butteriness to go with the crispy exterior.  The mini-baguette was a bit too hard for our liking despite the interior being soft and chewy.

For Viv's first course, she had the Black Cod Nobu San, which was an ode to Nobu.  Prepared in a similar fashion, the buttery black cod was full-flavored due to the miso marinade.  On the outside, there was caramelization to heighten the sweet saltiness.  In addition to this, we found baby turnip with yuzu kosho which added crunch and acidity.  That was further enhanced by the citrus olive oil dressing.

For myself, I went for the Scallops with Sea Urchin.  If there was anything to truly represent the seafood being served at Le Bernardin, this was it.  The precision and clarity within this dish was obvious with each component.  The sliced scallops were buttery and soft while just slightly touched by heat.  They were sweet and had the brightness of the sea.  Natural flavors and textures were highlighted, but then accented by the buttery sauce.  It provided the fattiness and silkiness that helped the creamy and sweet uni meld with the rest of the dish.

For her main, Viv selected the Pan-Roasted Merluza with stuffed baby sweet peppers and a lobster gumbo sauce.  Gently-prepared, the fish was so buttery and delicate.  This exemplified the high level of cookery we were enjoying.  That lobster gumbo sauce was so rich and concentrated.  Briny, sweet, aromatic and just a touch of spice.  Super delicious.

Seeing how the whole menu was seafood except for 2 dishes, I went for the Filet Mignon.  It was prepared medium-rare as requested and properly-rested.  Despite being properly-seasoned, the steak was also blessed with a red wine shallot sauce.  It added some tangy brightness.  On the side, we had celeriac "bone marrow" which featured it as a pavé.  Adding the silky richness of bone marrow, this was actually not as heavy as I thought.  Rather, by using celeriac, it was lighter and softer than using potato.  Loved the crispy top and edges.

Onto dessert, Viv ordered the Spiced Coffee which was a spiced date-coffee cake.  It was slightly dense due to the date, which also made it sweet.  However, the coffee and spice helped balance things out with slight bitterness and earthiness.  The crunch from the tuile helped add texture while the cold coffee ice cream provided creaminess and temperature contrast.

I went for the iconic warm Peruvian Chocolate Tart beautifully-plated with 3 different chocolate tuiles with a lattice design.  Beyond the crispy chocolate treats, we found creamy Tahitian vanilla ice cream atop the aforementioned tart.  It was so chocolaty and rich with bitter dark chocolate.  Contrasting this was the firm tart shell that was only slightly sweet with another dose of chocolate.

Our final bites included Apple Butter Financier, Dark Chocolate Passionfruit and Salted Caramel Macaron.  Loved the buttery and sweet financier while the passionfruit really came through with a tangy sweetness to go with the silky and bitter dark chocolate.  Wasn't a fan of the macaron as it was a bit dense, yet it tasted good.  Overall, our visit to Le Bernardin was a bit hit and miss.  The food was generally fantastic, but the service was not representative of a Michelin 3-star establishment.  Having to ask for something twice and only getting it right on the 3rd try is unacceptable.

The Good:

- Intricate execution

- Lovely dining room

- Generally on point service

The Bad:

- For Michelin 3-star, one shouldn't need to ask 3 times for something

Mastard

Here we go with my only Michelin-star restaurant for this trip to Montreal.  I was lucky enough to snag a reservation for Mastard but not Sabayon.  I didn't even bother with Europea as their reviews are all over the place.  As for Mastard, Chef Simon Mathys is at the helm and he uses as many local ingredients as he can.  He is also the master of sauces where each dish is composed and flavours are thoughtful.  We were excited to experience their reasonably-priced tasting menu (available in 5 and 7 courses).   Go big or go home, there was no hesitation in deciding for the 7 course tasting menu.

It started with an Amuse Bouche consisting of fry bread stuffed with cream cheese and topped with coppa.  A very nice start to the meal with varied textures including the crispy and light fry bread.  It was contrasted by the creamy cheese in terms of temperature and texture.  The heavy-lifting was provided by the coppa as it added a sweet savouriness with a touch of spice.  That in itself also offered up a different texture with its pleasant chewiness.

Onto the blind tasting menu, we began with the Nova Scotia Scallop.  It was hard seared on one side and sliced into 3 pieces.  Hence, we were treated to a progression of flavours and textures.  Buttery and rare, the 2 bottom slices were the soft introduction to the sweet scallop.  When we got to the top slice, it was crispy on the top while still soft on the bottom.  Best of all, the caramelization afforded an intense brininess.  Very clever.  We found a corn puree and white onion foam that offered up different types of natural sweetness to further supercharge the dish.  There was also a white wine sauce with trout eggs on top. On the side, we found some charred bread with butter and what I thought was lettuce custard (from his famed tart).

If the scallop wasn't a great enough start, the hits kept coming with the Braised Cabbage with an emulsion of smoked clams with guanciale.  Delicate and packed with flavour, the cabbage was salty and smoky.  With some ying and yang, we found 2 different sauces including a emulsified matsutake-infused sauce and sea urchin & pepper sauce.  Both sauces were packed with umami.  I found that they complimented each other well where we had an oxymoron of effects - subtly impactful.  Completing the dish, the 2 pieces of buttery sweet sea urchin added fresh sea vibes and raw thinly sliced matsutake with its natural woodsiness bite.

A little surf & turf followed but not in the traditional sense.  Instead of steak and lobster, we had Braised Rabbit with 2 smoky oysters.  Tender and sweet, the rabbit was presented in its own juices.  Exhibiting briny smokiness, the buttery oysters provided a gentle jolt of the sea to its land-based partner on the dish.  Adding some bright sea sweetness and tanginess, we found a prosecco and oyster seafoam on top.  Adding some texture and a vessel to soak up the delicious sauces, a crispy and flaky feuilletée sat atop the dish.

As a supplement to our tasting menu, we really didn't hesitate to add Chef Mathys signature dish, the Bluefin Tuna with lettuce tart.  It featured a beautiful and large piece of fresh bluefin atop his famed lettuce tart.  Creamy and almost airy, the lettuce custard shone in a bright green.  It was subtle tasting with some sweetness.  Contrasting the custard, the crispy tart shell was flaky and buttery.  Ah yes, then we had the beautiful bluefin from Gaspé with its meaty butteriness.  The inherent sweetness exuded bright and clean sea vibes.  Just a touch of salt on top and it helped highlight those flavours.  Finished off with a nutty camelina oil, it meshed well with the salt to give the dish some silkiness and flavour.  There was a hit of acidity for balance as well.

At this point, we were thoroughly impressed with the intricate and thoughtful execution of our dishes.  That was further reinforced by the Nova Scotia Swordfish that was cooked to perfection.  Just a touch rare in the middle, the fish was tender and soft.   On top, the miso and koji sauce was silky and full of depth.  It had a rich saltiness that was balanced off by its creaminess.  Accenting the components, we found eggplant and a zucchini puree with a basil curry.  Combined together, they offered a complexity to compliment the miso and koji sauce.  We found the slightest bitterness combined with sweetness and anise-like flavour of the basil.  Served on the side, we found some Agnolotti stuffed with chicken and pepper.  Pasta was firm with a nice chew and the ample chicken filling was tender.

Moving onto the heavier dishes of the tasting menu, we had the Lamb with cheese, mint puree and lamb jus with Swiss chard.  The piece of lamb was cooked to perfection being medium-rare.  It was juicy and full of natural lamb meaty flavour.  However, it was a bit on the chewier side.  Bordering on salty without going over, the jus was full-on lamb essence with the slightest bitter influence from the chard.  I felt that the mint puree really helped cut the saltiness and add some classic compliment to the lamb.

Our final savoury course was the Duck from Ville de Carignan.  Much like the lamb, it was prepared with precision where it was evenly cooked being medium-rare and sporting fully-rendered skin.  It was sufficiently flavourful by itself, but it was further elevated by the tomato puree that was cooked on the barbecue for 10 hours.  It was intensely concentrated in flavour as well as being smoky.  We also found a herring emulsion that was quite mild.  There was a side dish consisting of Fried Potato with heirloom tomato and a smoked tomato sabayon.  This was delicious with brightness and natural sweetness.  It was also lightly tangy while the potato was super crunchy.

For our dessert course, we were served the Meringue encapsulating mini-cantaloupe melon balls.  Superb and strategic, this refreshing dish helped balance off the rich ending to the blind tasting menu.  Once we broke through the crispy and sweet meringue, the melon balls were sweet and juicy.  Complimenting all this was a marigold ice cream that was bright and creamy.  However, the most impactful part of the dish was the cantaloupe water and lemon vinaigrette.  It added a real kick of tanginess and intense sweetness.

To completely end off the meal, we shared an Apricot Tart with vanilla and salted caramel.  This was also excellent with a semi-firm tart shell that was buttery with a nice mouth-feel.  Sweet with a soft texture, the apricots were further enhanced by the saltiness of the sweet caramel.  We also found some house-made chocolates that had a pleasant bitterness from the ganache in the middle.  I have to say that Mastard was one of best, if not the best meal we had in Montreal this time around.  Considering the reasonable pricing, precision and a Michelin Star, it is no wonder securing a reservation is so difficult.

The Good:
- Lives up to its Michelin Star
- Reasonable pricing
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Hard to get a reservation