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...

Loula's

Just like most cuisines outside of North America, Greek food is served family-style.  Up until recently, it was pretty much accepted that someone would order a honking huge dish of roast lamb with rice, potatoes, veggies, tzatziki and pita.  Well, thankfully, we are seeing a trend towards sharing plates.  Actually, this has been happening for quite some time, but it seems to be popular across the board.  That brings us to Loula's on Commercial Drive.

We began the sharing with the Mediterranean Dips featuring hummus, tarama, smoked eggplant spicy feta and tzatziki.  Beyond these dips, the star of the show was the pita.  They were well-charred with a slightly crispy exterior and a fluffy chewy centre.  Dips were great too with a well-seasoned hummus that had some texture to go with the blended smoothness.  As expected, the tarama was a bit briny and tangy.  Loved the eggplant dip as it was indeed smoky with some spice.

Another delicious mezze was the Spanakopita.  Loved the colour on the phyllo pastry.  It wasn't only aesthetically-pleasing, as it was crispy and plenty aromatic and nutty.  Inside, the spinach and feta filling was delicate but not mushy.  Loved the added sweetness of honey as it balanced everything out.  Extra feta on the side allowed things to be creamier.

We got more of that awesome grilled pita with our order of Saganaki.  As much as the pita was great with the fried sheep's cheese, I thought this dish could've been better.  It was not as as golden brown uniformly as I would've liked.  Even the bottom was somewhat pale.  Despite this, the cheese itself was still crispy on the outside and a bit nutty.  

Next up was a great portion of Calamari.  This featured a good mix of tubes and tentacles.  They were lightly dusted and ended up to be golden and crispy.  Seasoning was a bit aggressive and the texture of the squid was tender with a nice chewiness.  I particularly enjoyed the tentacles as they have more bite.  The tzatziki underneath was creamy and bright.

We ended up with both the Chicken Souvlaki and the Tiger Prawn Souvlaki.  They were properly grilled where the charring was evident in both appearance and taste.  As for the chicken, it remained tender and juicy.  The prawns were aromatic and had a meaty snap texture.  Both were well-seasoned with the pepperiness of oregano.  Once again, the tangy tzatziki was a nice compliment.

Normally, Jackie and Eileen don't eat lamb, but since they know I love lamb, they ordered the Roast Lamb Shoulder (Arni Psito).  Turns out they ended up trying some as it was really good!  The generous portion was super tender and gelatinous while benefitting from the smokiness of the char.  The Lamb Jus that came with it was full of depth, but a bit salty.  It sat on a bed of smooth mashed potatoes and grilled broccolini and zucchini.

To compliment the lamb, we had the Patates which were robust and slightly charred in spots.  I enjoyed these as they were soft and creamy with the essence of rosemary.  Furthermore, the seasoning on them was impactful without being salty (could've used a bit more lemon).  Possibly, the sear/char on them could've been more even as well.

I was happy that they had Ekmek on the menu as it is one of my favourite Greek desserts.  This one was excellent as it was served really cold, hence it had some semi-freddo vibes to it.  It was creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.   Beyond the almost frozen whipped cream, the custard was firm too but still had a velvety texture.  The phyllo at the bottom added some light crispiness.  Overall, our meal at Loula's was quite good.  Their Mezze are on point and their souvlaki are cooked beautifully.  A good option for Greek on The Drive.

The Good:

- Food as a whole is solid

- Charring on the pita and souvlaki are excellent

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Some dishes were a bit salty

Juliette Plaza

Having started off this trip with a wonderful dinner at Montreal Plaza, it was fitting that we visit the little sister next door at the end of the trip.  Yes, Juliette Plaza opened in early 2024 and had the mission to offer more approachable small dishes that maintained the same quality as Montreal Plaza.  As such, we made reservations for lunch on the day before we were supposed to leave Montreal.  Loved the quaint dining room adorned with whimsical decor.

I decided I had to get another Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Mousse with a raspberry gelée.  Although this seemed like a small portion, let me assure you that it was plenty.  It was so rich and buttery, I'm sure any more of it and my poor heart would tell me to get a salad instead.  Due to that addition of foie gras, it was definitely richer and silkier.  It was well-seasoned and the taste of brandy was apparent.  It came with some crisps which were texturally perfect for the mousse, but since they were brittle, it was hard to spread without breaking them.

We've had our fair share of trout on this trip, but this time we had something just a bit different in the Confit Arctic Char crusted with black sesame.  With a rare preparation, the char was soft and silky.  The skin was a bit crispy due to the nutty sesame seeds while a bunch of chives and salt helped add brightness and seasoning.  However, the fish itself was already well-seasoned through the confit.  Hence, it ate a bit salty. Underneath, we found a cucumber salad in a tangy vinaigrette.

The best dish of our meal was their cheeky nod to an ol' American seafood chain restaurant.  The Red Lobster Scallops was an interpretation of the fried scallops found at the struggling chain.  Instead of fried small bay scallops, their version consisted of fried scallop mousse encapsulating a smaller scallop.  With crispy breading on the outside contrasting the bouncy sweet scallop mousse, it was a textural treat.  However, the house-made cocktail sauce was what put this dish over the top.  It was fresh and bright with bits of tomato that also had an appetizing tanginess.  Oh and the scallops rested on a spicy mayo with some chives.

Next was the Coquille St-Jacques with scallops, shrimp and nduja mixed in a mornay sauce.  This was a pretty small dish, but was packed with flavour.  Due to the nduja, this ate with a nice spiciness which was balanced off by the creamy sauce and the sweet tanginess of the ligonberries.  A plethora of chives didn't hurt matters too with a herby brightness.  As for the scallops and shrimp, they were tender and delicate.  As per usual, there was the pomme purée on the outside.

Normally, wherever I see Crispy Potato Skins on a menu, it gives me visions of TGIF and their big honking half potatoes that are only marginally hallowed out.  Well, I wasn't expecting this to be the case here, but when it arrived, it was still a pleasant surprise.  What we had was actual potato skins (sans all that potato) fried until super crispy.  It was topped with tobiko, spicy mayo and parm.  Underneath, there was some mashed potato to compliment.  So many textures and flavours going on here.  Delicious.

Another excellent dish was the Stuffed Chicken Wing with chicken and mushrooms.  This was really good where the skin was rendered and completely glazed with a balance of sweet and savoury.  Inside, the chicken was tender and bouncy.  There was a miso sauce to compliment and it was richly salty without actually being salty.  We found charred cabbage on the side.  It was smoky and well-seasoned.

Onto dessert, we had the Strawberry Sundae with some banana custard on the bottom with strawberry molasses, Chantilly and strawberry sorbet.  As expected, this was super refreshing and fruity.  I'm not usually a fan of banana desserts, but the custard had a nice aroma and was mildly sweet.  Great finish to a delicious meal.  Loved the concept of smaller plates to share as we could try more items.  Depending on how much you order, it is debatable if it is actually less expensive than Montreal Plaza, but then again, we order too much usually.  I would come back.

The Good:
- Nice share plates that allows one to order more dishes
- Delicious
- Quaint

The Bad:
- Depending how much your order, your bill can get up there
- Trout was a bit salty

 

Nomo Nomo

It always seems like there are some cool spots opening up along Commercial Drive.  Well, there is now another in Nomo Nomo.  Consider it a yōshoku izakaya that features share plates with a full service bar.  I would definitely say the place has style and the subsequent lively atmosphere to boot.  It is a cozy and compact place that has about 24 seats including ones at the bar.  We ended up sitting there for our visit and yes, we made a reso.  Highly recommended that you do!

Despite being share plates, these were far from "small".  Case in point, the Kabocha squash was a pretty generous portion, especially with the whole burrata taken into account.  There was a double-dose of squash where the roasted kabocha sat atop a smooth and sweet winter squash puree.  Really enjoyed the heightened sweetness from the roasted squash.  The radicchio dressed in umeboshi vinaigrette really brightened things up and added crunch.  As much as I love burrata (and this was a good one), maybe it wasn't needed?

We had the Hen of the Woods next and it was another fairly generous portion of roasted maitake mushrooms.  They had a dry exterior, yet the inside was juicy and tender.  There was a wealth of flavours in this from the fatty and salty guanciale, tangy pickled shimeji and the sweet corn soubise.  There was a little of everything in this where the pickled shimeji provided that critical brightness to cut through the slight heaviness of the dish.

I really thought the Scallop Crudo should've been served first due to the relatively heaviness of squash and mushrooms.  But in some sense, it could be seen as a palate cleanser of sorts.  The slices of Hokkaido scallops were buttery and sweet while dressed in a ponzu sauce.  We found some pickled radish and sunflower sprouts on top.  This was a pleasant dish were the tangy and slightly salty ponzu added flavour to the dish while the radish offered up crunch and more tanginess.

Although the appearance of the Prawn Toast seemed to be heavy, it was really not.  Set atop a Chinese donut (Yau Tiew), the prawn tiger prawn mousse was light and bouncy.  The donut itself was airy and lightly crispy on the outside.  Unlike other yau tiew that I've had, this wasn't greasy.  However at the same time, I don't mind the grease, as it is part of any fry bread.  On top, we found a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce.

I really enjoyed their take on another seemingly typical item in the Croquette.  Now there was an actual potato croquettes underneath made of potato salad.  Hence, they were creamy and light.  On the outside it had a firm crunch.  To top it off, literally and figuratively, there was some torched king salmon, ikura and unagi sauce.  Nice combination of textures as the crunch from the croquette contrasted the soft buttery salmon.

One of my favourite items was the Tamago Sando.  Again, what was presented was completely different than what I was expecting.  What we found was toasted milk bread with a imitation crab and egg salad with red crab on top.  With a bit of black truffle, there was the usual earthiness and aroma.  Loved the texture of the salad where I found the sweetness of kewpie mayo and a bit of brightness from the chives.

One of the two featured items of the night was the Wagyu Sliders.  Essentially, these were little burgers with two meat patties each.  Served on toasted Hawaiian rolls, the whole concoction had a soft feel to it.  The meat was tender and moist while the buns were fluffy beyond the crispiness of the exterior.  I would've liked to see something crunchy for more texture.  The burger sauce was quite Asian-tasting and was a nice compliment to the beef.

On the menu, there was a Tomahawk Pork Chop, but it was replaced by a Pork Collar instead.  The dish itself was still prepared similarly to the menu description with caramelized apple, apple kimchi and mustard tare sauce.  The fatty collar was prepared closer to medium-rare and hence, was rather flabby and chewy.  That in itself wasn't particularly enjoyable as it was tough to eat.  Flavours were nice though with the tare having a good balance of sweet, salty and sharpness.  Apple kimchi was crunchy while the caramelized apple was intensely sweet.

We ordered the only option for dessert on the menu being the Cookies and Ice Cream.  Crispy and light, the chocolate chip cooked acted as a serving vessel for the matcha gelato.  It was fairly smooth and was topped with strawberry & red bean coulis.  I found the coulis to be tangy and mildly sweet.  Overall, I found the meal to be decent with some highlights as well as some things that could've been improved.  I liked the Prawn Toast, Tamago Sando and Mushrooms.  The Kabocha was fine but the burrata didn't need to be there while the Pork Collar was too chewy and undercooked.  I am open for a return visit and would like to see the evolution of the restaurant as time goes by.

The Good:

- Creative spins on their dishes

- Excellent service

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Some refinements needed

- Not the most spacious of places

Bar Corso

A year ago, I had a fantastic meal at Bar Corso that featured small share plates that were well-prepared and relatively reasonably-priced.  We had sat outside on the streetside patio enjoying the nice weather, while people-watching and having good conversations.  I had planned to come back but things were rather busy in the past year for me, so it got lost in the shuffle.  Ironically, Jackie and I were invited to try their Tasting Menu where I was able to return and do something different.  

For $65.00, we were served 5 courses starting with some antipasti in form of Sottacetti featuring various pickles.  These were crunchy and tangy with the celery being our favourite.  The beets were good too.  The side of Focaccia Bread was a bit too dense for our liking though.  In the past, I've only had Bagna Cauda as a dip with crudités, but this version, the radishes were already tossed in the anchovy, garlic and olive oil dip.  It was tasty with a briny creaminess that complimented the fresh and crunchy radishes.  Crunchy garlic chips on top added extra aroma.

The anitpasti didn't stop there as we had 2 more items including the Albacore Tuna Crudo and the Marinated Zucchini.  We found the crudo to be fresh and bright.  I personally would've loved more acidity, but it was sufficient in this case.  The spiced tomato gel added a muted kick that was needed.  Crunch from the puffed risotto was the textural contrast that was the cherry on top.  As for the zucchini, the tender ribbons were fresh. The aromatics of the saffron dressing was in the background while the stringiness of the stracciatella added creaminess.  Some light crunch was provided by the fried zucchini blossoms on top.

Onto the Primo course, we were served the Escarole.  This consisted of sautéed Bitter Farm greens that was nicely tempered by a roasted peach and burrata sauce.  The sweetness of the peach (elevated by being roasted) and the creaminess of the cheese was the prominent flavour profile of the dish.  There was some crunch from the escarole while the pine nuts provided a different crunch to the dish.  Lastly, some black olive added some briny saltiness.

 

Our favourite course happened to be the Agnolotti filled with taleggio.  I found the pasta to be just the right thickness where it held everything together but was still delicate with an al dente chew.  What really made this dish was the toasted kelp and marsala buerre blanc.  With just a hint of sweetness to go with the nutty and umaminess of the kelp, the sauce was rather addictive.  It wasn't too heavy despite the butter, so we could eat lots of this.  Too bad it wasn't a big portion.

 

After a considerable wait (but was forgivable since it was a Friday night), we were served the Galantina.  This consisted of a roasted guinea fowl ballotine topped with turnip greens, shaved black truffle.  It sat atop caramelized turnip puree with preserved lemon and pistachio.  The ballotine itself was a touch dense, but the meat was still juicy.  Loved the combination of flavours as we had earthy, salty, nutty and bitterness.  This helped add some literal meat to a mostly vegetable-forward menu.

 

At the end, we were served the Semifreddo asll'Olio d'Oliva.  Really enjoyed this as the semifreddo was exactly that, semi-frozen.  Hence it had a soft texture, but not melted.  A bit creamy and just sweet enough.  The sea buckthorne glaze was tangy and provided a contrast to the sweetness.  Overall, we thought the food at Bar Corso was thoughtful and carefully-prepared.  It was as good as I had remembered and the pricing for the tasting menu is reasonable.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Classy food

- Well-prepared

- Tasting menu is well-priced

The Bad:

- Being a veggie-forward menu, it may not be that filling for bigger appetites