skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Call it the curse of the Groupon. Yah, I am a sucker for discounts, even when it means I end up spending money to save money. I guess it is within my DNA. Hence, when I spotted a coupon for Grotto, I bought it without even giving it a few seconds of thought. Credit card companies must love me... Alas, I had $100.00 to spend at Grotto, but without any confirmed dining companions! Not to fear, Sean, Joyce and Emily were willing participants.
Meeting up on a Monday night meant the head chef wasn't present, so keep that in mind regarding this blog post. We began with the Bruschetta featuring house-made focaccia topped with sun dried tomato, basil, olive tapenade and white balsamic gastrique. In reference to the taste, this was a veritable flavour explosion. The hit of the balsamic as well as the bright tartness of the tomatoes were not only impactful, it encouraged me to take another bite right away. However, the bread was too dense and wet. It needed to be toasted much more aggressively. Next, we tried the Arancini Balls stuffed with provolone and served with arrabiata and preserved lemon. These were huge and fried up until crunchy. I enjoyed the firm exterior, but it could've been a thinner layer. Inside, the risotto was fairly firm and really cheesy. However, the whole dish needed more richer flavours and including more sauce. The lemon was a nice addition though.
Sporting large pieces of Humboldt Squid and house-made sausage, the next appie also featured roasted eggplant, olives, tomatoes, lemon and parsley. At first, I was not into the chewy texture of the squid, but it did progressively become softer. There was a noticeable smokiness which could've been overwhelming, but the saltiness and tang from the rest of the ingredients kept it in check. As for the sausage, it was juicy and flavourful with a tender rebound texture. As a mid course of sorts, we had one of our 3 pizzas being the Funghi consisting of white sauce, mushrooms, arugula and roasted garlic. Unfortunately, a few slices slid off onto the table and Emily's plate (by our server). We were a bit surprised nothing was done about that (ie. comp or a new pizza or even comp Emily's $1.00 charge for hot water). The pizza itself was quite good where the thin crust was crunchy with a slight chewiness. It was properly seasoned while the toppings were effective including the umaminess of the ample mushrooms.
Arriving all at once, I decided to try the Gnocchi on a bed of smoked chicken and mushroom ragout accompanied by pork belly and crispy celery root. Beautifully seared until golden brown with a crunch, the gnocchi were soft, but retained a certain bite at the same time. What made the dish was the delicious ragout of tender chicken which exhibited a light smokiness combined with the Earthiness of the mushrooms. We had actually tried this dish during Noodlemania and it was pretty much bang on. On the other hand, the Ravioli of butternut squash dressed with brown butter, sage and walnuts was slightly different. Rather than the tender pieces of ravioli we were had last time, these were somewhat over fried being too firm and almost crunchy in spots. Furthermore, there was an overwhelming amount of acidity for some reason. It partially masked the sweetness of the squash and the aromatics of the sage.
The Spaghetti Marinara with meatballs and grana padano was largely forgettable. Although I love a sear on my meatballs, these were burnt in some spots. The smokiness really didn't bother me (in fact, it was fine), but the mealy and crumbly texture of the meatballs was off-putting. They were seasoned and there wasn't a lot of filler, but I couldn't eat one without it completely falling apart. As for the spaghetti itself, it was al dente, yet the marinara was barely there, which meant the flavours were not particularly impactful. I did get hints of fresh tomato with a touch of tang, but little else.
After this, we waited for nearly 45 minutes for our 2 remaining pizzas. Not sure what happened there. Anyways, we go the Prosciutto and the Muffuletta, which both stayed on the plate this time. Initially, I found the prosciutto rather salty (due to the large amount of it), but it tasted more balanced as I continued to eat it. I guess the figs and pesto kicked in, yet at the same time, they were largely in the background. Equally, if not saltier, the muffuletta was also blessed with plenty of meat (soppresata). With the addition of olives, there was nice finish to go with the slight spice. Overall, we liked the pizzas and a few of the other dishes. Some items could definitely use more refinement such as the spaghetti and meatballs. Interestingly, the pizza toppings that were dropped onto the table remained on the table throughout our meal.
The Good:
- Pizza crust is thin, crispy and nicely seasoned
- Reasonable pricing for Downtown
The Bad:
- Service was good, but the pizza incident was not handled correctly
- Hit and miss
After a lackluster meal at Thai Confusion, Emily was rather distraught. You see, she really takes eating seriously and any money spent on less-than-stellar food makes her sad. Hence, we needed to find a dessert place fast to elevate her emotional state. However, we just couldn't think of a place. It took a few anxious moments and suddenly it occurred to her that the new location of Bubble Queen on Oak & 16th might be open. Unlike my random food failures, she actually called the place to check first.
We ended up with ordering one each of the Original Milk Tea with Grass Jelly and Mango Slush with real mango and pearls. Generally, the drinks at Bubble Queen are not very sweet. So it was by no surprise that the half-sweet milk tea seemed to taste like there was no sugar at all. No matter, it still had enough tea flavour at the tail end. Personally, I prefer gobs of grass jelly over the cubed ones in this particular version. As for the mango slush, it was pretty tasty even though we asked for no sugar. The natural sweetness and slight pungency of the fresh mangoes really came though. The huge chunks of ripe mango didn't hurt things either. Although the drink itself was blended smooth, the pearls were overcooked which meant they were too soft.
Onto the some bubble waffles, we tried the Black Sesame first. All of the waffles here were more bready and soft than the ones found at Bubble Waffle House and BBT Cafe. Hence, they were more filling and dense. I also found them quite sweet, especially the black sesame. It was indeed aromatic, but wasn't as impactful as I would've liked. The one I liked most was the Mango Puree where every bite was like eating fresh mangoes. I guess that was the point. The softness of the bubble waffle actually worked with the puree. I could see that a crispier and chewier version would've interfered the puree texture.
Lastly, we had the Matcha Mochi. It was certainly interesting with the melted chewiness of mochi in the middle of every bubble. However, the match flavour was rather weak. On the other hand, the chewiness of the mochi kept each bite interesting with texture. Okay, despite the fact this wasn't as good as the Richmond location (maybe growing pains?), it was still pretty good and hit the spot after dinner.
The Good:
- Things taste like they should
- Lots of choice
- Not too sweet
The Bad:
- I personally prefer less bready bubble waffles
When Emily remarked she was "getting tired of eating out" after our multiple culinary forays during the Chinese Restaurant Awards and Poutine Challenge, I remained skeptical. Tired of eating? Yah right... But after a Friday night league game, I was beginning to realize what she meant. It was if I was suffering from eating fatigue. A 2-month stretch of non-stop eating (sometimes up to 4 dinners a night) was beating me down. Yes, #firstworldproblems Hence, Milhouse and I went for something lighter at Pho 24 Express.
As for the aforementioned Pho, we had the Pho Dac Biet in the extra-large size. Unlike the version at Pho Extreme Xe Lua, this one actually consisted of more noodles and meat rather than just broth. We found the broth to be clean yet rather light tasting. It was mildly sweet, but not much in the way of meatiness. Noodles were chewy while the meats were decently tender. We also shared the Phnom Penh Dry Noodles which were pretty average. It was nowhere as good as the versions found at Phnom Penh and Pho Tan. The noodles were pretty clumpy without the aid of enough "sauce". That also meant there was a lack of flavour and impact. On the other hand, there was enough supporting ingredients to keep things interesting.
For good measure, we added the Banh Mi Dac Biet. It featured light and airy bread that was toasted up until crusty. There wasn't exactly a boatload of cold cuts nor pickled veggies, but the sandwich ate pleasantly nonetheless. With that being said, the overall flavours were rather mild due to the lack of ingredients. On the flip-side, this was still pretty decent considering the place doesn't specialize in banh mi.
Suffering from the same eating fatigue symptoms, we returned the following week for a bowl of Bo Kho Noodles. Also in extra-large form, the soup base was aromatic, yet weak at the same time. There was the sweetness of carrots and a certain meatiness, but it lack depth-of-flavour. Furthermore, the little cubes of beef were dry and somewhat chewy. Changing things up, we got the Lemongrass Pork Chop, Chicken and Shredded Pork Broken Rice with Fried Egg. Sure, the pork chop was on the drier side, but it was not particularly chewy. However, it lacked char much like the chicken. They were well-marinated though with obvious lemongrass hits. I enjoyed the chewy broken rice underneath as it didn't soften too much from the egg yolk. So as much as the food at Pho 24 Express is not the best I've had, it is definitely serviceable especially for late night.
The Good:
- Extra-large is actually extra-large
- Reasonable pricing
- Fairly good service
The Bad:
- Flavours are generally weak
- Good for late night, but there are better options
Posts
Call it the curse of the Groupon. Yah, I am a sucker for discounts, even when it means I end up spending money to save money. I guess it is within my DNA. Hence, when I spotted a coupon for Grotto, I bought it without even giving it a few seconds of thought. Credit card companies must love me... Alas, I had $100.00 to spend at Grotto, but without any confirmed dining companions! Not to fear, Sean, Joyce and Emily were willing participants.
Meeting up on a Monday night meant the head chef wasn't present, so keep that in mind regarding this blog post. We began with the Bruschetta featuring house-made focaccia topped with sun dried tomato, basil, olive tapenade and white balsamic gastrique. In reference to the taste, this was a veritable flavour explosion. The hit of the balsamic as well as the bright tartness of the tomatoes were not only impactful, it encouraged me to take another bite right away. However, the bread was too dense and wet. It needed to be toasted much more aggressively. Next, we tried the Arancini Balls stuffed with provolone and served with arrabiata and preserved lemon. These were huge and fried up until crunchy. I enjoyed the firm exterior, but it could've been a thinner layer. Inside, the risotto was fairly firm and really cheesy. However, the whole dish needed more richer flavours and including more sauce. The lemon was a nice addition though.
Sporting large pieces of Humboldt Squid and house-made sausage, the next appie also featured roasted eggplant, olives, tomatoes, lemon and parsley. At first, I was not into the chewy texture of the squid, but it did progressively become softer. There was a noticeable smokiness which could've been overwhelming, but the saltiness and tang from the rest of the ingredients kept it in check. As for the sausage, it was juicy and flavourful with a tender rebound texture. As a mid course of sorts, we had one of our 3 pizzas being the Funghi consisting of white sauce, mushrooms, arugula and roasted garlic. Unfortunately, a few slices slid off onto the table and Emily's plate (by our server). We were a bit surprised nothing was done about that (ie. comp or a new pizza or even comp Emily's $1.00 charge for hot water). The pizza itself was quite good where the thin crust was crunchy with a slight chewiness. It was properly seasoned while the toppings were effective including the umaminess of the ample mushrooms.
Arriving all at once, I decided to try the Gnocchi on a bed of smoked chicken and mushroom ragout accompanied by pork belly and crispy celery root. Beautifully seared until golden brown with a crunch, the gnocchi were soft, but retained a certain bite at the same time. What made the dish was the delicious ragout of tender chicken which exhibited a light smokiness combined with the Earthiness of the mushrooms. We had actually tried this dish during Noodlemania and it was pretty much bang on. On the other hand, the Ravioli of butternut squash dressed with brown butter, sage and walnuts was slightly different. Rather than the tender pieces of ravioli we were had last time, these were somewhat over fried being too firm and almost crunchy in spots. Furthermore, there was an overwhelming amount of acidity for some reason. It partially masked the sweetness of the squash and the aromatics of the sage.
The Spaghetti Marinara with meatballs and grana padano was largely forgettable. Although I love a sear on my meatballs, these were burnt in some spots. The smokiness really didn't bother me (in fact, it was fine), but the mealy and crumbly texture of the meatballs was off-putting. They were seasoned and there wasn't a lot of filler, but I couldn't eat one without it completely falling apart. As for the spaghetti itself, it was al dente, yet the marinara was barely there, which meant the flavours were not particularly impactful. I did get hints of fresh tomato with a touch of tang, but little else. 
After this, we waited for nearly 45 minutes for our 2 remaining pizzas. Not sure what happened there. Anyways, we go the Prosciutto and the Muffuletta, which both stayed on the plate this time. Initially, I found the prosciutto rather salty (due to the large amount of it), but it tasted more balanced as I continued to eat it. I guess the figs and pesto kicked in, yet at the same time, they were largely in the background. Equally, if not saltier, the muffuletta was also blessed with plenty of meat (soppresata). With the addition of olives, there was nice finish to go with the slight spice. Overall, we liked the pizzas and a few of the other dishes. Some items could definitely use more refinement such as the spaghetti and meatballs. Interestingly, the pizza toppings that were dropped onto the table remained on the table throughout our meal.
