Thai Basil

Restaurant: Thai Basil

Cuisine: Thai
Last visited: December 18, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Westend/Downtown)
1215 Thurlow Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Hole in the wall, seats 10
• Family owned and operated
• Outdoor seating for maybe 3 people
• Homecooked/Homestyle
• Made upon order
• Local ingredients
• Very cheap
• Eat in / Take-out
• $5.95 lunch specials
• Optional brown rice
• Attracts Westerners/white people
• Open kitchen
• Accepts MC/Debit/Visa
• Tuesday- Sunday 11am-9:30pm
• Closed Monday

**Recommendation: Pad Grapow (not on menu, need to make special request)

I walked past Thai Basil several months and finally decide to try it out. I was with my friend and we had spent the last couple days Christmas shopping so when we were deciding where to go for dinner the only craving we had was CHEAP. So we walked up Davie scoping out restaurants and had the intentions of going to Samurai Sushi as our default eatery for cheap eats…until I remembered Thai Basil that is. I had forgotten what the menu looked like, but all I knew was that it was really cheap; cheaper than Samurai Sushi, so it was a natural choice at the time.

I really questioned its authenticity because everyone having dinner there is predominantly white. However I think it could be the area; as well you wouldn't notice it unless you lived in the neighborhood. This place is the definition of hole-in-the-wall; it’s a small operation that seats maybe 10. The kitchen is open which is good because at least I can see where my food is coming from. It’s clean and everything is served on nice rectangular white plates which really surprised me. I also loved the free toasted ground peanuts available at the counter. We seriously used the entire container between the 2 of us.

I had no idea what I was expecting. Part of me was thinking definitely watered down Thai food. When I asked for a recommendation she kept saying that the most popular was cashew nut chicken and Pad Thai, the dishes most popular for white people and mainly because they're mild. So I had to really explain to her that I didn't necessarily want most popular, but just the best thing according to them - basically what they would order. She said what she eats isn't on the menu, but she could get it made for us. I was sold.

She didn't know I was a reviewer/blogger but she did know I wanted the really authentic stuff. Therefore the dishes they prepared for us were especially made "Thai style". Meaning everything is spicy and served how they would eat it at home or in Thailand.

Note: You can make this request at Thai/Indian restaurants.

On the table:

Nua Nam Tok 3.5/6

• Grilled beef, onion, mint, roasted rice tossed in spicy dressing. Served on a bed of greens $5.95

• At first bite this was very spicy to me and I can handle spicy. I will usually go for medium, but I can handle hot. The first bite was spicy to the point of smoky bitter spicy. It had my nose runny quite early.
• The vinaigrette sauce was almost like a spicy Thai version of that orange Vietnamese sauce you dip your spring rolls in. It's made of fish sauce, lime juice, and other Thai spices. The seasoning they use for it is this dark red spice made of dried Thai red chili peppers. It’s available at their help yourself condiments section at the counter.
• It was very flavourful and started off salty, then immediately to tangy, and then right away to very spicy. But it's so weird because after a while of being spicy, it suddenly gets sweet. I couldn't even taste the spiciness anymore. They also fried the actual dried Thai red chilies right into the oil before sautéing the beef and I think they did the same with the Thai basil leaves, so the flavourful was intense. To my surprise it wasn’t greasy either.
• The beef is really tender from being marinated. It looks dry, but it was juicy. It was pretty lean pieces and for the price they give you quite a bit and the dish is big overall.
• I couldn’t taste or see any roasted rice though.
• I also wish the fresh mint should have been more chopped up.
• I still prefer larb gai, another authentic Thai salad, over this one.
• Must eat this with lots of ground peanuts - that are unlimited!

**Pad Grapow 5/6

• Stir fried minced chicken, garlic, & holy basil served with a fried egg on a bed of rice $8.50
• You can order it with minced chicken, pork, or beef.
• This is the secret dish that isn’t on the menu that was specially prepared upon request. Anyone can order it though, and I really suggest you do.
• This dish was very home style Thai, it was one of those dishes that you know is what they cook at home. It was really simple and when you see it served with a fried egg you just know it’s one of their go-to, feel good, home cooked meals. Fried eggs are common sides to lots of Asian cuisines, although it’s something we would do it at home or something you would see at Asian tea houses serving very casual food.
• The ground chicken is actually marinated in what tasted like sweet soy like sauce with garlic. It’s probably tamarind, fish sauce and (palm) sugar in the marinade with some garlic. It was very lean and delicious.
• The spiciness totally sneaks up on you with this dish…and I know why now! At first I thought it was because of the fresh red chilies and the seeds that got camouflaged into the minced meat. But now I know it’s because they use Thai holy basil in the dish and not Thai sweet basil! The flavour is totally different and this is when you know you’re getting the authentic stuff. This dish has to use a lot of holy basil because the flavour is what makes this dish. It has a peppery aromatic kick that’s softer than using straight up chilies. Both are used in the dish, but together the flavour is unmistakable.
• Again it’s best eaten with ground peanuts and the fish sauce and ground chili spice that comes with it. Adding peanuts isn’t the authentic way to eat it, but I loved the texture and flavour it added.
• The side of fish sauce doesn’t smell great, but the flavour it adds is amazing. Use it! It’s almost like a very pungent and potent salt – you just need to sprinkle some over the whole dish and mix it until you reached your desired flavour.
• My only complaint is that the egg was slightly overdone, so the yolk wasn't as runny. It should be runny so that you can mixed everything nicely together.
• It’s a very big portion for one person and totally worth the price.
• It’s also not greasy and a perfect ratio of meat and rice.

Your Christmas gift - Special offer!

The Christmas Post

To: YOU

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you enjoy it with friends, family & of course food ;)

From: Follow Me Foodie – Mijune

Whether you are a loyal reader or a 1^st time visitor, I really appreciate your visit and support for this blog.

My gift to you this Christmas is a special offer for 10% off one of my favourite breads in town:

The Pumpkin Bread from Maple Castella Bakery. This is one of my items I rated 6/6.

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• Address: Unit 1068 - 8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC
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Follow Me Foodie

Christmas Eve - Vancouver's Gourmet Christmas Desserts

The Christmas Eve Post

This is to help people out on a little last minute Christmas shopping. Whether it’s a potluck, Christmas dinner or last minute gift I thought these edible Christmas art pieces might be of interest.

I haven’t tried any of them so I can’t comment on how they taste. I just wanted to show people what's out there and give some edible holiday/gift ideas. Personally I think the Thomas Haas one has more of a ‘wow-factor’. The Sweet Obsession Croquemebouche looks nice, but I’ve also seen it before and it’s not as original. I feel like a “chef at home” could put it together. Each one of those chocolates on the Thomas Haus O’tannenbaum Moderne is handmade and a different flavour.

Both desserts are available in Vancouver, BC only.

Thomas Haas - O’tannenbaum Moderne

2539 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9, Canada
(604) 736-1844

O’tannenbaum Moderne - Small: $34 Large: $48

A Valrhona chocolate tree with an assortment of homemade Thomas Haas chocolate "ornaments".

I think this macaroom tree was only for display - I'm sure if you really wanted it you could order it.

Sweet Obsession Cakes & Pastries - Croquemebouche

2611 West 16th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6K 3C2, Canada
(604) 739-0555


Croquemebouche - 24 Profiteroles $35 36 Profiteroles $50

McDonald's - S'mores Pie Review

Restaurant: McDonald’s

Cuisine: American/Fast food
Last visited: December 18, 09
Area: Multiple locations - I was at Vancouver, BC (Chinatown/Tinseltown)
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

S’mores Pie : 3

S’mores Sundae (my own creation): 4

**Recommendation/Tasty Twist Idea: Make a S’mores McFlurry or sundae and add nuts if you wish

So I finally tried it! I had tweeted (Twitter: followmefoodie) about this about a week ago after driving by a McDonald’s advertising “S’mores Pie 2 for $1.39”. Since then I’ve been meaning to try it. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it too…mix it with ice cream!

I usually do my apple pie McFlurry. I’ll get them to blend an apple pie up in my ice cream. They might look at you like “what the heck?”…but just ask them and they’ll do it. It melts fast, so you need to eat it fast, but that’s no challenge for me. I decided to make a S'mores sundae rather than a McFlurry because I wanted to try the S'mores alone too.

One of the best S’mores I’ve had was at Earls over the summer. Surprised? I was! I usually would never order S’mores because it’s such an easy dessert to make at home and most of the time I find them too sweet. However I’m so glad I tried the one at Earls. It was a special feature dessert for summer ’09 so too bad it’s not offered anymore. It was a gourmet S’more with this homemade graham cracker cookie/cake and it came with chocolate and vanilla gelato. I introduced 4 friends to it and none of them were real fans of S’mores (for the same reason I’m not)…and ALL of them liked it.

On the table:

S’mores Pie : 3/6

**S’mores Sundae (my own creation): 4/6

• A standard McDonald’s pie, but filled with chocolate and marshmallow
• 2 for $1.39
• You need to take it as it is…it’s McDonalds, it’s 2 for $1.39 – it does the job, even if it doesn't your loss really isn't that bad...
• The marshmallow is more like a marshmallow cream
• The chocolate is almost like chocolate sauce, kind of reminds me of their chocolate sundae sauce
• Chocolate isn’t very thick and obviously it’s not high quality…it’s McDonald’s, what do you expect right?
• Together it’s all quite ooey gooey
• I think it worked, it was sweet, but that's a given
• Eat it with ice cream, it offsets the sweetness
  

Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

Restaurant: Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill

Cuisine: Mexican
Last visited: December 15, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Yaletown/Downtown)
1223 Pacific Blvd
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on the burrito I had)
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Located in Yaletown
• Seats 20
• Made fresh upon order
• Family owned and operated
• Very homestyle Mexican on top of big stove pot and electric stove
• Very popular
• Homemade salsa/guacamole/avocado sauce
• Nothing really spicy, and a bit bland
• Not homemade tortillas
• Busy at lunch
• Eat in/Take-out
• Accepts MC/Debit/Visa
• Tuesday- Sunday 11am-9:30pm
• Closed Monday

**Recommendation: Burritos

I’ve only tried one thing on the menu: The Ahogado Burrito. Apparently it’s one of the best things they serve. The owner highly recommended me to order a burrito and claims that they’re different than any burrito I’ve ever tried. For the most part, he was right. However the best burrito for me is still Chipotle's in the States. I know it's a chain, but I think it's pretty awesome.

I have heard nothing about this restaurant before so I had no expectations for it…which is I think better because I might have been disappointed. This place is apparently a favourite. I liked it enough to give it a 4/6, but I think most people would rate it higher.

Salsa& Agave Mexican Grill has just introduced their new burritos. They’re basically the burritos on the original menu but a bit reinvented. They’re actually customer-inspired burritos. The owner found that a lot of people were customizing their burritos with extras so he decided to just make their creations permanent members of the family. It’s $8, the same price as the burritos on the original menu, so it’s not a bad deal considering you get all the extras…they’re really big too.

As you read my review you're going to notice that I’m complaining a lot about it. It was very good, but just overrated. I think it's popular and people like it because of the portion size and price. Not many places like this in Yaletown. Also becuase it tastes like 'bad for you but sooo good' hangover food

On the table:

Ahogado Burrito 4/6

• Soft pork, rice, beans, cheese, simmered in mild red tomato sauce & drizzle of sour cream on top $8
• The owner warned me that I was ordering a saucy knife and fork burrito, so I was prepared to be pretty sleepy after lunch. It was a pretty big and hearty burrito, it filled up an entire take-out container. It was pretty heavy and loaded with ingredients - but all a little bland.
• I didn’t really like how my burrito was swimming in a pool of sauce though. The sauce is usualyl the best part, but this one was bland. Rather than “simmering in mild tomato sauce” like the menu says it was more like sauce poured into a container and my burrito placed in it. It was a pre-cooked tomato sauce that wasn’t good itself, but good with the burrito. It was very watery and tasted like very watered down canned pureed stewed tomatoes.
• The burrito is very saucey which is great. However it was a bit too mushy, watery and soupy for me. Everything was just really soft and cooked to the point where you could possibly eat it without teeth. I mean it was really good, but about 3/4 of the way through I got tired of eating it because it got so repetitive.
• The best part of the burrito was hands down the pork. They were generous with it and it was very juicy and tender, just like pulled pork. It didn't have many spices; it was just really soft and cooked well so that it had that slow-cooked flavour.

  

• The beans and rice were layered on top of each other and that made it mushy too. The rice was definitely cooked to the point of baby food or Mexican style congee.
• The beans were refried beans with very few seasonings if any.
• I wish there was some fresh lettuce or black beans in it. Refried beans are just such an easy way out to me because it comes from a can and maybe add some seasonings in so it's "homemade".
  
• There was some frozen peas and corn kernels in there as well, but there was so little of them I thought maybe it was an accident.
• The tortilla shells aren’t homemade, which is super disappointing. I think they can afford to do that. A lot of authentic Mexican places will make their own. The tortilla shell also got a bit soggy because it was soaked in the sauce. Then on the ends the tortilla shells got a bit thick because it was so huge and had to hold so many ingredients.

  

• It could have used a little more sour cream as well because they only drizzled a bit over the top.
• It had some fresh salsa made with onions tomatoes and cilantro – it was quite bland again though. They made the burrito and sauces extra mild (not spicy at all, I really don't think they used any spices) for the general population. It was literally figuratively watered down Mexican food.
• It came with a side of hot sauce which was good. It was very smoky and hickory flavoured and really really spicy..

Ceili’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Restaurant: Ceili’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Cuisine: American
Last visited: December 15, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
670 Smithe
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on 2 appetizers I tried)
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 2.5
Additional comments:

• Canadian mini chain pub & restaurant
• New menu
• Traditional UK/Irish pub food w/a couple BC influences
• Pub atmosphere, good for watching spots
• Good for drinks & appetizers
• Every Thursday 7pm “Irish Dinner Party” (appie + entrée + beer $20)
• Daily specials
• Late night
• Live music – dance floor
• M-T 4pm-late
• Friday 4pm-3am
• Saturday 3pm-3am
• Sunday 3pm-late

**Recommendation: Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs, Shepherd’s pie and nachos are most popular, but I haven’t tried them.

I would never think to come to Ceili’s Irish Pub and Restaurant for the food. I know a few of my friends come here on the weekend, but this was my first visit. It’s a great place for socializing, late night snacking, drinking, and watching the game. I rarely do the later 2 activities, but I definitely participate in the first 2.

Browsing their menu, I found that a lot of items were suitable for lunch. They offer standard soups, sandwiches and burgers…now too bad they’re not open for lunch. The mains are more or less traditional UK pub items. The only thing missing was the mushy peas, beans and black pudding – which I guess is more England than Ireland. In that case the only thing missing was the soda bread and Coddle!

I guess the chef (who has been there for 6 months) heard through the grapevine that I was a “food reviewer/blogger” so he came out to introduce himself. However it doesn’t affect my review because I’m literally copying and pasting the notes I wrote for the food before I met the chef. I have only tried 2 appetizers, but apparently they were 2 of the most popular appetizers. Therefore this review doesn’t give a good idea of what the food is like overall. However I can always review the items I did try…and these Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs are worth a mention.

On the table:

Bushmill’s Whiskey Ribs 5.5/6

• One pound of slow-cooked baby back ribs tossed in Bushmill’s Whiskey BBQ sauce. Ribs also available in wing sauce choices. $12.75
• These ribs were falling off the bones tender! All I really wanted was to try a bite because I had just come from dinner. (Surprise surprise) Anyways I literally tried ripping off a piece from one rib and the entire piece of meat slipped off it. As soon as that happened it wa s over – I knew I was in for a wicked good rib. The meat was so tender I barely needed to chew it. They were nice big ribs that had a lot of meat on them too.
• It came with this thick sticky and bold barbeque sauce or glaze. The barbeque sauce isn't made completely in house because they have a contract with ___________ BBQ sauce, which I don’t remember the name of it right now. However the chef adds his own spices to make the sauce better.I ding them .5 because nothing beats homemade barbeque sauce.
  
• Part of his add-ins is the Bushmill’s Whiskey. This is a really traditional Irish whiskey and it gave the sauce this malted flavour and a nice tangy kick. It was sweet and tangy and he also cooked the sauce with some red onions. The onions got so caramelized and stringy and were disguised in the sauce. I didn’t even see them until I bit into one of the ribs with an onion latching on…it was awesome!

Cork Country Calamari 2.5/6

• Tender squid, light lemon pepper batter, garlic tzatziki, diced green and red onions $11.75
• The seasoning on the calamari tasted like the seasoning you would put on Buffalo wings. It was similar to (or was) a Cajun spice and reminded me of that orange spice they would season a crispy chicken sandwich with. I could taste salt, cayenne, paprika, and some garlic powder and maybe a dash of hot sauce in the batter. I have sensitive taste buds :) It wasn’t really spicy for me, but it did carry some heat.
• What I didn't like about this dish was that the calamari pieces were really small, so they got too heavily battered. They had a few decent pieces, but most of the time it was almost like eating popcorn shrimp.
• The dip was a tzataiki yogurt dip but with no herbs and seasonings. It tasted more like yogurt to me.

Manhattan - Sterling Silver Steak

Restaurant: Manhattan Restaurant – Sterling Silver Steak

Cuisine: American/Regional/West Coast
Last visited: December 16, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Waterfront/Downtown)
550 West Hastings Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Sterling Silver Centre Cut Steak: 6
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1.5 (for a hotel)
Overall: 3

To see my Manhattan appetizer review

To see my Manhattan dessert review

On the table:

• 

• Sterling Silver Steak 6/6
• 7 ounce Centre cut tenderloin with truffle mashed potatoes and broccolini $36
• At Manhattan this is deserving of a 6/6, but overall it’s a 5/6. I still think Gotham’s is a notch better.
• I am a filet mignon girl. If I’m ordering steak I’ll pretty much always order this cut and always order it medium rare.
• Sterling Silver steaks are premium steaks from grain-fed cattle. They are hand-cut and represent the top 12% of all beef. It’s pretty damn good.
• The first right step was starting with a quality ingredient. The second right step was making it right upon order. The chef didn’t start cooking my steak until I was done with my appetizers. There weren’t many people there so he really took the time to make this.
• I asked for it medium rare and it was perfect. It was lightly seasoned with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, had beautiful grill marks and the inside was perfectly pink and warm.

  

• I cut into it with ease and it was like eating soft cheese. It was so buttery and smooth and the fat was so marbleized it cooked throughout the steak and made it super juicy and tender.
• The sauce was a rich thick red wine reduction with maybe some balsamic vinegar to give it a tang. It was actually very reduced, thick, and sticky. Almost as reduced as So.cial at Le Magasin, but till this day So.cial still takes the lead. A minor complaint is that they served too much gravy with it. I can’t really complain because the sauce was SO good, however my steak and potatoes were swimming in it

• 

• The mashed potatoes were 6/6 too! It looks super plain and bland, but it was full of flavour. It’s one of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had . They were super creamy almost like the texture of a creamy yogurt. It was completely pureed and tasted like there was pureed roasted garlic in them. I was definitely in awe because I have no idea how they could get potatoes so flavourful with them still being completely white. The truffle oil was also very apparent and it brought such a delicate sweetness yet distinct flavour to the potatoes. The potatoes I could eat by themselves easily...a whole bowl of it too, but with the gravy – that just put them over the top!

Manhattan Restaurant

Restaurant: Manhattan Restaurant – Review

Cuisine: American/Regional/West Coast
Last visited: December 16, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC (Waterfront/Downtown)
550 West Hastings Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1.5 (for a hotel)
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Serves traditional soups, sandwiches, pastas, entrees
• Ocean Wise fish
• Located on 2nd floor of Delta Inn Hotel
• Large windows, but not much view
• Good for business lunch meetings
• Old-fashioned hotel restaurant
• Cozy mom and pop type seating area
• Fresh sheet available (3 course dinner)
• All day dining: breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Dessert menu

**Recommendation: Local Mussels, Wild Salmon, Sterling Silver Steak, Pasta Pearls as a side, and the Chicken En-Sous-Vide (special)

So the restaurants at the Delta Inn Hotel & Suites really need an upgrade. It’s very old-fashioned and traditional and so are most of their menu items. It’s not the best for West Coast so as a tourist, whom you would likely be coming here, I would opt to try something else. This is pretty good if you stick to recommendations, but there is better.

I was served 3 menus at dinner:

1) The dinner menu (which is basically the all day lunch menu with a couple additional entrees)

2) The price fix menu (3 for $28)

3) The fresh sheet with the daily special (which is basically what the chef wishes he could serve on the regular menu…this menu showcases his talent the best)

Basically there were too many menus, which is interesting because they just revised their menus so this was relatively new. I could tell that the chef was passionate about cooking and it showed on his daily fresh sheet. I am pretty sure he is being limited to what he can create because the food needs to suite the image the Delta Inn carries. Their target market isn’t too upscale so the food is nothing gourmet or creative.

The service is a bit slow because it’s pretty quiet and there is always only a few tables to serve so they have a small staff. This could mean 2 things: 1) hot made upon order food OR 2) dinner from last night. Rest assure because I am pleased to say it’s #1 and I know this because they have an open kitchen so you can see them making everything AFTER you place your order.

If you’ve been following my reviews you’re probably thinking why is she eating here again?! To be honest, it wasn’t really my choice, however it gave me the opportunity to make a big dent in the menu and as a result give you the best recommendations for what to order. There’s always a positive to repeat dining! I came here for lunch twice and dinner once so I’m combining my review because it’s pretty much an all-day menu they offer.

I posted the review for Manhattan's appetizers yesterday.

To see my Manhattan appetizer review

To see my Manhattan dessert review

On the table:

Complimentary bread: served with house made tomato chutney (tasted like freshly chopped marinara sauce), butter, and olive oil and vinegar. This was followed by a series of appetizers.

• Spinach and Butter Lettuce Salad 2.5/6 (Fresh sheet item)
• Roasted beets, candied walnuts, goat cheese snow, lemon dressing $8
  Added salmon for $5

• This was offered on their fresh sheet as the starter and I ordered it as my starter for lunch.
• I ordered it with salmon and I felt pretty ripped off because it was a pretty small filet. The picture makes it look dry, but it wasn’t as all. They actually do a really good job grilling salmon here. It’s really flavourful and they season it well before grilling it.
• It was very lightly dressed in this lemon dressing that I bet was made with yogurt as a binder. It was slightly creamy, but not thick and still a vinaigrette. It had a little honey or sugar to sweeten things up. I wish he had used some lemon zest in it as well.
• The walnuts were pieces rather than whole and they were candied, sweet and crunchy. It was almost like eating granola though so it didn’t make it as elegant.
• I think it was about 2 whole beets cut into chunks instead of slices. They were nice and tender, but not seasoned.
• The goat cheese didn't taste like strong goat cheese, which I liked. It was really soft, creamy and buttery. It was almost like a marscapone or cream cheese; it was so smooth and decadent. I loved it. I just which they gave more. There wasn't much at all. A crumbled goat’s feta may have worked better because you couldn’t evenly distribute the soft goat’s cheese.
• **Pasta Pearls 4/6
• Israeli Couscous, wild mushrooms, Parmesan cream, truffle oil $15
• Add chicken, prawns, or salmon $8 Add beef $15

• This was a vegetarian dish and I treated it as a shareable appetizer for lunch. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about t he entrée…I was really hungry that day :)
• I’m glad I ordered this. It works much better as a shareable side dish. It’s really hearty and filling for one person because they give you a lot. It tastes like gourmet mac and cheese. I loved it! It’s creamy, cheesy, stingy and it was mainly Portobello mushrooms and a few button mushrooms. They were nice and juicy and went well with the Parmesan cream sauce.

  

• Israeli cous cous are little round balls that taste like pasta, it's similar to orzo. It’s not the first time I’ve tried it, but it’s hard to come across and I really like it.
• I ordered it with grilled prawns and they weren’t that big so I thought an additional $8 was a bit steep. It came with 3 lightly seasoned grilled prawns that were slightly overcooked. I think the dish would be best with grilled chicken.

• Sablefish 1.5/6
• Honey smoked, squash fritters, creamed leeks $20

• Regional, Ocean Wise
• I couldn't taste the honey or any smoked flavour. It wasn’t sweet at all and was pan-fried in butter. I think they forgot to season it because there was no salt or pepper.
• Sablefish is cod-like so it doesn’t absorb flavours like salmon would so I found it quite bland. I prefer fish with the skin, but this one didn’t have it and I also found one bone in it.
• The sauce was too thin for what I think was supposed to be a cream sauce. It was very buttery and they drizzle it with basil oil as well. It tasted like a clam chowder cream base sauce...a bit soupy and too oily, but not flavouful.
• Squash fritters were 1/6 - I thought it was frozen deep fried fish sticks. It was dry and tasted like bread crumbs and it didn't look appetizing at all. It had some curry and fresh ginger seasoning and was crumbly from being over fried. The presentation was really poor too. The side to this dish should be those creamy leek and potato won tons. The creamed leeks is part of the filling for the won tons - they should permanently be on the menu.
• The best part of the fish was the leeks hands down. They were very caramelized, sweet and held on to the sauce very well. I’m pretty sure they use the same leeks or recipe for the creamy leek and potato won tons.
• Wild Salmon 5/6
• Warm apple salad, burnt butter sauce $21.00

• Regional, Ocean Wise
• The warm apple salad was not really a salad, but more like poached apple wedges. They apples were poached in apple cider with red onions and maybe some balsamic vinegar. I could definitely taste the sweetness and cinnamon from the cider. They were very caramelized with the red onions and so tender that you barely had to bite into t hem. The sauce wasn’t a sticky thick glaze, but it was actually quite oily from the butter. The ‘salad’ part was more or less a garnish thrown on top.
• The salmon was nice, moist, and well seasoned, but again with no skin. It’s so much more flavourful with skin. However with the apples, I guess you didn’t really need it.
• The round white melon balls are Yukon gold potatoes which were soft, but not cooked to the point where they lost their shape. These were really unique and I liked the presentation.
• The dish could be too sweet for some, but I love sweet with savoury. I think the combination of apples, salmon and apple cider worked really well.
• Chicken En-Sous-Vide 3/6 (Fresh sheet item)
• Chicken wrapped in prosciutto served with leek and potato won tons $22

• Apparently the chef was actually inspired to make this dish because Rob Feenie had made one in a recent competition. (This info was from the server). En-Sous-Vide is a French method of cooking where meats are cooked in a vacuum sealed bag and slowly poached in water at a low temperature until fully cooked. This process helps the meat retain flavour and cook in its own juices.
• This was dark meat chicken (the thigh) which made it even more juicy. It was pounded flat, seasoned with freshly minced parsley and simple seasonings and maybe some lemon. It is then rolled, wrapped with a layer or prosciutto, tied and put into a vacuum sealed bag. It basically cooks in the marinade and it's own juices. It was so juicy and moist that it had a very slippery and smooth texture. If you like dark meat, which I don’t prefer (I know! I can hear the gasps already)…but if you like dark meat you will love this dish. This method of cooking really locks in the flavour and I could even taste the fresh herbs throughout the chicken.
  

  

• It came with 2 sauces for dipping. There was a beef gravy and chicken gravy that was very reduced and sweet and sticky. The beef gravy was a bit random and over powering for the chicken. It was the same sauce that they serve with their steaks, but it isn't as rich or as bold. The make really good gravies here because they take the time to reduce it. Still not as reduced as So.cial at Le Magasin…which is the most reduced I have ever had. I didn't even need the additional sauces. It's already quite salty from the prosciutto and additional seasonings.

  

  

• The prosciutto wasn't crispy and when I cut into in it the prosciutto just slipped off from the chicken. There was also a thin layer of fat between the prosciutto and chicken...it was almost like chicken fat...I really didn't like that part, because it made it oily and I don't like the texture of fat. I found myself eating around a lot of it...but that may just be me.

• The creamy leek and potato won tons were bite sized pockets of perfection. I reviewed these in my appetizer review for Manhattan I posted yesterday.
  
• This dish also came with sautéed whole mini romaine lettuce leaves

• Sterling Silver Steak 6/6
• 7 ounce Centre cut tenderloin with truffle mashed potatoes and broccolini $36
• At Manhattan this is deserving of a 6/6, but overall it’s a 5/6. I still think Gotham’s is a notch better.
• I am a filet mignon girl. If I’m ordering steak I’ll pretty much always order this cut and always order it medium rare.
• Sterling Silver steaks are premium steaks from grain-fed cattle. They are hand-cut and represent the top 12% of all beef. It’s pretty damn good.
• The first right step was starting with a quality ingredient. The second right step was making it right upon order. The chef didn’t start cooking my steak until I was done with my appetizers. There weren’t many people there so he really took the time to make this.
• I asked for it medium rare and it was perfect. It was lightly seasoned with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, had beautiful grill marks and the inside was perfectly pink and warm.

  

• I cut into it with ease and it was like eating soft cheese. It was so buttery and smooth and the fat was so marbleized it cooked throughout the steak and made it super juicy and tender.
• The sauce was a rich thick red wine reduction with maybe some balsamic vinegar to give it a tang. It was actually very reduced, thick, and sticky. Almost as reduced as So.cial at Le Magasin, but till this day So.cial still takes the lead. A minor complaint is that they served too much gravy with it. I can’t really complain because the sauce was SO good, however my steak and potatoes were swimming in it

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• The mashed potatoes were 6/6 too! It looks super plain and bland, but it was full of flavour. It’s one of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had . They were super creamy almost like the texture of a creamy yogurt. It was completely pureed and tasted like there was pureed roasted garlic in them. I was definitely in awe because I have no idea how they could get potatoes so flavourful with them still being completely white. The truffle oil was also very apparent and it brought such a delicate sweetness yet distinct flavour to the potatoes. The potatoes I could eat by themselves easily...a whole bowl of it too, but with the gravy – that just put them over the top!

Added note: From here on any menu item deserving of 6/6 I’m creating a separate post for. This way you will be able to click on my “Food 6” label and easily find the best food.

Sometimes the restaurant isn’t a 6/6, but an item I order could be a 6/6. When I have time I’m going to go back to my old posts and create separate posts for all other items I have given 6/6.

• To see my review for Manhattan's Desserts: Big Apple Split and Chocolate Cake