Splendido - Exotica Canadiana (w/ pics) Part 1
After reading the review from Gina Mallet of National Post, I think it’s a good idea to post some pics I took last month. These pics come out blur, probably I used the wrong mode.
Here are some quotes from Gina Mallet::
1. ”A cake stand of amuses-bouche arrives and I am scribbling uselessly. I know the shot glass contains zucchini soup and a hazelnut is poised on Champagne foam but the waiter speaks so quickly and the morsels slip down so fast. Every single one is a treat. The courses unfold with authority, sweet and sour, acid and salty.” This comes with the champagne we ordered. (pic 1)
2. Here comes the amuse-bouche from the tasting menu.: sweet bread & squab confit. (pic 2)
3. “The sweetness of B.C.'s Dungeness crab is crisply countered by the spurt of acid in the juicy heirloom tomatoes from Ontario's Cookstown Greens, and there's not too much!” This dish tastes as good as it looks. Fantastic! (pic3) Riesling, 2006, Carly’s Block, Tawse Winery, Beamsville
4. “The next plate holds a little square of pickerel fillet garnished with littleneck clams and coriander vinaigrette, a tingling mouthful.
Pinot Gris, 2006, Southbrook Winery, NOTL
5."Then one of the dinner's peaks: delicate slices of poached lobster with Peaches 'n' Cream Corn Cobb salad, a take on a classic California salad, combined with Niagara pancetta as a creamy sweet complement to the lobster,” (pic 4) Chardonnay, 2004, Moira Vineyard, Malivoire wine Co, Beamsville
6.“And then he tops himself -- a chunk of beef brisket, a pool of beef consomme and a marrow bone that gushes like an oil well. I've been enjoying the matching wines but now I have my aha moment: Norman Hardie's 2005 Pinot Noir from Prince Edward County, Ontario's new wine country. The wine is a gastronomical animateur --it is so cool, so lucid, so balanced that it pulls together all the tastes and gives this wonderful rich beefy course a character beyond earthiness.” (pic 5)
7.Haldimand County Dorset Lamb Tenderloin cuit sous-vide, sweet English pea &
St. Maure Caprifeuille goats cheese raviolo, double smoked beacon chutney. (pic 6)
Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, 1998, Henry of Pelham, St. Catharines
8.All Berry Farm summer berry crunch, strawberry gelee (pic 7)
Cabernet Franc, 2004, Icewine, Inniskillin, NOTL
9.Cherry in port with shortbread & caramel icecream. (pic 8)
With the excellent service, I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner. I would still consider it 1 of the top 3 resto in GTA.
BTW, the waitress's voice is high pitch & weird. 2 of us dined there. At the end, she asked " To whom should I present the bill?" I find it quite unusual.
