Feasting Room Featuring Goose

Pop-up restaurants seem to be the newest rage these days.  They are short term restaurants set up in temporary locations in order to try out new menus, concepts or themes before making the risky investment of a permanent establishment.   New restaurant The Feasting Room is renting space from the bar/nightclub The Orbit Room, located at College St and Clinton St, from 6-10pm Thursdays through Monday until mid November. 

The Feasting Room is using the pop-up strategy to experiment with a fascinating concept that may or may not become a hit with the general public, but will seem innovative and exciting to adventurous diners.  Each week, a $65 6 course blind tasting menu is offered, with every single course from appetizers to mains to dessert featuring (to varying degrees) the "animal of the week".   As part of the "menu", you are presented with a drawing of the selected beast, with numbers indicating which part will be included in each of the 6 courses.  We decided to try out goose week.

 Two complimentary amuse bouches were offered to whet our appetites.  Breaded goose gizzards with aioli sauce and sweet corn veloute with chunks of meat from the goose wing were harbingers of good things to come.  From the cocktail menu, Rich ordered his recently favoured drink - the Pimms Cup, infused with cucumber, mint and sliced peaches.

The appetizers came next.  First was goose liver pate mixed with Medeira port, garlic and thyme served with blueberry compote and sea salt on freshly toasted crostinis.  Next was a salad of goose hearts on watercress with green and yellow beans, capers and a mustard vinaigrette. Then came Rich's favourite dish - Pomme Dauphine (potato puffs) with braised goose neck, pea shoots and sheep's curd - the Feasting Room's version of poutine.

The first main was sausage-like, made by stuffing skin from the goose neck with confit of goose leg, served with roasted corn and a shallot puree.  The final main consisted of medallions of seared rare goose breast on a pistachio-yellow beet puree, accompanied with red and pink beets.

Finally the dessert arrived to satisfy our mildly trepidacious curiosity of how goose would be incorporated.  Thankfully it was merely a homage to the goose - rice pudding with concord grape jelly coulis, served with a "goose"berry and a madeline that was made with goose fat instead of butter.  I really wasn't up for goose liver ice cream!

We were there on a slow night so the wait-staff was made up of the owner/bartender/sommelier (who was very knowledgeable in his wines and cocktails) and the chef.  The availability of the next course was announced from the kitchen by what sounded like the banging of a metal spoon on a pot.

Coming soon on the menu will be game such as venison and boar.  When we asked whether the meat was hunted from the wild, we were told that food regulations prevented this but they would love to do it if it was allowed since they had a shotgun behind the bar.  We thought this was a joke until our bill came rolled up in a spent shotgun shell!

All in all, the food was great other than the goose breast course being a tad on the bland side.  The novelty of the experience was so much fun that we are ready to try this again in a few weeks when the featured animal will be rabbit.  We look forward to this restaurant finding its permanent location as it is a great addition to the Toronto dining scene.

Feasting Room - @ The Orbit Room
580A College St. 

Tonari Sushi - OUT OF BUSINESS

Unfortunately this restaurant did not survive and has gone out of business as of February 2013.

My new favourite Japanese restaurant in the Yonge and St Clair area is the recently opened Tonari Sushi at 1404 Yonge St.  Their sashimi lunch bento box is one of the best I've ever had.  For $12.95, you get 9 pieces of delicious fish that consisted of sushi-grade salmon, red tuna, white tuna and hamachi (butter fish).  Happily missing was red clam which is often included in sashimi samplers, but which I find tough and chewy.

Every compartment of the bento box contained a welcome treat and not a heaping of rice, often used as filler in other restaurants.  The other components consisted of lightly breaded tempura shrimp and vegetables (zucchini, squash, sweet potato), a spring roll, salad with miso dressing and three pieces of nigiri (salmon, red tuna, hamachi). Cucumbers were sliced and arranged in the forms of flowers and even the wasabi was shaped artistically.  The lunch special included a miso soup that has plenty of tofu and seaweed.   The glasses of water came ice cold with a slice of lemon, a nice touch.

All the lunch menu options are bento boxes with other choices including teriyaki (chicken, shrimp, salmon, beef or tofu with vegetables), lemon chicken, spicy chicken, marinated short ribs or sushi combos. We're looking forward to going back to try their dinner menu which includes non-standard items like lobster roll and chicken teriyaki roll.

Tonari Sushi
1404 Yonge St.

B&B Fish and Chips

 Wandering down the streets of Leslieville (the area around Queen St east of Broadview), we passed by a fish and chips shop with a Toronto Star article pasted on its front window.  The article rated B&B as the best fish and chips establishment in Toronto, beating out many excellent competitors including Penrose and McKnees.  Given that this article was decades old and yet the place was obviously still thriving, we had to give it a try.

 Inside, a little old Chinese couple was frying up french fries along with battered halibut, scallops, onion rings, fish cakes and mushrooms.  The decor was a blast from the past with the tiled walls, retro signs with slogans like "We don't know where mom is but we have pop on ice" and an old fashioned ice box where the fish fillets were kept.  It was also a cultural meld of East meets West. The fish and chips were dispensed British style, wrapped in newspaper, but it was a Sing Tao Chinese newspaper while the traditional malt vinegar was dispensed from what looked like a Chinese oyster sauce bottle.  A gold and red Chinese lucky cat sat prominently on top of the icebox while on the walls were photos of a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visiting the Great Wall of China.

The fish was fried in beef lard which added to the flavour and came out piping hot with light crispy batter and a sweetness and flakiness in the filet that just melted in your mouth.  I usually like tartar sauce on my halibut, but they didn't offer it and this fish did not need it. We opted for the onion rings which were dipped in batter right in front of us, rather than pre-frozen and were also delicious.  There were no tables inside and it was too stuffy to sit on the plastic chairs that were made more for waiting than for dining on.  But outside was a delightful bench which we were lucky enough to find it unoccupied.  Down the block away was a park with benches but we would probably have devoured our treasures before we made it that far.

Grand Electric

Grand Electric is a trendy new Mexican restaurant in the recently gentrifying Parkdale area that has been receiving rave reviews, under the helm of ex-Black Hoof chef Colin Tooke. Those writeups forewarned of long lineups that start before the restaurant even opens and average wait times of over an hour.  Armed with this information, we showed up at 5:15pm to prepare for the 6pm opening on a Friday evening and found not a soul in sight.  Lulled into a false sense of security and believing that we were duped by "hype", we decided to wait in a coffee shop across the street (an extremely cool arts cafe called The Mascot which may require its own blog entry).   No sooner had we sat down to our lattes when the first person showed up in front of Grand Electric.  Within minutes, the lineup was 5 couples deep and we started to panic.  Rich was sent as the advanced scout to hold our spot while the rest of us gulped down our coffee.  By the time the restaurant opened, the lineup was down the block and not all of those people made it into the first sitting.  So take heed - the hype is true!

 One of the main features of this restaurant is their tacos.  Priced at $3.50 each, you get a soft freshly baked taco shell with a selection of toppings such as crispy baja fish with coleslaw,  tasty morsels of beef cheeks with avocado, pulled pork belly and pineapple, or my personal favourite, the unbelievably tender, delectably juicy pigs tail with red onion.  Sprinklings of cilantro and accompaniments of lime wedges and hot sauces complete the experience.

The guacamole and chips were excellent and rivaled my previous go to place, Frida in terms of the light crispy chips and the smooth flavourful guacamole.  It also came with a large piece of pork rind that was a great surprise.  My only complaint is that I would have preferred more guacamole instead of the container of salsa that came as an alternate dipping choice.

The tuna ceviche was amazing, with sizable chunks of fish soaked in lemon and lime juices and topped with red onion, cilantro and a bit of salad.  The squid rings were only OK compared with the rest, as the batter was nothing special and the various toppings hid the taste of the squid rather than complimented it.

Finally the desserts were to die for and although we were really full from our eating frenzy, we had to make room.  There are usually two dessert offerings per evening and our choices were a key lime pie or chocolate pecan bourbon mousse each served in a jar.  All the men went for the key lime pie which was just the right combination of tart and sweet (of course I had to taste!), while the women flocked towards the chocolate option.   It has been said that chocolate has a special effect on women and this was definitely proven true on this occasion.  The reaction we all had when we dug into the intensive rich dark chocolate mousse which was perfectly laced with a trace of bourbon was profound and unanimous.  The crunchy pecan and graham cracker crumble topping just added to the whole experience.  All original deals of sharing our desserts 50/50 with the men went out the window with that first taste.

Surprisingly, while it does have a vast variety of beers, bourbons, liquours and even sugar cane Mexican Coke as beverages, Grand Electric does not serve coffee.  Given the crowds and demand for tables, I guess they don't really want you to linger after the meal.  So instead they direct you to the cool coffee house across the street.  By the way, if you don't make it into the first sitting, you are not expected to stand in line for hours.  They take your cellphone number and call you when your table is ready.   We'll have to go back sometime to try the things we missed on the menu.

Zazzu Hot Cones at Mad Italian

 Ever wonder what a gelato place does to make money through the winter?  The Mad Italian Gelato Bar has come up with a great concept - the Zazzu Hot Cone.  This is a cross between a pizza slice and a panzerotto that is rolled up to look like an ice cream cone.  The cone is topped with crunchy, nicely charred cheese while the contents are smothered with a tasty tomato sauce.

Different options include classic pizza combinations such as Margarita, Pepperoni & cheese, Hawaiian or Prosciutto & mushroom.  There are also more elaborate combinations including BTO (bacon, tomato, caramelized onion), turkey & pesto, eggplant parmigano, Mediterreanea (grilled veggies with goat cheese and olives).  Most of the cones cost $5.49. For $8.99 you can get a combo with a hearty serving of arugula & paramesan salad or minestrone soup.  Or even better, we found a groupon giving us 2 zazzu cones and salad for $8.

We took advantage of the unusually gorgeous sunny 20 degree March weather to dine on the outdoor patio and then finished the meal by sharing a small gelato mixing two flavours - coffee and ferrare roche.  It was perfect! 


Mad Italian
1581 Bayview Ave.
589 College St.

Caledonian Scottish Pub

We missed that major Scottish celebration Robbie Burns Day by a couple of weeks, but we finally made it out to the "The Caledonian" on College St West at Ossington Ave.  Its website claims that it is the only authentic Scottish pub in Toronto, specializing in traditional cuisine and offering over 100 varieties of malts and blends.

Rich went for the Caledonian 80 Shilling which seems to be one of the more popular ones since there is a sign advertising it in the front window.  It was a traditional Scottish ale which Rich found to be smooth and creamy.   It even has its own website (www.caledonian80.com).

We started off with a classic starter, the "Scotch Egg", which is a hard boiled egg that is surrounded by a layer of ground pork, and then covered with breading and deep fried.  The yolk in Caledonian's version was slightly under cooked which made it moister, and came with a delicious mustard-mayo aioli .  It recently was voted best new pub snack by Eye Magazine.

We also wanted to try the Scottish national dish of haggis, which many people shy away from without ever trying because of its description.  By definition, haggis is a savoury pudding containing  a combination of ground lamb (including the heart, liver, lungs), oats,  spices, onion and stock, which is encased in stomach lining.  Haggis should take marketing lessons from the sausage or hotdog, which ultimately is not that different.   We tried a variation which consisted of battered haggis fritter balls accompanied by thin crispy parsnip chips and a light gravy.  This is a good novice introduction to haggis since deep fried batter makes anything seem more innocuous.

After two heavy fried appetizers, the Caley Salad was a nice reprieve for both the stomach and the conscience. The salad was chock-ful of flavours, combining mixed greens, roasted pear and cranberries to add a sweet taste, fresh green apple slices to give a bit of tartness, toasted almonds and goat cheese for saltiness and a tangy apple cider vinaigrette to top it all off.

Then it was back to the fried food with the haddock fish and chips.  The fish was lightly battered and not greasy, while the fries where thin, crispy and served with malt vinegar.  All in all, this was a very satisfying meal although to exactly diet food.  We felt far too guilty at this point to even consider the deep-fried Mars bar on the dessert menu.

Urban Eatery in Eaton Centre

Lately I've been hearing so much about the "fancy" Urban Eatery food court in the lower level on the Dundas St side of the Eaton Centre.  Over the holidays, we finally had a chance to check it out for ourselves. 

 Our first impression was how big this food court was, covering what felt like the span of a long city block.  We went at lunch time on a Wednesday between Christmas and New Years, when presumably many of the office workers would be on vacation.  But the place was packed despite its size, brimming with Boxing Day bargain hunters.  The decor was more modern and upscale than the usual food court with a bright fire engine red theme. There were a variety of seating choices ranging from traditional cafeteria styled chairs, to funky "S Chairs" to tall bar stools.

 On our first quick pass, we felt a bit disappointed as we saw all the standard fast food joints that can be found in any food court such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Manchu Wok, A&W, Subway Sandwiches.  Yet even these low-end stalls sported a classier look and feel with their more subdued shiny chrome decor.  However the phrase "You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear" comes to mind.

On closer inspection we realized that these were interspersed with higher-end eateries such as Amaya Express Gourmet Indian food (which seems to be popping up everywhere), Big Smoke gourmet burgers, Urban Herbivore for vegetarians, Crepe de Licious and Froshberg Gelato, to name a few. 

 With so many options to choose from, it was hard to decide what to eat.  It was a cold day but we didn't want a huge heavy meal after all that Christmas eating.  We picked a place called "Rare" mostly because the big plastic soup tub hanging from the ceiling caught my eye.  I went for a wild mushroom soup and a nicoise salad (my favourite salad with tuna, beans, olives, hard boiled egg & tomato).  The soup was hearty and delicious but the salad was a huge disappointment since the lettuce was limp and wilted.  In retrospect, we should have gone for their specialty which was rare roast beef sandwiches.. lesson learned.

One point of note is the Urban Eatery's stance on environment preservation with the use of non-disposable cutlery and serving containers.  My soup and salad were served in reusable plastic bowls and came with stainless steel cutlery.  After eating your meal, you are to bring your dishes to a deposit area where cafeteria staff await to empty out your food remnants and send the bowls, dishes, knives, forks and spoons off for cleaning.  We didn't order a drink so I'm not sure if your water or pop or coffee would come in reusable cups as well.  While this seems like a noble endeavour, it's hard to imagine this being cost effective.  So let's see if it lasts or if will just be a fleeting gimmick for this "upscale food court".