The restaurant sits on a street with a few of Toronto’s top advertising agencies. It’s a great location with plenty of parking around. A chalkboard sidewalk sign was the only indication that I was at the right restaurants, it’s still not hard to find though. They have a beautiful patio surrounded by short concrete walls and a dimly lit bar and dining area. The decor was a mix of rustic and authentic pieces with modern furniture and fixtures. The first thing I noticed was the friendly and attentive staff. The Zomato team (Jimena and Justin) chose an awesome restaurant to host a foodie dinner!

488 Wellington Street West, Toronto  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Website  |  Menu  |  Map

Our food adventure started with a cheese platter and daily baked breads. Accompanying the bread was a cute little ceramic planter pot of beet hummus. Beautiful and vibrant in colour, but it had a strong corriander taste from the crushed corriander seeds that were sprinkled on top. From here, we ordered a lot of shareable plates.

Next up were stuffed zucchini flowers and Serrano Ham with ‘Pan Cristal con Tomate’. There was a combination of meats and blood sausage in the zucchini flowers. It tasted phenomenal and it was well seasoned. The Serrano ham was served with  Spanish-style toast topped with fresh tomatoes. The toast was interesting. It didn’t have a crunchy texture but a chewy and soft bite. You could tell that Chef Rob put a lot of thought and detail in all the dishes. They were presented and executed beautifully and uniquely. An example of that would be the tequila ceviche cones.

It was mixed with avocado and lime, topped with tobiko. The crunchy cone was a great balance to the soft texture of the ceviche. Another beautiful seafood plate was the Dungeness crab and roasted tomato tartar. The meaty crab was placed between an avocado mixture and tomatoes. The avocado gave it a buttery texture and a strong flavour compared to the extremely subtle crab. The scallop risotto was creamy, cheesy, smoky and rich. But I thought the smoked flavour of the risotto overpowered the delicate scallop.

The desserts were exciting and rich. I tasted the cheesecake first. Creamy, thick and sweet, with berries sprinkled around. The panna cotta was beautiful, smooth and slightly lighter than the cheese cake. Finally, the Nutella creme brulee. The perfect dessert to finish the night. It was surprisingly light with a sugary and crunchy top.

Overall, the staff went over and above with service and Chef Rob’s execution and presentation of the dishes were modern and aesthetically pleasing. The atmosphere was sophisticated and comforting. I loved that most of the dishes were shareable because that’s how we usually eat at home!