My second and last place to check out during this year's Summercilious.
We randomly decided to try it out for our Saturday lunch. To be honest I was always intrigued by the place, because of it's name and location but the long white table cloths and wine glasses intimidated my friends last time and we never made it inside.
APPEARANCE
pale, hint of green
A small, cute corner restaurant in the heart of Queen West, leon-lit name, some plants seen though the reflective glass front.SWIRL
mineral acidity, hints of tropical fruit
Once
inside, it is definitely not intimidating. Yellow walls, some
paintings, round chairs and white table cloths on one side, dark-red
walls, custom-made angular booths with mirrors on the other side and
along the bar. Quite the contrasting mix of styles - adult & child?
We
had made a reservation earlier this morning, so we were asked to sit
ourselves on the back patio - which is kind of hidden and out of the
way, through a dark tunnel. Once there it is small, intimate and cosy. Again, flowers and lots of green, not very maintained, but
natural. There was a tall, old staircase in the middle, leading to
nowhere (really) along Peter Street - perhaps where Peter Pan learned to
fly.NOSE
light, herbaceous
We
sat down at a relatively small, circular table near the street side,
with the sun peaking through the leaves. We picked our items out of
their fixed menu. I asked for the Wild Mushroom Strudel, while cheri got
the Sesame Chicken Salad. For our main, I got the Chilled Poached
Salmon, and cheri had their Southern California Soft Taco. To go with our
food and this warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, I decided to ask our
waiter of his advise. He didn't have much of an opinion when it came to
wine choices, just said the obvious. So I went with a glass of Lindesmans
Semillion Chardonnay, while cheri had a class of Argentinian Malbec.Not a long wait at all, we got water instantly, followed by warm slices of bread and our wines. Our waiter was a very simple, humble guy (casually dressed too) and not much into talking, but did a great job keeping our meals coming throughout. I can't complain. Our charming (at first) spot turned out to be very noisy with the bus de-tour on Peter Street.
PALATE
crisp, clean, racy acidity
My
Mushroom Strudel was pretty good, however a lot more pastry than
filling. I think it was microwaved and the tarragon sauce was a bit too
intense for me. Cheri's salad of mixed greens topped with chili glazed
sesame chicken was great - light, tender and flavorful. Our mains arrived
soon after. My Salmon was really chilled ( I guess for convenience
purposes) I was not a fan of that, especially having the skin left on
it. (grossed me out a bit) The grilled asparagus was the best part. There was also a small pile
of pear, mango mix - refreshing, I enjoyed its addition. Cheri's
California Soft Tacos with pulled smoked chicken was impressive, unlike
its presentation. Cooked in a root beer BBQ sauce and with
cheddar and guacamole, I wished it was more than just one. Accompanied with a side of plain mixed greens, the
chicken was a bit dry.
Lastly, we ordered our desserts.
I asked for the waiter's advise and he pointed me to the Chocolate
Fudge Brownie and cheri - their Tiramisu. And so, they quickly
made their way to us. Nicely presented with flower leaves on
top, my brownie was probably store bought (or so I hope). It was dry,
bready, cold and tasteless. Cheri's tiramisu was a bit too mushy, but
overall pretty good. (perhaps home-made)FINISH
sour, undeveloped
All bus noise was an obvious accident waiting to happen. And it did next day - the result was a TTC buss crashing into a building just a few meters down the street. A necessary evil, to save the cute, back patio ambiance.
Any restaurant wanting to do well, should put their best foot forwards on Summerlicious. I don't know why they wouldn't?! Microwaved and store-bought dishes are out of question. - that is my advise for naive little Peter Pan.
overall... a typical Sauvignon Blanc.
