Winterlicious 2013 @ Far Niente (lunch)

I'm going to keep this post short because it's really not worth my time criticizing every dish. Please excuse my dis-satisfied tone of voice with Far Niente as I am not able to word anything nicer than it already is.

complimentary bread

The soup was the most decent item on the menu that I had no complaints about. 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Hazelnut Oil, Lovage Cream

The complimentary bread I had in the beginning appears again here as if I didn't have enough. The chicken breast was dry, the 'crispy prosciutto' was not crispy nor was the 'crisp lettuce'. Avocado mousse? Not sure where that went. At least the spring mix salad with taro chips was decent. Then again, it's salad, how do you mess that up?

Italian Herb Grilled Chicken Breast “BLT” Club
Crispy Proscuitto, Pommery Tomato Puree, Crisp Lettuce, Avocado Mousse

This was the MOST pathetic dessert I EVER had. Just the presentation itself was PATHETIC. Look, just look. I was expecting at least a s'more sandwich, but instead I got a dissected s'more that was pronounced dead after it entered the surgical room, aka the kitchen. The "homemade" marshmallow was rubbery and jello like, not the soft fluffy marshmallow at all. 

Banana & Nutella S’more
Graham Crackers (should be crumbs), Caramelized Bananas, Nutella Mousse (not mousse, just nutella), Hazelnut Caramel

There, I'm done, now I need to eat something better to cheer myself up.

Final Verdict: BELOW Par

Winterlicious 2013 @ Toula (Dinner)

After hearing various positive reviews from friends, I wanted to try Toula. Located on the 38th floor of the Westin Harbour, the view had to be spectacle and it did not disappoint.
However, I can not speak the same regarding food. Originally, my most anticipated Winterlicious spot was Toula due to the large selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts. I was told if the restaurant offered the same selection on their Winterlicious menu as their regular menu then it’s hard for them to mess up. With that in mind, that’s how I made my selections.

First of all, let's talk about the complimentary bread basket. I forgot to take a picture because I was too in shocked about how terrible the bread was. The dinner roll was clearly made by someone who is baking bread for the first time because it tasted exactly like the ones I made for the first time. It was really tough, like REALLY. I can't believe how a restaurant can just deliver such un-presentable bread to its customers even if it's free.

Moving on. After we placed our order, the dishes were delivered REALLY quickly, in like 5 mins or less. In a sense, I felt I was being rushed. In that case, the dishes were probably prepared in advance and just kept warm until someone orders it. I understand that this is necessary in such high traffic food events, but at least make it less obvious. Anyways, the scallop was not overcooked, nicely seared, best dish of the night.
 

East Coast Giant Scallops “Lido”
seared with thyme and chardonnay essence, topped with warm eggplant and fresh herb mousse

Guess what I just realize... I cut away the prosciutto part thinking it was the SHELL! Omg, silly me. It did look like the shell and it was so dark I can barely see. Now to think of it, I can't judge this dish properly since I tossed away some of the components.  

Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp “Laguna”
wrapped with prosciutto di Parma DOP, drizzled with 10 year balsamic vinegar reduction on a bed or aromatic arugula salad

It's hard to see the half lobster tail here because it's drench in tomato sauce. The lobster was overbooked and tough, had no lobster taste. The pasta was slightly under-cooked  The pasta itself tasted good with the tomato sauce but not so much as a lobster pasta dish. Poorly executed, ruined a perfectly good piece of lobster.

Paccheri “San Marco” Pasta
with half fresh PEI lobster in a lightly spiced roasted plum tomato sauce

The seabass contained bones which made it very unpleasant. I hate fish with bones.

Pan Seared European Sea Bass
served with a “san gimignaino" saffron carnaroli risotto and drizzled with a warm pinot grigio and lemon sauce

I was looking forward to the dessert cause it seemed like tiramisu was something they really excelled at. It turns out that it was just so-so along with the spiced apple cake which is not shown here.


Toula Classic Tiramisu

Final Verdict: food wise it's really Par to Sub Par but if you factor in the view and the environment, I would give it Slightly Above Par

P.S. To "you know who you are" You didn't keep your promise! What a liar! Liar liar, pants on fire =P

Winterlicious 2013 @ Jump (Lunch)

Jump is one of the two O&B restaurant chain restaurants left I have yet been to. Took advantage of Winterlicious event to cross it off my list. Made reservation for lunch on the first day of Winterlicious for 11:45am, just right before the busy lunch crowd. It was only 5mins walk from my work place so it was really convenient. For $20 per person excluding tax and tip, you get a 3 course lunch meal. 

Honestly speaking, I had ZERO expectation for Jump because I heard the many not-so-great review for their any-licious menus. Even then, I still had to try it just for the sake of it, and surprisingly it turned out better than I thought. Everything was decent/good. I do suggest going for lunch instead of dinner because you practically get the same menu items only with a few changes. 

peace, just 10 mins before the crowd poured in

At first the pita chip was kind of boring and bland even with the marinara sauce. But after awhile, the taste gets to you and you would want to nibble on it more. Either the taste grows on you or I was just hungry. 

complimentary bread and pita chip? with marinara sauce

This crab cake was HUGE. It was literally between the size of a baseball and thicker than a hockey puck. There was way too much tartar sauce so I just scrapped off the excess. The crab cake turned out to be pretty good. Only downfall was that the outside could of been crispier.

Peekytoe Crab Cakeceleriac, citrus and dill pickle tartar sauce

The short rib was tender and the gnocchi was potatoey. It was quiet filling and you definitely cannot finish the whole plate alone. I shared with RY. The dish had good flavour and not salty for my tastebuds. I have low sodium tolerance.

Simmered Short Rib Ragu & Yukon Potato Gnocchi
pine nut pesto and Pecorino

RY ordered the salmon filet. The salmon was overcooked around the edges but tender near the center. Perhaps a unified cut would prevent this from happening. The red cabbage on the bottom was way too overcooked and the texture was super soft. It did not go well with salmon as there was no difference in texture. The salmon was seasoned fine just not cooked to perfection.

Broiled Atlantic Salmon Filet
mulled red cabbage, ginger and fennel salad

The carrot cake it self was not moist enough but the cream-cheese frosting had the right amount of sweetness. The orange apple compote tasted just like apple sauce. I think my carrot cake is better.

Carrot Cake
cream cheese buttercream and orange apple compote

The milk chocolate panna cotta was light and delicious. Tasted like chocolate mousse with just the right amount of sweetness. A nice end to the meal. Now I'm gonna go make my own =)

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta
cinnamon Chantilly

Going into Jump with no expectation, I surprisingly enjoyed my lunch here. Overall everything was good, nothing tasted bad.  I believe this was partially due to the fact that it was the first day of Winterlicious and the chef have yet to feel exhausted and slacked off. The service was fast, you can definitely fit it in your 1 hr lunch break.


Final Verdict: Par