As an avid foodie living in Toronto, I should feel grateful and blessed that this Michelin Guide City of ours offers some top notch food at a very reasonable price point when compared to some of its overseas Michelin peers!
Luncheon venue today was at one of Hong Kong’s most popular and hottest table, the Michelin 1* establishment MONO, specialising in South American cuisine! They also boasted to have the BEST tasting Sour Dough Bread in town!!
The outcome was unforgettable in both positive and negative ways!…..the latter even receiving wrath from some local foodies when I mentioned them on my Facebook page! Ha!
The interesting and varied menu indeed featured some unique and intriguing fare. This was augmented by some gimmicky but educational table side presentation and preparation by the wait staff of ingredients ( chili, root vegetables etc ) imported from South America.
Sadly, for me, a major negative downside was the seemingly overpriced and apparent price gouging of their supplement add-ons and upgrades. A whopping CAD85+ supplement for a single, finger size morsel of Danish Langoustine ( though delectable with the Cocoa foam ) and a CAD50+ add-on for an unimpressive piece of, Mandarin orange size, Argentinian grass-fed beef!
From where I reside, I have never encountered such a hefty price supplement for such a tiny piece of food! Rare and uncommon but NOT that rare and costly!
( The closest experience was a CAD$55 surcharge for two thumb-size Norwegian King Crab meat at Montreal’s Joe Beef! )
Overall, the total dining package experience was commendable and enjoyable. The pleasant and creative food served was lovingly prepared, artistically plated, tasty and embraces elements of surprise and uniqueness. BTW, the crunchy crusted,
pillowy soft sour dough bread was indeed laudable and praise worthy!
The impeccable service was also most friendly, attentive and professional. However, at over CAD400 per person, this Michelin 1* luncheon, though good, was IMO steep and overrated! For lunch, and at this price point or less, one could dine quite lavishly in Michelin 2 or 3 star establishments in San Sebastian, Paris, Tokyo and New York!
( To be fair, the hefty CAD400 price tag did include a share of my friend’s brother unannounced full blown CAD$140+ wine pairing, which he simply took the liberty in asking our server to divide the bill in 3 resulting our having to shoulder 1/3 of the price!…….though a relatively small amount but out of courtesy and even respect, he should at least let us ( me ) know!!
BTW, my friend and I only had a CAD$35 glass of wine each! )
Lesson learned!
