Tug away inside a buzzling shopping plaza off Eglinton, this relatively newcomer, offers some rather unique, seldom found and exotic products, imported specially from overseas by the chef-owner. These include the rare and highly sought-after Kinki Fish from Japan, Organic West coast/Alaskan King Salmon, Australian shell-on Abalone, Grass fed and/or dry aged Australian Lamb and Beef, Japanese Wagyu A5 beef, Dry aged Iberico and American Berkshire Pork…etc.
Ever since their relatively recent stealthy opening, this place has received a whole slew of very positive reviews. High praises were given to the top-notch ingredients, meticulous standard in preparing grilled meats and the extremely competitive and value-for-quality pricing.
Tonight, we decided to experience this hidden-gem first hand.
The bright, airy and cavernous modern designed restaurant that welcomed us houses two stand alone spaces. An open kitchen on the ground floor with an impressive small cold room, displaying their dry aged beef and priced Kinki fish. Ascending a flight of stairs next to the kitchen leads one to a small and cozy dining room with a surprisingly small 30 people capacity!
After a friendly welcome and quick introduction to the daily specials by our lady server. Our party of 3 ordered and shared the following:
- Fried whole Soft Shell Crab
- Chili pepper fried MonkFish nuggets
- Char-grilled 14 oz Australian Grass Fed Rib-Eye
- Braised Oxtail with Red Wine
- Duck Confit with dressed Spring Mix Salad
- Sides of Sweet Potato fries with spicy Mayo dip and Truffle
French Fries. - Japanese Strawberry Souffle Cheesecake
Overall, I would use the phrase ‘ A tale of two cities ‘ to describe the outcome of our meal.
On the one hand, we were presented with some really superlative and exemplary executed fried and grilled food. The fried items were piping hot and totally greaseless. Moisture and juices of the ingredients were completely sealed and captured.
A huge thumbs up goes to the perfectly seasoned and delectable Fried Monkfish. Savory with the right spice level, those greaseless, smoking hot and moist nuggets is one superb fried dish……the best fried fish dish I have eaten for a long long time!
The Australian Grass Fed Ribeye was cooked to perfection. Lovely crust on the outside and gorgeously rare inside as instructed. Texture of the beef was surprisingly tender ( the result of the rancher/farmer adding some Wagyu cross to the breed! ). The fairly pronounced beefy taste of the steak was welcoming….not too gamey or over-powering.
Sadly, a couple of slightly mediocre ‘ house-specialties ‘ spoiled an otherwise delightful and enjoyable meal. Both the Braised Oxtail and Duck Confit have the correct and prerequisite savory taste profile but sadly both dishes were way under seasoned and undersalt…rendering the end products one dimensional and bland. The thyme component of the Braised Oxtail dish in particular was a bit overwhelming.
Lastly, a couple of supporting casts unexpectedly provided us with some superb and wonderful surprises. The tasty and delightful dressing used for the Spring Mix Salad and the delicious, super moist and delicate Souffle Cheesecake……which was way better than ‘Uncle Tetsu’ rendition!
Highly recommended if one is in search of a venue for value-for-money, great quality and well prepared seafood and grilled meat.
