LUMA

Two years ago I ate at Luma during summerlicious and I’ve been looking for an excuse to go back ever since. For the BF’s birthday, I got us tickets to see the new Toronto production of Les Miserables and we needed to pick a dinner spot. Luma fit the bill perfectly.

Atmosphere: The dining area is spacious and surrounded by glass on the second floor of the TIFF building. I love the pendant lights, warm colours and mirror lined walls. Tables were a little tight and we could clearly hear the conversations around us. Both tables next to us were also pre-theatre diners and each couple chatted excitedly about Les Mis. A large urn behind us was decorated with an autumn theme. Despite the close quarters, our meal still felt intimate.

Service: Our server was very friendly and asked if we were on a schedule while getting our drink orders. She assured us we had plenty of time to enjoy our meal. Dishes did arrive quickly and we even had time to have a refill of the bread basket.

Food: The bread basket was served with a creamy hummus dip that warranted a basket refill. For appetizers, we shared the duck lettuce rolls. I loved the crisp, fresh bib lettuce leaves that were used and I’m glad it wasn’t romaine, which I’m not a big fan of. The asian flavours of hoisin sauce and sesame seeds complimented the richness of the duck.

We decided to order one entree each from the sea and land section of the menu. The BF had the lamb loin and I had the B.C. Lingcod. Both dishes were amazing. Between the two, my favourite was the lamb loin. The meat was cooked to a pink medium, fatty, gamey and I loved the lamb stewed quinoa. With the lingcod, the fish was flakey and the skin was seared nicely. I found the chorizo, white bean and and leek chowder a bit heavy.

Overall, Luma was as good as I remembered and delivered a great meal for a special occasion.