THE HARBORD ROOM – CLOSED

To celebrate the launch of Zomato in Toronto, the company has been inviting bloggers from all over the city for meet-ups at some great restaurants (ie. Pai). The events are small, under 20 people and really gives everyone a chance to meet each other, put a face behind Twitter handles and share a great meal. Over dinner at The Harbord Room, I had the chance to meet some awesome Toronto food bloggers and the conversation was restaurant-centric.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

The Harbord Room assembled a special set dinner with wine pairings that was an excellent sample of their menu. Local, seasonal ingredients were highlighted each wine complimented the course. We started with a chestnut and chorizo soup, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and sheep’s milk cheese that was thick, savoury and nutty. This was a great fall dish that was filling and had rich flavours.

Our second course was a refreshing grouper ceviche with coconut, basil, papaya, avocado, cashie and radish. The abundance of toppings kind of buried the grouper itself. I liked the nuttiness from the fresh radish and the bottom layer of avocado cream. For our entree, we were treated to a roast Quebec partridge pot pie with a duck fat crust, wild mushrooms and topped with a thin slice of foie gras. Served alongside this decadent creation was cauliflower gratin and charred squash with pomegranate. Personally, I found this course too rich. Compared to the previous grouper, the pot pie was on the heavy side, lots of fat, gravy and while delicious, I needed breaks in between bites. The slice of foie gras also added to the richness of the fish. I love foie gras and even for me the dish all together was a bit too much. Between the two sides, the cheesy, garlicy cauliflower gratin was amazing.

Dinner ended with a glass of Barbeito Malvasia, a sweet wine, paired with a complicated dessert. There was a scoop of ox blood plum ice cream and ginger snaps, on top of a baked pumpkin custard, topped with candied walnuts. I enjoyed the tartness of the ice cream and the sweetness of the walnuts. As for the custard and ginger snaps, they didn’t do much for me.

Overall, each dish at The Harbord Room was complex, built layers of flavour and the wine pairings showed off an impressive cellar. It was a great meal at a classic Toronto restaurant to celebrate a great new service for Toronto foodies. In the short time since the Zomato team has been in Toronto, they’ve truly worked to explore the city’s food scene and culture. I’m excited to see how they continue to expand and evolve.