My first winterlicious stop this year was dinner at Auberge du Pommier. This is my second visit to the restaurant, the first being years ago during a summerlicious. While the restaurant has been deemed overpriced/overrated by some, both meals I’ve enjoyed were excellent and based on my limited experience, they remain one of my top picks for the Licious event. I’d like to visit during their regular service to compare expectations and value.

Atmosphere: One of my biggest gripes about the Licious events is how restaurants tend to be overwhelmed with volume, which often leads to missed details and sloppy service. This was not the case at Auberge. Dining at Auberge feels like being invited to a fancy dinner party. The dining room was elegant, simply decorated, dim, intimate and romantic. I loved how tables were placed on an angle throughout the room to provide a sense of privacy, you’re not directly facing or next to a stranger. Complimentary coat check was provided and the foyer is separated from all the dining areas.

Service: Our server was efficient and unobtrusive. I hardly noticed when she re-filled wine glasses. She also made sure we were stocked with bread. Each course arrived quickly with short lulls in between and the entrees were served on hot plates. After the meal, we lingered at our table over coffee and there was no rush for us to leave.

Food: Cozy, elegant atmosphere and topnotch service aside, the reason I come back to Auberge is the food. For $45 (comparable to $75-$100 a la carte), the three course meal is a steal. Each dish was plated beautifully with different colours and textures. Every bite was delectable and portion sizes were perfect for me.

For appetizers, I ordered the Seafood Remoulade while The Fiance chose the spiced pork Terrine. Both dishes set the meal off to a great start. My crab and shrimp salad was light and flavourful with the meyer lemon aioli. I loved the halves of grape that added sweetness to some bites and the crunchiness of the croutons. Off of The Fiance’s plate, I stole a lot of his pickles. Luckily, he doesn’t eat mushrooms so those were all mine. The vegetables were lightly pickled, the perfect balance between sour and sweet. The terrine itself was rich and savoury.

More often than not, I order seafood during Winterlicious. The sea bass at Auberge met every expectation. The fish was cooked to just done, was super sweet and had a beautiful crisp skin. The Fiance’s steak was also buttery soft and the horseradish cauliflower puree provided a touch of heat. At first, I was sure it was fluffy mashed potatoes. Then there was the sauteed (buttered) spinach that deserves it’s own callout. Lots of butter.

For dessert, I chose the Chocolate dish and got to sample the cheese and beignet. Out of the three, the beignet was the strongest. It’s hard to go wrong with airy donuts, dusted in sugar and served with apple cider parfait, aka cubes of creamy goodness. My chocolate mousse was dense and rich but not overly sweet. For me, cheese is not a dessert, but the piece of aged cheddar that was served was tasty.

Overall, an exceptional dinner at Auberge du Pommier, cementing their place in my list of top Licious restaurants.

Of all the events this blog has brought me to, the invitation to spend an afternoon with Susur Lee has been, by far, the coolest experience. We spent an afternoon with Chef Lee at his restaurant Bent, learning how to make french meringue, piping our own desserts and sampling his new Veggielicious tasting menu. From watching Chef Lee on various TV shows, my impression of him was intimidating. In person however, he was beyond friendly, excited to interact with bloggers and full of energy. When we got to the “taking pictures with Susur Lee” part of the afternoon, he took us around the restaurant, finding props, joking and striking some impressive professional poses.

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

The workshop began with a visit to a home garden behind Bent. Chef Lee collaborated with his neighbour, an older Asian gentleman, who grows fresh vegetables and herbs used daily in the dishes at Bent. We snacked on goat cheese tacos made with taro chips and topped with cilantro and a slice of red chilli. An industrial stand mixer was set up and Chef Lee quickly whipped up a batch of fluffy meringue, ready to be piped into hollow bowls. He showed off his technique while talking of his previous days as a pastry chef. Then all the bloggers went to work. My bowl didn’t collapse, I counted that as a win.

Once the meringues were sent to the ovens, we had the privilege of Chef Lee serving up his famous Singapore Slaw along with his son Kai and restaurant manager. With 19 ingredients including fresh flower petals, the slaw was beautiful both visually and in its mix of flavours and textures. The dish will be coming to Bent’s menu soon, a stellar addition.

In between courses, Manuel, the bartender at Bent mixed up 2 delicious cocktails for us. First was the Karate Kid 2, a sour featuring jasmine tea infused gin, nigori sake and yuzu juice. With my love for yuzu flavoured sake, this cocktail was exactly to my taste. Manuel poured the frothy drink out and I happily drank my glass (or two). Second up was the Asian Cesar. At Bent, a good 8 Asian sauces (including chili oil, siracha, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, worcestershire and ginger juice) are added to the Clamato, which then sits with a bunch of fresh cilantro submerged overnight before being served. The drink was spicy and you could clearly taste the siracha.

Listening to Chef Lee talk about the Veggielicious menu, it was clear to see that he wanted to highlight vegetables and show off how delicious and creative vegetarian dishes can be. As a self proclaimed carnivore with a vegetarian best friend, I love finding vegetarian menus that don’t leave me wanting and this one was good. Veggielicious is a 5 course tasting menu that will run from September 9th to 20th at Bent, priced at $45 per person before tax and gratuity. Each dish does have a vegan option as well.

The first course consisted of three dips, a hummus, a spicy tomato stew and the best baba ganoush I’ve ever had. Served alongside the dips were crispy squares of baked garlic lavash, a thin flat bread. Each dip had a distinct flavour and the lavash was a great vessel for them. Second was the Tingly Chilled Soba with a presentation similar to the Singapore Slaw. Quick blanched vegetables were piled high, hiding a treasure of cold soba noodles. A tangy vinaigrette soaked the entire dish and was mixed in before serving. This was my favourite dish of the menu.

Our third course was tempura tofu and shishito peppers with a sweet chili sauce. The tofu used was firm, the tempura batter light and the peppers sweet and spicy. Our last course before dessert was a buttery, creamy wild mushroom quinoa risotto. I was surprised by how rich the quinoa was and the green beans added colour and crunchiness to each bite. The meal ended with a light, refreshing dessert of meringue, lemon curd and fresh fruit. This was the end goal of the meringues we had piped earlier and watching Chef Lee plate the dish was mesmerizing. Every course was full of Asian flavour, fresh ingredients and there was a lot of food. Veggielicious at Bent will satisfy eaters of all preferences. The menu stars vegetables and features a diverse cast from cauliflower to shitake mushrooms. Those who already love their greens will enjoy the fusion spin and those who tolerate vegetables as a side dish will see them in a new light.

A family friend recently moved back to Toronto and is living in Liberty Village. Our catch up date was the perfect opportunity to check out Porzia, which has been on my restaurant wishlist for over a year now. I always need a lot of motivation to make the trek to Parkdale but so far, every trip has been worth it.

Atmosphere: I stopped by Porzia on a Monday night to take advantage of their fixed price menu and ½ priced bottles of wine. The restaurant was softly lit and buzzed with conversation providing a cozy feel. Since it was a Monday night, the pace was relaxed and it was the perfect atmosphere for a long conversation over great food. We lingered for a good two hours with our wine. Bar stools are lined along the bar. A long bench runs along the opposite wall and tables are well spaced out.

Service: As is often the case, I was running late. Walking into Porzia, the hostess directed me to the table where my friend was already patiently waiting. Our server gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu and explained how the fixed price menu worked. Based on our order and tastes, she offered a great wine recommendation that we both enjoyed. The service was very friendly and professional.

Food: The Monday night deal is a total steal. For $33 you get an appetizer, a pasta and a main course. For two people ordering, the pasta is a larger shared portion. I’m sure I’ve already mentioned the ½ priced bottles of wine, all bottles of wine. Between the two of us, we shared the Artichoke Fritti ($10), Horse Carpaccio ($16), Cavatelli ($13 x2), Bone Marrow ($18) and Octopus ($23). The meal would have been $93 a la cart vs. $66.

To start, the portions were small. Each dish was beautifully plated on gorgeous floral tableware but if you’re seriously hungry, you’ll need to order quite a few dishes to fill up. I was happily full at the end of our meal but I feel like The Fiance would’ve still been peckish.

Our two starters set a great tone for the meal. The artichoke hearts was lightly battered, fried, sprinkled with salt and pepper and served with a basil aioli. Biting into each piece, every layer was crispy. With the horse carpaccio, the flavour was more gamey than beef but I wouldn’t have known a difference if I wasn’t told. The slices were thin and had been lightly seared on the outside. Served with fried slices of salsify and a flakey tuna added layers of texture to the dish, colour to the plating and mild flavours to balance the boldness of the horse.

The cavatelli with fresh spring peas and pancetta was one of my favourites of the night. The peas were plump and fresh, the pancetta was juicy and the whole dish was buttery goodness. The pasta itself was a touch too al dente for my taste but still delicious. I wouldn’t be able to pick a favourite between the octopus and bone marrow. Both dishes were amazing. The octopus was tender, perfectly seasoned and I loved the apple slaw. I savoured each spoonful of buttery bone marrow. Our server also brought a refill of crostini that we easily finished up. Assembled on the crostini, the snails added a nice chewiness to each bite and the cotechino provided an acidity to balance the richness of the bone marrow.

Every dish I had at Porzia was thought out, excellently executed and beautifully presented.