After a positive and negative experience at Auberge du Pommier a couple years back, a return visit was in order to see if the exemplary service continues. Glancing into the private event room at the entrance, there wasn’t an occasion on the Friday night visit, good news for us already. We were greeted promptly at the door and shown to the table right away. Service was attentive and unhurried, what you’d imagine a fine dining restaurant to exude.
With
spring came a lighter menu. The poured-at-table bouillabaisse ($24) was thick and silky, with an ingenious addition
of crispy ginger for an expected zip. The actual seafood was surprisingly scant
but well prepared: pieces of barely cooked Fogo Island cod, sweet flakes of
crab, delicate mussels, and a couple of sweet petite shrimp. The piece of
toasted pita with saffron aioli on top was a tad dry, I just stuck with the
delicious baguettes that arrive with the bread basket instead.
For
those who like cheese and fruit combinations, the camembert royale ($22) is an
interesting appetizer - half a baked apple stuffed with a creamy camembert
custard gives the dish a sweet, savoury, and tart combination. Adorned with
asparagus, artichokes and black truffle, the starter has a light but rich
quality.
While
the homard thermidor ($55) was barbecued,
the lobster wasn’t overly smoky. Additionally, despite incorporating a variety
of aromatic ingredients such as leeks, morels, Dijon Mornay and hollandaise, it
didn’t feel overdone and you could still taste the plump crustacean. Typically,
this dish is part of their tasting menu, but you’re advised every dish can also
be ordered a la carte. In this instance, Auberge should consider augmenting the
sides as the lobster really didn’t feel like a main with the meagre spears of
asparagus and cubes of potato.
The fletan ($45), part of their a la carte
menu, was a more fulsome dish. The butter-poached halibut was a hefty portion
and cooked wonderfully so it remained moist and meaty. Aside from the fish
there were so many other elements: a beautiful garlicky razor clam; a tasty but
overcooked tomato spätzle that went surprisingly well with everything; and a
buttery gasconne sauce that paired
wonderfully with the fish. All the flavours were great with the halibut, which
is normally such a neutral fish.
None
of the desserts were enticing so we stuck with the tried and true cheese course,
which arrives with plenty of crostini, a berry compote, and cube of sweet
sticky honeycomb.
Choosing three French cheeses ($18), the selection had various firmness for interest: a soft Brillat-Savarin, a triple cream cow's milk cheese from Normandy that simply melted on the tongue; a semi-hard abondance that's stronger, but still not overpowering from Haute-Savoie; and the firmer comté that has an interesting almost spicy finish to it. The generous portions of each were perfect for sharing amongst two.
Choosing three French cheeses ($18), the selection had various firmness for interest: a soft Brillat-Savarin, a triple cream cow's milk cheese from Normandy that simply melted on the tongue; a semi-hard abondance that's stronger, but still not overpowering from Haute-Savoie; and the firmer comté that has an interesting almost spicy finish to it. The generous portions of each were perfect for sharing amongst two.
The petit four selection, arriving with the
bill, is such a satisfying finish. The soft and fudgy chocolate macaron was delicious, the lemon poppy seed
madeleine decent, and a chocolate truffle with a crisp shell that breaks a part
to release a whipped ganache with the consistency of butter cream frosting.
Tasty to the last bite.
I’m
glad to see Auberge’s service level hasn’t faltered. In fact, staff were so
friendly that I couldn’t help but watch interactions between a waiter and table
of three older women beside us. As they were having difficulties reading the
menus in the dim lighting, being tech savvy they took out their phones and
shone the screens on the menu. Seeing this, the waiter introduced them to the
flashlight function, much to their delight. He took the time to show each of
them how to use it and later when they stopped him again, he helped them
navigate to the light once again. A great above and beyond example,
demonstrating why Auberge continues to impress.
Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4150 Yonge Street
Address: 4150 Yonge Street
Website: http://www.aubergedupommier.com/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
- Auberge du Pommier (March 2015)
- Auberge du Pommier (October 2015)
