As Mythology’s pictures mingled their way into my Instagram
feed, the gorgeous looking plant-based dishes drew me in and created a sense of
excitement. When I heard the restaurant was started by Chef Doug McNish, a well-known
vegan chef in Toronto, it sealed the deal… plans were made and a reservation
was secured.
Mythology promises an elevated
dining experience. Indeed, the esthetics of the dining room with its black,
white, and gold motifs gave the restaurant a polished air. The menu’s enticing dishes,
spanning multiple continents, also made the place stand out.
As an amuse bouche was presented, we knew… oh yes, Mythology
wants to transcend into fine dining. Yet, this first bite also foreshadowed the
meal to come: dishes that look great, contain A LOT of ingredients, and then
one or two things throws it completely off.
This first bite of pickled zucchini with tomato pesto and
garlic chip - it tasted fine, but the garlic “chip” was so chewy that it’d be
more aptly described as garlic jerky, leaving a strong lingering taste in my
mouth.
Without the menu, it’d be hard to even recite all the
ingredients that are part of each dish: their crab croquette special ($21) sat
beneath so many garnishes and chips that it felt fussy and confusing. Such a
shame, as the actual banana blossom cake was absolutely delicious, the texture
oddly like crab, and the chayote relish, when used in small doses, was great.
The zaatar
cauliflower ($20) felt like a similar dish and while it also had a lot of
different elements, they at least complemented each other. Fluffy falafels are
shaped into pucks and deep fried, then enhanced with sweet pomegranate, citrusy
tahini, and fresh quinoa taboloui. The
only downfall was the actual cauliflower seems secondary… really, this should
be renamed as ‘falafels and cauliflower’.
As soon as the coq au
vin ($22) was presented I knew something was off. Somehow the dish that’s
synonymous with slowly braised meat in red wine arrives looking like a deep
fried chicken cutlet? Sure enough, the seitan chicken was cut too thickly and
along with the garlic mashed potatoes made for a heavy feeling meal.
Maybe French cuisine just doesn’t lend itself to being vegan
– after all, it’s a cuisine that relies so heavily on butter, cheese, and meat.
If the chefs sliced the seitan thinner
and reimagined the dish as schnitzel –
substituting the pastrami carrots and rapini with braised cabbage – it may
actually work.
Of all the dishes, the one I thought Mythology would ace was
the mushroom ravioli ($24). I’ve been to other vegan restaurants that makes
great mushroom pastas with cashew based cream sauces. While the porcini cream
sauce was spot on, in terms of flavours, it was too gluey and the pasta forming
the ravioli was also so thick that the consistency resembled leftover pasta
re-heated in the microwave. Similar to the crab croquette, the dish was then
further ruined by having way too much stuff on it: hazelnut crumbs, garlic
chips, baby greens, and truffle lemon vinaigrette?! All things that do nothing
to help the ravioli.
When we saw the avocado and tuna tartare ($13) it was stunning.
The “egg” yolk, which actually oozed, was also so impressively recreated. But
then we bite into it and are repulsed by the saltiness, to the point we had to
send the dish back.
We’re advised that it’s because the tomato is cured in salt so
the texture changes to represent tuna. In my mind, couldn’t that also be done
by simply pressing the tomato? At the very least, rinse off the cured tomato
before using it. It was so salty that after one bite of the dish, it threw us
off on the seasoning of everything else. After the shock to the taste buds, the
next dish seemed bland.
Not all the dishes were disappointing, some of the tastiest
ones were also the simplest. We all loved the panisse ($8; not pictured as it came out terrible), which is listed
as a side on the menu but could easily work as a starter. The deep fried wedges
tasted like mozzarella sticks, but finishes lighter and left us wanting more.
Who would have thought that king oyster mushrooms could be
made to look like calamari ($14)? Indeed, biting into it you can tell it’s not
seafood, yet the texture is uncannily similar. Served freshly fried with the
crispy garlic cornmeal crust and cooling tartar sauce, we loved it so much we
got another order.
It’s then we discovered portion sizes are inconsistent: the
first such a mammoth mound of large calamari pieces filling most of the board, while
the second serving barely covered the middle and the pieces puny like it was made
with the leftover ends.
I can’t help but feel I was tricked into eating at Mythology
by great marketing – kudos to their Instagram photographer. Even with the
terrible experience, I can’t help but want the restaurant to succeed. Hence, I
offer two words of advice: keep it simple and restrict garnishes to three
items; and if the dish doesn’t fill the initial vision, pivot and change it
into something else. I sincerely hope it gets better from here, Toronto needs
more meatless fine dining options.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1265 Queen Street West
Address: 1265 Queen Street West
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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!
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