Showing posts with label deviled egg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deviled egg. Show all posts

Té (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, May 28, 2022 by

There’s a cheekiness to Té that I enjoy. The French flair added to “tea” to form their name, the unexpected breezy décor that flies in the face of traditional Korean restaurants, or even the silent black and white Sailor Moon that graces the television in their bar area. Té is different and certainly won’t please everyone.

Starting with the rustic look of their kimchi devilled eggs ($7 for 3). The yolks are mixed with sesame oil and kimchi paste, instead of creamy mayonnaise, creating a stiffer paste to pipe back into the egg white. I could certainly taste the nutty oil that always makes my taste buds sing, but would have liked more of the gochujong as there wasn’t much heat to the egg. In fact, aside from the sesame oil these tasted like any other deviled egg. Swapping the bacon bits for chopped kimchi may give it that element it’s missing and make the dish vegetarian-friendly to boot.

Similarly, the kimchi was lost within the ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan mixture in the toasted kimchi ravioli ($13). Chances are any ingredient wouldn’t be able to hold up against the swiggle of honey wasabi pesto piped on top of the crispy ravioli as the wasabi was so pungent and overpowering. Some reviewers rave about this dish, but I found the panko crust made it too dry and the pasta was overly chewy. It’s not one I’d order again.

The bulgogi sliders ($15) were good with a pile of thinly sliced sweet-soy marinated sirloin topped adorned with a perfectly cooked quail egg, which is runny so makes for a messy first bite. The sliders would be even better if there wasn’t wasabi in the mayo (Té’s chef certainly loves wasabi) and the buns were warm and toasted.

If you really want to try the bulgogi I’d opt for one of the main dishes instead. Té’s bi bim bap ($17) follows a traditional recipe where the beef is accompanied by cold sesame-marinated vegetables and a fried egg. They swap out the white rice for nuttier purple rice instead and Té’s sweet chili sauce is thicker and spicier than other ones I’ve tried.

Sadly, the bi bim bap wasn’t presented in the typical hot stone bowl. That vessel is so important as it creates the crust on the bottom of the rice and the heat warms up the cold garnishes and sauce so that once everything is mixed together the flavours really melt and meld together.

There’s plenty of bulgogi on top of their mac and cheese ($18) and the pasta was excellent as well. I enjoyed the creamy gooey cheese sauce and the parmesan panko crisp on top adds a lovely textured crunch for those who want an extra pop of flavour.

Other stand-out dishes were the following small plates. The braised pork crostini ($14) features a juicy hunk of five spice-soy marinated pork belly that seeps into the crusty toasted bread. It’s simple but such a lovely bite.  

The pork belly and kimchi lettuce wrap ($14) was also a hit. In this dish, the pork belly is thinner and grilled to give it a lovely caramelized crust. Sitting on a layer of kimchi, pickled daikon, and crispy lettuce with a sweet garlicky chili paste the wrap is a lovely balanced bite and one of the better ssam I’ve had.

And you really can’t go wrong with freshly fried chicken ($9 for 2 pieces of $16 for 4 pieces) that arrives steaming hot and begging to be eaten. I’m glad Té left off the typical sweet, sour, and spicy red sauce and kept the chicken lightly dusted with five spice seasoned flour. It keeps the skin crispy and the chicken was juicy enough to not require any sauce.

It’s remarkable how much they create in-house, including a handful of baked goods. The butterscotch caramel cheesecake ($6) wouldn’t have been my first choice for dessert, but I’m glad we went with our server’s suggestion as it was a nice blend of sweet and gentle saltiness, and smooth cake with a bit of crunch from the toffee bits.

For those who’d rather drink their dessert, Té has plenty of cocktails to choose from at $14.50 each. The mango black Té is their play on a mango bubble tea except spiked with Scotch for a boozy adult take on the classic drink. It’s a tad gimmicky as the drink isn’t executed well given the mini tapioca pearls are rather hard and the straw not thick enough to actually allow them to pass with the tea.

The bobaless drinks were more my style, having sampled a lovely vivid-pink strawberry with Proescco cocktail that really hit the spot and their seasonal feature drink that is almost like a mojito incorporating lemonade so that it’s extra refreshing.

As a warning, service can be a tad slow, for drinks and food, as everything is freshly made - I wouldn’t dine there if you’re in a hurry or starving. Té should consider creating a banchan platter for the table, which they could split in advance into little dishes stacked on top of one another allowing servers to just grab-and-go. Patrons may be a little pissed that they’ll be charged for it (banchan is normally complementary at Korean restaurants), but at least it will help ease the wait and can even double as a “bar snack” for cocktails. They could even add their flair to the name… parTé platter perhaps?

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 70 Ossington Avenue


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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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Succotash (Washington)

Posted on Saturday, August 03, 2019 by

Washington may lie in the north east corner of the United States, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get soulful Southern food in DC. As you walk into Succotash, it doesn’t feel like you’re in the South. Open and airy, the building was home to a former bank and the ornate details still shine through. Perhaps the second floor balcony, ringed in a wrought iron divider, pays a bit of homage to New Orleans. If it weren’t so fancy, I’d almost expect people to pelt me with plastic beads

Then you take a bite of their smoked chicken wings ($11) and you’re hit with the flavours. Arriving fairly dark, due to the spice rub, it looks almost burnt but isn’t. The chicken is tender and there’s a nice crispy skin despite seemingly being roasted. Yet, it’s the flavours that impress the most. As Colonel Sanders says, it’s finger licking good.


Succotash also offers some interesting nibbles like the deviled eggs, ordered by the piece ($1.50). The snack starts off like any deviled egg, with creamy yolk piped into egg white. But, they you’re met with a refreshing green tomato relish in the cup between the two. Whose genius idea was that?


The hush puppies ($6) are a bit denser than I expected. But, the batter was flavoured nicely and more of the green tomato relish arrives on the side, making a great condiment for the warm savoury bites.


You may want to consider sharing the chicken and waffles ($23), which arrives four pieces to an order. While the portion size is certainly impressive, the dish itself contained good and bad elements: The chicken had a lovely crispy coating and was fairly moist, but the thigh pieces were over floured leaving soggy parts and the batter could use more flavour. Luckily, we thought to ask for hot sauce.


The dish’s condiments were also a hit or miss. While the pickled okra, something I didn’t think I’d like, turned out surprisingly delicious, the waffles were too dense and mushy. I also could have done without the sprinkling of aged manchego over the chicken, it really detracted from the bourbon infused maple syrup.

Nothing quite shouts out being in the south than a side order of bacon mac ‘n’ cheese ($10). Succotash’s version is bang on in terms of flavours and the pasta isn’t overcooked. Sure, the side is decadent, but it’s not overly oily so doesn’t leave you too glutinous feeling.



You really can find a diverse mix of cuisine in the nation’s capital. At Succotash, you get a great taste of Southern food. 

 Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Washington, USA
 Address: 915 F St NW

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
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:
Succotash Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Stella! (New Orleans)

Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 1032 Chartres Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
There were high expectations for Stella! (yes their name contains an exclamation; I’m not just excited every time it’s mentioned). Having heard about it from many sources, all point out Chef Boswell’s inventiveness with his dishes. Upon visiting Stella!’s website and reading more about the Chef’s history, expectations rose from his global experience and working with the “who’s who” of the culinary world – including Iron Chefs (Hiroyuki Sakai and Chin Kenichi) and Chef Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea, just to name a few.

With a choice of a seven-course tasting menu ($125) or four-course prix fixe ($85) we decided to go with the smaller of the two, and found it was more than enough food to satisfy us. An amuse arrived first, which tasted like chicken pot pie in a mousse form on top a cracker … not a bad start. 


A selection of breads arrived next and with it the most delicious brioche. Served piping hot, the addition of duck fat into the dough was the highlight. Not an ounce of butter was required as the aroma and flavours from the duck fat already permeated the brioche. When they inquired whether we’d be interested in a second helping of the bread we of course had to oblige!  


It was surprising how much “Cajun” caviar topped the deviled egg. At first I expected it to be spiced on account of the “Cajun” description.  In reality, the caviar is made by the Louisiana Caviar Company which nicknamed their bowfin roe with this unique name. The roe is smaller than and not as strong as typical caviar but still has that briny flavour.  When the egg was eaten as served (with just the caviar) it was a tad plain (if you can call caviar and black truffle flavours plain). But once you mix in the brioche croutons, sour cream cubes, red onion and chives surrounding the plate it added the necessary crunch and flavours. The foam beside the egg really didn't add much and felt a bit unnecessary, if anything I’d would have liked a truffle aoili with it. 


Similarly, the grouper by itself was rather bland, albeit cooked perfectly. Once mixed with the buttery blue crab on the bottom or the sweet bean sauce on the side it wasn't bad. A pile of swiss chard accompanied the grouper and was decent but admittedly my favourite part of the dish was the succulent blue crab under the fish. Although I didn’t try it, my friends who ordered the pork belly raved about their dish so is a potential alternative if you’d rather have something stronger and decadent.


A popular dish that appears to be a staple on their ever changing menu is the tasting of duck five ways. There’s the safe wonderfully roasted breast with crispy skin topped with sweet sauce and the tender and savoury confit leg. But, Stella! also includes an inventive miso soup (smells so much like duck but still tasted like miso with shredded duck in it), a foie gras wonton (a sweet creamy centre against a crispy wonton skin), and a mushu pancake (nothing extraordinary but still good flavours and crunch). Having had so much duck in my life, I thoroughly enjoyed the array of textures and tastes being offered on this dish, the definite highlight of my meal.


To end, the Thai tea tres leches, a strong recommendation from our waitress, was a great dessert. Essentially a sponge cake that has been soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream it’s a moist and tasty dish. The flavour profile of the dessert was complex with hints of coconut, sweet mango and an herby essence from the Thai tea. It also had an intriguing aroma that I couldn’t place at the restaurant but upon learning more about pandan (a Southeast Asian plant) from Wikipedia, I realize it may have been from this plant which gives food a nutty, floral and bread like smell.


A plates of petit fours were brought out at the end – earl grey cream filled fleur-de-lis chocolates, truffles, a dulce de leche cookie (my favourite of the four) and a blackberry jelly. Aside from the cookie, I found the rest were too sweet for my taste. But, perhaps I was being picky as by the end of the meal I was stuffed and didn’t need anything else. However, it was, as always, a thoughtful and appreciated gesture.


The dining room is intimate and elegant with thick crisp linens and plush posh chairs. Stella! is one of the expensive restaurants in the city but the décor and service matches. Our waitress described each dish so well, I could have listened to her forever with the delicious imagery she paints. Although a couple of my dishes could have been better, I was nonetheless happy with the experience and glad we ate here. 



Stella! was certainly different from the other restaurants we ate at and I thoroughly appreciated the global take on local ingredients (French and Asian being the most prominent). If you’re looking for a place to have an unhurried meal where you can enjoy the experience of eating and conversing, Stella! would be the place to visit in New Orleans.

 Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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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!



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