While
there are tons of Italian restaurants in the York Mills/Lawrence area in North
York, Francobollo stands out with their fancy contemporary décor … it’s the
place to go to for a nice date night or a swanky evening with the ladies. The
restaurant is also about the little touches - like the soft focaccia
accompanied by a mini bottle of warmed olive oil. While storing the oil in a
warm place causes it to spoil faster, this wasn’t a problem at Francobollo as
the golden oil tasted bright and vibrant.
Sitting
by the kitchen we could smell the arancini ($16) as it was prepared, how
intoxicating the aroma can be for deep fried, smoked provolone smothered
products. The arancini’s coating was thin and after breaking through we're greeted with soft risotto rice flecked with wild mushrooms and laced with
truffle oil. The starter was good, especially with the hearty tomato sauce that’s thick enough so the crispy balls don’t get soggy.
The burrata
($23) was a sizeable portion, the cheese’s lovely creamy consistency going well
with the juicy heirloom tomatoes dressed with basil, thickened balsamic, and
olive oil. However, I could have done without the plum pieces, which were hard
and somewhat sour and detracted from the dish.
First
introduced as a special of the day, the lobster pappardelle ($29) has become a
permanent fixture. I can see why the dish was popular: the thick egg noodles
are done perfectly and the spicy rose sauce adding just a hint of heat and the
perfect consistency to completely cover each noodle. Moreover, Francobollo
doesn’t skimp on the lobster; with the concave dish, it’s sizeable portion of
pasta as well.
Assuming
the restaurant has access to fresh fish daily, they should consider adding the grilled
whole orata ($39) to the menu as well. While
the kitchen will filet the fish for you, there’s something about having the
meat stay intact on the bone that makes it juicier and more flavourful. So, I
asked for it to be left whole and did the work myself.
The orata
was nice and flaky, but since the plate was very hot, the bottom of the fish became
overcooked by the time I got to it. To be fair, the kitchen already placed it
on top of garlic smashed potatoes, roasted parsnips, asparagus, and rapini (to
keep it from directly touching the plate). Short of removing the fish and
putting it another plate when served, it’d be difficult to stop it from becoming
overdone – something that would happen if you’re sharing the fish, especially
since it’s a significant portion.
While my
husband and I were both stuffed, we continued with dessert to keep the evening
going. The mille-feuille ($9) crispy
pastry and custard layers were well-balanced, but the dessert could have
forgone the raspberry coulis. Meanwhile, the tiramisu ($12), although very creamy,
was too sweet and didn’t incorporate enough espresso to balance out all the mascarpone.
Despite
the average desserts, the rest of the meal was delicious and Francobollo has
now joined the rotation for date-night dinners in the neighbourhood.
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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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