La Palma’s bright white building with neon sign looks
completely out of place in the neighbourhood. Amongst the other dated shops and
cozy restaurants, their airy vibe is sleek - you won’t have a problem locating
it.
To match their Miami-like décor, the menu’s lighter while
still incorporating the Italian classics. La Palma’s definitely a trendier
restaurant - there was a fair share of tables downing pink rose – you almost
feel like you have to drink something pretty against the white and pastel
backdrop.
While sipping on wine, an order of the saucisson sec and gruyere
($12) is an ideal nibbler. Pieces of cured not overly oily sausage, creamy grueyere, and roasted peppers, it’s that
pre-dinner aperitivo that makes you
sit back and slow down.
You can continue on a tapas journey with their selection of
crostini. The stracchino, cured
tomato, and oregano ($8) version is that delicious combination of oily crunchy
bread and creamy cheese that’s mellowed out with fruit and herb. La Palma’s
certainly generous with the chewy cheese, which forms a blanket of its own over
the bread.
As for the mains, the carb-based dishes are a hit. The 100
layer lasagna ($18) may be exaggerated, but there definitely plenty of sheets
of the fresh silky pasta. Having had lasagna at an Italian friend’s place
numerous times, it definitely tastes authentic. Firstly, the restaurant uses
plenty of sauce so the cheese doesn’t get overly crusty; there’s a coloured
crust, but the dairy should stay relatively hydrated and gooey. Moreover, the
ingredients are simple: fresh pasta, a meaty bolognese, milky mozzarella, and some basil for garnish is all you
need.
The potato gnocchi’s’ ($17) consistency is the perfect soft
chewiness that’s delicate but not mushy. The trick must be to keep them small
so they’ll cook quickly and allows each bean-sized pasta to be covered in
plenty of the braised oxtail sauce, creating a well-flavoured dish.
La Palma’s zucchini pizza ($15) is a must. The thin slices
incorporate creamy ricotta cheese and a bit of texture from chanterelles. A zip
of lemon really wakes up the pizza and the chewy dough with crispy edges makes
you want to inhale slice after slice.
The flat iron steak ($17) could be cooked a touch less (we
were advised it’d arrive medium rare, but it was definitely medium);
nonetheless, the beef was nicely seared and there was a fair portion to go
around. The chermoula sauce adds an
earthy freshness with a garlic, coriander, cumin, and lemon base. For those who
like chimichurri, it has a similar taste without the acidity of vinegar.
For a well-balanced meal, the restaurant offers plenty of
vegetables. I would have thought the graffiti eggplant ($13) would be a
favourite – baked charred eggplant with raisins, picked chili, and mint… sounds
heavenly already. Yet, it was so salty that all other tastes were non-existent.
Sweet raisins? Heat of the chili? Refreshing mint? Forget it.
With so many restaurants featuring cauliflower ($11) on the
menu, it’s becoming difficult to standout. La Palma uses the typical grilled
florets and adds roasted grapes (their famous addition to Campagnolo’s
burrata), but somehow grapes and cauliflower really don’t have the same iconic
pairing as fruit and cheese.
Of the vegetables, the corn and beluga lentils ($12) was my
favourite, the mixture further enhanced with chick peas, salty feta, and an
arugula pesto that’s a great alternative to the stronger basil. With parmesan
shaved on top, the dish could be a hearty salad as well as a side.
For those who have visited their sister restaurant,
Campagnolo, how does this compare? La Palma certainly has a more extensive menu
with tons to choose from. However, with the wider net there are some hit and
misses. However, their menu is definitely more vegetarian friendly and goes
with the airy atmosphere of the place.
Thinking the peach
crostata ($10) would be a lighter fruity end, the dessert was surprisingly
sweet… perhaps a bit too much honey drizzled over everything? The fruit itself
was enjoyable, but the sugary shortbread with equally sweet pastry cream was a
bit much.
So much so, that I actually enjoyed the caffe corretto mousse ($10) more – when chocolate desserts are
normally not my thing. Yet, it was well-balanced with the bitterness from the
espresso taming the chocolate. For a small portion, it’s still a rich dessert
that’s best shared.
La Palma and Campagnolo shares equally friendly and
hospitable staff. When my friend asked whether they had any doughnuts left for
dessert, our waitress noted these are made daily in the morning and once they’re
sold out it’s not replenished. However, she’d check with the kitchen to see if
there’s any remaining and would set them aside.
Indeed, three of them came out with dessert, so we could
taste the grilled hibiscus honey doughnut ($3.25) they’re known for. In the
end, although yummy, it’s just a traditional honey dip that’s grilled. Of
course, the dough is more flavourful with a lovely sweet yeasty scent, but it’s
also really dense. If they were only airier it’d be fantastic … although to be
fair, if we had them fresh in the morning it could be completely different.
The salted caramel-filled doughnut ($3.50), on the other
hand, was heaven. The pastry cream light and flavourful and the doughnut oh so
soft. To be able to shove one into your mouth and just let the cream erupt …
now that’s living the Italian dream.
Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 849 Dundas 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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