Dining
at Claudio Aprile's Colborne Lane was one of my first forays into fine dining
and tasting menus – a magically delicious experience where ice cream is made
with nitrogen and puffs of foam cover meats. Hence, when it was announced that
Origin King would be re-opened as Copetín and Aprile would be serving “inventive
and elevated” cuisine, I was smitten.
Waiting
about a month after the opening date - to give the restaurant the opportunity
to work out any kinks – the dinner finally arrived. My first taste of Copetín’s
creations wasn’t innovative at all, rather a complimentary Parker House roll that
was nonetheless delicious: warm, fluffy, and as buttery as any brioche.
Told
that the restaurant’s la plancha octopus
($17) was a popular dish, we had to try it. The grilled octopus wasn’t exactly
soft and tender, but I don’t mind a bit of chewiness if it means fuller flavour
seafood. All the accompanying items were light and summery including a crunchy jicama
salsa, grapefruit segments, orbs of compressed cucumber, mint (this was a
little heavy), and rich thick crème fraiche. Even the green curry paste was
rather refreshing on account of it being served “raw”, where the spices weren’t
cooked.
Be
sure to get enough of the shaved dried cured egg yolk that tops the beef
tartare ($17) – it’s delicious having a light smoky flavour and a Parmesan
cheese texture except creamier. You’ll need it as the fried pasta chips are
rather bland, which is understandable if the tartare is flavourful, but even
the beef is mildly spiced with beef fat vinaigrette (likely not to cover the
delicate pickled chanterelles). All in all, both starters weren’t
out-of-this-world, but still good interpretations of the classic dishes.
As for
the mains, there were hit and misses. The worst dish had to be the ricotta gnudi ($26), even though it looked and
smelt amazing (compliments of the regianno broth). As it’s presented, I
expected the gnudi to be soft, but
the texture was almost sticky and felt like we were eating semi-cooked raw
dough. There’s many ways it could be improved: made smaller so it cooks through
or even if it were just hotter, who knows. Once I added the little bits of
asparagus from the sea bream into the pasta, it tasted better.
Curious
how the dish should taste, a quick research brings up a popular rendition from
The Spotted Pig in New York. As Serious Eats describes, “It felt almost like an
under-inflated water balloon, a thin, thin skin that seemed impossibly delicate
with a liquid center. I bit into it and felt the rush of warm savory sheep’s
milk ricotta burst into my mouth.” At Copetín there’s no liquid centre and it’s
more savoury dough than ricotta.
One
staff member raved about the ricotta gnudi
being her favourite dish while serving. Afterwards, she came back to inquire
how we liked it. I had to be honest … the raw dough texture was just off
putting. Perplexed, she noted it didn’t sound right as the texture’s not
normally so mushy. Alas, she also didn’t do anything to correct for it either –
no replacement dish that’s prepared correctly or offer to take it off our bill.
While
the triple seared Australian wagyu
striploin ($59) was decent for a steak, for wagyu
it was disappointing. The Australian version pales in comparison to their
Japanese counterpart, with no indication of marbling – the steak was so lean it’s
no different from an aged Black Angus. Moreover, blue cheese is an ingredient
that needs to be called out on the menu. With a love/hate relationship for
many, it’s still rare that I actually like the sharp tangy cheese. Accordingly,
it would be nice to know it’d be mixed into the smoked parsnip puree as it probably
would have changed my decision on ordering the dish.
Luckily,
the seafood mains were much better. The sea bream ($35) had a wonderful crispy skin; the fish’s meat was flaky and flavourful. On the bottom, the diced
potato, clams, and asparagus medley was nice … all ingredients that go well
with sea bream. While the corn veloute
was a good choice as a sauce, it really needed more saffron as it left no taste
or aroma. Despite the menu describing the dish as also incorporating chorizo
and olive, it was surprisingly light tasting and overall needed more seasoning.
Of all
the mains, the most impressive were the sea scallops ($39) – seared beautifully
and under cooked so it remained sweet and soft. The Thai curry sauce was
flavourful and fragrant, the spiciness balanced against the seafood’s
sweetness. Moreover, there was contrast in textures with the kale chip and crisp
taro root rosti on the bottom. Forget
about everything else, I could have just eaten the scallops with coconut rice
and been happy.
In
time, Copetín will offer a tasting menu at the kitchen counter – you simply
call in to discuss budget and menu preferences and the chef will create
something special. Sadly, after our mediocre meal, even the promise of a
customized menu isn’t something I’m dying to return for. Maybe it’s because I
was too excited for the experience to begin with, hoping to re-live the Colborne
Lane days. Or perhaps it’s due to staff members hyping up the experience too
much - from the moment we walked in every dish was amazing or the best thing
ever… the enthusiasm is great when the food can meet expectations, but makes
things worse when it can’t.
In
fact, it’s partly why we chose the caramelized tres leche cake ($13) for dessert. After a staff member implored us
to save room to try the rosehip bavoir,
the same person who loved the ricotta gnudi,
I knew we didn’t have the same taste so went with the safer option instead.
The tres leche was a decent ending:
there was a nice char on the cake, the mole
gelato an interesting sweet & savoury combination, and the caramelized
bananas & smoked peanuts adding some crunch.
Note
to self: visit new restaurants with low expectations - don’t get too excited and
definitely don’t let past experiences create anticipations. In my defence, Copetín’s
website is also misleading, describing the cuisine as “inventive”. Having tried
seven of the fifteen dishes, nothing stuck out as unique – octopus, beef
tartare, and steak are all popular dishes on many menus.
Instead,
the website is better off explaining that Copetín means community; as Chef
Aprile explained in various interviews, it’s a drop-in casual environment he
hopes to create in the new restaurant. I can see Copetín meeting this mandate, its
King East location is central and staff members are welcoming and friendly. So
maybe you’re not going for inventive or elevated food, but you’ll find a few
good dishes and certainly a beautiful comfortable environment to enjoy them in.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 107 King Street East
Address: 107 King Street East
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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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