Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 124 Danforth Avenue
Type of Meal: Dinner
Meals purchased off group buying sites can sometimes be a disaster, but my experience at Globe Bistro was incredible. My friend found a $149 six-course tasting menu deal for four people (the equivalent of $37 a person). The sample menu sounded delicious so we decided to give it a chance.
Address: 124 Danforth Avenue
Type of Meal: Dinner
Meals purchased off group buying sites can sometimes be a disaster, but my experience at Globe Bistro was incredible. My friend found a $149 six-course tasting menu deal for four people (the equivalent of $37 a person). The sample menu sounded delicious so we decided to give it a chance.
Walking into the
restaurant I was surprised by how spacious it was – there was a whole second
dining area in the back. With its dark décor and natural wood elements, Globe has
laid-back vibe. On the whole, the seats were comfortable, so much so that we
didn’t realize our meal lasted three hours!
Our waitress advised
the six-course tasting menu changes daily and that it would be tasted blindly
(essentially, you do not see a menu ahead of time). Of course, we were gamed
for anything and happy to go along with whatever Chef Ed Ho wanted to serve. Before
any dishes arrived, some warm soft whole wheat sour dough bread was brought out. Accompanied by a delicious fragrant
truffle butter with black pepper it was great.
Next, an amuse bouche
of crispy pork belly bites. As soon as the cube of meat hit the palate I knew I
was in for a treat. Covered with salt & a spicy togarashi spice mix and
topped with a pickled mustard, it was a delicious combination of varying
flavours. Hot and crispy, it was a superb start to the meal.
Afterwards, the first
course, a soup of zucchini purée. A brilliant green colour, it was more
intensely flavoured (had almost a seafood essence) than expected. Topped with a
drizzle of olive oil and crispy tempura zucchini blossoms the soup was a great
use of squash.
The composed salad
course was one of my favourites of the night. Rather than the typical bed of
lettuce, the salad’s base was a thick tomato purée. Sprinkled over top were
sweet spring peas, crunchy pea pods, sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes and a
crumbly goat cheese. It was another dish that expertly combined
different textures and flavours without losing the natural essence of the
ingredients themselves.
For the fish course the
Chef presented a pan fried pickerel with a great crispy skin and was done well.
Served with a carrot purée and more sweet crispy spring peas it was a light
summery take on fish. I would have liked there to be a bit more salt but all in
all not a bad dish.
Before the main
course, a peach sorbet palate cleanser was brought out. Creamier than expected,
it was also topped with a drizzle of honey that was produced on the Globe’s
rooftop … so it appears the Royal York is not the only downtown building with
beehives on top.
The main was a lovely
thick piece of Wellington County 60-day aged strip loin. Done to a great medium rare, it would have
been even better if it were served warmer. I thoroughly enjoyed the
accompanying blanched kale, sweet corn and plump mushrooms.
Before dessert was a
cheese course, a great transition between savoury and sweet. Globe served a stilton
style cheese (I believe it was a Thornloe Casey blue cheese) with white
balsamic macerated red currants and crostini. Normally, I’m not a fan of
pungent cheeses, but this one wasn’t too bad and rather creamy. Given Globe has
a rooftop of beehives, it would have been ideal if the cheese was paired with a
piece of honeycomb instead (something about honey and blue cheese, what a great
combination). Apologies forgot to snap a picture.
To end, a dessert of
warm chocolate brownie topped with lemon custard and raspberry coulis. Again a
dish that I normally wouldn’t like (I personally think chocolate and fruits do
not mix) but was rather enjoyable. The brownie was a great soft dense
consistency and because it wasn’t too sweet, the lemon and raspberry complemented
it well.
Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
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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!
