Please don't get discouraged or dissuaded, I am a tough crowd. This place is overall very good, but there were several things that just didn't work for me, and kept it from the fourth or fifth star.
I started off with the Chamomile Fields (non-alcoholic) drink. While it was refreshing, and generally an awesome non-alcoohlic option, I found its tartness and bitterness a little a little nippy for my taste. There was just the tiniest amount of sweetness also, perhaps a little more syrup would help balance out the tartness? Sorry, not a winner.
Speaking of drinks, I also had the Pits and Peels. This one hit all the right notes! It did have a little sweetness, some flavour (not too much bite) from the whiskey without being too spirit forward. There were some other flavours in there as well (a little sourness/bitterness I think, but don't quote me on this). And the foam on top added a wonderful and unique touch! 10/10 would buy again.
For appetizer (from the shares menu) I ordered the beef tartare. These were amazingly executed! The crisp holding it was just the right amount of crispy without having the crunch overwhelm everything, but without being soft. The beef was the star though, the toppings mix-in's compliment the beer perfectly adding just a the right amount of freshness, and helping the taste be other than just raw beef. My favourite dish of the night, and great for sharing!
Duck two ways: Man, I was looking forward to this thing for a while, and alas it left me a little disappointed. Flavor-wise it was very good, cooked really well, and other than being a little heavy on the salt, seasoned well. One of the variations had a slightly liver-y taste, and while I'm not fond of that particular flavour, I realize this is entirely my preference, and therefore will let it slide. The duck was nothing amazing, but otherwise very good.
What kept this dish from living up to its full potential was that it was, in my opinion, overly busy. Things like the croutons, asparagus, and potatoes seemed extra and unnecessary. Furthermore, the way the sauces were executed (namely being on the bottom) meant that as I ate everything (duck and other "fixings") haphazardly mixed together. What I would have done, and I have no culinary experience... have the duck be topped with the sauces, and put the other ingredients towards the side, combined in a meaningful way.
For my final course I had a decaf espresso and the tiramisu. There was a very small amount of espresso, but sometimes places give you less, but it is stronger, so benefit of the doubt there.
The tiramisu was a miss for me. Once again it suffers from being too busy. More than that, the tiramisu portion got buried. There was a small tiramisu square, topped with a scoop of ice cream, and a very liberal amount of some kind of sauce. The sauce and ice cream were good, and the little crystals (fennel?) added a slight, pleasant crunch. Having to fight through all of that to get to the actual cake did do it for me. In their defense: on the menu it is in quotes.
The service was for the most part fast, and having the chef's table (kitchen view) was cool. Finally, considering what I ordered, the value was pretty good. read more