Cfood

Date of Visit: October 14, 2005 (Friday)

Walked in for 1 at 19:00

Website: http://www.eatcfood.com

Wine, tapas, dessert: $48

Food

Wine: Cfood Special Reserve VQA

• their menu helpfully descirbes the profile of each wine, how it will be served (chillded or room temp), and which dishes it would be a good match. This is a nice touch since they don't have a sommelier.
• a simple white wine that doesn't have much complexity.

Chilled Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Basil Sorbet

• chokeful of flavour. The basil sorbet offered an interesting counterpoint to the soup.

Monkfish Potsticker with Cilantro Pesto

• a fried beggar's purse filled with a large chunk of tender monkfish. I was pleasantly surprised by the texture and sweetness of the fish inside the pastry shell.
• cilantro pesto was not remarkable. The flavour was very muted.

Mini Fish and Chips

• since all the fish in the main course are offered grilled, baked, or beer battered deep fried, I figure deep frying must be this kitchen's speciality. Although I did not order any main course in this meal, the mini fish and chips ought to be a good litmus test.
• presentation was absolutely adorable. A stemless martini glass was lined with a piece of parchment paper and the chips and two small piece of fish rest inside the glass. A small plate of slaw and tartar sauce completed the dish.
• batter was light and did not taste greasy. The fish was cooked just right.
• the fries were cut slim but they were too chewy.
• tartar sauce was tasty with many chunky pickles.
• slaw was creamy and tangy. It was a good accompaniment.

Avocado Sundae with Taro Chips

• a fancy play on guacamole, salsa, and chips. A stemless martini glass contained a layer of tomoto onion salsa and topped with a creamy whipped avocado mousse.
• avocado mousse tasted a little bland although it was exceptionally smooth and did not have the usual overly rich feel associated with avocado.
• salsa was spicy and provided some much needed flavour to this dish.

Paella Cake Sandwich with Salsa

• the best dish of the night. Two croquettes of paella sandwiched some aioli and sat on top of a bed of tomato onion salsa.
• when I cut open the croquette, I could see threads of saffron poking out. The crunchiness of the outside married well with the flavour of the rice.
• salsa highlighted the bright flavours of ripe tomato

Trio of Creme Brulee (Lemongrass, Orange, Chocolate)

• each flavour was of a different texture. The lemongrass was refreshing and very fragrant. It was set just right. The orange was good but the cream was of a curd consistency. Too loose in my opinion. The chocolate was a disappointment. The texture was too thick and lack smoothness.
• it is always a joy to crack open the topping of a creme brulee and I get to do it three times with this dessert! The caramel was of the perfect thickness.

Service

This restaurant has a very casual and intimate atmosphere and the service reflected that. Although the servers were attentive and helpful, service was a little adhoc and at times unorganized.

Overall Impression

Deep frying is definitely this kitchen's specialty. I enjoyed ordering their tapas-style appetizers and it has definitely tickled my interest to try their main courses next time (I can't make up my mind...grill whole fish or fish & chips from their daily selection of filets?). This restaurant is conveniently located nearby one of my Friday night haunts and I can choose to have a light meal if I want to. I will come back because it is clearly of superior quality than most of the other restaurants of the same price-point in this neighbourhood.

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