Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The NEW Nota Bene Restaurant

Nota Bene, owned by one of Canada's most renown and talented chefs, David Lee, (formerly co-owner and head chef at Splendido, pre-chef Victor Barry) has just been completely remodeled and redecorated and the menu completely revised. The new menu is worth a journey.


Slow roasted celeriac crusted with fennel seeds, cumin, coriander seeds, caramelized blood oranges, candied coriander seeds, home made crema, celeriac salad, lemon juice and sea-salt. A great dish for vegans/vegetarians.

Tunisian octopus with capers, shallots, pimenton and pancetta all dressed with olive oil. This was a very tasty dish. 

Salt cod fritters were perfectly crispy on the outside with a very tasty filling.


Suckling pig jowl topped with heirloom egg, tomatillo, gaujillo chili (quite mild), shoestring potatoes, cotija cheese and pickled onions. Another terrific dish!

Perhaps one of the best steaks to be had in Toronto, Cumbrae Farms 60 day dry aged ribsteak, accompanied by chimichurri sauce. Beef Boy's rating system, each category ranking out of 10 (10 is best): taste 9; texture 4; juiciness 9. 

Texture is something that can never be predicted in any good steak because any aspect of the appearance, when optimized, is no predictor of texture. Texture is the luck of the draw with the best steaks. This individual steak was a bit tough and chewy. However, the flavour and juiciness were fabulous (I never have given 10's). In general, in blind beef tastings over the past 10 years with our group of 5 chefs and 4 serious amateurs, invariably, Cumbraes steaks when tested against 8 other sources, is in the top 2 best and most often the winner.


Wonderful St. Canut Farms suckling pig with savoy cabbage, boudin noir sauce and Kozlik's mustard. This is pig at its best: wonderful porky flavour; crispy crackling; succulent meat. The Boudin noir sauce was a flattering flavour complement.


Deep fried mushrooms. Very ungreasy and crispy. 


Rhubarb compote with avocado sorbet, dried organic apricot and nut granola and wild blueberry powder. A terrifically refreshing dessert!


Grapefruit and white chocolate brownie with green matcha tea crumble and caramelized ginger. Another very refreshing dessert.


Chocolate ganache "fleur du sel" with caramelized milk powder, seabuckthorn, toasted marshmallow and milk ice cream.


Salted caramel truffle, crafted by the talented chocolatier Laura Slack for Nota Bene, a wonderful finishing taste to this meal.

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