Susur - I’ve dined at Susur more than 15 times over the years. I’ve always been a fan of his fusion cuisine since my sole meal at Lotus in the late 80s. Some say Susur Lee is one of the finest chefs in Canada (and maybe the world.) Others say that his meals are too complex with the flavors clashing rather than mingling harmoniously. During a conversation with a local food writer picking my brain regarding Toronto, I found his opinion influenced by a person who had dined there recently and who really didn’t enjoy his experience due to a couple of minor service miss-steps and misunderstanding of the concept. So I had to ask myself - Is my opinion nothing more than a glassy eyed, food groupie fawning over meals gone by? I decided my next meal would be recorded with a critical and unbiased tone. So for the week prior to my visit - I planned on eating at some really excellent Asian places at home, and dining at ByMark and Jamie Kennedy’s Wine Bar beforehand. I guess the most detractors have stated the service was a problem. I decided beforehand that I would make a couple of requests to see how the would be addressed by the staff and front of house. Upon arrival to a full dining room – I asked top be seated in a banquette. The staff responded that all were currently reserved but they would see what they could do. Ultimately, we were asked to enjoy a cocktail in the lounge and wait for about 15 mins to make a booth available. The house cocktail is a so-called Kir-atini. A palate cleanser of champagne, kir, and a fresh lingonberry. I always seem to get one order one out of habit but they are unremarkable. After about a 15 minute wait – we were escorted to large booth. After presentation of the wine list and menus, the server gives you a brief rundown of the menu concept and restaurant philosophy. The tasting menu is always presented in a rather favorable light (understandably so) and this part of the service is very necessary for the first timer but rather repetitive for someone like me. The initial service is very formal – this gives the server the opportunity to determine how much or how little interaction they should offer and how informal you may want to be. I usually order wines without advice but I decided to quiz the server a little bit. I inquired about wine, something substantial but not too heavy to go with the meat courses. He offered a couple of good suggestions for CDNP (a bottle I actually ordered the trip beforehand) and a pomerol. I countered with a 98 Chateau Figeac – He commented on the exact percentage of cab to merlot in the wine (something I made note of because I didn’t know offhand and which was correct) Other wines were a 2001 Stasser Gaisberg Gruner Veltliner, and a 1990 Huet Vouvray Moelleux for the foie gras and dessert courses. The wine list is good for a Toronto restaurant and for this type of cuisine. You had your choice of halves of Guigal LaLa’s, some good Burgundies, Chave, VS Unico, etc. What the restaurant may have lacked in prime vintages, it made up for in variety. I usually think more of the food with wine taking a supporting role here. Dishes were as follows I apologize for the lousy picture quality - I opted to not use the flash so as not to interrupt the diners around me and I wasn't giving the camera enough time to adjust for the low light conditions Amuse Fried Cod cake with lemon grass aioli Crisp and clean flavor with a spike of citrus in the aioli - Blini with celery root and caviar Creamy celery root puree with a hint of (shellfish?) The caviar lent a nice salt component - Roasted Cornish Hen with peanut sauce and green curry and corn cake Perfectly roasted hen in a peanut sauce with a spicy green curry and corn cake topped with zucchini, roasted red pepper and quenelle of red pepper puree. Nice bite to the curry sauce. - Roasted Cornish Hen with house bbq sauce and mint chutney Same savory hen with a sauce that made a good balance of sweet and savory. The puff pastry cake and quenelle of beets were both excellent but I liked the decomposed mint chutney best. The ingredients were wrapped in mint and provided an unusual texture with classic flavor - Smoked Beef Filet over potato puree, Corn compote, and on onion quenelle with 3 sauces The sauces were all excellent when eaten alone – these are not to be mixed. A black olive reduction – a ton of pure olive flavor without the residual saltiness A red pepper couli – tasted better than a pepper An artichoke and Stilton puree – nice combo with Stilton matching well with the flavor of the artichoke flavor. - Hot seared foie gras, duck confit, smoked squab, and an apricot and goat cheese tart The goat cheese tart was good but unnecessary. The ball of duck coinfit was delicious – duck meat formed into a ball with panko and seared. Foie gras was properly seared and of good quality, and the slice of smoked squab had robust flavor and was very tender. - Soy stained foie gras under a sesame tuile over aspic and fresh fig A Bavarois of foie gras on shortbread and black currant jam The terrine-like foie was awesome. I believe it was pushed through a sieve and molded. It felt like firm cream in the mouth. The sweet component came not from the fiq and aspic as I first thought when looking at the dish – but from the ring of orange reduction that circled the plate. The bavarios was feather light in texture and just as tasty. The currant jam was quite piquant and gave appropriate acidity to temper the creaminess. - Wuxi Pork loin with apricot glaze, house cured bacon, and braising jus. A Susur “classic” Slowed cooked pork loin that very tender with a firm skin for some textural contrast. It’s reminiscent of classic Chinese spare ribs only much, much better - Citrus marinated and roasted Sable fish with citrus segments and aioli I was happy to see this dish and I had read about it from the Hawksworth/Vancouver dinner. I approached the dish but eating some of the fish and then some of the orange segment. I’m not sure of this is how it was intended but it seemed to work for me. The Roasted Sable was firm in texture and the aioli was used to bridge the sweet & savory gap. The garnish was a crisp, fried black noodle that gave the dish a little crunch. - Smoked oyster over Oxtail ravioli and tapioca Very unique. The smoked oyster was very delicate with a texture reminiscent of Monkfish liver. The light smoked left the pure oyster flavor intact. The oxtail meat was quite tasty but I would have preferred the oyster to stand alone. - Chinese Noodle cakes over root vegetables, pine nuts, and mushroom stock My girlfriend’s bivalve allergy pre-empted a course substitution to a very nice (and hearty) vegetarian dish. Nice crunch and flavor but my now – we were getting really full - Himachi Salad and red wine & plum dressing Sushi grade Hamachi mixed with micro greens, crisp leeks, edible flowers, etc. the red wine dressing was offered on the side to allow you to use as much or as little as possible. This dish was very light and delicate - Tomato Concasse in broth A nice light soup to finish – very nice and clean tomato flavor. - Desserts The kitchen sent us extra desserts compliments of Susur. I think they were trying to see just how much we could eat. This part of the meal is a little foggy due to the fact I gave up the note book in favor of an espresso. Lemon Verbena Panne Cotta Lemon Cake with fruit filling and yogurt sauce Pumpkin Ice cream Crème Brulee Flourless Chocolate cake Sorbet Chocolate Mousse with gingerbread triangles Chocolate Ganache tart Banana Cream Cake Roasted Banana ice cram Chocolate truffle Note this picture is the best due to the fact the lights were coming up towards the end of the evening Notes on Service – Our server seemed quite comfortable with the menu and pace. Each course is brought to you buy a different runner who gives you a bit of theatre with a very affected and enunciated description. I asked my girl to ask the our server to reiterate a dish brought by a runner as a little test. He repeated the dish flawlessly and even mentioned an ingredient that was hidden underneath that the previous person had not. Utensil changes were made after every course. Wine levels were always appropriate, and they passed the water test. The water test for me is I drink a lot of water during a meal – at least a quart. My water glass was never below half. Special Note- My girlfriend is somewhat of a spiller. When she went to the bathroom – her folded her napkin and reset her place setting using a large white napkin to cover what she had spilled (very nice touch) All her courses were adjusted in size due to the amount she was leaving on the plate. To be fair – the table next to us was brought the incorrect wine by a different server and the table in front was almost served dessert half-way through the meal. Things I can overlook but maybe something others would not. Conclusion – If it’s simple food you desire, then by all means – Susur may not be the place for you. The meal is a culinary workout – using different textures, flavors, and preparation, cooking methods. You will not find a greater range of flavors in one meal anywhere. Just my two cents.
