Bymark

[Simon Majumdar]

After a few days of grim meetings and even more grim meals in Manhattan, I was pleased to get away and head north to the gauche loveliness that is Toronto. People who say “oot & aboot” and who think that they have a major sporting franchise of any sort. How very sweet

The first night saw us heading to an Italian restaurant called Prego De La Piazza where the food was undistinguished but the evening was made by the entertainment. The owner, the biggest fan of Leonard Cohen on this planet we call Earth, had invited 25 young things, ranging from 20-25 years of age, to sing their favourite LC song while the diners ate. Each had an astonishing voice and our host and my colleague and I were stunned at the quality of the singing if not the flaccid asparagus on offer. A truly memorable evening.

After a long day of meetings and a bit of shopping ( £1=CAN$2.16 – Huzzah and Hurrah ) we headed to Bymark for supper. I am a fan of the chef M McM and his previous place North 44 and had wanted to try this place for ages. Last time I was here, it was not possible to get a table. Now, post SARS, there were plenty of tables on offer.

We arrived without ever seeing the light of day, using the subterranean network of malls that tunnel underneath Toronto. The room is Uber hip with subdued lighting and banquettes. We were seated at a corner table and our initial impression was very favourable

This was soon dissipated by the arrival of the worst Martini I have had since I was last in Boston. Truly grim, neither cold nor dry. Why are North Americans so bleeding rubbish at making a decent drink? Answers on a postcard please.

Anyway, the menu is an eclectic one with lots of fusion stuff ( Prawns with pot stickers ) lots of basic North American “fayre” ( rib eye steak ) and a lot of stuff that seems to have come direct from the kitchens of The Gotham Bar & Grill ( Tall food)

My colleague started with a green salad which was better than average with an interesting selection of leaves and two types of mint mixed in the dish. I started with a Pan fried Foie with roasted apple and tempura onions. This dish was taken direct from The Gotham with a tower of onion rings filled in the centre with seared foie. The onion rings were not bad, nor was the roasted apple of the maple syrup glaze they use, but the foie was awful. I am not a fan of Hudson Valley anything, but this was worse that I expected. Not de-veigned, the foie was stringy and overcooked. A poor start.

Inbetween courses, I nipped to point percy at the porcelain and found the bathrooms ( after a search ) very chic, but almost useless for the purpose for which they were intended. Thank God I was not wearing suede shoes.

Entrees arrived soon after my return to table and my colleague had “Grilled Texan White Prawns with Citrus Dressing”. This was an excellent dish, with some gentle spicing to some extremely fresh and succulent prawns. I , being at the end of a long and tiring trip and needing protein, ordered a 16 oz rib eye of USDA 8 week dry aged beef. It was cooked perfectly to order ( Black & Blue, for the record ) and was, in all honesty on of the best pieces of beef I have had in a long, long time. Fatty and full of flavour.

We drank wines by the glass and both started with a glass of Wolfsberger Gewurtz. I followed with a couple of glasses of the Vino Neceto Sangiovese from California. Both were very reasonably priced and the red in particular was delicious.

Too full for dessert, we finished with proper mint tea ( test aced! ) and a glass of the Iniskillin Ice wine 1999.

Service was friendly but not up to the standards of their NY neighbours ( they obviously have laws precluding them from paying people from Sillet less than Minimum wage ) and they failed the Napkin Test so horribly I would rather have watched a car crash.

Meal for two inc service was CAN$275. I think at the current exchange rate that = £2.51.

6/10

S

Edited June 27, 2003 by Simon Majumdar (log)

[maggiethecat]

I was pleased to get away and head north to the gauche loveliness that is Toronto.

The gauche loveliness...

This is so perfect it took my breath away. And made me , yes, Laugh Out Loud. (Big family contingent in Toronto.)

You're a poet and you don't know it. (I'm a Montreal Girl myself.)

Gauche loveliness: Beautiful. And oh, so Torontonian.

[KatieLoeb]

Simon:

Stop bitching about the bad martinis and finally make it to Philadelphia. I shall find you a decently mixed cocktail, even if I must do it myself!

[Simon Majumdar]

Simon:

Stop bitching about the bad martinis and finally make it to Philadelphia.  I shall find you a decently mixed cocktail, even if I must do it myself! 

In the words of Peter Tosh

"soon come"

S

[GordonCooks]

Next time - try 54 floors up to Canoe. I find Bymark more suited to a "power" lunch and North 44 truly a dinner place.

[pixelchef]

I've been dying to post this here, so here we go:

---

It was a beautiful night tonight. The heat was finally tolerable again, and the rain seemed to be holding off. I've had a bit of a difficult time lately with family stuff, so Amanda (girlfriend) offered (make that insisted) that she take me to dinner at a restaurant of my choosing to help take my mind of some of the more negative things going on this weekend for me. I chose Bymark.

Amanda bought a new dress for the occasion and looked absolutely breathtaking. I was honoured to be dining with such a beautiful woman.

In short, it was wonderful. Everything from the valet parking attendants, to the hostess, to the sommelier, to our server was wonderful. The room has great ambience. Very subdued lighting, clean lines, almost Asian in feel. Comfortable banquettes and chairs, and big, beautiful oversized plates to be used as a canvas for some pretty amazing food.

Service was efficient without being intrusive. My only complaint was that they were a little stingy on the bread. I like bread with my meals. They don't offer a basket of bread for the table, but a bread "sommelier" walks around and deposits a few pieces on your side plate as it empties. However, mine emptied after about ten minutes and I never saw another piece. Eventually I requested more bread to help mop up the sauce left from my venison dish. Great bread, by the way.

The amuse tonight was actually a mini version of the famed Bymark burger (Chef McEwan also served this at Toronto Taste 2003). Grilled Prime U.S. Burger, 8 oz. With Molten Brie de Meaux Cheese, Grilled Porcini Mushrooms, with a Crisp Rosemary Onion Ring skewered along with the burger. Oh, and a small dollop of truffle aioli to accompany. Incredible. This made me want to order the large version of the dish, but I wanted to explore some more of Bymark's flavours.

Seared Tuna Sashimi with Endive, Avocado, Watercress, Sweet Onion & Yuzu Soy Dressing.

Really nice. A little skimpy on the portion size, and slightly heavy-handed with the Yuzu, but still relatively balanced. The tuna was PERFECT. Absolutely stunning. Seared along the outside with a bright ruby red interior. The avocado salad it was served atop of was a nice buttery counterpoint to the otherwise bright flavours of the dish.

Oven Cured Tomatoes With Buffalo Mozzarella, Bay Leaf, Basil & Orange Marinated Olives.

This was Amanda's choice for a first course. It was good, but it was salad. :) The tomatoes were absolutely BURSTING with flavour. Perhaps the best tomatoes I've ever had, actually. The mozzarella was average, in my opinion. The orange-marinated olives worked, but the pits make them a challenge to eat "elegantly".

Roasted Venison Loin ( Medium Rare - Rare ) With Roasted Baby Beets, Cipollini Onions, Truffled Risotto and a natural jus.

This was astoundingly good. Cooked perfectly medium-rare as requested, it almost melted in my mouth. The accompanying risotto was BY FAR the best risotto I've ever had. It was creamy, rich, yet still had texture all at the same time. I could've eaten a bucket full of that stuff. The vegetables were nicely done as well; nicely caramelized and deep with flavour. A blueberry compote was also served alongside the dish - a really nice foil to the rich gamey flavour of the venison. Great course.

Roasted Pickerel with Sake Maple Marinade, Peruvian Potatoes, Organic Carrots & Scallion Fritters.

Beautiful. The sake maple marinade works VERY well with this fish. I only had a small taste, so I can't comment in any great detail. It was gorgeous on the plate, though. The Peruvian potatoes (blue) were a gorgeous contrast against the red beets, white fish, and green fritters. Amanda was very pleased.

We then opted for the cheese course to share (5 cheeses). I have no idea what they were, but I loved every single one of them. Specifically, I really enjoyed the blue they served, as well as a triple-crème cheese that was absolutely sinful. Honeyed walnuts, grapes, apple slices and baguette came along with the cheeses.

Warm Chocolate Torte with Roasted Banana Ice Cream & Crisp Banana Tuile.

Some of you may be familiar with me affinity for banana. This ice cream was SOOOOOO delicious that I have no words to describe it. It was rich, creamy, buttery, and had the clearest banana flavour I've ever tasted. It tasted more like a banana than a banana. The torte was light as air; almost soufflé like. Semi-sweet, and incredibly rich. It worked well against the somewhat "fun" ice cream. I really loved this dessert.

Crisp Pear Fritters With Milk Chocolate Sauce & Poire William Spiked Ice Cream.

This was Amanda's dessert choice. It was good, but I wouldn't say it rose to the level of my dessert. She was pleased, but not "wowed". The pear fritters were a little TOO crispy to be easily manipulated. The ice cream was good, but the Poire William had a hard time shining through the rich cream.

We drank a Vineland Riesling (2000) throughout the meal. I love this wine. Disregard anything I've said about other Canadian Riesling offerings in the past, this is my favourite. Perfect Riesling. I'm going to buy a case, actually. It was showing wonderfully this evening.

The portions were a little small, especially for the prices they're charging. The flavours were worth the money, but I certainly could've used bigger portions -- especially with their apps.

The entire meal with 2 apps, 2 entrees, a cheese course, 2 desserts and a bottle of Vineland Riesling was $270 before tip.

Would I go back? Absolutely, but I'm looking to try some more of Toronto's top tables first.

8/10.

[vox]

i seared that tuna!

and when i worked in pastry...i used to make that ice cream. it IS good, isn't it?

[pixelchef]

You did!? You're one good searerer..er.. you sear well! :)

And yes, that ice cream is insanely good. Do you sell it by the gallon?

I know the Sea Bream isn't on the menu anymore, but when it was, how was it prepared?