To all my Math fanatic readers, HAPPY PI DAY! Just happens that today is one month since Valentine’s Day. For V-Day this year, my boyfriend and I decided to go out to a nice restaurant to have a romantical (yes it’s a word in my vocabulary!) dinner.
We had such a wonderful time experiencing a tasting menu at Yours Truly, that we decided to do a tasting menu again. This time it would be at the much talked about, Bero.
[custom_box width=”60%” bgcolor=”#D5F2B6″ border_color=”#3F9F29″ text_color=”#3F9F29″ icon_url=”https://www.fionaman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/knife-fork.jpg”]RESTAURANT: Bero
ADDRESS: 889 Queen St East Toronto, ON M4M 1J4
CUISINE: Modern European
PHONE: (416) 477-3393
WEBSITE: http://bero-restaurant.com/[/custom_box]
We started off the night with some bubbly drinks, mine being the Bero Royale. The drink was definitely bubbly and not very sweet. I was hoping that the cherry flavour would be more prominent but felt that the champagne over-powered it.
Bero Royale
cherry and bubble
The Sparkling Bird was recommended by the waiter and he was spot on. He described it as an adult drink that was well balanced in flavours. I’m not a big fan of figs but was surprised at how tasty it was. Upon the first sip, it hit all the taste buds and went down very smoothly. Would definitely recommend this drink.
Sparkling Bird
sparkling Pinot noir and creme de figue
Before I get to the meal, let’s talk about the tasting menu. The pricing was significantly higher than Yours Truly. A 4-course tasting menu cost $72 where you could choose from a selection of 12 items (3 options per course).
If you do have dietary restrictions, please talk to the waiter/chef. When we made an online reservation, we made a note about our dietary restrictions (no beef or pork). To ensure that our needs could be met and there were other options available, we called the restaurant and they confirmed that it could be met. When we met the executive chef and mastermind behind Bero, Matt Kantor, he informed us which items on the menu were off limits as they contained beef or pork in some way, shape, or form. This really limited us in our selection as some items were cooked in beef or pork stock. We could only choose 7 items from a list of 12, with 3 options coming from the dessert course. I have to admit, we was a bit disappointed as we were able to select any item on the menu at Yours Truly and the chef made substitutions for us. But we truly understood where Chef Matt was coming from as if you accommodate substitutions for one customer, you need to accommodate it for all. This is definitely challenging as there were a lot of components in each dish and each required technical precision. We just wished that the host conveyed the “no substitutions policy” when we called.
To make the best of the situation, Chef Matt did alter one of his dishes for us as the substitution of the pork component wouldn’t impact the flavour profiles of the dish too much…so that made 8 possible dish options. We really did appreciate the effort made given their restaurant policy. I highly suggest that you read Chef Matt’s blog, to gain more insight on the rational for this policy.
From reading that long blurb, you probably noticed a lot of interaction between us and Chef Matt. A really nice spin on things compared to traditional restaurant dining is that Chef Matt greets every table, serves the dish, and explains to you what it is. It gives a more personable and special experience for the diner to not only know what they are eating but also meet the creator behind it and getting to interact with them.
I just have to say a huge THANKS to Chef Matt as he provided me with dish descriptions! He saw me struggling a bit trying to write it down on my iPhone haha.
To amuse our palettes, we started off with the parsnip root chip with cauliflower and chicken fat. You may notice that all these dishes are technical and involve light molecular gastronomy. The contrast in textures really melded when combined in my mouth. The taste of the chicken fat and cauliflower wasn’t pungent, rather it was quite light and a great start to the meal.
Amuse Bouche
parsnip root chip with cauliflower and chicken fat
Hands down, the squash dish was my favourite of the night. Three types of squash were used (spaghetti squash, acorn squash, & butternut squash) to present it in four different ways. You got the crispiness from the fried and dehydrated squash, the smooth butteriness from the puréed squash, and the sourness from the pickled squash. It really hit all the high notes. I’m not sure how they make black garlic cake, but it wasn’t too robust in flavour and just complimented the delicacy in flavours of the squash.
Squash
squash four ways (pickled, puréed, fried, dehydrated) with black garlic cake, ginger, olive oil and herbs
Man oh man oh man…just when I thought the meal couldn’t get any better, out comes the Beet Soup. A large red beets just appeared on the centre of the bowl which intimidated me a bit. But it was cooked to perfection. The goat milk added a comforting taste to the soup. The major surprise in this dish was the use of cocoa nibs. Each time I bit into one, it added a sharp bitterness which actually enhanced enhanced the sweetness of the beets.
Beet Soup
warm beet consommé, baby beets, goat milk, cabbage chip and red cabbage puree and cocoa nib
The Octopus dish was where Chef Matt made the substitution for us. Originally chorizo is suppose to be incorporated but he just substituted it with more potato. Chermoula is typically a mixture of different spices and herbs used in Moroccan cuisine. When I bit into the soft and tender pieces of octopus, it transported me to when I went to Morocco 2.5yrs ago. There was a nice char to the octopus which gave it that smokey flavour along with the potato purée. Everything in this dish just worked and you could tell there were hints of Spanish influence in the dish.
Octopus
seared octopus in chermoula, with red radish, smoked pomme purée and salsa rojo
For the Rabbit, both the saddle and leg were used. For those that don’t know, saddle is actually the loin of the rabbit (that’s the cylindrical looking item on the dish). The rabbit was so tender and was complimented by the rabbit vinaigrette. I’m not sure how they make the vinaigrette but it was delicious. It was very witty of Chef Matt to pair a woodland creature with “hen of the woods” mushrooms like maitake and chanterelle.
Rabbit
rabbit saddle and leg with braised leeks, hen of the woods mushrooms, and rabbit vinaigrette
When I ordered Skate, I had no clue what it was. I whispered to my boyfriend and he informed me it was a type of fish. Skate was presented two ways: sautéed and fried skate cartiledge. The cartiledge was crispy enough like a chip, so you didn’t feel like you were eating a pile of bones. Now the seasoning on the sautéed skate was a tad salty, which was surprisingly since skate is apparently known to be a more bland fish and requires additional reasoning. Like all the purées that we encountered throughout our meals, the rutabaga and watercress purées were just as smooth.
Skate
sautéed skate wing, rutabaga, brown butter, watercress, skate “ruffle” chip
I love Chocolate, especially when it involves mint! So it was a no brainer to order the Chocolate dish for dessert. The dish was comprised of three types/percentages of chocolate: 64%, 33%, and white chocolate. Surprisingly the chocolate bomb wasn’t rich and heavy, rather it was really light and airy. I felt like the white chocolate crunch contained spearmint and when combined with the chocolate bomb, it was quite heavenly!
Chocolate
chocolate bombe , spearmint, cocoa snow and caramelized white chocolate crunch
When I bit into the Tart, I could tell instantly that asian pear was used. The crust on the tart was well cooked which was indicated by the nice sound my fork made when cutting into it. Asian pear is known to be very light it flavour and I don’t see many desserts really incorporating this ingredient because it is easy to overpower it. Chef Matt did a great job at retaining the integrity of the ingredient and keeping all of the other components light as well.
Tart
asian pear tart with lemon, mascarpone, bergamote and sherry
Another surprise to our meal was another set of desserts. Oh my Brown Butter Brownie and Lychee Paté de Fruit! For those that don’t know, paté de fruit is fruit pulp that is obtained by cooking the fruits with sugar and pectin. I love lychee and this paté de fruit was packed with lychee flavour. It was soft and just slowly melted in your mouth with every chew. To all my chocolate lovers, you will love the brown butter brownie. It was rich and decadent and would satisfy any sweet tooth.
Brown Butter Brownie and Lychee Paté de Fruit
Overall, the entire meal was great and you can really see the thought and methodicalness that went behind each component.
Now for the hard question is, “would I go there again?” The short answer, no. The long answer, is that it is a great restaurant to try if you are into tasting menus. Given our dietary restrictions, we were a bit heart broken to be limited in our selection, especially when it compared it to our experience at another tasting menu restaurant that we tried not too long ago. The hospitality we received at the other restaurant was fantastic as the waitress remembered the dietary restriction note that we wrote in the online reservation and even got the chef to make substitutions for us. These little things really go a long day. The vibe from the other restaurant was more intimate whereas Bero felt more like a business was being ran. Again, I do understand the no substitutions policy, but it would have been nice to be informed of this prior to attending the restaurant or if the waiter remembered the note that we included in the reservation. The food was absolutely great but there wasn’t one particular dish that was really memorable and I would want to immerse my face in again. Also, I was a bit taken back with the pricing as I read online reviews that their 4-course tasting menu was $52 vs $72.
It was still a great Valentine’s Day and overall, a wonderful experience to share with my fellow foodie!
