7.15.2007
Diners Club
For the 4th year in a row, Mick & I went to Summerlicious together; this time, it was Annona at the Hyatt. We decided to make a day out of it, so we first went shopping at Fairview & Queen Street before dinner time. As always, it was a lot of fun just walking around & checking stuff out, saw the adidas bag I wanted, amongst some other things that I liked but didn't feel the urge to buy asap. So left both places empty-handed, but not really disappointed. A penny saved...
By the time we reached Eaton Centre, we both knew we wouldn't be able to walk all the way up to Bloor, due to both physical & time constraints. xD Ended up taking the subway for merely 5 stations, but it turned out to be the right decision since we arrived just 5 minutes before our reservations. It was then that I realized I had been remembering the wrong restaurant - I've always thought it was the one on the 2nd floor (is there even one??), but Annona was actually at ground level. Wasn't really a big deal to me though, I mean, after all, my main focus was the food. =P After being seated RIGHT in between two windows (I thought it was a bit odd), we began a 2-hour long dinner that didn't feel like half the length...
(Picture quality not the best due to the lack of light...I'll be damned if I used the flashlight at such a nice place =P)
Amuse Bouche: Prosciutto w/ Watercress
I've never had an amuse bouche before, but I've always been under the impression that they were bite-size tartlets (which most of them are), so I was quite surprised to see what was presented to us. I had trouble understanding our server, but I believe he said something about a melon sauce used in the prosciutto. And I think I was right from the fact that it tasted sweet, lol. I apparently made the mistake of picking off the raw watercress & eating them separately, as they tasted bitter on their own, but according to Mick who ate everything as a whole, they worked great with the sweet prosciutto. Boo. But loved the prosciutto regardless. As Mick said, our bouches were "amoosed". xP
Appetizer: Tomato & Saffron Soup w/ Chive Oil
Both of us were surprised by how this soup turned out. After having been spoiled for two years with the best soup we've ever had, we really weren't expecting much, especially seeing how bland it sounded. But not only was it good, it was impressive how the chef turned such simple ingredients into great food. It was something that I normally wouldn't order off a menu, so I was glad I got to try it. And enjoyed it. =)
Entrée: Garlic Cornish Hen w/ Marinated Eggplant, Cous Cous, and Aspagargus
By far the best dish of the night. First of all, it had asparagus, so I was already sold (having said that, the asparagus was a tad overcooked, not as crunchy as I'd prefer them). xD Second of all, I've never had cous cous before (ya I know I'm so sad xP), & this was definitely a great first. Wasn't too gummy, but chewy enough. And there was quite a bit of it (upon first glance I thought it was garlic...lol). But the chicken, oh the chicken. It was tender, had a mouthwatering crunchy skin that had just the right amount of fat that melts right in your mouth. I'd go a second round just for the skin, it's that good, lol.
Dessert: Mango Ginger Brûlée/Almond Leaf Tuille, Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble/Frangelico Ice Cream, Warm Molten Chocolate Lava Cake/Caramelized Hazelnut Ice Cream, Lemon Raspberry Millefeuille/Crisp Almond Layers
Lol I know, it's a lot right?? xD Actually they were mini-sized, & we got to choose 2 from a list of 4. So we of course ordered all 4 & shared. My favourite was the lava cake with the hazelnut ice cream. The lava cake was a tad bitter for my liking (since it was made with dark chocolate) but the ice cream was fantastic. The mango ginger brûlée was also a pleasant surprise, we'd never thought ginger would work so well with a crème brûlée. It gave the whole thing a nice kick while not overwhelming the sweet mango taste. The other two were kinda lackluster in comparison, but still delicious.
It was a great dinner, but for some reason I wasn't totally in love with the restaurant. Maybe I just felt out of place. It wasn't necessarily uptight, but people were definitely "mature", lol. I'd still recommend it though.
After dinner Mick dropped by my place to RE4 a bit (with miserable results xD), followed by a long session of DS war at HER place. I never thought the two-player mode of Machigai Museum 2 can be SO much fun, you people with DSes must try it!!
P.S. Almost forgot that we also got chocolate-dipped cherries as a final snack. Not a fan of cherries, but these were good!!
For the 4th year in a row, Mick & I went to Summerlicious together; this time, it was Annona at the Hyatt. We decided to make a day out of it, so we first went shopping at Fairview & Queen Street before dinner time. As always, it was a lot of fun just walking around & checking stuff out, saw the adidas bag I wanted, amongst some other things that I liked but didn't feel the urge to buy asap. So left both places empty-handed, but not really disappointed. A penny saved...
By the time we reached Eaton Centre, we both knew we wouldn't be able to walk all the way up to Bloor, due to both physical & time constraints. xD Ended up taking the subway for merely 5 stations, but it turned out to be the right decision since we arrived just 5 minutes before our reservations. It was then that I realized I had been remembering the wrong restaurant - I've always thought it was the one on the 2nd floor (is there even one??), but Annona was actually at ground level. Wasn't really a big deal to me though, I mean, after all, my main focus was the food. =P After being seated RIGHT in between two windows (I thought it was a bit odd), we began a 2-hour long dinner that didn't feel like half the length...
(Picture quality not the best due to the lack of light...I'll be damned if I used the flashlight at such a nice place =P)
Amuse Bouche: Prosciutto w/ Watercress
I've never had an amuse bouche before, but I've always been under the impression that they were bite-size tartlets (which most of them are), so I was quite surprised to see what was presented to us. I had trouble understanding our server, but I believe he said something about a melon sauce used in the prosciutto. And I think I was right from the fact that it tasted sweet, lol. I apparently made the mistake of picking off the raw watercress & eating them separately, as they tasted bitter on their own, but according to Mick who ate everything as a whole, they worked great with the sweet prosciutto. Boo. But loved the prosciutto regardless. As Mick said, our bouches were "amoosed". xP
Appetizer: Tomato & Saffron Soup w/ Chive Oil
Both of us were surprised by how this soup turned out. After having been spoiled for two years with the best soup we've ever had, we really weren't expecting much, especially seeing how bland it sounded. But not only was it good, it was impressive how the chef turned such simple ingredients into great food. It was something that I normally wouldn't order off a menu, so I was glad I got to try it. And enjoyed it. =)
Entrée: Garlic Cornish Hen w/ Marinated Eggplant, Cous Cous, and Aspagargus
By far the best dish of the night. First of all, it had asparagus, so I was already sold (having said that, the asparagus was a tad overcooked, not as crunchy as I'd prefer them). xD Second of all, I've never had cous cous before (ya I know I'm so sad xP), & this was definitely a great first. Wasn't too gummy, but chewy enough. And there was quite a bit of it (upon first glance I thought it was garlic...lol). But the chicken, oh the chicken. It was tender, had a mouthwatering crunchy skin that had just the right amount of fat that melts right in your mouth. I'd go a second round just for the skin, it's that good, lol.
Dessert: Mango Ginger Brûlée/Almond Leaf Tuille, Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble/Frangelico Ice Cream, Warm Molten Chocolate Lava Cake/Caramelized Hazelnut Ice Cream, Lemon Raspberry Millefeuille/Crisp Almond Layers
Lol I know, it's a lot right?? xD Actually they were mini-sized, & we got to choose 2 from a list of 4. So we of course ordered all 4 & shared. My favourite was the lava cake with the hazelnut ice cream. The lava cake was a tad bitter for my liking (since it was made with dark chocolate) but the ice cream was fantastic. The mango ginger brûlée was also a pleasant surprise, we'd never thought ginger would work so well with a crème brûlée. It gave the whole thing a nice kick while not overwhelming the sweet mango taste. The other two were kinda lackluster in comparison, but still delicious.
It was a great dinner, but for some reason I wasn't totally in love with the restaurant. Maybe I just felt out of place. It wasn't necessarily uptight, but people were definitely "mature", lol. I'd still recommend it though.
After dinner Mick dropped by my place to RE4 a bit (with miserable results xD), followed by a long session of DS war at HER place. I never thought the two-player mode of Machigai Museum 2 can be SO much fun, you people with DSes must try it!!
P.S. Almost forgot that we also got chocolate-dipped cherries as a final snack. Not a fan of cherries, but these were good!!
