The Tasting at Splendido
Victor Barry, Chef
POPCORN, BEET AND BLOOD MACARON, FOIE TART
CAVIAR POTATO (served in caviar tin)
Northern Divine Caviar, White Chocolate, Potato Ice Cream
POTATO DASHI
Northern Divine Caviar, Potato Croquette, Creme Fraiche
SEA BREAM SASHIMI
Pickled Kumquat
MACKEREL SASHIMI
Cucumber tartar, Buttermilk Sorbet
HAMACHI SASHIMI
Sesame, Jalapeño
TUNA LOIN
Canadian Wasabi, Nori
SPICY TUNA ROLL
Lemon Verbena, Wild Rice
GARLIC FRIED RICE, GRILLED TORO
UNI & TOAST
BC Uni, Squid Ink & Lobster Brioche, Pickled Ginger
RAW LITTLE NECK CLAM TART
Burnt Miso, Preserved Ginger
CITRUS & LOBSTER
Sorrel, Radish, Pickled Daikon
TROUT & CULTURED CREAM & TEA, TROUT ROE CORNET & MAPLE
TROUT ROE CORNET
Trout Roe, Red Onion Crème Fraiche, Cornet Shell
TROUT & CIPOLLINI
Pickled Cipolini, Cultured Cream, Ramp Oil
TROUT TEA (not shown)
Smoked fish stock, dashi, green oil, lemon rind
SQUID & BROTH
SMOKED OYSTER & POTATO
Smoked Butter, Potato Chip
MUSHROOM
Grilled Maitaki, Black Truffle, Porcini Cracker
CHAWANMUSHI
Snails Ragout, Mushroom Dashi
BOLERO CARROT & GINGER
5-Hour Roasted Carrot, Granola, Pickled Ginger
CRACKLING & MUSTARD
Mustard Ice Cream, Crackling
PERIGOLD BLACK TRUFFLE
Linguini, Parmigiano Reggiano
STEAKHOUSE
Rib Cap, Charred Cippolini
FRENCH ONION SOUP
Caramelized French Shallots, Beef Shank Broth
ALTUFO MANGO
Pomegranate, Thai Basil, Mint, Canola
EL DORADO 12 YEAR OLD RUM, MULLED APPLE CIDER
RICE & CRANBERRY
Anaheim Oil, Ginger Meringue, Sorrel
SEA BUCKTHORN & GOATS YOGURT
Sea Buckthorn Toffee, Goats Yogurt, Jasmine Oil
BREAKFAST FOR DESSERT
Coffee, Grapefruit
PETIT FOURS
Passion Fruit Bon Bon, Praline Bon Bon, Lime Leaf Bon Bon, Apple & Rosemary Bon Bon, Pear & Lavender Pate de Fuite, Pink Peppercorn & Raspberry Macaron
Number of Courses: 25
Duration: 3.5 hours. The entire tasting was well-paced so it didn't feel long at all.
Price: $180 per person for The Tasting (supplementary caviar course was an additional $30 per person). Wine pairings are available but I opted for cocktail pairings (this is off the menu but they made me three cocktails throughout the evening). There's also The Menu for $120 per person if you prefer a smaller menu.
Favourite Courses: This is really tough because I was genuinely pleased with everything I had, and yes, I do mean all 25 courses! Every single course was sublime and each plate had me either ohhhh-ing and ahhhh-ing at the beginning (from the presentation and/or aroma), while eating (from the flavours and taste) or when I was done ("Ahhh that was so good"). You get the gist. If I had to pick favourites then they would be: Caviar Potato, Mackerel, Hamachi, Tuna, Grilled Toro, Tuna Loin, Uni & Toast, Clam Tart, Citrus & Lobster, Smoked Oyster & Potato, Chawanmushi, Perigold Black Truffle Linguini, Altufo Mango, DIY Rum & Mulled Apple Cider, and all the desserts. I listed close to 20 courses as my "favourites". See? I told you it was hard.
Did I leave full and satisfied?: The portions may look small but boy, do they add up. And the great thing is although I was full I didn't feel "gross" afterwards because aside from the pasta and the rib cap, everything else was quite light (the first 12 courses were all seafood too). That, or I just eat a lot. Either way, I was 100% satisfied with the dinner.
Was it worth it?: Yes, The Tasting is worth every penny and I highly recommend it. After 20 years on Harbord Street it's exciting to see that Splendido (Twitter: @Splendido_TO, Facebook: Splendido Restaurant) is still doing such great things. Chef Barry continues to find new ways to push the culinary envelope and does so in a tasting-menu-only format (it's a ballsy move for the restaurant but it's the right one in my opinion). I enjoyed this tasting a lot, and it's the best one I've had at Splendido.
Splendido Tasting I
Splendido Tasting II
