Review #8 of Yelp's 30 Day Challenge 2012.
Food: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Overall experience: 3.5/5
(1- Terrible; 3- decent; 5- Fantastic)
My first visit for dinner was about half a year ago. I had very high expectations because of the buzz surrounding Notable, but I left very disappointed with an overcooked lamb dish. Fast forward to this weekend, I decided to give this place one more try.
Half of the seats are for reservations, which I HIGHLY recommend for the weekend and the rest is for walk-ins with wait times of at least 1 hour if you arrive past 6PM.
The restaurant has a classy yet casual and home-like feel to it with mood lighting that makes it a great place for a date. Another highlight is their open kitchen concept where you can watch the chefs grill your meat with their rotisserie grill or stare in awe at executive chef Michael Noble. However, the most detracting thing about the restaurant was the waiting area where guests would crowd around the front entrance and close to the kitchen area. If I had a table close to the door, I would be peeved off at others "intruding" on my meal.
The servers were very friendly and knowledgeable of the wine and food.
The menu is divided up into a few sections. They have their seasonal dishes with wine pairings; sharing plates that can either be a taster/appetizer size ($8-$20) or a main ($15-$30); and entrees (chicken, lamb, salmon, beef) from their recognizable rotisserie grill ($30-$40). Drinks are fairly expensive and subpar with cocktails from $10-$12 (1.5oz).
I found that I was more impressed and satisfied with Notable's appetizers than their entrees which seemed pedestrian. For $30+ a plate, I expected more grandeur flavours and techniques. On the plus side, the portions are fairly large and the ingredients were fresh.
Appetizers:
- If you plan on going to Notable this month I highly recommend the seasonal appetizer, "Queen Charlotte black cod Lobster with mushroom duxelle (mixture of various mushrooms) and mushroom consommé" ($18). It was presented beautifully with a creamy puree underneath the cod lobster to cut the saltiness of the mushroom duxelle.
- "Artisan greens salad, house pickled vegetables, Provencale dressing" ($9) is not worth getting because of the small portion size and the lack of various pickled vegetables. However, it was well dressed and the dressing had a well balanced tang to it.
- The "Wood fire-grilled bread with garlic confit" ($6/taster; $10/main) turned out to be slightly burnt, soggy, and limp. Additional dips such as the overly salty "black olive, sundried tomato & basil tapenade" are $4.
- "Seared East Coast scallops" ($20/taster; $32/main). For a taster size, you receive one abnormally large scallop with a grilled romaine heart sprinkled with bacon bits, cheese, and a bacon & caper dressing. On its own, the scallop was really salty and didn't have a nice sear on it. Would NOT recommend.
- I highly recommend "Ravioli of confit chicken, roast mushrooms, Boursin cheese" to share ($16 taster/ $24 main). The taster size comes with about six raviolis filled with flavourful tender chicken, immersed in a delicious buttery cream sauce. I wanted to lick the plate! Pasta was a perfect al dente.
Entrees:
- My friend ordered the "Wood-grilled swordfish" ($34) on top of wilted spinach and sugary glazed fingerling potatoes. If you haven't had swordfish before, now may be the time to try it since it was cooked fairly well here. Expect a meatier and denser textured fish with a mild taste. A spicy panaag curry sauce added an extra kick.
- I ordered the "Grilled AB Bison flank, with bing cherry & walnut butter" ($32). There was an ample amount of bison grilled to a perfect medium rare. If you've never had bison before, the meat is leaner and tastes gamier than beef. Due to the cut the meat, it was somewhat tough, but flavourful with a nutty note from the brown butter.
Dessert:
- I decided to try their signature dessert, "Stilton Cheesecake" bruleed, with a rhubarb compote ($9). Although I hate blue cheese, I decided to try it because it was a signature dish and my server said they only added a 'hint' of stilton. If you love blue cheese I highly recommend this dessert. The blue cheese flavor is delicate and the texture of the cheesecake was extremely moist and creamy. Great dessert, but I couldn't handle that much blue cheese.
Overall, I feel that Notable is slightly overrated. I had a decent time and the food was mediocre to good, but nothing to rave about. Nonetheless, it is still worth checking out. Just be sure to make reservations and expect to pay a hefty price for dinner. read more