Last week, I saw my friend's photo of a surf and turf cheeseburger, and what was left of my small…read moremind was blown. I decided to look at the menu, saw the lobster roll, and knew that I needed to order it.
I love lobster rolls. I see it on a menu and I must order it. No thought required. Done!
There are three COAST locations, all ghost kitchens, in the GTA. One is in downtown Toronto. Another is at the Firkin that I used to frequent at Yonge and Eglinton. The one is Vaughan is the latest addition, which is where I went last night.
I placed my order through Uber Eats for pickup:
- PEI lobster roll with COAST salad
- Crispy COAST shrimp
- Crème brûlée cheesecake
- Superbowl Sunday special (free COAST fries when your order is $40 or more)
The downside is that I got a general location as to where to go to pick up my food. I got to the plaza with Nations grocery store anchoring it. Where do I go next?
Well, my prayers were answered when a nice person from COAST called me and said that my order was ready. He let me know that COAST is in The Moose, which is a Firkin pub. Yes, direction! I thanked him and parked closer to the pub.
The Moose looks new and modern. It has patio heaters and is open for dining in, as is many eateries in York region now.
I was greeted by a nice man. He asked for my order number. I showed it on my phone and he went to fetch my order. I saw this white paper bag with handles on the bar counter.
He thanked me and handed it to me. I reciprocated. I could smell the fries through my mask. I was so excited and I headed over to my car.
I got home and had dinner. I bought more than I could down, so I have leftovers today that I look forward to having
I had a container full of salad. The PEI lobster roll was camouflaged by it. You can choose fries or salad as your side. Considering that I was going for free COAST fries, I settled for salad. I loved how much salad I got. The veggies were crisp and fresh. All I heard was my crunching on them. The salad dressing had balsamic vinegar, but it was subtle and didn't have a ton of sugar. I liked it a lot.
My lobster roll was good. The lobster had generous chunks of real lobster in aioli, with chives and seasoning. Yum! The downside was the bun. The brioche bun needed to be softer and perhaps grilled more with butter. It would have made the experience nicer. It was a smaller roll than I had hoped for $20, but I had so much food that it was minor.
What surprised me the most were the crispy COAST shrimp. They were super crispy. They had a bit of spice. The baby arugula balanced out the spiciness. I thoroughly enjoyed how crispy the whisper-thin batter coating each shrimp was. Perfection!
I got the COAST fries on the house. The fries tasted so homemade, as if I had cut the fries myself, and someone did a better job at deep-frying them. It had Grana Padano cheese that I had never had. It tasted like parmesan, but milder. I loved it with the spicy aioli and chives. I love chives so much. I normally don't enjoy eating fries as a side, but I could do these any day.
I have been good lately by not going overboard with desserts. However, I couldn't resist getting the crème brûlée cheesecake. Sadly, my slice got tossed around a tad in the container, so the pointy part of the slice was smashed. However, I ate it all, even with the whipped cream puddle next to it.
I enjoyed this cheesecake slice a lot. It wasn't terribly sweet. The berry coulis on top provided a nice tartness and contrast. The crust was thin. The cheesecake was creamy and you could taste the beautiful crème brûlée flavour in each bite. It's a winner!
I am eyeing the PEI lobster poutine, and COAST surf and turf burger next. I had a great experience. Prices do run steep, but it's worth treating yourself to fresh seafood and ingredients.
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