the black toro

in glen waverley, a place far away from the enthusiastic food-consuming fervour of inner city hipsterville, lies kingsway, a bustling strip lined with delicious, but predominantly asian restaurants. bang-smack in the middle of the vietnamese and chinese eateries is the slightly out of place but extremely palatable hispanic offering, the black toro. glen waverley locals garen maskal, aret arzadian and sasoon arzadian come from armenian backgrounds, the cuisine manifestation of which can be found at the black toro’s sister restaurant, sezar. these experienced foodies began the spanish fusion establishment after travel inspired them to bring a high-end dining experience to their area.

lacks a bit of personality. overal, the food was good but way too small portions. staff wasn't really paying attention. there are better restaurants in glen waverley to spend your money!

i did enjoy the food that are served at the black toro, only issue i hve with it, is the portion size. it's tapas style, great place for a few drinks n snacks ;)

came with a friend, ordered 120 dollars worth of food coz the menu was too attractive. suggest to come in fours so you can get to try more dishes without paying too much. food was delicious. highly recommend.

as we wanted to try everything, we only managed to order one main but surprisingly we were both full by the time we finished the main we had to opt out of the dessert. we definitely will be returning to try the dessert especially that 'dessert tasting platter' they have on offer !

the pulled pork tacos also came with shredded cabbage, sour cream and lime, and was quite spicy to eat. we all thought there was probably too much of everything to fit nicely into the taco, as bits of the pork and shredded cabbage fell out quite easily and became messy to eat; the taco collapsed under the weight of all the elements. it would've been nice to perhaps have more yoghurt and coleslaw to help balance out the flavours of the spicy pulled pork, as this was quite a strong flavour. there was a good combination of textures in this dish, with the soft pulled pork that contrasted nicely with the crunchy shredded cabbage.

if you’re lucky enough to work close to the black toro in glen waverley – guess what you could be having for lunch?  take a look at their cantina menu - the only problem?  it’s a 1) bit cumbersome 2) needs forethought and 3) you need somewhere to eat your goodies… i’m not sure how many people have tried their cantina menu since their launch in june last year…. i have a feeling not many given it really needs all the dots to line up before one can get takeaway lunch there.

we ordered the set menu of $60 per person which entails the dessert tasting platter worth $36 by itself. if you’re not a dessert person, there is a set menu for $45 per person – more room for savoury! the deal is unlimited food, selected by the chef’s

my skyhigh expectations for this dessert were most certainly met and i believe my experience at the black toro to have been worth every cent. already planning my next trip here to try the frozen nutella parfait, broken tres leches cake, toasted meringue & banana!

the black toro no doubt already plays an integral role in the shaping and culture of kingsway, and we have a feeling that others in glen waverley will follow suit in its turn towards fine dining in the future. even though it still remains one of the most pricey options in the area, for us it was definitely worth every cent.

yum! a beautiful mix of mexican and modern australia flavours is what you’ll find at the gem ”the black toro” in the heart of glen. opened recently in july 2012, this month marks its one year anniversary and it seems to be a continuing success with the locals! the black toro has two sittings: 5.30pm – 8.00pm 8.00pm – late we made a 6.00pm booking and the waitress reminded us when we arrived that we had to leave by the 8.00pm cross-over. at 6.00pm, there were only two couples within the place but it soon quickly filled up. the atmosphere and setting was relaxing and great. lots of couples taking their loved ones out for a treat. since only two of us have been here before, we decided on the $45 set menu (without dessert). we asked our waiter what this consisted of, he said it was whatever the chef comes up with. grilled corn on the cob with chipotle mayonnaise & toasted masa (2pcs) – $9 5/5 i must say, these are a must when you go to any mexican restaurant like the black toro or mamasi

the black toro was... okay. we only had small plates and no mains, so i wouldn't mind going back and trying a main or two at one point, even if i end up only enjoying the dessert all over again. but i wouldn't rave about it, the way i did with mamasita. i don't think this place quite deserves the hype that it's given.

overall, the quality of the food was excellent but it did hurt the hip-pocket and both our appetites were not 100% satisfied by the end of the meal. the flavours are very different to the ones i have experienced at ezard (fusion asian) which just shows the versatility and skill of the head chef. maybe next time i will save up and try the $60 banquet - instead of eating on a slightly overstretched student budget.