disappointment. i really wanted to like this place: the atmosphere, the name, the saliva-inducing food descriptions, and of course the high rating on urban spoon. nearly every dish we had was a massive disappointment... whether it be heavy handedness with seasoning or simply too much time in the oven this food was poor in execution.
before i describe where the dishes went wrong.. i must commend tbe on the roasted cauliflower. i really enjoyed it. good seasoning, perfect tenderness in the cauliflower, and the lentils were divine. my only complaint is the fact that i wanted more despite the massive serving because it was so good.
now that this is done....
we started off with the mexican-flavoured potato bar eats (i forget the exact name). they were topped off with green onion, cilantro, an avocado cream drizzle, and a combination of smokey seasonings. to put it in a slightly exaggerated analogy- if the chef's hand was mt. vesuvius, the lava was salt, and the poor ancient italians were the potatoes... this dish, is the mt vesuvius of the culinary world. (too soon?) even the creaminess of the avocado couldn't taper the saltiness of the potatoes.
next came the okanomiyaki (spelling??) and the brussel sprouts. the okanomiyaki (ok for short lest i keep butchering) is a giant version of a takoyaki but with a mixture of seafood and pork. it is served in a cast iron skillet. if i was to create a ridiculous analogy for my experience with this dish: you know when large dogs are puppies they have these clumsy looking giant paws. for puppies, this disproportion works. in this dish, it doesn't. this dish was simply too much dough and not enough flavour or meat. i was so excited to eat this but i remember taking one bite and feeling bad for getting my fiancé to order it. food simply shouldn't make you feel bad for ordering it. with shopping, buyer's regret helps you save money when you decide to return the item the next day. with eating out.... yeah....
the brussel sprouts. i love roasted brussel sprouts. when done well, the nutty flavour of the sprouts is enhanced by the smokiness of the roasting. the outside leaves are crispy while the insides are tender. perfect balance of texture and flavour. at tbe, these were some of the worst brussel sprouts i've had at a restaurant. they were simply way too sweet, so sweet that there was a puddle of the honey glaze at the bottom of the small bowl they come in. despite this sweetness, you can still taste the acridness of the burnt sprouts. since this review is a stream of horrible analogies, why stop now? it's like when you wake up with a pimple and it just so happens to be your wedding day, the day you take your graduation photo, or the day you agreed to meet with your friend who likes to take selfies. the first thing you think of is covering that pusy bad boy up with makeup. but as you apply more and more makeup, the worse you look all together. with no amount of concealer, capable of concealing it. this is the experience of this dish.
lastly, we ended off with the beef chuck and polenta. this dish was actually not bad. i liked it, but it still missed the marks on perfect execution. the beef was just a little overcooked. it was still juicy and tender, but would have been perfect if it was taken out a tad sooner. the polenta was pretty good too. i can't remember much about it tbh but i remember enjoying it. the roast vegetables that came with the dish were simply way too overcooked. yes they were burnt and mushy. i forget what vegetable it was (it wasn't something that you would find at your basic grocery store ie: peppers, onions etc). i remember when the waitress was describing it i was so pumped to try one (it was so organic food market/exotic sounding). excitedly i grabbed one and put it in my mouth. let's just say i have absolutely no idea what that exotic vegetable is suppose to taste like because it was so burnt that, that is all i tasted. the roasted beets with this dish also had that familiar acrid flavour. beets! a dish rich in sweetness and rootiness tasted burnt. gah.
so as you can tell i was very disappointed. i wanted to like this place so badly. but the execution simply did not match my expectations, the style lf the restaurant, or the high price points. if i am going to spend $40 on a dinner in edmonton, i hope to be blown away or leave happy. unfortunately, i was simply blown away by what went wrong and left very unhappy. so to end off this lengthy review.....
i would compare my experience eating at tbe to when i went to watch the first hobbit. after watching lord of the rings, there is no possible way that the hobbit can go wrong. this movie had the perfect set-up, perfect world, and clearly the technical foundation to be killer. well... as i'm sure we all know... something definitely went wrong.