Shawn and I went for a belated anniversary dinner this evening at Fabbrica, which is Mark McEwan's new Italian restaurant at Shops at Don Mills. I ordered the fettuccine with crab, guanciale, cream, and a soft poached egg. Can I just say that I am so glad this was what I decided to order on my first visit to Fabbrica? I read some bad reviews on many of the other pasta dishes at Fabbrica, but this one was possibly one of the best pasta dishes I have ever eaten, at least in North America. The fettuccine was cooked perfectly al dente, there was huge chunks of fresh crab, the guanciale added a really nice complex flavour, and the soft poached egg gave a lovely creaminess to the pasta. It was just a combination of textures and flavours that I'd never had before, and it was really, really good.
Shawn had the slow roasted pork shoulder, which was really tender and flavourful in an oregano pesto, but the rapini that we ordered as a side was just not worth the $8. It was sautéed in garlic and chili which helped with the severe bitterness of the vegetable, but I'd take Chinese broccoli over this any day, and it'd be a fraction of the cost and much tastier. Moreover, I thought that our waitress, who recommended the side, should have mentioned that it was not included in either of our entrées. That aside, however, the service was wonderful. Our waitress was welcoming and nice and attentive. It's the type of service where you would totally tip 25% if your bill didn't already come out to $95 and you're just not that rich.
For dessert, our waitress recommended the Tiramisu di Fabbrica, which was pure delight. It features two thin layers of crispy caramel (similar to what you would find on top of crème brûlée), white chocolate sponge, espresso mousse, and amaretto mousse. This was just phenomenal. It's a different take on tiramisu, but I just can't find anything about it to complain about. Each each bite is just worth savouring. It also comes with a small cup filled with frappuccino, which was okay, but nothing special. It really does taste like a Tim Hortons Iced Capp, topped with some milk froth. I'm sure there's a purpose of the frappuccino, maybe to help cleanse the intense flavours of the tiramisu, but I personally found it kind of redundant, since the tiramisu can easily stand on its own. But, I digress 'cause I ate it, anyway, and it was pretty refreshing. Overall, I had a really great experience at Fabbrica, and both Shawn and I ultimately thought it was worth going, and worth going again.
Happy belated anniversary. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys had a good meal. I'd heard that this place was ridiculously expensive (esp. when it comes to things like sides, etc.), but your pasta looks pretty damn tempting!
Thanks, Sydney! :) I found that Fabbrica has pretty standard pricing (about $25 for an entree), but it's the extras that really rack up your bill. I ordered an iced tea, and seriously, the glass was TINY, and it was $5! (To be fair, the tea is brewed in-house -- not fountain soda -- but that's still ridiculous for tea.) Most of the side dishes (because none of the entrees come with sides) cost around $8, which is also expensive for what it is (like rapini or mushrooms).
ReplyDeleteBut having eaten in NYC, I've discovered that it's actually standard for more upscale non-chain restaurants. It's nice to go to for special occasions, but I definitely wouldn't be able to afford eating there regularly!