I met up with Liz yesterday for an early dinner (or, in my case, a late lunch) at John & Sons Oyster House:
Since we got there early, they were still offering their happy hour menu, so we ordered the crab cake from the regular menu, and then three items from the happy hour menu since we wanted to take advantage of the cheaper prices. The crab cake was moist and packed with chunks of Dungeness crab, with a perfectly crisp and golden exterior, and served with a tart lemon aioli on top that complimented the crab well. But we both agreed that neither the quality nor the quantity merited a $15 price tag. For that price, the crab cake should have been at least the size of a hockey puck. The shrimp tacos that we ordered from the happy hour menu were beautifully presented, served with salsa and lime wedges on the side... but sadly, weren't as good as they looked. Texturally, I appreciated the contrast between the fleshy shrimp, crunchy cabbage, and crisp tortilla shell. But there was something missing. The shrimp was coated in a zesty-spicy marinade, and the cabbage was tossed in a tart vinaigrette, but there just wasn't enough sauce to hold it all together. It's like a sandwich that's too dry. Kind of disappointing, because they had so much potential.
The mussels were better, served classically steamed in a white wine broth with shallots, bacon, and fennel. I thought the quality of the mussels themselves could have been better — bigger, plumper, fleshier — but they were satisfying enough. We agreed that many restaurants serve mussels on par with these ones, though the quality and quantity might differ from the version on their regular menu. The unanimous favourite of the evening was the deep-fried oysters, golden nuggets of pure joy. The oysters were big and juicy, coated in spicy panko batter that gives off the perfect crunch, and served with the most addictive chipotle aioli (which I later spread on the shrimp taco to give it some more kick). I guess you should stick to oysters when at an oyster house, right? I'm not going to write off this place just yet because I don't feel like what we had tonight was really a fair assessment of the quality of their food, since their regular menu differs quite a lot from their happy hour menu. I mean, the place was packed by 5:00, so it must be popular for a reason. I think next time, I'll stick to the regular menu and try out the raw oysters while I'm at it.
John & Sons Oyster House
56 Temperance Street
Toronto, ON M5H 3V5
(416) 703-5111
Crab cake
Shrimp tacos
Since we got there early, they were still offering their happy hour menu, so we ordered the crab cake from the regular menu, and then three items from the happy hour menu since we wanted to take advantage of the cheaper prices. The crab cake was moist and packed with chunks of Dungeness crab, with a perfectly crisp and golden exterior, and served with a tart lemon aioli on top that complimented the crab well. But we both agreed that neither the quality nor the quantity merited a $15 price tag. For that price, the crab cake should have been at least the size of a hockey puck. The shrimp tacos that we ordered from the happy hour menu were beautifully presented, served with salsa and lime wedges on the side... but sadly, weren't as good as they looked. Texturally, I appreciated the contrast between the fleshy shrimp, crunchy cabbage, and crisp tortilla shell. But there was something missing. The shrimp was coated in a zesty-spicy marinade, and the cabbage was tossed in a tart vinaigrette, but there just wasn't enough sauce to hold it all together. It's like a sandwich that's too dry. Kind of disappointing, because they had so much potential.
Steamed mussels
Deep-fried oysters
The mussels were better, served classically steamed in a white wine broth with shallots, bacon, and fennel. I thought the quality of the mussels themselves could have been better — bigger, plumper, fleshier — but they were satisfying enough. We agreed that many restaurants serve mussels on par with these ones, though the quality and quantity might differ from the version on their regular menu. The unanimous favourite of the evening was the deep-fried oysters, golden nuggets of pure joy. The oysters were big and juicy, coated in spicy panko batter that gives off the perfect crunch, and served with the most addictive chipotle aioli (which I later spread on the shrimp taco to give it some more kick). I guess you should stick to oysters when at an oyster house, right? I'm not going to write off this place just yet because I don't feel like what we had tonight was really a fair assessment of the quality of their food, since their regular menu differs quite a lot from their happy hour menu. I mean, the place was packed by 5:00, so it must be popular for a reason. I think next time, I'll stick to the regular menu and try out the raw oysters while I'm at it.
John & Sons Oyster House
56 Temperance Street
Toronto, ON M5H 3V5
(416) 703-5111
AGREED! Sorry I let cheapness win out over better choices. But what I had the last time was so good that I was convinced everything from there would be just as good. Ah well, lesson learned. Thanks for meeting me and we'll have to do it again with Mary soon!
ReplyDeleteNo, no, don't be sorry, I'm glad we tried the happy hour menu stuff 'cause at least we know for next time, right? And the food wasn't bad by any means, anyway. I'd totally go back to try dishes from their regular menu, 'cause now I'm really curious!
DeleteAnd yes, please! We'll have to find a date when we are all free again, lol.