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Lucien Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
36 Wellington St EToronto, ON M5E 1C7
Neighbourhoods: St. Lawrence, Downtown Core
(416) 504-9990
- Hours:
Mon-Wed, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Thu-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
32 reviews for Lucien Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The goat cheese ice cream was my favorite."
(in 3 reviews)
"We also got the octopus starter and the pork belly."
(in 6 reviews)
"...was a wonder lemon meringue pie with graham crackers and..."
(in 3 reviews)
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Q H.
North York, ON
1/4/2012
An intimate restaurant with angular and contrasting decors. Dark brown furnitures and bright trimming accents contribute to a somewhat gothic stark but also warm and inviting atmosphere. The high ceilings give airy feel to tight and narrow restaurant. Overall, it is a very elegant place.
Tables are small. Really small. You will have to play tetris on the table to organize the plates, glasses, forks+knives, side dishes and your elbows. But it gives a personal and romantic feeling. Yes, the small tables are placed too close to others, thus eliminating privacy. Chairs are very comfortable. And depending on your frame of mind, the noise level is somewhere between acceptable and a bit high.
Servers are attentive and accommodating. They are very knowledgable with the foods they serve.
The menu layout is very simple. No poem or literature. Just simple menu with several items. They change menu quite often... I've had venison, lamb, fish (maybe dover sole?), etc. I can definitely say there are playful and experimental tastes in its chemistry. The dance between ingredients are exquisite. There is a modern twist on traditional flavors. But here's the thing. I couldn't really taste expert cooking. They weren't awful, but they could have been better. I remember the lamb being a bit tough and dry. it could have been more juicier. And the fish had a bit of unpleasant jello-ish texture. This restaurant has some consistency issues to take care of.
But the tasting menu (5 course) was excellent. Very imaginative but relaxed cooking style. I think it was around $70 per person. I don't think they do tasting menu though. But tasting menu showed how good this restaurant can be. Everything was cooked impeccably and foods came out at a nice pace.
Overall, I love dining at Lucien. It's more of the atmosphere and ambience that I enjoy than the foods themselves. This is my first choice restaurant that I take a girl to on a first date. This restaurant is not that popular yet, and there are many that haven't heard of Lucien. -
Review from Linda M.
12/28/2011
I ate here a few months ago with a Group coupon that brought it into a more reasonable price range. The space itself is beautiful, and the service was friendly and efficient. At this point, the menu has changed and I don't remember off the top of my head what we ordered - but I remember it was good. Just good. Not great. I also remember that the portions were very small. At that price point, hopefully the food would be great and in good portions, but you at least need one or the other. Frankly, I was barely satiated with my meal.
All in all, I'm glad I had the coupon because otherwise I would have been upset by how much I'd spent on how little. The coupon made it a little more acceptable, but I won't return nor would I buy another coupon. It's just not worth it to me when there's so many excellent restaurants in the same price range or lower. -
Review from Sean D.
10/31/2011
I just stopped here for a couple drinks, but have never had or seen service this good! The bar tender was amazing. Treated us with respect, knew drinks inside and out, and quite frankly made it difficult to move on to our dinner reservations. I would've just stayed there had we not made plans with a group.
As an example of the service, I was drinking martini's, and each time I ate an olive, I put the pit on a napkin. He would come clear my napkin and pit away and put a new napkin for my next pit! A little over kill, but shows you how attentive they are.
As I said, I didn't eat the food this time, (looked great though off others table). I will be back here for dinner on my next trip to Toronto. -
Review from Leslie W.
10/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
BOTTOM LINE: Attentive service and delicious food, but I'm not sure I experienced the same "WOW" or "MEH" factor that others have.
Listen, this place is good, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to others, but it's also not amazing or paradigm-shifting by any means. Judging by the the "bimodal" distribution of Yelp ratings, however, it seems like you're either a fanboy or a hater.
To the FANBOYS: The service and food were good, but not amaze-balls. My favourite was their unique take on the classic french onion soup - excellent presentation, loved the duck , though would've preferred a bit more cheese. Their heirloom tomato salad could've, again, had more than just a thin slice of barrata. Cod was done well and the deer was cooked to medium-rare perfection (though I prefer a gamier taste, that's just me). And as for the apple confit, the highlight was actually the goat cheese ice cream that accompanied it.
To the HATERS: To those expecting Lucien to be a molecular gastronomic affair comparable to El Bulli, I say, "WTF?! Seriously?" This place is far from it, but last I checked, they weren't advertising themselves as such. A lot of detractors also complain about the price/serving size ratio. On the one hand, I tend to agree if only because I've eaten at other comparably good restaurants for less but it's not like Lucien's prices are outrageously expensive (although I wasn't exactly rushing to order their chef's tasting menu!). On the other hand, given how everything else in the neighbourhood is in the same price range and there's this thing called the Internets, I'm not sure how the cost was beyond people's expectations.
All in all, I like Lucien and that's why it deserves 3 stars. Apparently, I'm only the second or third out of 30 people to think so. -
Review from Sara K. P.
Toronto, ON
8/15/2011
Hubby and myself had reservations here for a romantic Valentine's meal this past February. The venue was fitting as Lucien's interior is stunningly outftted with Art Nouveau flourishes abound. Lots of wrought iron scrolling and stained glass with sprinklings of Toulouse-Lautrec prints for good measure.
Our server was neither callous nor too obliging just neutrally efficient and informative. Maybe it was the dining choices hubby and myself sampled at Lucien, however I was pretty underwhelmed with my meal.
We started with the Bincho Grilled octopus and hubby had the Berkshire pork belly. Our mains were the roast Fenwood farms chicken and Ontario veal Ribeye.
To finish we sampled the "Chocolate Complex" and hubby chased his meal with a single malt Oban.
Overall flavour and texture wise, I wasn't feeling it at all. Hubby expressed his dinner was good but what man is ever unsatisfied when ribs are involved? I felt like the meals were more like minimalist works of interpretive masticative art than satisfying gourmand dining.
Call me a purist but I prefer that foodstuffs like octopus are served up looking like octopus and not as some odd terrine-like concotion, not to mention the "dessert" of some scant chocolate pieces with salt and spices made me feel I was surrendering to some culinary experiment just to make Lucien laugh at my expense for both my idiocy for ordering it and for charging me $16.
I've had the honour and pleasure for the past 20 years to dine on some wonderful, flavourful, and utterly orgasmic meals at both lowbrow and highbrow establishments in Toronto. Lucien to me felt like an insolent exercise in posturing and bravado. Instead of provoking gastronomic inspiration in me, Lucien left a bad taste in my mouth and less $225 from my husband's well intentioned pocket.
Lucien, I will give you credit for trying to assert your own brand of avant garde cuisine but quite frankly, I'd leave the molecular freestyling to Ferran Adria and his rogue El Bulli disciples. -
Review from Colleen L.
6/27/2011 1 photo
An amazing food experience at prices justified by your taste buds, who will go "WEEE!!!! WEEEE!!! WEEE!!!!!"
Lucien was such a great find. We walked by in our wanderings as tourists, yelped it later and saw a sort of mixed bag of reviews.
Many of the poorer reviews for Lucien had to do with two things: price and size.
"The portions were small and it was expensive!"
You know where portions are plenty and prices are nominal? Burger King. You can get a triple stack for $3! Amazing!
Lucien is not Burger King. Reviews judging the restaurant based food all came out quite positive, and I have another one to add to the list.
The server was very nice, helpful, explained to me what "fiddleheads" are. He helped steer me towards the Bison entree and it was amazing. We also got the octopus starter and the pork belly. They were both really good. The veal ribeye was the other entree at the table, which was also good, but owner of said ribeye was a wee bit jealous of my bison.
The brownie for dessert was not my favorite after the whole meal was done, but luckily they brought out the cheesecake by accident and let us keep both. The cheesecake was much better than the brownie but a delight to be able to try them both!
2 apps + 2 entrees + 1 bottle wine ($58) + 1 dessert + 2 cappuccino = $195
So put that in your bison pipe and smoke it. We loved every bite! -
Review from Tara A.
4/14/2011
I am a bit surprised at the good reviews of this joint as It was such a disappointment for me and my girlfriends.
Having hopped back on the trying new restaurant train, I was looking forward to trying Lucien. We benefited from the Group on opportunity and headed to the restaurant. The atmosphere is beautiful. Endless bottles on wine surround a massive mirror behind the bar which was really pretty. I can also say the bread that was served at the beginning was delicious.
Unfortunately, I have to stop with the compliments there. The wine list was okay.. We had the Flan which was a bit bland and the Beef Tenderloin and the Black Cod was nothing that wow'd us. We weren't overly impressed with any of the food we were served. Luckily we had the groupon coupon so the meal didn't cost us too much as I would have been even more disappointed. As least I was in brilliant company. Lucien left me with a lot to be desired. -
Review from Robin D.
5/1/2011
From: - Friend -
Subject: we got served by Lucien owner Simon Bower!!
Date: May 1, 2011 3:27:27 AM EDT
To: - Me -
http://www.youtube.com...
no wonder service was impeccable, lol!
---
Service was exceptional! Probably because of above.
I would recommend the flan and cheese cake. Had the black cod for entree, which was nice, friend thought it was outstanding. And overall very pleasant experience.
Note to self: Next time I must try the octopus appetizer. -
Review from Frances D.
Toronto, ON
11/22/2011
The space is best described as modern Art Nouveau, with an open kitchen so you can spy on the cooks. Dark walls, wood and tiles, wrought iron and pretty chandeliers add charm without being overbearing. Most importantly there were sumptuous dark velvet curtains. I bet on a busy night you can actually have a conversation without shouting because of those curtains. This pleases my inner granny. Yay for noise reducing curtains!
Now on to the important stuff, food: The dishes are a subtle ode to molecular gastronomy, nothing crazy, no steak ice cream here but there might be a smear of parsnip foam on your plate. (Isn't funny how sometimes not knowing/figuring out what you're eating makes it better)*.
Portions sizes weren't huge by any means. Big enough to leave you satisfied without feeling stuffed so you can enjoy restaurant bread without worrying if you'll be labouring through dessert. I think you're supposed to eat a 3 course meal, here so don't count on dinning on just a main. The 3 of us shared 2 appetizers, the tuna and the pork belly. The tuna appetizer consisted of 4 small slices fresh raw tuna with some veggies. The fish was so delectable that I didn't want the taste to leave my month and was almost sad to start my main. The whitefish that followed was tasty and the other 2 dishes looked equally good. For dessert I had cherry ice cream. It was bang on. It was accompanied with rye streusel, yummy white foamy stuff and a few pieces of celery. The celery definitely worked as it added a crunch and mitigated some of the sweetness, but it wasn't necessary. The fruit cake dessert was even better. It had goat cheese ice cream. Oh, Service was pleasant, unassuming and unobtrusive.
And now for something completely different, a verdict: This strikes me as a great place to have a special/celebratory meal. Also, if you want to impress clients, friends, and frenemies, Lucien won't disappoint. Was it worth it? Yes. Did I pay? No (thankfully)**. Did I have a great meal? Yes. Was I wowed? No.
Just an FYI the menu online isn't entirely up to date, some of the dishes were pricier and 1 or 2 menu options differed.
* Certain conditions apply. No horses, cats, dogs, rodents, insects, arachnids, worms, slugs, pathogens, endangered species or rotting food allowed.
**Even if I did pay, it would still be worth it. -
Review from Monica S.
11/29/2010
Thank you Andrea & Dave for bringing us to this new gem! What an amazing find!
Very cool interior, modern, somewhat upscale.
Service - impeccable! The server was so attentive.
Food: I started with the beet and carrot salad. Interesting presentation. Very flavorful. Not a large portion so don't feel like you'll be stuffed if you order a starter.
The french onion soup - like no other I've had. See picture I've uploaded. Again - it's all about the presentation. The aged gouda foam was a nice surprise. The broth is poured at the table.
The Ontario Red Deer was incredibly tender and cooked to perfection. The celeriac was amazing and the cranberries were an excellent addition to sweeten the overall taste.
Black Cod is your dish should you want something on the lighter side. It literally melts in your mouth.
We ordered a few desserts:
Chocolate beetroot brownie - i've never heard of such a thing. If you're a chocolate lover - order it.. delicious!
Lemon Meringue - I'm not a huge fan of lemon anything in my dessert however this one offered a very refreshing option. The hubby loves lemon dessert so this was his favorite.
Ontario Apple Confit - Amazing! The goat cheese ice cream was my favorite.
What a lovely experience. We'll come back again when we're in town. -
Review from Lindsay B.
6/1/2010
One of the best restaurant meals I've ever eaten! I had the black cod with escargot, salsify, savoy cabbage, bacon and cocoa jus. I loved the way the chef included multiple preparations of each ingredient. For example, salsify puree and chips. Pork belly cubes and fried pork rinds. Yum! The cod was cooked perfectly, the flavor was so complex, perfectly balanced, divine. I scraped my plate clean and would've licked it if I was gutsy enough.
The desserts were also incredible. Sticking with the theme of multiple preparations, the lemon dessert included lemon creme, custard, meringue, and who knows what else. And then the chocolate and cheese compositions, which allowed us to combine simple ingredients in a variety of combinations... a fun and delightful experience! -
Review from Ray P.
Toronto, ON
5/9/2010
With the generally positive reviews I was expecting a good experience, but this was a great experience. A new favourite for me in the city.
Room: has a great urban sophisticated feel without any pretense, and when full is still quiet enough to enjoy conversation.
Service: Friendly, efficient, with only minor affectation
Menu: Just about the perfect length, several interesting options, focus on Canadian themed ingredients, with intriguing accompaniments, like paneer with the lamb
Presentation: Elegant and inventive, yet not fussy
Taste: The style is 'New American', so flavors are combined from different cuisines, and in this case quite skilfully, the overall effect being complementary, intense, and clean.
Healthiness: Pretty good, oils kept in check, focus on quality fresh ingredients
Value: It's a wallet-thumper alright, but Lucien delivers on the price. -
Review from Catherine L.
Toronto, ON
Over the years I've grown very cynical of Winterlicious. It seems that a lot of restaurants don't really treat this event well, and sub the regular menu with much cheaper and more generic food that is easier to produce en masse. However, this year, I decided to give a few a try, with Lucient on the top of my list of restaurants that I had heard about but did not try yet. It looked promising for Winterlicious since it looked like their Winterlicious menu actually had items from their regular menu.
We started off our early Friday night dinner with Braised Berkshire Pork and Cauliflower Soup as appetizers. The pork was deliciously fatty and the soup was light as air. Delicious! Next came the Top Meadow Farms Beef Bourguignon - nicely braised and tasty, but nothing special. For dessert I had the Ontario Apple Cobbler while my boyfriend got the Lemon Meringue. Both were inventive and good. I was impressed with my Winterlicious experience here and would return here again for the regular menu - which is what Winterlicious is all about - attracting new customers.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Lucien. The service was good, the decor was intimate and cozy, and the food was tasty and original. -
Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
11/30/2009
It was a rainy Sunday night on Wellington Street last night and after a day of pounding the floors walking around the One of A Kind Show we decided to indulge (as if my wallet hadn't been pounded on enough) for dinner at Lucien. Lucien has gotten much attention for listings in such places as the Zagat rating and I think has some sort of kudos bestowed upon it for being one of Toronto's top dining spots. It is an upper end Wallet smasher, without question but it was my friend's birthday so we figured WTF, let's go for it.
It was early in the evening as my friend had to catch a 7:20 p.m. train back to London so it goes without saying that the restaurant was very quiet which means the service would be more than sufficient. It's a lovely dining, with an illuminated ceiling of opaque red panels and wrought iron suspended underneath it. There is a quiet elegance about the restaurant and I like that.
Instead of starting with one of the appetizers we opt to order up the cheese plate off the dessert menu to share. Nothing warms one up better than a glass of McManis Cabernet Sauvignon with some Niagara Gold cheese. The cheese plate ($15) I felt was a little light not so much on the cheese (there were 5 small portions from Blue to Niagara Gold) but rather on the condiments that adorn cheese. There was a small smattering of fresh pomegranate seeds, a teeny tiny piece of poached apple, a teaspoon size dribble of a pear jam and three tiny small oat biscuits. The cheese was delicious and all room temperature .
For the mains I opted for my usual Beef tenderloin. It was beautifully plated, sitting atop a bed of seared but not slaughtered spinach. around the plate were little piles of aerated adornments such as squash and even small little blobs of fois gras that you could dip chunks of your meat in to. Very delicious. My only quibble with this plate was that the menu said gnocchi was served with it but it wasn't really gnocchi but rather three small bits of ricotta shaped like gnocchi and topped with finely minced chives. It was OK but for the most part I find ricotta bland and not a cheese I rush to eat. Lucien's kitchen would do better to blend the ricotta with actual potato and make a ricotta stuffed gnocchi instead.
My friend chose the Pork tenderloin atop some pureed potatoes garnished with onions. Again, presentation was impeccable, beautifully laid out with little splotches of this sauce and that glaze on the plate. The guys who plate this food love those little condiment squeeze bottles. My concern with this dish was I felt that the tenderloin was just a bit too rare and I asked my friend twice if the meat was ok. Ultimately he relented and said that it could have been cooked just slightly more. It is one thing for beef to be rare but when it comes to meats like pork and chicken that is an absolute no no.
Our waiter was very friendly and checked in several times to make sure we had what we needed. They kept the water glasses topped up and once I dropped my napkin on the floor he quickly jetted over with a replacement. We did need to ask for a steak knife when they put the food down but other than that the service was good.
The menu at Lucien isn't large. It's a one sheeter, with a starter column, a main column and a finishing column. Under the mains they had listed three fish dishes so if you aren't in to fish you might feel slighted. After that it's one beef, one chicken and one pork dish. As I recall I don't think there was one vegetarian main listed. Prices for first (salads, calamari etc.) run anywhere from $14-$20. That's for a starter. Mains start at $29 and go to $40. Cheapest glass of wine on the menu was $11. Dinner for two without dessert hit $200.
I noted on a previous review that they were served an Amuse Bouche to get their taste buds on the go. There was no Amuse Bouche in sight on Sunday night. Shame. It's the small things that can really make a difference. Dollar for dollar I'd take my beloved Silver Spoon over Lucien any day of the week. Not sure I'd go back to Lucien but I am glad that I did finally get to experience the restaurant. -
Review from Alicia T.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Small portions and mediocre food, which I found insulting for the price. After reading all the reviews, I was expecting way more. I wish I'd gone back to Noce (queen west). Definitely won't go again.
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Review from Ricky C.
Toronto, ON
2/11/2010
What started off as what could have been a bad dining experience was quickly turned around. Simon, the owner, did recognize that we were waiting a long time for our table...and then when seated, we were asked to move to the back of the restaurant. It wasn't a great start to our experience...
To make up for it, we received complimentary glasses of champagne for our hassle (usually $20/glass). The hassle wasn't anything a little alcohol couldn't fix - and bubbly at that!
Our first course was cauliflower soup with caviar, smoked salmon and edamame (sp?). Simply amazing - I have never taken so long to saviour a soup in my life. We also let our server choose the appropriate wine pairings, which were def. on point.
Another minor hiccup - barely before I could finish the soup the main was out on the table. I politely requested to the server to make sure there is a little more time between the main and dessert. He recognized what I was getting at - and gave us our main course wine pairings on the house. They may not have got it right, but they did their best to rectify the situation. The main was an organic salmon with a variety of root veg puree (mostly varieties of beets). It was amazing. The salmon was perfectly cooked. I am guessing they seared it on the skin side, and then put the cast iron skillet in the over (not sure though).
Dessert was a wonder lemon meringue pie with graham crackers and ice cream. I'm not typically a sweet tooth person - but this was an excellent balance of not being too sweet.
Final verdict - I had been here once before and was even more impressed (I did winterlicious this time, so you gotta account for that). This is the BEST restaurant I have been to in our fine city. Love it, and will definitely being going there again for special dinner occassions. -
Review from M. C. F.
North York, ON
5/18/2010
I've been to Lucien twice. The first time I tried the 5 course tasting menu and it was a great experience when paired with fitting wines. The second time was a date and we went a la carte but the experience was a bit more bland.
The space is very well fashioned and sophisticated with an ambiance that suggests you can get lost in loquaciousness as the wine keeps flowing or dive deep and have an intimate conversation with your partner.
The dishes has never blown me away but have been pleasant to try. I had deer the last time I was there and asked for it medium rather than medium rare, but found it to be mediocre and chewy. Still, the juicy asparagus appetizer which came before was excellent.
The menu has lots of choice but it doesn't overwhelm you and the service is friendly and sufficient. Of course, the prices are high given the location and intended clientele.
All said, it's never been an inspiring place for me, but I may visit again in a few months to a year. -
Review from Denise S.
4/26/2011
Interior is wonderful, elegant and quirky,the ingredients are all local, fresh and seasonal. I had the split pea soup that was silky and flavorful. The bread basket was made in house, with butter that was actaully one of my favorite parts of the meal. Salmon over wheatberries was interesting. Service was not rushed which gave us time to enjoy each course.
-
Review from Rosemary D.
6/11/2009
We had a list of recommendations for restaurants a mile long during our trip to Toronto and ended up eating very well at Oyster Boy, Foxley, a Jamie Kennedy farmer and winemaker dinner, Starfish, and some excellent casual places like Standard Fish and Chips. The overall quality was very high, but this dinner was better than anything I have ever had outside of Chez Panisse. One particular chef recommended that we go to Lucien since he eats all over the world and had his most memorable meal in ten years there. With a recommendation like that, we had to go and we were glad we did.
The amuse in the beginning was delightful, a mini reuben sandwich with truffled mustard. The chef didn't like that we hadn't ordered the grilled octopus and chorizo dish so he sent it out for us, and it was one of the best appetizers I have had. The octopus sausage seemed a bit creepy to me, but when I tasted it I quickly changed my mind. The salty, savory flavor of the octopus and chorizo were outstanding.
We had the sunchoke flan, which had a perfect texture and interesting taste, the salad with fried shallots (it was the only miss of the evening, there was no dressing at all on the greens and that really didn't appeal to any of us), and the pork belly, which was fantastic. For mains we shared the lamb and the "chowder". The lamb was good, a very solid dish with three preparations, but the chowder was on a whole different level. It was a deconstructed chowder with various seafood and sauces arranged beautifully on a big square plate, my friend observed that it looked like some kind of underwater Tim Burton world.
So much of the time great restaurants fall down on the desserts, but the dessert we had with malt was amazing. Service was good and attentive, wine was tasty, basically all of us loved it! -
Review from Joan L.
Mississauga, ON
7/24/2010 5 photos
Looks can be deceiving ...
Don't judge a book by its cover ...
These are the phrases that come to mind when I recall my summerlicious event at Lucien. This was the most expensive (45$) and yet pleased the least.
I will admit that the ambiance is ok (cool dark lounge vibe) and the service passable (though no one cared to explain the dishes to us - unlike Canoe and Auberge ... AND we felt that everything was rushed - prob due to the lineup at the door).
The real failure was the food. The appetizer was delicious and all the different tastes came together in my mouth. I was sooo hopeful for the next 2 dishes. However, my cod came and I was completely disgusted at it - it was far too salty (masking anything???) and small (about half the size of a cat-food can) and undercooked (it was seared but the inside was still oozing out salty water). I felt like I should return it but didn't want to make a fuss. At this point, I was pissy and irritated. How dare they serve me this? The cheesecake failed to impress - I tasted no cheese and it was dry. My friend had the chocolate mousse and she did not like its texture.
All in all, I would not return for a *licious event. Perhaps one will fare better if you ordered off the regular menu.
I still have nightmares and pangs of regret for dropping 72$ at this joint. -
Review from ritchie c.
Toronto, ON
6/8/2010
Good not great. Almost everything coming out of the kitchen was lacking that extra je ne sais quoi to make it special.
The grilled octopus app was my favourite of the evening by far with deliciously tender fingerling potatoes and tasty chorizo.
Despite ordering a medium rare veal, the piece came out looking overcooked and grey in colour. Both the waiter and the host insisted it was medium rare and it was the outside light coming through the windows that washed out the vibrant pink one would expect from a properly cooked piece of meat. They were nice about it and cooked us another one that came out looking exactly the same.. soo uhhh whatever.. it tasted good, just wasn't as juicy and tender as we would've liked it.
The halibut was decent, a little over cooked as well in my opinion, and was drier than I would've liked but it came with an excellent butter sauce with chunks of crab leg and a wasabi green bean puree.
The presentation of all the dishes were outstanding. They looked delicious, just a shame that didn't taste as good as they looked.
The meal came to $550'sh for 7 people and 2 bottles of wine, which is really reasonable considering all the food we ordered, plus desserts, plus wine.
What I appreciated the most was the service, very friendly staff despite the small hiccup, they even bought our table complimentary ice wine to go with dessert. Overall, I'm glad I can finally strike this off my list of "must try" places around the city, but I don't think I'll be going back any time soon. -
Review from Rich S.
10/27/2010
Great food, helpful and friendly service. I had the glazed Tamshire pork and Ontario Red Deer - very tasty and well presented. Probably not much here if you're a vegetarian.
-
Review from Sophia Y.
4/10/2010
Minus 1 star b/c their dessert wasn't as awesome as the rest of their food and you can't get 5 stars from me unless your dessert is way yummy!
and minus an invisible star b/c it didn't have a child menu or child option (e.g. rice or pasta) and wouldn't try to offer anything there. As an Asian-Am and touchy feely parent, I don't go anywhere without my little one (3.5 y/o now) and she has been to the best (french laundry, le bernardin, picasso, chez panisse, etc)
1st course: I got the pork belly. how can you go wrong with that? it was lovely! I tried to cut off the fat, but it was too hard and I HAD to eat the whole thing. Yum!!
my husband got the sunchoke flan - he devoured it!
my friend go french onion soup - not your typical tons of cheese and way to salty onion, very elegant and he liked it.
main course: salmon for the daughter - skin was crispy (crunch!) and meat was so soft and perfectly delicious.
chicken for the husband - again, devoured
I got the beef bourginon (my friend who usually hates beef bourginon LOVED it!) came with beef prepared 3 ways! one with bacon, who doesn't love bacon. and 2 short rib. again, you can never go wrong with short rib
my friend had the cod - divine.
dessert - the chocolate sampler - was like 5 pieces of solid dark chocolate. so only for the true dark chocolate lover. with 5 things to dip in - rosewater something, olive oil and balsamic, sea salt, something else. we didn't dip. we just ate the chocolate, but it seemed disappointing. I need a little more something with my chocolate
the "cheesecake" came topped with 5 different things e.g. lemon sorbet, chocolate ice cream and something else. That was cool but you wouldn't have expected it nor ordered it based on the description on the menu which did not tell about all the cool stuff on it.
The service was great!! the bread was delicious but a little stingy. 2 small loaves (more like buns) for 4 adults? we had to fight over them and ask them many times for more b/c they were so delicious
although they didn't have kiddie carbs, they were able to give us great service in helping to make the bottle.
very cool. up to NY and SF standards. would come here again but hope they get better dessert. -
Review from Kate R.
York, ON
3/9/2011
Pricey, but this place is probably my favourite in Toronto. The food is meticulous, artful and delicious. I also like that they have local/organic ingredients. The service is also excellent. Once they were a mere 5 minutes late in getting us a table for my reservation, yet they still gave us a glass of wine on the house.
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Review from P D.
12/12/2009
Visiting from Chicago, my wife and I stayed in Toronto in June of 2009 and our concierge at the Le Royal Meridien King Edward recommended Lucien. And we truly OWE him now, because it took just one amazing meal for us to fall in love with this restaurant.
Highlights from that evening included: Berkshire Pork, Grilled Octopus, Venison....
We returned to Toronto this past summer to visit family in Guelph, and despite landing at 9pm, our only concern was hoping that Lucien served dinner past 10. Fortunately, they did and we had another simply terrific meal.
Highlights from that evening included: Beet Salad, Salmon, Tenderloin....
Both times, our waiter was Lorne - who was great! Knew the menu inside and out, great wine recommendations and nice as can be!
AWESOME Website, FANTASTIC service, and DELICIOUS food!!! -
Review from Audrey R.
11/22/2010
Loved loved loved this place! Everything was excellent from the food to the vino!!! And it is open Sunday nights. Great interiors also.
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Review from Stephen S.
9/13/2010
In town for the Toronto International Film Festival, I feared I would only have time to eat trash between screenings. Instead a friendly oyster shucker at the nearby Starfish pointed me upwards Lucien. Woefully underdressed compared to the other patrons, we were still welcomed and appreciated. More importantly, their salmon was perhaps the best I've ever eaten. The gazpacho was quite nice. And we were treated to a complimentary glass of port from the manager. An excellent meal all round.
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Review from Jennifer R.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2011
Disgusting. Total bullshit on a plate. Completely try hard with zero pay off. It's one thing to serve tiny portions on huge plates with smears and foams. Pretentious? Yes, but done right, the end result can be remarkable, if the food tastes fantastic. This is not the case at Lucien. Parts of our meal were nearly inedible. I've never spent so much money to be so disappointed.
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Review from David K.
North Vancouver, BC
2/9/2010
This is a disturbingly wonderful restaurant. We walked into a full house on a Tuesday night and were seated in the one vacant 2-top within a minute or two. Winterlicious, so there is a prix fixe menu, and within a minute or two, indecisive me had picked out my first (cauliflower soup with caviar, tobiko, edamame, wasabe), main (boeuf bourguignon with beef 'bacon' (smoked brisket) and various root vegetable mash) and dessert (artfully deconstructed lemon meringue pie). The first wine-by-the-glass was good, the second was awesome. The whiskey suggestion from our server was absurdly good. Asked the server about the coffee and he knew the answers (which never happens). Okay, the beverages cost almost 2x the dinner, but still! How often do you get a perfect meal?
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Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
1/30/2009
This is a solid addition to the restaurant scene. A very unique setting. The food is well prepared but can be hit and miss. Milk fed lamb was just cooked right and the tenderloin was juicy. Not a bad start and hopefully they will round out their service a bit. Our waitress was clueless.
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Review from Tom W.
3/22/2010
On a quiet, cold Sunday night, I stopped in to Lucien, which is in a gorgeous restored building. The room was mostly empty, and the reception was cordial and immediate. But let's cut to the chase.
While the appetizer of heirloom beets and carrots was fresh and presented as a true work of art, it wasn't overly exciting. The venison was cooked perfectly, but who really needs the foam that swamped a good portion of the plate? So why go back to this high-end restaurant? Because in fact it has the best lemon meringue "pie" anywhere in North America. The consistency, the pungent lemon tang, along with the homemade ice cream and cocoa covered meringue are in a league of their own.
So while you might find the appetizers and food elsewhere, you won't find the lemon meringue anywhere else. And that's worth the trip! -
Review from Melanie H.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2010
I had a really great experience dining here, in fact one of the most memorable in the last couple of years. When we got there on a busy Friday night, we were a little bit early so our table wasn't ready. We were offered Champagne at the bar, which was good since it gave my boyfriend ample to time to study their excellent and extensive wine list. I have to say that the place looks fantastic...its the kind of restaurant that makes you want to redecorate your house. Dark and mysterious, and just the right noise level. I found it the perfect place for a romantic meal. In the back they have some really nice round tables for small groups, and they have a tiny small open kitchen, and every time I walked by to go to the washroom, I could see the guys in there having a good time..always nice to see love on the line. The meal itself was fabulous. Everything was very well executed, the ingredients were local and of good quality, and I enjoyed every last bite. The only thing that I found weird, was that when we served our cheese course, our server was bullshitting us. He went on about the cheeses and I knew right away that he was making it up, not knowing he was facing 2 people who know more about cheese than he does. This guy needs to learn his cheeses if he's going to work here. How embarrassing. We drank such a good bottle of wine,oh my god. I like this restaurant so much.
