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Midi Bistro
Category: Restaurants French French [Edit]
168 McCaul StToronto, ON M5T 1W4
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(416) 977-2929
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
Lucy D. said: "What a lovely little spot! I and my foody comrade had never been to this historic music gem! The place is oozing with character. With paintings of the owner's mother, to portraits of musicians from years gone by, the place feels…" read more »
8 reviews for Midi Bistro
8 reviews in English
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Review from Karen S.
4/25/2011 4 photos
I love this place! I've been here once before for a regular dinner at this small bistro and while the service was slow, the food was excellent. Yesterday, the place was closed down for a private function... mine! My wonderful friends booked it for my bridal shower lunch and we had this restaurant all to ourselves. So much love makes me a bit bias, but I truly have to say that this place does deserve its five stars.
The atmosphere is intimate and warm. We had very attentive and friendly service. The menu for the lunch included an appetizer, a main, dessert and coffee or tea. There were about four choices for each category so there was bound to be something that everyone liked. I got the pate for appetizer and a 'ploughsman' plate of proscuitto, pate, and salad. Little did i know that the ploughsman plate was actually very much like the pate appetizer (had the same pate), but since it tasted so good, I didn't mind so much. I got to sample my mother's spot on and very filling roasted red pepper soup as well. For dessert, I had the creme brulee which along with the coffee was the perfect end to the meal.
I would highly recommend MIDI for both regular dining and private functions. Parking is plentiful on the streets and in the lots surrounding the area. -
Review from Linda M.
8/9/2011
Summerlicious, fifth and final round! I have a hunch that people are too nice to tell me that they think I'm crazy when I explain how I make my list of 'licious options...and it's quite possible they're right. Without going into the details here, when I made that list, I should have known that including a restaurant offering duck on their menu meant that I was definitely going to that restaurant with the boyfriend (aka the duck fiend).
We arrived in a very small restaurant...It had about 10 tables in all. But it was cute, and I enjoyed it. I do have a soft spot for anything French though so I'm slightly biased. We were seated at a prime table by the window and presented with the menus. I didn't notice until later but, strangely, some of the ingredients on our menus were not what was described online. For example, the MIDI salad didn't have pine nuts, it had walnuts (if memory serves me, but it definitely wasn't pine nuts). Also, the duck was served with a blueberry sauce instead of a mustard sauce, which if you ask me is a pretty big difference. Personally I'm not a big fan of sweet sauces on meat, most of the time.
For appetizers, I had the salad and my date had the soup of the day - dairy free mushroom soup. The salad was HUGE, a full size plate full. It was very tasty though. I didn't hear any praise or complaint regarding the soup. For the mains, I ordered the fish of the day which was Marlin with a raspberry sauce. Surprise of surprises, boyfriend ordered the duck. The Marlin was very tasty, and I even liked the raspberry sauce. The duck was also very good, but he didn't seem to like the blueberry sauce very much.
For desserts, the orders were crème brulee for me, and profiteroles for him. The crème brulee was described as vanilla and cardamom. Admittedly, I don't know exactly what cardamom tastes like, but I didn't taste any more flavour than usual. Even the vanilla wasn't that strong. It did have a nice crisp top, but the crème itself wasn't quite as thick as I usually prefer it. The profiteroles went over very well.
All in all, a very cute little restaurant with pretty good French food.Listed in: 'Licious List
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Review from Q H.
North York, ON
12/2/2011 2 photos
Had flat bread with salmon (picture attached) with beers. It was really delicious. Not too heavy. Not too overwhelming. Not soggy or bland. Good place to have late night snack with a friend to have conversations after studying.
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Review from Alana C.
4/11/2011
I have been here twice and the first time was better than the last. Their Winterlicious and Summerlicious menus are not too experimental. In fact, I'm pretty sure they don't change that much.
In July I had this amazing beef stew that had fruit in it. Oh.EM.GEE it was the best thing I've had in a long time. I like the cute, cafe feel.
In February I had a poached pear for dessert that I literally had to dig at while it melted ice cream all over the place. So there can be some misses (we're all human, right?).
I def. recommend going, especially if you are going to a play at the Four Seasons Centre or seeing something at the AGO. They are really quick. Be prepared for some French 'tude, though. I was so stuffed I couldn't finish my stew and he asked what was wrong. I politely told him I was full but it was delicious and I'd love to take it home but I was going to the theatre. He starred at me blankly and said "if it was so good, why did you not finish?" All part of that French cafe experience, it is worth it. -
Review from Yvonne T.
Winterlicious round 2 tonight at Midi Bistro. Had been here for Summerlicious as well - funny enough, the exact same menu. The service was pretty standard, nothing spectacular. There was one server and as it got busy he became less attentive. The service was slow. The bread that was served was cold (a pet peeve of mine) but delicious.
Midi is a very small restaurant - maximum seating capacity is probably about 25 people.
I went with my family in tow. We ordered the escargot, Midi salad and soupe du jour (roasted red pepper) to start.
The roasted red pepper soup was very tasty. A fiery taste from the roasted red peppers with a hint of acidic tomato flavor. A great way to warm up from the chilly weather! The escargot were very yummy basking in a mushroom cream sauce. It was not greasy which was a nice departure from the oily, rubbery escargot from other dining establishments in Toronto. The escargot were very soft, not like the usual rubbery slime you'd get. The Midi salad was served up with mixed greens, prosciutto, walnuts and vinaigrette. I found the saltiness of the prosciutto to be too overpowering. The vinaigrette however was very nicely done.
On to main courses... We had the confit de canard and poisson du jour, which was a cod provencale. The fish was very tender and flaked off the fork with ease. The provencale sauce kind of tasted similar to my roasted red pepper soup lol. The vegetables were really tasty. It came with green beans and another pale yellow vegetable that tasted like bamboo shoot... I should've asked what it was. The duck was perfectly seared and had a really nice roasted taste to it. The meat did melt off the bone, but not as tender as duck confit I've had in the past.
The desserts were a little disappointing. We ordered the profiteroles, Creme Brulee as well as Poached Pears. When I think of poached pears, I think warm and soft. The poached pears at Midi were not poached to perfection. In fact it wasn't poached long enough. I had to fully attack it with my spoon to finally eat it. It was served with vanilla ice cream. A good poached pear should consist of a slightly warm pear that would melt the ice cream to make the flavors mesh together. The profiteroles were also a disappointment. The choux pastry was horrible. Not light and airy but hard and dry. Their profiteroles are also made with ice cream - not the soft, melt-in-your-mouth creamy centre. I would've enjoyed a frozen President's Choice one just as much. The only thing that was good about this dessert was the chocolate fudge sauce. Finally the Creme Brulee, again disappointing. Not creamy or smooth enough for my liking, and bland.
The coffee was pretty good. Bold and intense coffee flavor. However, they didn't have any cream left so that was a downer. All in all, good value for what you pay but that's not really saying much. Perhaps I will try the restaurant again when Winterlicious is over. Their food is great, but next time I'll go elsewhere for dessert... And coffee.Listed in: If I had a choice..., Summer/Winterlicious Dont's
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Review from murdles i.
Scarborough, ON
1/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
The service was great, even though she was waiting all by herself. My steak was so tender (I like it medium rare and it actually came out that way throughout the steak!) it was such a great atmosphere...it reminded me of Paris. Intimate and quaint.
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Review from jack r.
12/11/2009
I've dined here three times in the last 3 years, and I'll continue to come back when I'm here. I'm not from Toronto, but I like coming here because the ambiance, food, overall selection, service, and location all team up to deliver an exceptional dining experience.
I don't recall what all I've had in the past only that it's been worth it go go back. Wednesday night's meal was quite good. I recommend the pate appetizer - the gherkins alongside continue to be a nice touch. The soup du jour was a nice, rich tasting lentil, and the poisson du jour was a snapper served with a nice red bell pepper sauce, not too rich, not too thin - just right. I had two glasses of the French Shyrrah, which I recommend, tho I forget the label.
I had no room left for dessert, but in the past it's been quite good also. -
Review from Denise S.
7/8/2010
Lovely intimate little bistro conveniently located just around the corner from the AGO and behind all the big University Ave. hospitals. Stopped by for lunch with a friend this week. We were in and out in about an hour and lunch for 2 (no drinks) came to about $30 with tax and tip.
We both tried the tartines. I had the mediterranean tartine ($10) which comes with a thick layer of "eggplant caviar" (I was confused initially, but it's like purees eggplant), roasted red peppers, and crumbled feta. Bonus points for the option of getting half fries and half salad as your side. It's nice to be able to mix it up, especially if you're indecisive! Food was fresh, delicious, and nicely presented.
You can add a dessert and drink to make your lunch a combo/prix fixe for $17, but it didn't seem like that good a deal to me, and I was already quite full after the tartine.
Service was efficient and unobtrusive. The atmosphere is cozy and very French, and some of the staff are Francophone. Great lunch choice if you're in the area.
