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The Atlantic
Category: Restaurants Tapas/Small Plates Tapas/Small Plates [Edit]
1597A Dundas St WToronto, ON M6K 1T9
Neighbourhood: Brockton Village
(416) 219-3819
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- 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:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
21 reviews for The Atlantic
Review Highlights
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"...space - very sort of fisherman's shack style, relaxed with..." In 3 reviews -
"...up having some nice cured trout, oysters, red slaw with..." In 4 reviews -
"Each dish was as close to perfect as one could hope for." In 3 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
Dining Experience: Dinner
Specialty: Portuguese Fusion
Menu items: Littleneck Clam & Lobster Chowder, Trout Gravlax & Wakame Salad and Tartiflette. Paired with Vinho Verde.
Atlantic, formerly a family-owned Portuguese restaurant in the up and coming Ossington foodies area, is now home to Chef Nathan Isberg. Having worked the kitchen of Coca and Czehoski, Isberg has transformed this spot into an intimate, cozy and hip restaurant.
Using produce, low-fat/high protein meats and keeping in line with the area's Portuguese feel; the Atlantic features an array of fusion tapas-style dishes that will keep you fascinated with its unique use of ingredients.
With a similar fusion style thematic as Chef Susur Lee's Lee on King Street, Atlantic's Isberg offers a daily menu of 10-12 unique dishes inspired by European/Mediterranean staples. At any given day, you might find anything from Escargots to Risotto, Sardines and even Crickets. I guess this is what Isberg meant by low-fat/high protein meals.
Although we did not get the pleasure of being offered the crickets, we did decide on a very unique blend of its most popular items. On a cold winter day, soup seems like a no-brainier to kick-off a meal; Atlantic's Littleneck Clam and Lobster Chowder did the trick.
Notes of garlic, cream and paprika were present throughout this dish. The dish is called Littleneck as it refers to the size of the clams. In the shellfish hierarchy, littlenecks are the second smallest version of clams. Being as though this is more of a tapa, I can appreciate its use on this dish.
Following the fishy route, we also decided to try the Trout Gravlax & Wakame Salad.
Gravlax is not an ingredient but rather a way of serving fish. Gravlax is the style of curing salmon or trout that has been cold smoked. It almost tastes like sashimi or smoked salmon, but I rather say its a marriage of the two; I just hope they never get a divorce.
To keep Wikipedia alive, for those of you that don't know, Wakame salad is simply a seaweed salad sprinkled with sesame seeds, japanese style.
I have only described the first two dishes, and it seems I still have a long way to go. So bear with me as our next item, Tartiflette, will have you calling for reservations in a heartbeat.
Tartiflette at Atlantic is a potatoes, leek and cave-aged Gruyere cheese potato gratin infused with Riesling. The way in which Isberg is able to elevate the quality and tastiness of the ingredients is what took us to heaven once we tasted this dish. Cave-aged Gruyere is a matured 1-year-old Swiss cheese, secluded in the caves of kaltbach in Switzerland. The tartiflette infused with the Riesling, a german aromatic grape, made all the falvours come to life.
Certainly, none of this indulgence would have been better paired than with traditional Portuguese Vinho Verde, otherwise known as green wine. Vinho Verde is a type of grape found only in the region of Minho in the Northern part of Portugal. The name "green" comes from its youthfulness more so than its colour. In whites, its borderline like a sparkling wine with a fruity and acidic taste; while in reds the grapes used are deep red and tannic. Being that most dishes at Atlantic skip on the meat and charcuterie, this wine seems like an obvious choice for your tapas-style meal and I would highly recommend pairing your meal with it.
Note to reader: Atlantic's risotto or orzotto style dishes tend to be extremely salty following the Chef's preference. Therefore I would not recommend these if its your first time visiting.
Until next time Foodies.
Buen Provecho,
Viviana. -
Review from Maddie R.
3/19/2012
3.5
I went to the Atlantic for a birthday dinner. There were 7 of us, the wine was flowing and the atmosphere was cozy. I was excited to try a few dishes off of the menu- they all sounded interesting and creative.
This was two weeks ago... I should have wrote a review when the menu was more fresh in my memory. The stand out star that night for me was the mushroom ravioli with espresso and milk! Not seafood, I know. But these gems were oh so flavourful.
We also ordered the likes of anchovies on crostini (yummy!) some veggies- golden beets and rapini (also yummy!)- mussels (good), black cod (good) and some sort of ricotta dumplings (forgettable).
It is important to note that this meal took 4.5 hours.The food was very slow to come out of the kitchen, but we had complimentary spicy olives and bread to tide us over. I really enjoy dining this way, but it is not for everyone. Some `big eaters`might still feel hungry.
We topped it all off with some tobacco creme brulle (very good, although the tobacco flavour was negligible... probably for the best ) and something chocolate... I can`t quite remember after 4.5 hours of wine drinking.
The service was fantastic.
Apparently the restaurant was fully booked for the night, and there were many instances of them turning people away at the door. I arrived at 7 pm and witnessed very little `turnover``of tables around us,as the meals were so long and leisurely. In other words- make a reservation!
One small thing: in the bathrooms they had fresh hand towels to dry your hands with (nice) , yet no where to put said towels when they were used...thus everyone, myself included, stashed them on the tiny, high up window ledge. I`m sorry Atlantic! -
Review from Theresa W.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came to this quiet neighbourhood for a dinner with some friends on a weeknight, and it was was an okay experience. It's certainly a far drive out from the highways, so I was a bit hesitant to go, but how can I say no to a friend meet-up? :) Went with an chef's choice menu (omakase, tapas-style) and the dishes were good but service was pretty slow and it was certainly pricy at just over $50 per person. I'm not sure if everyone walked away full.
The downs: it's a bit awkward to share food plates between three or more people too, especially since what arrives at your table isn't really portioned out, so you each pick your own amounts from the plate. Also, we waited a half-hour for our first dish to arrive, which was a salad. The furious look on my friend's face when he saw it was to die for.
The ups: dishes were unique and some of them were very tasty. It seemed no one was as big a fan of the chanterelles as I was, and I was practically hording the black cod away from everyone (your my friends, but you don't beat black cod, sorry guys). Our server was really nice and friendly without being clingy. Also, their beer selection is a bit on the unique side and reasonably priced.
Place does accept credit cards, so bring whichever form of plastic you want. -
Review from Elaine K.
12/30/2011 5 photos
Great food experience, but a bit pricey.
I came here with 4 friends for dinner at about 8pm. We were all incredibly hungry and sort of confused by the menu so we asked the chef to prepare a meal for us. The menu wasn't confusing, it's just that it included things that some of us have never heard of, and half of the people in our group had never had tapas before. I was really impressed that the menu had the day's date on it. I guess that means that their menu changes daily. Exciting!
The dishes:
Red cabbage and... something else salad with plum umami dressing and black walnuts. This was very tasty and refreshing, with a bit of a fishy taste to it, which I liked.
Black rice risotto with chantrelles. I wasn't a huge fan of this dish, but I was so hungry that I couldn't care. The mushrooms were quite tasty, but I didn't like the rice too much.
Mussels, which were cooked just right.. a little rare, with a nice sauce to it. I wish I had bread for it. In fact, I wish I had bread for the whole meal. It took a while for things to come out (two hours in all), and I felt really hungry until about halfway through the meal.
Onion tarte with gruyere cheese on top (which I peeled off). This basically tasted like a French onion soup, sans soup, and it was my third favourite dish of the evening. Sooo savoury and delicious!
A plate of grilled bread, a GIGANTIC hunk of cheese (not sure what kind) and spicy olives. I kind of wish this came at the beginning of the meal. It would have been a good appetizer and would have slowed the hungriness a bit. We barely got through the cheese. On friend ended up going home with the rest of it, which was about half the size of my fist. We joked about him eating it in the car on the way home. I'm not entirely sure he didn't.
A tarte with duck hearts, kidneys and such. I'm a big fan of this stuff, so I LOVED this. It's my second favourite dish of the night. My friend beside me remarked that it was good, and you wouldn't even be able to tell that it was organs. I could tell and I was in heaven.
Jerk black cod on rapini, fregola pasta, soupy sauce and an egg cooked sous-vide. The winner of the evening. The black cod was meltingly tender with a bit of spicy bite. The egg had a very interesting texture to it. Sort of velvety and soupy. The whole dish was amazing and I wish I could have had the whole thing to myself.
This was a really great experience... fine dining in a casual atmosphere with a really great server. It was a bit pricey ($35 per person) but we figured that it was an experience we'd never had before and the quality was really quite good. I wish that the portions were a bit bigger. We all came out just a little less than full, which I guess is a good thing considering this was at the end of the holiday season.
They take debit, not credit cards. -
Review from Amy S.
Scarborough, ON
12/15/2011
I'm sorry to rate this restaurant so poorly, because they are nice people and they try hard. But it just didn't work for me.
The tapas concept is great, and we were gently and friendly-like advised of how it worked as we were handed menus. As other reviewers have commented, though, in practise, the dishes come out staggered with long gaps between them and if someone has their heart set on an entree, then sharing isn't always going to happen.
That's what happened with me and my friend. She wanted the Scallops [painfully overpriced at $16 for two, on much-too-al-dente pasta] and I wanted the Trout. There was a 10 minute gap between our dishes, which made for awkward dining. As for my trout (hay-smoked), it was nice, but just nice. The accompanying pea shoots were cooked into boiled-spinach-like oblivion and the potatoes were fine, but nothing special. The dashi broth offered nothing to enhance the dish, disappointingly.
The liver pate was the smoothest I'd ever eaten, with seasoning like BBQ Chinese pork (5 spice)? Pleasant, but not swoon worthy. The beet-based salad was lovely. Probably the best thing I had that night.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I had been told this place was a gem and expected unique flavours that just weren't delivered. Everything was okay, but just okay. And this restaurant cost too much for a modest meal for two ($70, with two glasses of port) for it to be just okay.
Also, a nitpick: if you're going to have a very dimly lit restaurant, choose a bolder typeface for your menu. It was very hard to read the superfine typeface they'd used. -
Review from Vivek S.
Before we set sail on this review, can I rap about the WC a bit? What is going on? There is some bad art in there, an unclothed baby-doll toy hanging upside-down from the ceiling above the toilet, and one of those godawful sinks with separate faucets for hot and cold water. How do people wash their hands in these things? I seriously want to know. Do you pool a little cold water in one hand and splash it on the other while it's under the hot water spigot? Could someone please send me Ikea-esque pictographic instructions?
Moving on. The Atlantic is a shared-plates diner with a focus on Portuguese fusion and seafood. It's on Dundas West by Lansdowne, and looks a lot better inside than the motley sign outside would suggest. Maybe that's the point. It's a bonny spot that's dimly lit, has tables in every available corner, and is slathered with nautical art. (Insert foghorn noise here.)
I always appreciate when a server asks whether you have been to the restaurant before. We hadn't, and she helped explain what they were about, how much is a reasonable amount for two people to order, and other menu queries. Top marks for service.
Here's what we ordered with my pithy notes:
Bean dip
A generous helping of dip, served with four pieces of toasted bread. This was good and garlicky.
Bass tartare
I did not like this. The tartare was served on top of some seriously salty greens (might have been Nori, actually). Do not want.
Savoury Tarte flambée
These crispy bad boys were quite enjoyable, but again kind of salty.
Duck confit salad
My fave. It was a tonne of delicious shredded duck, not too fatty, served on endives and radicchio. It disappeared in seconds.
(Another foghorn noise, maybe some seagull squawks.)
Goat cheese gnuddi in saag(!)
It turns out that gnuddi is a like the soft pillowy insides of gnocchi but without the potato-ey jacket. (I never knew this.) I definitely enjoyed the cloud-like texture of these little dumplings but they weren't that interesting. Even in saag.
Creme brulee
I have had better.
Huge brownie
This came from OMG down the street. No complaints.
Espresso
I most definitely did not enjoy my espresso. It was actually a bit gritty.
I'm very torn on what exactly to rate the Atlantic. The restaurant and service is adorable (hanging dolls aside) and the menu is highly ambitious and creative. On the other hand, I didn't dig everything I ate and the total damage came to $70 for two before tax and tip. Kind of pricy. But given that their menu changes frequently, I'd definitely come back to see what else they have in store. Or should I say 'in shore'? Yo, ho, ho!
Obligatory Title Pun: AHOY MATEY.
Menu Readability: Single-pager pamphlet-sized in a modern font (like Bodoni but not). It's printed daily, and they use quality stock.
Need to mention: They have an array of cocktails starting at $10.
What this place teaches me about myself: Please send those instructions to howtowashhandsattheatl....Listed in: Gone Fishin'
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Review from Jackie P.
Toronto, ON
I think The Atlantic stole my I-Pod! Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Regina Spektor...on rotation. They had me at hello or should I say AHOY!
I feel really mixed about this place but this could be due to the delicious bottle of wine I shared with my friend (Cote Du Rhone - order it) that may have impaired my judgement. I guess I'm a cheap drunk. No worries...still read on, I promise you can trust this review.
Reading the menu online, and the reviews off yelp, I was expecting a seafood/fish overload, but was a little disappointed by the 'day's menu offerings. When we arrived they informed us that a few items sold out on the menu. I was a little thrown off by this but at the same time you come to accept this possibility at these type of restaurants. Actually comforts me that they're not over buying ingredients - meaning no freezing!
They also change their menu daily or every few days so its hard to really know what to expect. I get bored easily so a constant changing menu is perfect for me.
Highs
- The prices are equally matched to the portion sizes. I was surprised at how much was given for 'tapas' style plates.
- They are incredibly creative
- Service is really friendly and helpful. Everyone seems like a big family. They decorated the restaurant for Christmas - not only did they have a christmas tree, lights and an honorary santa claus stumbling in at 11:30p..they also had a snow machine. A SNOW MACHINE!
- Great music
Lows
- Some of the dishes lacked real flavour or were a bit over salted.
- Unfortunately we were unimpressed by the only two seafood dishes we ordered. the Lobster Carbonara (It's lobster month) - The capers over powered the whole dish and made it inedible
AND Scallops with black beans - They were slightly undercooked and the beans were el dente but I enjoyed them more than the scallops. To be fair we were both extremely full by this point and scallops+full stomach = probably not a smart choice.
Overall, I give The Atlantic a 3.5/5. I loved the ambience, the service and the creativity in their dishes. I just wasn't wowed yet by the flavour and went for the seafood, coming out with an empty net. Saying this though, I'll definitely go back because I did enjoy half of the dishes we ordered and want to give them another chance. -
Review from Bryan T.
Toronto, ON
11/10/2010
A great place to go if you're in an adventurous mood. Surveying the constantly-changing menu at this place, I always find several items/ingredients I've never heard of. The chef at Atlantic really knows what he's doing, so it's an ideal place to try new things, prepared as they should be.
The ambience of the place is a bit like a bar; sort a Communist Daughter vibe, candlelit and with vintage touches. In fact I sometimes stop in here just for a cocktail or a glass of wine.
Prices are very reasonable given the quality of ingredients and preparation, such that you can sample a wide variety of things without breaking the bank. The place is on the whole more laid back than comparable places on Ossington, which is a good thing. You're able to relax and order/sample things at a relaxed pace. Recommended. -
Review from The Vong Choice I.
Toronto, ON
6/22/2011
Stumbling into the Atlantic in the Brockton village is like heading to a dimly lit fisherman's shack or cabin crew's hide out while your favourite indy bands play in the background. It's a very laid back and casual atmosphere, and off the beaten path
This is a seafood tapas restaurant so if that's not what you're looking for, don't go! They also change their menu daily or every few days so its hard to really know what to expect but they are creative with their food and that's what I appreciate. Service was helpful and informative and not intrusive and the prices for the dishes are equally matched to the portion sizes. -
Review from Daniel B.
10/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
The hipster hype was too much to pass up on, so we set sail out to The Atlantic on Dundas.
A complete and utter disappointment.
They pride themselves on "local cuisine". They make a massive point to sell you on the idea that all of the things you are eating come from within a set radius of the restaurant. They're right. Every dish was essentially some variant of St. Lawrence River Beluga Whale hearts served in a pool of Ontario's finest salt.
I've never had saltier food. The Norwegians would be proud. Sure, the Atlantic Ocean is full of salt water, but is that really the rationale for dunking all of the dishes in this thick salty goop? Even the "hazelnut greens" should have been subtitled "We're sorry, but tonight the role of hazelnuts is being played by Sodium Chloride." We wanted to take our resting blood pressure before and after dinner to see how it was affected.
The service was spectacular. Our wonderful waitress kept our water glasses full throughout the voyage to the saltiest part of the sea. This counteracted the food quite nicely and felt very heartfelt. If only pirates would swoop her off the deck and plunk her down on a more seafaring vessel.
Portions were extremely small, which unfortunately in this case was actually a good thing. That being said, they were fantastically overpriced. Our simple dinner ended up costing about the same as 100 cans of tuna.
We gazed off into the oversized photos of beached whales and dreamt of finer harbours.
Swerve portside to avoid this nautical disaster. -
Review from Ashleigh G.
Toronto, ON
11/23/2010
My favourite new restaurant. Highly recommended.
Food is very reasonably priced with lots of options changing every night. The food is locally sourced and the combinations are always unique. There is usually something mind-blowing every night that our table ends up ordering a second round of.
The lighting is perfect, and the vibe feels casual but unique. Great wine and cocktail list also if you're not hungry (but, you should probably at least try that night's dips or breads, for $3, it's worth trying).
I still haven't built up the courage to try the crickets. -
Review from Leslie W.
8/12/2010
BOTTOM LINE: A solid seafood oriented restaurant with some creative dishes (the wild salmon tartare is a MUST order!), but I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed both in portion and flavour with some of their other servings. I'll come back in a few months to see how it is, but I'm not in any particular rush.
Cost:
-Appetizers $4-9, and mains $8-14.
Atmosphere/Decor:
-As another reviewer put it, it's like a dimly lit fisherman's shack canvassed with massive harbour photos and accompanied with a variety of seating arrangements from small tables for two, to a booth for four, to a bench for six.
-The aesthetics works well, but is cheapened by the bland tiled floor and really garish walk-in mat/rug.
-Your favourite indie rock bands playing in the background at, perhaps, just a touch too loudly.
Ordered:
-The menu rotates frequently according to what's in season, so it's worth coming back from time to time to see what's new.
1. Wild salmon tartare with nori, pollen and tobiko - Easily the highlight of the night, and not hard to understand why they keep this on the menu and rotate everything else! Fresh salmon with a hint of licorice flavour that you wrapped in seaweed sheets yourself. The provided pollen was akin to a *very* strong horseradish / wasabi.
2. Wax bean and grilled calamari salad - Pretty underwhelming with very few greens and even less calamari (which tasted fresh, but much too salty).
3. Trout with baby heirloom carrots and chard veloute - Granted I don't have trout all the time, but it just tasted rather bland, and the texture was a bit soft. Also, the sauce didn't seem to add or enhance the flavour of the trout.
4. Scallops and duck chorizo with huitlacoche, red wine, and nibs - I love scallops, so no surprise I found this dish delicious! The scallops were fresh and meaty, and the duck chorizo paired well. My issue, again, came down to quantity: four scallops and a spoonful of chorizo for $13?! I'm certainly happy to pay for quality, but there seemed to a be a disconnect here.
Service:
-I found our staff very friendly and approachable.
-Perhaps by design, OR the fact that since we were sharing each dish they accommodated by bringing only one out at a time, OR we were hungrier than expected, but the wait seemed quite lengthy between dishes. -
Review from Mark H.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2010
My first visit was part of a large group that shared various dishes so we had good coverage of the menu. A tiny kitchen, cooking area and fridge seem to limit the dishes. I will say that everything had great flavour - often accentuated with too much salt or garlic but nothing went to waste. Based on food alone I'd rate 3-star but minus one star for the value.
Much like the 275ml bottles of Duggan's number 9 sold at full size beer prices the plate of ravioli is $10 for 10 tiny raviolis. Other dishes were the size of half appetizers at most restaurants but similar prices. Wine list is a bit pricey too for wine that was served room temperature - one bottle had gone bad and was quickly replaced (on the house).
Certainly low in the value category for a low rent area. This is Dundas West and Lansdowne after all. Sounds like the chef is capable of more and could do more by serving more. -
Review from Val G.
I was lucky enough to attend 2 special vegan tasting menu at Nathan Isberg's new restaurant Atlantic and I can sum the experience up in two words: corn smut.
Both tasting menus included huitlacoche, the south american corn fungus and I was surprised it find it enjoyable. I'm usually fall into the mushroom despising spectrum but the huitlacoche vegan risotto with shaved asparagus with bread crumbs that was the third course in the first tasting menu was really an amazing dish.
For dessert the fried figs in coconut milk and maple syrup was a resounding hit. The cocoa, grapefruit and lavender risotto dessert served at the second tasting menu was less enjoyed but points for creativity were awarded.
Wednesday nights they spin vinyl and turn into a watering hole. I like this cozy spot and appreciate their effort to serve food that is lower on the food chain (think crickets). -
Review from Thom H.
6/24/2010 1 photo
The Atlantic is mind-blowingly awesome.
Do you remember that really great night you had when you were younger? Things were going really well for you. You'd smoked a bit and had a few beers and your favourite band was playing an endless version of your favourite song. It felt like the whole world was riding on the same wonderous wavelength. Well, that's what it feels like to have dinner at the Atlantic.
You know you're at a great restaurant when the diners at every table are openly sharing gasps of delight with every dish's arrival. Experiencing greatness is a collective experience. And at Atlantic, greatness abounds.
A salad of flowers and nuts is wonderfully unique and delicious. Tacos with corn smut (google it) are the best tacos ever. Pasta is perfect. Halibut is divine. Everything is fresh, inviting, inventive and perfectly executed. The chef plays the role of conduit more so than creator. Mother Nature is never upstaged. Each dish is homage.
Even our waitress projected the same vibe. Like everything else at the Atlantic, she was delightful and beautiful in a way that suggested humility, honesty and a kind of centeredness. I think Buddha and Christ would really enjoy sharing a meal here.
Thank you, Yelpers, for guiding us here. -
Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
5/17/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I was really excited to try Atlantic when I heard it was from the man behind my old favorite, Coca. So we finally tried it a few weeks back on a weeknight and it is really good - I can't wait to go back!
Cool space - very sort of fisherman's shack style, relaxed with nice wood and a cozy feel. The staff adds to the cozy vibe with their friendly and calm demeanor.
The menu is, as you should be able to guess from the name of the place, very seafood oriented. All the items are priced low, which is a bonus! Yummy oysters, really good cured trout (and a lot of it), but not so good snails. They were IMPOSSIBLe to eat. I think I managed to get one and a half out of a pretty big heap before I just gave up out of frustration. The waitress even saw our frustration and tried to help, but she had a hard time too. You would think after that she wouldn't have charged us for them, but since the dish was only $4, it didn't matter. Everything else was delicious.
If you like seafood, cool laid back vibes, and are anywhere near Dundas and Brock, head over to Atlantic. -
Review from Brian S.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2010
Went here on Wednesday night. The menu is really fun. Three sections - things beginning in A at $5, things beginning in B (such as Bivalves) for $8, and things beginning in C for $13.
We ended up having some nice cured trout, oysters, red slaw with feta, a wonderful seafood soup, and some snails. I have to say the snails were not really worth the time and effort - mostly the effort, as they were pretty much unattainable despite much poking and prodding and fishing with toothpicks. But the other dishes were well prepared in a country/rustic style with good flavours.
The decor is old school diner with a dark-lit warmth. It worked well. Fun and playfulness with food was the theme, and it worked. (except the darn snails) -
Review from D C.
Toronto, ON
3/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food was fine but I would say the experience was mediocre all around given the price (about $50 a person). Felt the experience was worth maybe 30$. Service was unevenly paced and left us feeling strange. They ran out of certain items and offered no alternatives. The look and feel of the place is also vaguely offensive. If you do have to come here at least you can go get a drink at the hen house afterward.
-
Review from Xarina X.
Toronto, ON
12/1/2010
I can't say enough good about this place. It's perfect in every way - the ambience is cozy, the serving staff fun, the music is always great, and well... the show-stopper is the FOOD.
My partner likes that the chef has a deft touch with seafood - always cooking it perfectly, but I like that he throws in the occasional hint of an exotic flavour and that he blends his tastes PERFECTLY.
This is one of the only places I've ever eaten where you HAVE to eat all the items on the plate together because that's how they match the best.
You know, some places have things here and there and they kind of complement each other, but really you can eat like a toddler (every bit separately).
Not here. If you don't make sure to get a little bit of each component onto your palate at the same time, you'll miss the full flavour experience.
And he matches textures perfectly too. An example is his chocolate bergamot risotto (note the trademark hint of something exotic and unexpected... the bergamot) - which had a sort of mousse foam around it. It wasn't too sweet, or too buttery - everything matched just right.
Anyway, we go there nearly once a week just to relax. Thanks for being there, Atlantic!! -
Review from Mishann L.
Toronto, ON
7/26/2010
I love this restaurant! The food was divine. Fresh and local ingredients, simple dishes that exploded with their own unique and complimentary flavors and the dishes were never over powered by sauces. Excellent service and great atmosphere. I can't believe it's within walking distance!
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Review from Larry B.
3/17/2011
Visiting from San Francisco, heard about Atlantic from a friend of a friend, and approached with trepidation, as I always do with new restaurants. When calling for a reservation, I was bemused by the voice mail message, a cacophony of crashing pots in the background, a confusion about days of service. What was I getting myself into? And when we arrived, the first diners that night, the menu had yet to be printed. What was I getting myself into? But my fears were melting away as I sipped a perfectly concocted Champagne cocktail. The hostess/bartender/server/busser/sommelier (all one gracious gal) offered sage advice on putting the meal together and finding the wines to match.
But the food! Each dish was as close to perfect as one could hope for. The variety presented on the menu, not just in ingredients but in seasonings and preparation, was a perfect balance of diversity and confluence of a singular vision. Each ingredient chosen with care, and prepared in a way to enhance its natural beauty and flavor. I could go through each delightful dish, but that is so boring. It is the passion, skill and attention to nuanced matching of flavors that distinguish both the menu as a whole, and each plate delivered that has made this my new favorite restaurant in Toronto. Well okay, I will describe a few dishes. The Lobster Bisque had the deep yet delicate aroma one always hopes for but rarely gets. A combination of essence of Lobster, Ocean and Culture, when one is both at service to the Lobster, and yet masters the difficulty of coaxing the true flavors out of their shell. And the Quail, cooked perfectly, balanced flavors and textures in the salad of arugula and nuts, and enough acid to play off the rich smoke of the bird. But stop reading this and go. Was there a flaw? Well I think if the lone front of the house person had a sidekick, that would have been nice, for everyone. I would gladly work without wanting tips or pay, if I was just allowed to share family meal. If someone wanted to apprentice, to be close to a chef who is truly talented, the learnings would be more than adequate compensation.
