OROTE – Best Restaurants In Toronto
Food is my love language! So when my foodie friend Diane told me about Orote (pronounced o-ro-tae) restaurant in Toronto and that they have a six…yes……six-course tasting menu, I said, just name the time and day girl!
Located just off Bloor Street West at Dufferin in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood, literally a 3 minute walk from Dufferin station, on Havelock. The set up and decor of Orote was giving modern, fresh and classy but not pretenious. Great mix of masculine and feminine, with concrete elements from the floors, walls and the bar space paired with warm wood, even the chopsticks fit in. Clearly design was considered and I loved it!
ATMOSPHERE/DESIGN – I give it a 9 out of 10. The only reason why I didn’t give a 10 out of 10 is because although the space is intimate (which I love) it’s not the place you would hang out with friends for hours or lose track of time with a date because they are open from 5pm-11pm Wednesday to Saturday with limited seating. We never felt rushed, but we knew that the next reservation would probably need our table soon. Our reservation was at 5pm and we left around 7pm.
Orote Restaurant Six-Course Tasting Menu
Alright, let’s get to the food. This is a six-course fixed prix menu, no a la carte here but they do have add ons and can modify the dishes if you have any allergies.
Our first course was pork ham with kohlrabi topped with shrimp powder. Our waiter Nik described it way better but I just wrote down what was written on the menu. First glance, they looked like mini slices of uncooked bacon. I know you’re probably thinking, that doesn’t sound appetizing, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was light, fresh and well balanced. My favourite thing on my plate hands down were the greens. Great way to start our dinner but I give it a 2.5 out of 5.
Next course was the lobster and pumpkin skewers with black garlic and walnuts. This was my second favourite dish on the menu but I’m a bit biased because I love seafood. Diane and I shared plates so that we could try everything but I really wish I had both skewers. The lobster was so tender and the pumpkin had a tasty sweetness to it! Amazing and I give this dish a 3.5 out of 5.
Our third course was greens with mussels and Korean radish. First thing I thought when I saw this dish was ” Mussels? Where? ” lol. But alas these perfectly cooked morsels of meat were under the greens and radishes awaiting their big reveal. Oh and they were worth the wait. I really enjoyed the mussels and radish and the greens gave just enough bitterness. I rate this dish a 3 out of 5. I would have given it a 4 if there were more mussels.
Best Restaurants In Toronto
By the time our fourth course came out I was starting my second glass of wine. By the way did I mention how knowledgeable and friendly the staff were? As a person who likes to capture all of these beautiful memories on camera, not once did I feel like the staff were irritated by my need to take a picture of everything. In the bar area especially is a picture takers dream because you get to watch your food being prepared right in front of you.
The tofu and mushroom dumplings were also very good. I love soup so I was happy to see some kind of brothy dish. Everything was just so fresh, light and flavourful. Even the dumpling shell was seasoned. I’m Jamaican, we season everything so I can appreciate this. It’s important for me to be able to taste everything on the plate individually and enjoy it as well as the dish as a whole. I give this dish a 3 out of 5.
Now for the mains which are a choice between pork loin with fermented leeks, kale and broccolini or butter poached Halibut with a sesame paste, portebello mushroom and bok choy sitting in dashi and portebello jus. Both dishes were great. The halibut just fell apart how tender it was and that sesame paste really brought this dish together for me. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.
However my favourite dish of the night hands down was the pork loin and that’s saying a lot considering that I’m not a big pork fan. It was perfectly done, the fermented leek was fantastic and your girl loves veggies so this dish had the right amount of everything for me. It didn’t need sauce because the natural juices from the meat and the greens were just right. This dish gets a 4 out of 5 from me.
Last but certainly not least dessert, I describe it as a coffee mousse. I’m big on texture and this dessert give smooth and light with a bit of crunch from the sesame, barley and buckwheat. However this was my least favourite dish simply because I’m not a big coffee fan. So I can’t really appreciate how great this dish would have been. Diane loved it and said it was her favourite dish. She describes it like eating air. Very tasty air! My rating is a 2 out of 5 but it would have definitely received a higher score if it wasn’t for the coffee.
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Overall I rate Orote a 8 out of 10. I hope they will one day offer a lunch menu and it’s unfortunate that the space is small so your seating time might be limited to the standard two hours for two people. Aside from that I loved it and would definitely recommend Orote.
The service was excellent even as the restaurant got busier our servers were able to come out each time and explain every course as well as give their recommendations for wine pairing. The only reason none of the dishes received a 5 out of 5 is because although they all had their highlights, no one complete dish really wowed me.
The atmosphere and vibe was very inviting, cozy and hip, with music that played at a perfect level in the background so that you could have a comfortable conversation. I loved the food here and I can’t wait to go back a few months from now to taste a completely different menu.
Orote is definitely worth trying out and I can confidently say that it is a contender for one of the best restaurants in Toronto. Whether you’re planning a date night or a group dinner Orote won’t disappoint.
