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Friday, July 6, 2012

[Toronto] Harbour Sixty Steakhouse


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60 Harbour Street
Toronto, ON
(416) 777-2111



Habour Sixty has been on my list of restaurants to try for a while, but seeing as it's not an inexpensive meal I've been holding off. To a point where I almost forgot that I wanted to try it. That is until a month ago when I wrote up my review on Jacobs and Co. People started asking me how it compared to  Habour Sixty, and it was like a lightbulb lit-up in my mind. I thought to myself "I must make time to try this!" And so I did, and the rest is history.



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Harbour Sixty Steakhouse

If you're arriving by car and worry about where you'll need to park, then you can rest at ease. Patrons of Harbour Sixty get complimentary valet parking. A nice touch!


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Harbour Sixty patio


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I absolutely loved this bar. Contemporary and brightly illuminated with cool blue lights. I felt a need to walk right up to it and order a drink to look cool.


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Table bread and a variety of parings



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Ahi Tuna ($25) -wasabi, avocado, sesame seeds

As s starter we opted for the Ahi Tuna Tartare. I was taken by surprise when part of it was served resembling an ice cream cone. But I can't deny, the crunchy sesame seeds definitely worked with the tuna! The second portion of tuna sits on an anchor of smoothly mashed avocado, doussed with soya sauce. There is a prominent but not overpowering wasabi taste in the soya sauce that evokes the familiar sensation of Japanese tuna sashimi.  It's a great appetizer, but was hoping for something a little different than mashed up tuna sashimi.



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Rib Eye ($58)

All steaks come solo on the plate, so if you can't bear for your steak to be alone, there is a great selection of sides on the menu to choose from. They are brought to your table along side the steak, and are dived equally among each person.


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We ordered our Ribeye Steak to a rare, and I was quite happy with it. Nice colour on the outside, while still being tender and red on the inside. Flavourwise I thought it was a little over-seasoned, but  I do emphasize my sensitive taste buds. So in that respect, I much prefer Jacob's and Co's self-garnishing approach to their steaks.

In a whole, the steak was quite satisfying....that is until I got to the middle and found a strand of tendon stretching the entire peice of meat. In order to cut the tendon, I was literally sawing away at it, until the teeth of my serrated steak knife was grinding against the plate. Definitely didn't feel too lady-like eating this.


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Creamed Spinach(half portion -$6.50)



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Truffle Mac and Cheese(Half Portion -$6.5) -roasted garlic, fresh chillies

I've heard great things about their sides, and I have a feeling I didn't quite order the right ones. In hindsight, I should've caught on to the flaws of our side choices. Both of the Creamed Spinach and Truffle Mac and Cheese are relatively rich in cheeses. Don't get me wrong I LOVE cheese. It's just that both the sides were served with metal containers. On one hand, metal heats up fast to keep the food warm, but likewise it also cools quickly. Before I even had  chance to have seconds, both the sides had congealed and hardened, making it extremely unappetizing. The second reason why these weren't exactly the greatest sides, is because I wasn't thinking about what I was pairing it with. These heavy cream-based sides didn't help with cutting any of the heavy fats and flavours of the steak. Not to mention that both these sides were extremely salty. I would definitely pass on these next time or maybe try my luck with something lighter.


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 Black Cod($40) -Miso glaze, sauteed baby bak choy, grilled king mushroom 

Summary of the Black Cod? Salty salty salty. Do you get the reoccurring theme yet? Whenever I consume too much sodium I get a weird raw wrinkly feeling on my lips. Almost as if the salt has dehydrated them. I didn't even make it half way through the dish before I had to stop and drink an entire glass of water. And again, the salty sides didn't help with the cause.


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Molten Chocolate Cake($14) -Valhrona chocolate, vanilla bean ice cream



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I was so excited to order desert because I wanted to finally have something that wasn't entirely sodium. This is decent as a chocolate cake, but I wouldn't exactly call it a Molten Chocolate Cake. The chocolate ganache inside really wasn't the right runny consistency. But I guess at the end of the day it's all the same in the stomach --delicious and chocolatey.


For such an upscale restaurant, I think Harbour Sixty leaves me with a lot to be desired. I was wowed by the restaurant setting, but had a different opinion about the food. Nothing was repulsive, but there isn't much to boast about either. And for the price that was paid, I would much rather take my money to Jacobs and Co, where I don't have to guess if I will get lucky with a good menu item, or a good cut of meat.



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