Review Location:1566 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
(416) 588-7750
I normally don't go to Licious I find it being very hit and miss, and even the best restaurants normally will more often than not miss with a pre-set mass produced Summerlicious menu. I'm not going to judge, but my personal opinion is that there are many times I've left feeling a bit unsatisfied.
The upside of this, is that when you do find a restaurant that knocks the summerlicious menu out of the park, it really impresses you. And this is exactly what happened on my visit to Parts and Labour (@partsnlabour) with Grace (@foodinthecityTO), Andrew (@_aneb), Vickie (@kiki_BFF) and Ben really restored some faith in Licious (@LiciousTO) menus!
Parts and Labour
The decor at Parts and Labour has the theme of a garage or workshop, with lots of added artistic elements. I love the over hanging lamps above the bar, which were bright and colourful enough to keep me fascinated throughout the dinner service!
The Kitchen
Summerlicious Menu 2012
For $35, you are given a 3 course meal with 3 options to choose from for each course. The four of us ordered a whole range of things, so here it is!
Alasakan salmon crudo-picked carrot, black garlic oil, nasturtium
I would probably say this was my favourite dish of the night, so that being said we sure started off with a bang! The portions were quite large as a starter, but it was prepared so light that it didn't feel too much at all. In fact, I felt it wasn't enough! The Alaskan Salmon Crudo was cut into nice chunky pieces and combined with the pistachio and black garlic oil was just heavenly!
Tagliatelle -chili, garlic, mint, pistachio, pecorino
As the only vegetarian main, it was a rather ordinary looking dish. Not a whole lot of action going on, but that's not to say it wasn't a plate of extremely fresh plate of pasta. The Tagliatelle was plain and simple, but none the less delicious.
Flat iron steak- fries, salsa verde
Grace and Ben ordered the Flat Iron Steak and praised it to be a glorious dish... especially the fries! I tried a few and they were indeed delicious! Pipping hot, crunchy, and had an addictive seasoning on top.
Cornish hen -kale, carrots, beech mushroom, radish, demi glace
This was my dish, and I absolutely loved it. The Cornish Hen had a nice crispy crusted skin, covering the tender meat on the inside. I was impressed, even the white meat was tender! The mushrooms on the other hand were a bit undercooked, but that was only a minor speed bump in my opinion.
Creme brulee-with chocolate cookies
I don't think I'm too picky with my creme brulee's but this one was quite the poor interpretation. Instead of being thick and custardy, it was runny as the consistency of pureed soup. That was strike number one. Strike number two is in the colossal failed attempt at making a palatable chocolate cookie. I'm not even talking about flavours here...the entire cookie was severely burnt! I am not exaggerating when I say it was the equivalent of eating charcoal. Clearly someone let the cookie sit in the oven just a little too long.
Lemon bar- vanila oil, blueberry
In comparison to the Creme Brulee, this Lemon Bar is fantastic! Not too tart, and the perfect amount of sweet to end off a meal.
Aside from the poorly executed creme brulee, I think it was a mutual consensus that we were more than impressed with everything that served that night. With a Summerlicious menu this good, I can only imagine what the regular menu has in store. I will definitely be coming back for you! :)
