Thursday, January 04, 2007

One99 Broadway

Suffice to say I had an enjoyable Christmas week with family and eating yummy food. I hope yours was also agreeable.



And...Happy 2007! Where 2006 got to is beyond me... *looks under the bed*



**********





For New Year's Eve, Aunt Rita and her friend Leslie, Aunt Eve and Uncle Tom, and Mum and I all went to One99 Broadway for a 7-Course dinner. None of my cousins would come because at $100 per head you don't want a picky eater...

We had expected my Dad to be here but he's coming at the end of the week instead, so Leslie jumped at the chance to join us. Apparently, One99 is the type of restaurant that many of the town's residents aspire to visit one day and others avoid at all costs (Orangeville, despite its suburbanite boom, retains its modest farming town roots.) The interesting name basically comes from the address, as Broadway is this town's Main Street.



Uncle Tom had driven us there as he did two years ago, but this time he stayed and it was clear this is not his milieu. He divvied up his courses between us ladies and when we got to the meat course, we donated 3 rare steaks to him and shared the rest, as by this time most of us were full. Mum was in charge of wines so she started us off with a zinfandel and then by the meat course and to finish off, we had a shiraz.



We were seated at the best table, a big round one that took up the wine room, surrounded by glass and overlooking the main restaurant below. And, we were mostly served by the owner. Swapping between upstairs and downstairs were a guitarist and an accordionist, playing softly pleasant tunes and singing some classic old songs and Italian ones too. Most of us knew them all and by the time the guitarist got to "Edelweiss" our table started humming, so he came over and we sang it together.



The courses were as follows:



1) Amuse: butternut squash mousse on a savoury shortbread topped with saffron - just a tiny morsel to amuse the mouth



2) Soup: morel mushroom puree garnished with truffles and foie gras - I found tiny pieces of diced apple in the puree, an interesting touch. And the most succulent slices of foccacia bread in a basket, with butter and a dash of pink salt.



3) Fish 1: wish I had taken a pic of this as it was the most artfully composed plate of them all. Sugar-cured and smoked salmon on confit potatoes, french beans, yuzu, creme fraiche, and caviar. The base layer was a slice of sugar-cured salmon which has the most interesting and indescribable flavour. I could taste the freshwater-ness of it; it was slightly chewy, and the end note is a hint of sweetness. On top of the salmon perpendicular was the small half potato of very creamy texture. Laid beside this were a few crispy green beans in a tangy creamy dressing, and propped against these was the slice of home-smoked salmon. I don't know where the yuzu was, possibly they used the powder for an unusual flavour in the bean dressing. And on either side of the whole ensemble, a little dollop of red and black caviar.



4) Fish 2: Champagne poached lobster tail on brioche toast with a blood orange hollandaise sauce and chervil jus. I may never want hollandaise sauce without orange in it again. And then I was full and the waitress caught me stifling a yawn and waggled her finger at me with an eyebrow raised.



5) Palate cleanser: fresh grape juice - pressed and unrefined, it tasted just like we were eating those sweet blush red grapes.



Then they brought a slab of slate on top of which was a smaller section, red hot, with a sizzling head of garlic on it just out of the oven and a few sprigs of rosemary. This was just for the aroma, but I sooooo wanted to eat it with bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar! Presumably to open our appetites for the next course:







6) Meat: Roasted organic beef tenderloin with potato and leek pie, baby rainbow carrots with sarawak pepper jus. Leslie (being Irish) kept asking where the pie was. It was the stacked "leaves" made up of potato and leek, like a tower of cards...



7) Dessert: Tiramisu - here I protest. It was all mascarpone and sponge, the lady fingers at the bottom were dry, there was no coffee or liqueur on them or anywhere else...all wrong.







Finished off with optional coffee.



For the toast we had Freixenet champagne, gold and silver noisemakers and hats or tiaras.







Most amazingly, when the owner brought us our bill, he said that two of the tabs had been taken care of earlier in the day - someone had paid for "the two babysitters". Aunty Eve runs a daycare. They were shocked because one of the parents had quit his job to become a student and as a result she reduced their fee.







Although Uncle Tom was the designated driver, he had been uncharacteristic and drank 3 tumblers of rum and coke. He put Aunty Eve, on 2-ish glasses of wine and two champagnes, in the driver's seat. Of the three sisters she holds the least alcohol and we had ribbed her a few times during dinner about what silly things she said to Uncle Tom on the drive home last time while calling him "shweedie"! Mum and I are affected the least, but there was no discussion of a subsitute driver and Uncle Tom took us home via the residential streets, all the while reminding her that she was about 10 feet from the curb. Mum and Aunty Rita alternated between laughter and exclamations.







Thankfully, during the day the ice had melted, the rainshowers had come and washed away the heavy fog, and the streets were drying by the time we left the restaurant. Uncle Tom said Dallas, Texas was colder than Toronto, Ontario that night.



When I woke up on the first morning of 2007 and stuck my head out into the backyard, I called Mum over and we enjoyed the watery sort of smell that reminded us of a cold winter morning in Houston.



More photos, regularly updated, are available on my Flickr pages.





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20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh - I'm hungry and I've only just eaten breakfast! You write so well about food, Arty. I love the idea of the hot garlic and rosemary for the smell - aroma is so important when it comes to food. Delicious!

The Moody Minstrel said...

Of course you realize, Olivia, you insidious fiend, reading that was pure torture! You just made my dinner a wasted effort!

That roasted and spiced head of garlic on a slab was definitely an interesting idea. Someone in the kitchen is deviously skilled in the art of gastronomical seduction!

...or was that too wordy?

michelle said...

about the Tiramisu, I was in a resturant and wanted a dessert and the Tiramisu had apples in in...

omgosh, I am going to tell u about the 35 hour partay...with me and Genie. OK

Jan 1 was newyears, where I got so drunk after drinking games I passed out after the drunken snowangles and the new years bell(woke up two hours later against J) and was like holy shit, what a nap.

then it was Jan 2 and I sept over Js house, then whent home around 2.30pm. and now this is where the 35 h partay begins.

round 7 Genie calls, what to go to J's for a movie...ok, We walk over, drink soom beer watch star wars and then Les comes over around 10pm. And we play drinking games and around 3 run out of booze so we call for a pizza and some more booze(rum) and at 3.30am I call Mitch, who was asleep and was like, Michelle u are drunk, goodbye.

hehe

then at 4 we have pizza and rum and strip poker, which we stoped playing cause Genie did not want to get nacked. So Pictonary it was.

Then it was 7 am, OMG. So we did 3 way spooning on J's bed, cause it was so small.

I was onn the bed 1st cause I was tired...then Genie jumped in and then Les...and J went to sleep on his roomates bed.

We are all up around 4, then decide to go to a movie. The Rocky one so I go over to Genies for a Shower...and the bus is late and we miss a half hour of the movie and then the guys were like, we didn't want to go in and WE did not want to watch Rocky. But was not that bad.

So after the movie we call Mitch...again. And he wanted us to go to his place...in MOUNT PEARL. NO way. Too far and he was not going to bring us there or drop us off.

So we go back to J's and were going to do sometings to him cause they skipped Rocky but got sidetracked by the rum. Then more drinking games and then around 5 I was like I so want Chicken. And the guys were like there is a Mary Brown's on Merry meeting road. So me and Genie walked over and it was not 24h MB. OMG....and we were craving the MB.

So we go to Needs and grab a chicken wrap. Not the same. and go to Genie's to eat it. Then it is 8am and I go home to sleep.

more later...I have to go to school...

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Aaahhh. Now that's what we call 'life in London' over here :-D [Though it wasn't in London, was it?]

Anonymous said...

I love how you write about your dinner! It sounds just incredible. The pictures are great. You're very photogenic!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year! The party looks fun and the meal sounds fabulous. Champaign poached lobster on brioche? To die for!!! Sounds devine.

Olivia said...

Katja - if I eat out and don't describe it, my readers protest :)
And, thank you.

Ooh, I can smell the garlic even now...

***

Minstrel - yes, I write about food to delight AND torture your senses.

I think that the phrase "deviously skilled in the art of gastronomical seduction" is perfect!

***

Jia Li - amazing! You do nothing, nothing, nothing for ages, and then have a marathon partay!

***

Gyal - nope, not in London...but we manage to dig up a bit of class wherever we go, eh? (oops, that sounded Canadian!)

***

ML - thank you, thank you, and thank you again!
Actually, I do love savouring my food and analysing it, and now my blog allows me to write about it too.

***

Beenz - happy new year to you too. Do you think you would either look for that dish at a restaurant or attempt to make it yourself? If you do I will call you brave :)

Olivia said...

P.S. Katja - you can call me Olivia on here, you know :P

michelle said...

I knowwwwwwwwww....did I ever tell u about the booze a palooza party? another day maybe.

It was because I was working. BUT NOW AM FREE! woooooooooooooooooooooooo

ok
and the last nigh me and Genie go to a dance club to dance and she was wearing my tie, and the bouncer was like, I want your tie. And G was like, its hers. And he tried to buy it off me, but then he was drunk.

hehe...after the dancing whent out for subway and walked home.

Then today, regerstration and Mall with Gwyn, Genie and Mitch.

Now hungry...chili timeeeee

Anonymous said...

what a wonderful time, good food, family... who could ask for more! the place sounds terrific, as well as all the wine, champagne and cocktails. i long for the day to be able to have a glass of wine! ;)

i'm so glad you're enjoying your time there. is that your mother in the pic w/ you? you look like the woman, but you also look different, so if it's your mom, i'm saying that you prob look more like your father.

boy, how nice that someone picked up the tab!!

Olivia said...

Jia Li - are you drunk now??? :P

***

Tooners - yes that is my mum with me. Loads of people say I look like her, and loads of people say I look like Dad. Both my parents say I look like Dad more and more as he was in his early 20s. When I see him this weekend I will take a pic ..... though as he is 62 we may not look that similar anymore, and I haven't seen him in a year and a half!

P.S. At least you can enjoy chocolate right???

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia...that seems to have been a nice end to the year,and a nice beginning to 2007...here's looking forward to lots of posts from you,in this year,too.BTW,that was quite a menu.:)(But,being a veggie,I wouldn't have enjoyed part of it.heh heh).

Anonymous said...

welcome back! sounds like you had an awesome new year, I will have to do something next year, my whole christmas/new year enthusiasmhas been waning heavily over recent years.

I would love to go to a restaurant like that, the only thing is I am terrible with deserts. they always fail to impress me. No matter how adventurous I am with other foods, I like nothing more than a nice bitter apple and plumb crumble with cinnamon ice cream! lol

Anonymous said...

welcome back! sounds like you had an awesome new year, I will have to do something next year, my whole christmas/new year enthusiasmhas been waning heavily over recent years.

I would love to go to a restaurant like that, the only thing is I am terrible with deserts. they always fail to impress me. No matter how adventurous I am with other foods, I like nothing more than a nice bitter apple and plumb crumble with cinnamon ice cream! lol

michelle said...

no, I was not drunk when I typed that

Leilouta said...

I love the picture of you as a kid holding a phone, and I really like "bunny 06" :)

Anonymous said...

You do resemble your mom, but I'd bet you look more like your dad. Where is the pic of you holding a phone when you're young? I think I missed something.

Yes, I do eat chocolate, altho I'm not really supposed to do any sweets. But, thankfully, I've gotten the diabetes under control, so I do take advantage of that. How can they expect a pregnant woman to give up sweets???? I can not!! :)

Olivia said...

Amit - only after the beef fiasco did I notice at the bottom of the menu that we could ask for a vegetarian substitute dish. I wish I had...I eat very little meat really.

***

Matt - well, if we don't book things like that for new year's then we would just veg at home in front of the TV!

Oh, and I am not back in London for another 10 days :)

***

Jia Li - I was teasing, chickie!

***

Leilouta - you lovely girl, you looked at the other piccies!

***

Tooners - you will see it if you look at Flickr, if it works in Bahrain...

Ah, dark choc has less sugar than milk choc, but which do you prefer?

Anonymous said...

Hey libbsm school has started and I have branded myself...because I had to create a logo for myself

go here

www.adventuresofmeimei.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a grate New Year eve, Olivia.
Happy New Year to you.

(How was you able to eat all that food? I would have been stuffed after the soup.)