Monday, August 15, 2011

La Société [VLOG]

La Société opened about two months ago and is a new upscale French restaurant in the Yorkville District, smack dab in the middle of Bloor Street's Mink Mile. This Parisian bistro took over the former Dynasty Chinese Restaurant location upstairs and also occupies the courtyard at street level (which serves a reduced bar menu). La Société (@La_Societe) is really the only restaurant / patio on Bloor currently, making it the perfect place for shoppers and tourists alike. It is massive space that occupies around 400 seats and is owned by INK Entertainment's Charles Khabouth, a nightclub king who owns Ultra, Guvernment, This is London, koolhaus, etc., just to name a few, and also restaurants such as Briscola, AME, and Spice Route. 



The picture below was taken on my way up to the second floor. It was raining the whole day and only stopped around late afternoon. Although not raining any more it still felt really muggy so we opted to dine inside.


The decor at La Société is all about the dark wood, banquettes, shiny tile floors, and soft lighting.


There is no way anyone can miss the stunning hand-crafted stained glass ceiling.


I had so much fun having dinner with my partner in crime, Nicki from View The Vibe (@ViewTheVibe), food blogger Andrew from Dobbernationloves (@dobbernation), and Beatrice from Trillium Corporation Communications (@BeatriceBastedo). We stayed at La Société for four hours! =) Here is View The Vibe's  Eye On The Vibe Vlog recap of our fab dinner:


Everybody except me had the French 131 (Chambord, Belvedere Vodka, pineapple, and bubbles) while I had the Moet St. Germain (raspberry vodka, elderflower liqeur, citrus, and Moet & Chandon).  We also ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir~


Snuck in a picture with Andrew =) Remember to check out his post on our dinner here ^_^V


Bread to start.


We went a bit crazy on the appetizers but we couldn't help it...

APPETIZERS

Gratinee Lyonnaise - Classique Onion Soup with Gruyere & Emmental Cheese.

Andrew ordered this and he said it was "perfectly executed, heavy on the onions, rich with a perfect booze kick". Only the video can show you the sheer amount of onion and cheese in it.


Risotto de Homard a la Truffle Noire - Carnaroli Risotto, Asparagus, Butter Poached Lobster.

This was Nicki's favourite appetizer. I was impressed with the chunks of lobster meat ^_^


Foie Gras Poele aux Poires - Warm Brioche with Hazelnut Crumble, Pear, Port Reduction.


This was my second favourite appetizer. A huge portion of foie gras here so I highly recommend that you share this. The seared foie gras was very tasty with the pear and port reduction. I didn't really care for the brioche mainly because I was busy indulging on the on foie gras (yes, by itself).


Terrine de Foie de Canard - Duck Liver Terrine, Caramelized Fruit, Toasted Baguette,

My favourite appetizer at La Société that night. The terrine was extremely soft and creamy in texture and the taste of the duck liver was incredibly pungent. I loved the caramelized fruit layer on the top - it was like layered jam goodness~ There weren't enough baguettes so I had to steal some from the tuna tartare appetizer.


Tartare de Thon - Yellow Fin Tuna, Coriander, Apple & Pine Nuts.

We all loved the presentation of this dish, it was so colourful. I particularly liked the crunch from the pine nuts and the freshness from the apples and tomatoes.


MAINS

Moules au Saffron - Frites - Steamed P.E.I. Mussels, White Wine, Shallots & Saffron.

Nicki and I shared the mussels. Nicki loved the delicate saffron and white wine sauce while I personally prefer a stronger tasting broth. The mussels were also on the small side.


The frites in that little basket were awesome! Seasoned perfectly, I can eat them all night 


Steak Frites - Shallot Confit with Maitre d'Hotel Butter.

In Andrew's words, his steak frites was "stellar".


"La Marseillaise" - Atlantic Cod, Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, Crab, Saffron Fish Broth


This was Beatrice's entree. It was packed with seafood and did you see the size of the shrimp in the video?! 


DESSERTS

Although we were all stuffed we just had to try some traditional French desserts.

Profiteroles - Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce.

This was my first time trying profiteroles (a pastry ball which can be filled with either whipped cream, pastry cream, or ice cream). I'm not a big fan of pastry puffs in general so I wasn't too keen on this dessert (although I did like the ice cream and chocolate sauce).


White Chocolate Creme Brulee - Vanilla Custard.

This was perfectly executed; the caramel layer on top was thin and torched to a medium orange-y brown and the custard underneath was rich and very smooth. 


My favourite course of the evening was, no doubt, the appetizers! Thanks La Société for a great dinner =D


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