Bymark Restaurant (@BymarkDowntown) is the second restaurant I visited for Winterlicious. Bymark has actually topped my list for restaurants to visit for a while. Not only was I intrigued by the overwhelming choices on their Licious menu but also so many foodies have raved about this restaurant so I knew I just couldn’t let this opportunity pass. With that in mind, I was tres excited to drag my friend along with me to indulge in a superb dinner =]
Bymark Restaurant is a very classy establishment located in the concourse level of the TD Tower in the hustle and bustle of the financial district. All of the exquisite foods served here are prepared by Chef Mark McEwan, Canadian celebrity chef, head judge of Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada.
This is the main dining area, very contemporary and modern. When I arrived, the restaurant was very active and loud. Although the servers all looked extremely busy – they were still friendly and helpful.
View from where I was sitting: – wine galore at the front – literally filled from the ceiling to the floor
This was a featured smoothie on Bymark’s Winterlicious Menu. ($8)
- This drink went down really smoothly – very cold and refreshing
- The fresh fruits were drowning in the glass
Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare
- charred pineapple, chilies, avocado & sesame crisp
- The picture here just doesn’t do it justice – the tuna was flavourful and well seasoned yet light and simple
- The texture of the tartare wasn’t too slimy – it was perfect
- The dish was truly an amazing appetizer – absolutely delicious in every single way
Duck Confit Poutine
- golden gnocchi, aged cheddar & oregano tapenade
- I just want to say i love duck confit and I’m a sucker for poutine so this dish was a pretty obvious choice for me =p
- This was my first time trying gnocchi which is a thick, soft dumpling made from mainly potato and cheese.
- The texture of the gnocchi was very soft on the inside – loved the colour of the gnocchi
- The Duck confit was a bit over seasoned but I still loved it – Perhaps this dish was a bit too heavy for an appetizer
So after we cleared our plates, a very nice young man came around with a large tray of fresh warm bread & butter.
Perhaps they were really busy because I was starting to think that Bymark didn’t serve bread since it was served after our appetizers.
Nonetheless, I was munching on this for a while because service was becoming really slow. We waited quite some time for our entrees.
Dry Aged P.E.I. Striploin & Slow Braised Short Rib
- tomato passata, soft polenta & roasted squash
- Sometimes restaurants over or under cook the way you want your meat – but not in this instance because it came out exactly medium rare – just the way my friend liked it
- The steak was simply divine – my eyes were salivating at the sight of this
- I wish I had ordered this instead
Cornish Hen & Chorizo Sausage
- Smashed chick peas & carrot, chili puree
- The chicken was extremely tender and juicy – the cornish hen was very well seasoned with the chili puree
- However, I didn’t enjoy the chorizo sausage – the texture of the sausage is different – really rough and dry – They served 3 Chorizo Sausage pieces, I only ate one…
Apple Crostata
- Caramel crunch ice cream
- A Crostata is an Italian baked dessert tart – served warm
- To me, this resembled an apple pie because of the warm apple slices melted on top of the doughy pastry cream
- The caramel crunch ice cream made this dessert that much more refreshing
Orange Nanaimo Brownie
- toasted meringue
- I wish I had tried this as I was too busy indulging in my Apple Crostata =(
Overall, I had a fantastic experience here at Bymark. Both my friend and I thought the best course of the meal were definitely the appetizers only because they really stood out for us as suppose to the entrees. Service was friendly but slow. They took our jackets at the door, placed the napkins on our lap and our server was really helpful in recommending items on the menu – but in between each course we managed to wait for quite some time.
Will I come back again?! Yes, but I’ll need to wait for Summerlicious to roll around because their regular menu items are just way too pricey for me. Will definitely come back next time to check out their infamous Bymark Prime burger and lobster poutine =p
Price: $45 + tax + gratuity
