Ici Bistro

Ici Bistro

538 Manning Avenue

Toronto, ON M6G 2V9

Things are starting to get busy again. Now that the holidays are long over, Howard and I are getting back to our routines. The days are really just flying, we're already in mid-January! Even the weekends don't allow for enough breathing room, I am really looking forward to a long weekend or vacation.

But, it's always fun to look back, so while this post is overdue, it's bringing back memories of a fun experience we had before the new year.

For Christmas last year (can't say "this year," even though it wasn't too long ago), Howard and I treated ourselves to Ici Bistro as our holiday present to each other.

Always doing a bit of research, we read reviews from the National Post, enRoute Magazine, Toronto Life, and the Globe and Mail. The 24-seat intimate dining setting had us brimming with excitement, it'll be so romantic and intimate! We quickly made dinner reservations (a bit of phone tag) and waited for the night to arrive.

The restaurant was small and cozy. A curtain helps diffuse some of the chilly outdoor air, tables to the right and a bar on the left. All the way in the back, a kitchen, open for all to see.

Our hostess for the evening could have been Gail Simmons' twin (but with shorter hair). She welcomed us and took us over the menu. For each item, you can choose to have it shared or an entrée size.

Soon after we ordered, we were presented with an amuse-bouche of goat cheese and caramelized shallot tarts. Warm, rustic, and delicious.

Howard and I ordered a plateau of maritime oysters to share. They were so good that I snapped the photo after a few had already been removed from the plate. And get this, we got a lemon wedge for each oyster!

Howard's favourite dish of the night was the lobster bisque and shrimp frite. We had ordered just one, figuring we should share it, but was given two. At first, we thought they had split it for us, but realized that wasn't the case when we got our bill. No matter, this was very good. The batter for the shrimp frite was amazing!

Here were our entrées, Howard's duck magret à l’orange with Grand Marnier.

I chose the rack of lamb with Ontario leg of lamb cannelloni, monforte tomme, and mushroom truffle ragout.

And we can't skip dessert if a soufflé is on the menu. Praline or Grand Marnier? We went with the Grand Marnier since Howard isn't a fan of pralines.

This dish caused quite a stir among the other diners when it came out and was presented to us. I wonder if others ordered this after?