2901 Bayview Avenue

(416) 590-1300

http://www.oliverbonacini.com

Pricing: Pricey

Cuisine: Western

Type: Restaurant

Rating: 8/10

During Summerlicious 2011, me and a bunch of my Twitter peeps went to O&B Cafe Grill by Bayview Village mall for a tweetup. A lot of us had heard the name being tossed around and thought we would take the opportunity to try it out; $25 for a dinner set was a steal considering that it’s usually that much for an entree alone!

Unfortunately, the lighting was very dim and a picture of the interior wasn’t possible without turning on the flash. But I can tell you that it’s a very social environment and you could hear the chatter from the other tables.

I went with the Sweet Chili BBQ Baby Back Ribs as my appetizer (of course!). When the plate was put in front of me however, I only saw two small ribs with very little meat and a piece of corn bread pudding. I understand it’s supposed to be a taste of their regular menu but don’t you want people to come back? The ribs were good but I didn’t get a chance to absorb all of the flavours since it was gone in two bites.

The Crispy Chicken and Ginger Dumplings were about the same size in terms of the portion. They were also good but a dissapointment because people wanted more.

I loved the Panko & Citrus Togarashi Crusted Baked Atlantic Cod as my entree. The fish was flaky and juicy. I was expecting the coleslaw on the bottom to be dry and sour but it was sweet and shredded into small pieces. They also cooked the (tiny) potato the way I liked them, the kind that doesn’t break apart.

If I was able to do everything all over again in terms of portion, I probably would’ve ordered the Steak Frites. The portion was better than all of the other dishes. The fries also looked crispy and the meat, juicy. This was later confirmed .

This is the Braised Beef Short Rib Rigatoni. To be honest, it didn’t look like much or that appetizing. It was a popular dish around the table but it all ended in dissapoinment. Good thing I avoided it then!

Would you believe that two out of the three desserts they offered were two of my favourite things? Lemon meringue pie and something chocolate. As you can tell, I went with the Chocolate Marquis (a milk chocolate torte with a hazelnut crunch). Dessert was hands down, the best part of the meal. The chocolate was so smooth and it melted in your mouth.

And this adorable Mini Lemon Meringue Pie was also delish. The crust was flaky and the meringue had the right amount of lemon juice so it didn’t taste like egg yolks (what it mostly consists of).

Their food is really good if you order the right item but it just didn’t fill me up. I guess they just cater to a different crowd but if I had the money, I would come back here to eat from their regular menu.