Friday, September 20, 2013

REVIEW | Biff's Bistro - Toronto's casual, yet refined French cuisine by Oliver & Bonacini

Being a big fan of Oliver & Bonacini's Jump Restaurant  (read review), I was excited to head to Biff's Bistro for dinner to celebrate my friend's birthday.  It is located on Front St, just off Yonge, right beside the O&B Cafe and Grill.  The European inspired tablecloths, an eye-catching red door and the name 'Biff's' lit up 'Moulin Rouge' style, had me excited to try some French dining.



The hostess sat us in the open dining room, dimly lit for an intimate ambiance.  The dining room was fairly busy but not to capacity, which gave it a lively feel but we were able to have privacy.  The table settings and the service level definitely showed we were at a classy, Parisian style restaurant, but the approachable menu and the decor of the space showed a more casual, cool and "bistro" type of setting - a great combo!



We had some buck-a-chuck oysters to share among friends!  I didn't know they had this service, but they do - everyday from 5 pm.  The Oysters were refreshing, clean and delicious, but some were miniscule in size (can't complain as they were $1).  Especially loved the horseradish here.


The birthday girl (check out her instagram for awesome food pictures) got the Steak Tartare ($16.00) to start.  Served with pickles, crispy bageutte, and topped with a quail yolk.  This is also available as an entree with fries.


I got the Cream of Mushroom Soup to start as I got the 3-course Prix Fixe menu ($34.95).  This was such a good start to my meal! It was creamy without being heavy - just absolutely delicious.


As the main entrees, the above is the Beef Bourguignon served in wine and mashed potatos.  The beef was tender and well cooked but my friend said it was a bit too salty for their liking.


I tried the Duck Confit, with cassoulet, lardons, Toulous Sausage & kale. It was my first time trying a Duck Confit dish and it was pretty good.  I loved the kale and cassoulet but the duck was a bit salty for me.  However, the texture of the duck was tender and soft.


Another main we got was the Steak Frites, which is a flat iron steak with vegetables and fries.  The steak was cooked right and the fries were a great compliment! 


I ended my meal with the Cassis & Yoghurt Panna Cotta.  I'm usually not a fan of yogurt and pudding type of dessert because of the texture, but I really enjoyed this.  It cleansed my palate with the cassis flavour and the panna cotta was set perfectly texture-wise.

Trying out another O&B restaurant and having a great experience, I can't wait to check off some of their other restaurants in the city!



Biff's on Urbanspoon
Biff's Bistro on Foodio54

No comments:

Post a Comment