where jess ate

If you’re looking for a romantic restaurant for a special occasion, try Auberge du Pommier – just make sure your wallet is full before coming! The restaurant is located just off Yonge Street near the York Mills subway station and has complimentary underground parking. Upon entering, we were greeted warmly by the hostess who checked our coats for us. The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit and had a very romantic ambiance to it. I found that it wasn’t too loud here even though they were pretty busy.

After consulting the menu, Mike decided to go for the sablefish (aka black cod). However, when we were finally ready to order, our server came by to inform us they didn’t have the black cod this evening. I wish she had told us this when she first handed us the menus, rather than waiting until we were ready to order. After we had finally ordered, another server came by to bring us bread, which was served with butter and olives. She came by frequently to offer us more bread, which was nice.

I considered getting the tasting menu, but nothing being offered really jumped out at me, so I started with the Foie Gras & Confit – seared duck liver with duck confit, chestnuts, winter spice and Cumberland jus ($26). It was perfectly seared and just melted in my mouth; I just love the buttery taste of foie gras! However, it’s definitely one of those “once-in-a-while” appetizers, not only due to its high price tag, but also because it’s almost pure fat! The duck confit wasn’t very noticeable and I didn’t think it was really necessary for such a dish that’s already so rich.

Mike started with the Steak Tartare – hand cut beef tenderloin, slightly spicy, with classic garni and crouton ($22). Although the portion didn’t look that big, it was enormous for an appetizer portion. As a comparison, this was the same size, if not bigger, than the entrée-sized tartare at Le Select Bistro. Soon after Mike started digging into his dish, he had to request for a second serving of crostinis for the rest of the tartare. We both really enjoyed this dish.

After finishing up our appetizers, the server came by and told us the bartender was making some fresh juices, one of them being a Passionfruit Orange juice. I’m a sucker for freshly squeezed juice, so I had to get it. Although it was pretty amazing, it was pretty steep at $6 for a champagne glass of it.

My main was the Rôti d’Agnea – sirloin of lamb and gigot braisé on parsnip purée, spaghetti squash, rosemary Yukon dumpling and jus de cuisso ($43). I typically prefer my meat rare, but the server informed me that the chef likes to serve the lamb medium rare, so I agreed to have it prepared medium rare. The lamb was tender and pretty tasty. I preferred the leg of lamb over the braised shank (which was found underneath the pieces of lamb), but Mike preferred the shank.

The gnocchi which came with the lamb was served in a cream sauce and was delicious, but unfortunately there were only five pieces of it. The spaghetti squash the lamb was served with was also really nice. It was perfectly seasoned and had a nice crunch to it, which was a pleasant surprise since I was expecting it to be really soft in texture. The serving size of this was pretty decent and I had trouble finishing this dish after all the foie gras. Overall, it was a decent dish, but certainly not the best lamb dish I’ve ever had.

Mike’s main was the Porcelet de St-Canut – roast piglet, caillette crêpe, braised belly, salsify and grain mustard jus ($39). After Mike ordered this, the server told him it was a good choice, so we had high expectations. I particularly enjoyed the crepe and the braised belly (so fatty, but so good!), however we both agreed that the piece of the roast piglet was our least favourite item on the dish. Between the lamb and the pork, we both preferred the pork dish.

Although we were feeling pretty full from our mains, there’s always room for dessert! We decided to go for something a little lighter and settled on the Galette Pomme et Frangipane – warm apple tart, almond and pâte sucrée with rhubarb confit and beurre noisette ice cream ($11). Although the dish tasted good, I didn’t think it was anything special. My favourite part of this dish was the rhubarb confit and ice cream. The tart itself was okay, but I would’ve expected something better from Auberge.

When we were brought the bill, we were also brought a small plate of petit fours (three different types) with our bill – a chocolate truffle, a lemon gummy and one containing some sort of nuts. They were all delicious and a great way to end the meal. Overall, we both agreed that our appetizers were better than the mains, but we both really enjoyed our experience here. The atmosphere was also really cozy and romantic. But be warned, the food is served pretty slowly. We were there for over two hours for a three course meal.

At a glance:

A romantic atmosphere, great for a special occasion

Expensive (most appetizers around $20; mains around $40-$50)

Excellent service

Free underground parking

Food is served at a slow pace (took over 2 hours for a 3-course meal)