After opening up at the end of 2011, Yours Truly (@YoursTruly229) gained a lot of attention with their ambitious tasting menus and tasty small plates.
When the restaurant first opened, Chef Jeff Claudio was heading the kitchen. With an impressive resume with experience at Alinea and Noma, it was no surprise Yours Truly received so much attention. Fast forward to 2014 and Chef Lachlan Guljak is now the man in charge. He also comes with a great resume which includes working at Splendido, Scarpetta and training at Noma. Needless to say, this set our expectations pretty high.
Located on the trendy Ossington strip, the space fits right into the neighborhood – cool, casual and dimly lit. A long, well-stocked bar stretches down one side of the restaurant while cozy tables fill the rest of the space.
Normally, Yours Truly specializes in tasting menus only. However, during the summer months, they are offering an à la carte menu. The à la carte menu is broken down into a snack section and three other sections which are supposed to guide your progression of the meal. Yours Truly still encourages their guests to dine tasting menu-style by picking a snack or two and then choosing an item from each column of the menu.
Since there were six of us in the group, we decided to share all the dishes (tapas-style) and ended up trying a fair share of the menu.
If there’s one dish that Yours Truly is known for, it’s definitely their Salt Cod Inari ($8 for 2). These fried tofu pockets are stuffed with a delicious mixture of rice, salt cod and served with a side of Kewpie mayo. Bites of heaven, I tell ya. You won’t be disappointed!
Another favourite from the snack section of the menu is the Garlic Knots ($2 each). We initially ordered only three of them thinking we’d share one between each couple but once they arrived, we immediately ordered another three. Just from smelling them we knew we’d be fighting over them if we had to share. The garlic knots were perfectly fried – crispy on the outside without being too greasy and fluffy on the inside. Oh, and they were extra garlicky, just how I like ‘em.
We also ordered the Duck Wings ($12 for 4) from the snacks section. I’m a huge fan of duck wings and these didn’t disappoint. Sprinkled with green onions and crushed peanuts, the wings had a nice kick to them which left me wanting more.
Also from the snacks section (yes, we ordered a lot of snacks!), was the Beef Tartare ($9). One order comes with two individual bites wrapped in a shiso leaf. Unfortunately this dish just didn’t work for me. I’m not quite sure what else was mixed in the tartare but I felt there were too many flavours packed into this one bite. With all the additional flavours and large shiso leaf, I felt the beef was overpowered – it was hard to tell there was any beef in it.
Luckily we were back on track with the Foie Gras ($26), which the kitchen had served as a complimentary dish. The foie gras was served cold as a torchon. It was smooth, buttery and had an intense foie gras flavour. Delish!
Up next was the Octopus – slow poached/charcoal grilled, green mango, red bean, chorizo, soy, fish sauce ($14). It was a dish I had previously tried a couple weeks ago on the Taste of Toronto Safari. The octopus was incredibly tender and I loved the pairing of it with the chorizo and green mango.
The Saba – torched & raw, chili vinegar, scallion oil, yuzu kosho, spinach stems ($14) arrived next. I love torched mackerel – the torching really brings out the flavours of the fish. This particular dish, which was reminiscent of a dish you’d get at a Japanese restaurant, came with several different sauces… a little sweet and salty. Everyone around the table really enjoyed this.
Another seafood dish we ordered was the Albacore – kombu cured, avocado, squid chip, coriander, charred banana pepper ($12). The tuna was light and refreshing which made it a nice summer appetizer. It was a nice dish but it just wasn’t as memorable as some of the other dishes we had during the evening.
After we polished off our seafood dishes, we were served some complimentary Chicken Skin Bites which was a nice little teaser before introducing the heartier entrée courses.
We started with the Pork – slow roasted, ramp kimchi, white anchovy, pork bone soup, perilla seed ($17). The flavours of the pork belly reminded me of Chinese roast pork. But of course, this dish was served with fancier accompaniments which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, we all agreed that the fat-to-meat ratio was too heavily tilted towards the fatty side. I’m a girl who likes a fatty piece of pork belly but even this was a little too fatty for me.
One of my favourite dishes of the evening was the Everspring Duck – slow roasted breast, English peas, consommé, cowberry aspic, beets, radish ($22). While the portion size was admittedly on the small side, the dish was absolutely delicious. The duck was cooked incredibly well, leaving the meat moist and juicy. Loved it!
We’re all big meat eaters but thought we should add some veggies to our meal. We decided on the Eggplant – steamed/roasted, red curry, tamarind chip, carrot dahl, sumac, cumin ($16). With the spices used in the dish, it had the flavours you’d find at an Indian restaurant. It wasn’t a bad dish but it wasn’t one of my favourites either.
Yours Truly surprised us with another complimentary dish, the Coquelet which was one of the specials of the evening. Our server presented it to us whole before it was cut up and served to us – it caught me so off-guard that I didn’t get a chance to get a picture of it initially… so here it is, post-carving:
I’m usually not a huge fan of hens since it can often be quite dry but this was prepared impeccably. The meat was wonderfully moist – white meat included! It turned out to be another one of my favourites of the evening. And did I mention that it was served with some incredibly delicious potatoes and raw oysters? Yup, it was a winner!
The last dish we had was the Beef – dry aged/seared Cumbrae’s striploin, marrow butter, confit potato, mushrooms ($55). It was a 12oz piece of meat which had been dry aged for 55 days. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare and I loved the marrow butter which made it just so much more indulgent.
While Yours Truly has always been on my list of restaurants to try, I was always hesitant given all the mixed reviews. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to dine here – we had a great experience. Prices might be a little on the high side (for the portion size) but overall, the food was delicious. Looking forward to dining here in the fall when their tasting menus are back!
At a glance:
• Located on Ossington, just south of Dundas
• Known for their ambitious tasting menus; however they’re offering an a la carte menu during the summer
• Executive Chef Lachlan Guljak
• Prices are on the high side (for the portions) but the dishes are delicious and beautifully presented
• Cool and casual atmosphere; great hospitality
Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars
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