Dine Around Town was ending and I knew I had to get in at least one more restaurant so I called on my downtown co-workers again to join me. I'd checked out quite a few menus and Sauce isn't one I thought to check out immediately as it's in the bar/tourist area I tend to avoid. I had heard some good things though and it was close to the office so it seemed like a good time to check it out.
Again this is one of those restaurants that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. It's dark with leather seats inside, and the menu wants to be tapas I think? The online menu is way too confusing with way too many categories. Entrees, Sauce Plates, Favourites? I just don't understand it, so I was glad we'd already decided on the Dine Around menu.
We made reservations for 6pm on a Saturday but upon entering we were only one of a handful of tables. It was early though and by the time we left it was quite busy.
The drink menu looked pretty good, lots of choices at decent prices and some twists on classic cocktails. I had a hard time deciding but I ended up splitting a small pitcher of the White Peach Sangria which for $18 was a pretty good deal as we both got 2 full glasses out of it. Though it was a steal I'm not sure I'd get it again, there wasn't much flavour and I couldn't really taste any peach or wine.
The server was good, attentive but not pushy or overbearing. The kind where you kind of forget about the server, not because they aren't checking on you. Does that make sense?
We each got a different starter so we could each try a bite. I had the $30 menu and started with the "Phyllo Wrapped Brie" which came with red onion jam, roasted garlic bulb, toasted flatbread. It was a good size for a starter I was afraid could be very filling, it also helped to be sharing! It wasn't anything special I could have done this at home but it was still a nice treat. Someone else had the "Strawberry Stilton Salad" which wasn't my favourite but that's only because the stilton was too strong for me, I'm not a big blue cheese fan. We also tried the "Crab & Artichoke Dip" which was ok but I'm glad I hadn't ordered it as it was a little too artichoke-y and acidic for me. And the other person had a mushroom on crostini dish which was actually my favourite.
For the main I had the "Sesame Crusted Tuna" which came with some zucchini, red pepper and baby bok choy which was all cooked very well and we were able to trade the roasted potatoes for mashed which were delicious! My friend had the regular potatoes and she didn't end up finishing them so defiantly a smart move on the switch! The sauce was underneath the tuna which is nice as it didn't make it soggy and you could choose the amount you wanted. It was nice had a sweet flavour that went well with the sesame crusted tuna. I've never had this before but it's something I've always wanted to try and I wasn't let down. The sesame crust was great and the tuna looked like it was cooked perfectly. Going from the crunch on the outside to the raw tuna in the middle is a little strange at first, but if you are used to eating sushi it's something you'd enjoy. This is something I would go back for. I read a lot of reviews on urbanspoon and many people recommended the tuna tataki which I am now intrigued to go back and try now as well.
For dessert I had the "Skor Cheesecake" which was ok. The cheesecake was a little sour for me and could have used more chunks rather then dust of skor pieces, though I did manage to finish the whole thing. My friends had the "Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie" which we all really enjoyed, and the "Flourless Chocolate Torte" which was nice and light but very rich.
I enjoyed my experience here and while there were a few misses they were small ones and overall it was a great meal. I think this would be a good place to go on a date and order a bunch of the small plates to share, so Sauce I may be back!
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