LUNCH POST ON LE CROCODILE [HERE]
Le Crocodile, a fine dining restaurant with professional service and a relaxing atmosphere. Walking in, the manager greeted and lead us to our seat. We were presented with the champaign as well as wine menu, and our server Kris came shortly with the dinner menu. I would hate to give the wrong guy credit and hope our server was indeed Kris, since that was the name written on the bill (I never mention names but meh, why not this time?).
The restaurant looks a bit small but is fairly large; not too cramped and has properly maximized seating arrangements. In addition, the lighting is not too dim and every table has a small lamp or a tea light candle. On a weeknight, the restaurant was quite loud and had a mixed clientele, from young couples dressed very formal celebrating a special occasion or on a romantic date, to those having dinner after work, and casuals wearing a polo and jeans.
AMUSE BOUCHE, FOIE GRAS TART.
The tart is served hot and has a perfect flaky melt in the mouth crust, along with a rich and creamy filling. However, I found the tart a bit overwhelming as well as heavy. Perhaps if the table bread arrived before the tart, I might have been able to finish it. Either way, the tart tastes good.
To start, the sour dough tastes generic and soft with a chewy crust. As for the multigrain, the bread tastes slightly too dry. The both of us prefer the sour dough over the multigrain, which is a first for me. As for the slices of butter, they are served at a room temperature and is easy to spread.
The wild mushroom soup is served hot and has a nice creamy consistency with blended mushrooms. The soup tastes flavourful as well as rich, and the flavour of the truffle oil is nothing special; I would have enjoyed the soup with or without it. After finishing the soup, I noticed our server Kris, eyeing the table to see when he should clear the bowls. While me, being the type of person to keep eating whatever is on the table regardless if I actually want to eat it or not, used the bread to clean the left over soup. Having said that, I appreciate him waiting for me to finish before asking to clear our bowls.
The bisque tastes creamy as well as rich, and has a flavourful lobster taste. However, some may prefer a stronger hint of cognac which the lobster bisque lacks, but we prefer the lighter taste.
A random server with short blonde hair popped out of no where and said something a bit too fast. Since the restaurant was fairly loud, we assumed she asked how the dishes were, like how Kris and the manager did. So we responded "good" and immediately after, she started clearing the cutlery and plates while we were still eating. Our thoughts at this time were, "another Fraiche incident when an unfinished dish will be tossed out"; so BF asked for the bone marrow to go. Then, the server removed the dirty cutlery she tossed on the appetizer and said "of course".
When we got the left overs, there was only one bone (we wanted both bones packed for the dogs and should have been more specific). Furthermore, despite not being the point that only one bone was packed... technically if a customer asks for something to be packed, the salad (which was untouched) as well as the toasts should have been included. Although we did not want the salad, we did want to finish the marrow at the restaurant rather than taking it home.
The funny thing is, she was no where to be seen until the end of dinner. What bad timing for her to show up eh? I also mention this to compare with Kris, who wanted to clear our soup bowls but waited for me to finish wiping every drop of soup with the sourdough. Plus, we were still eating when she asked to clear the plates (usually servers are trained not to ask if customers are done eating when they are still eating).
COMPLIMENTARY SOUR DOUGH, MULTIGRAIN AND BUTTER.
To start, the sour dough tastes generic and soft with a chewy crust. As for the multigrain, the bread tastes slightly too dry. The both of us prefer the sour dough over the multigrain, which is a first for me. As for the slices of butter, they are served at a room temperature and is easy to spread.
WILD MUSHROOM SOUP SCENTED WITH TRUFFLE OIL AND PARMESAN CROSTINI ($12.50).
The wild mushroom soup is served hot and has a nice creamy consistency with blended mushrooms. The soup tastes flavourful as well as rich, and the flavour of the truffle oil is nothing special; I would have enjoyed the soup with or without it. After finishing the soup, I noticed our server Kris, eyeing the table to see when he should clear the bowls. While me, being the type of person to keep eating whatever is on the table regardless if I actually want to eat it or not, used the bread to clean the left over soup. Having said that, I appreciate him waiting for me to finish before asking to clear our bowls.
LOBSTER BISQUE SERVED WITH FRESH CREAM AND COGNAC ($14.50).
The bisque tastes creamy as well as rich, and has a flavourful lobster taste. However, some may prefer a stronger hint of cognac which the lobster bisque lacks, but we prefer the lighter taste.
LOBSTER TEMPURA AND GRILLED SCALLOPS SERVED ON CURLY ENDIVE SALAD, OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE, TOMATOES AND CHIVES ($18.50).
The lobster tempura tastes very meaty but unfortunately, the batter is heavy and slightly too greasy. Furthermore, the olive oil on the bottom did not help either. Continuing along, the medium sized scallops taste a bit bland and although moist, is nothing special.
Finishing up, the few bites of the endive salad tastes refreshing, along with the olive oil and diced tomato. Overall, the appetizer is not very memorable which we expected since it was a "need a second appetizer" kind of dish. If we had to order the appetizer again, I rather have it for lunch than dinner.
The appetizer includes two large bone marrows and for the price, is a steal. The marrow tastes extremely fatty, flavourful and of course, tasty when paired with the toasts. In addition, the bread is perfectly toasted and crunchy but not overly. Furthermore, the fresh tomato fondant which is provided on the side tastes like generic pasta sauce which we preferred not using. If anything, the only slight issue is when something resembling a scene from a comedy movie occurred.
Finishing up, the few bites of the endive salad tastes refreshing, along with the olive oil and diced tomato. Overall, the appetizer is not very memorable which we expected since it was a "need a second appetizer" kind of dish. If we had to order the appetizer again, I rather have it for lunch than dinner.
OVEN-ROASTED BEEF BONE MARROW, SERVED WITH SEASONAL SALAD, FRESH TOMATO "FONDANT", TOASTS AND FRESH SEA SALT ($15.50)
The appetizer includes two large bone marrows and for the price, is a steal. The marrow tastes extremely fatty, flavourful and of course, tasty when paired with the toasts. In addition, the bread is perfectly toasted and crunchy but not overly. Furthermore, the fresh tomato fondant which is provided on the side tastes like generic pasta sauce which we preferred not using. If anything, the only slight issue is when something resembling a scene from a comedy movie occurred.
A random server with short blonde hair popped out of no where and said something a bit too fast. Since the restaurant was fairly loud, we assumed she asked how the dishes were, like how Kris and the manager did. So we responded "good" and immediately after, she started clearing the cutlery and plates while we were still eating. Our thoughts at this time were, "another Fraiche incident when an unfinished dish will be tossed out"; so BF asked for the bone marrow to go. Then, the server removed the dirty cutlery she tossed on the appetizer and said "of course".
When we got the left overs, there was only one bone (we wanted both bones packed for the dogs and should have been more specific). Furthermore, despite not being the point that only one bone was packed... technically if a customer asks for something to be packed, the salad (which was untouched) as well as the toasts should have been included. Although we did not want the salad, we did want to finish the marrow at the restaurant rather than taking it home.The funny thing is, she was no where to be seen until the end of dinner. What bad timing for her to show up eh? I also mention this to compare with Kris, who wanted to clear our soup bowls but waited for me to finish wiping every drop of soup with the sourdough. Plus, we were still eating when she asked to clear the plates (usually servers are trained not to ask if customers are done eating when they are still eating).
GRILLED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH FOIE GRAS IN A PORCINI PORT WINE REDUCTION ($39.95).
The beef tenderloin is cooked to a perfect medium rare and tastes a bit tender, although the steak could have tasted more tender considering the cut.
In addition, the steak does not necessarily taste dry nor juicy, and the generous amount of foie gras is a bit overwhelming (personal preference). As for the porcini reduction, the flavours are smooth, neither too acidic nor sweet, and has a nice sheen along with a good amount of black pepper.
As for the sides, the beef tenderloin comes with a potato dauphine and steamed vegetables; baby bok choy, cherry tomato, asparagus, carrot, green bean and beet. Furthermore, every table receives a side of shoestring fries. The shoestring fries are lightly salted and tastes crunchy.
GRILLED PRIME RIB OF BEEF ON THE BONE WITH BORDELAISE SAUCE ($44.00)
The prime rib is served medium rare as requested and although not overcooked, the steak tastes bland. In addition, the steak does not taste flavourful and is too chewy, despite some help from the bordelaise sauce. Putting on my big girl pants, I was going to suck it up and finish the steak, until the manager asked how the food was.
Oddly enough, BF mentioned my steak tastes chewy. What? Neither of us send back dishes to prevent wasting food and if one of us is going to, it is usually me, not him. He is the type to eat anything bland, chewy or overcooked at a restaurant, without sending it back to the kitchen. However, the manager insisted at least four times to change my entree and I gave in.
Actually, I really appreciate this. The steak at cost is most likely around $10.00 which is not a big sacrifice at all, especially to make a customer happy and to increase the chance of repeat business. The prime rib is served with fries and a choice of hollandaise or bordelaise sauce. Asides from the chewy steak, I would have preferred a choice of veggies over potato fries.
ROASTED RACK OF LAMB, FRESH THYME JUS AND MUSTARD SABAYON ($40.00).
A brunette server with bangs and her hair up in a bun, served the entree and wiped the plate from some slight imperfections. It was not only the wipe that makes me appreciate her, but her friendly and genuine presence when speaking and that she did not "pop" out of no where. The lamb chops are perfectly medium rare and have a nice pink colour. The meat tastes extremely tender, flavourful as well as juicy, and requires little chewing.
As for the mustard sabayon, there is a faint creamy buttery flavour and the thyme jus tastes very light, not overwhelming. If the lamb chops arrived as-is with no sauce, it would have tasted just as good. This is
PALATE CLEANSER, HOUSEMADE GRAPEFRUIT SORBET.
The sorbet has a flavourful grapefruit taste along with a hint of sourness and despite a couple of ice chunks, it is quite tasty.
FEUILLETE DE POIRES "A LA MINUTE", MADE TO ORDER PEAR TART, CARAMEL SAUCE, TOPPED WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM ($10.50).
Made to order, pear tart, carmel, and topped with ice cream? A must try! The properly made flaky buttery melts in the mouth with a slight crunch crust, tastes very good. In addition, the thin slices of pear makes the tart stand out. The caramel tastes smooth, rich and not overly sweet. However, the ice cream is a bit icy. In general, most housemade desserts are nothing special and quite generic, but Crocodile's is worth calling housemade.
COMPLIMENTARY CROCODILE CHOCOLATES, MILK AND DARK.
POSITIVES
- Genuine and professional staff
- Relaxing atmosphere
- Bone marrow and rack of lamb is highly recommended (3.5/5)
NEGATIVES
- Steaks are meh
- Bone marrow incident
- Some dishes taste better than others
- Some dishes taste better than others
- Kris is one of the best servers I have come along in quite a long time. Simple things such as following up and being friendly really makes customers want to revisit, something quite a few restaurants (fine dining or not) forget. Also, the bill was picked up from the bone marrow incident server and we mentioned no change was needed. Later on, Kris came back to confirm. Do I need to say more?
- By the way, I am obviously revisiting
- Lunch post on Le Crocodile [here]
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4.5/5 (would be 5/5 if it was not for that bone marrow incident)
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