Liz and I met up this afternoon for an early dinner at Oliver and Bonacini's latest establishment, Bannock.
Liz recommended the pickerel tacos to start, so that's what I got. Tucked inside soft little steamed buns were equal parts savoury, sweet, and tart; the fish was tender and had a lovely golden exterior, and was topped with crisp apple strips, crème fraîche, caviar tartar, and parsley. A lovely juxtaposition of flavours and textures. They would've been perfect had there been no parsley (I'm not a fan of the stuff). For my entrée, I ordered one of their signature dishes as recommended by Liz, the roast duck poutine pizza. It is exactly what it sounds like: a thin-crust pizza (made of bannock bread) with a base of cheese curds, layered with pieces of roast duck, topped off with a very generous amount of fries, and then drizzled with gravy. Like poutine? Like pizza? Like carbs in general? Then this is the dish for you! I will say, however, that it is kind of starch overload... I got seriously full after half of the pizza and had to get the rest packed up. But if you're not on a diet of any kind, then this pizza is definitely worth trying.
After mentioning how delightful Prairie Girl's cupcakes were a couple months ago, Liz ended up surprising me with a box of four cupcakes because she's the best, ever. We ended up sharing the red velvet cupcake a couple hours after our dinner along with our coffees at Aroma, and even though I totally ruined it while taking it out of the box, it was still a positively delightful dessert and a lovely ending to our foodie outing. Thanks for a fabulous evening out, Liz!
Bannock
401 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4
(416) 861-6996
Prairie Girl Bakery
First Canadian Place
Marketplace, Concourse Level
100 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5X 1B8
(416) 504-2253
Pickerel Taco with Cucumber Apple Salad
Roast Duck Poutine Pizza
Liz recommended the pickerel tacos to start, so that's what I got. Tucked inside soft little steamed buns were equal parts savoury, sweet, and tart; the fish was tender and had a lovely golden exterior, and was topped with crisp apple strips, crème fraîche, caviar tartar, and parsley. A lovely juxtaposition of flavours and textures. They would've been perfect had there been no parsley (I'm not a fan of the stuff). For my entrée, I ordered one of their signature dishes as recommended by Liz, the roast duck poutine pizza. It is exactly what it sounds like: a thin-crust pizza (made of bannock bread) with a base of cheese curds, layered with pieces of roast duck, topped off with a very generous amount of fries, and then drizzled with gravy. Like poutine? Like pizza? Like carbs in general? Then this is the dish for you! I will say, however, that it is kind of starch overload... I got seriously full after half of the pizza and had to get the rest packed up. But if you're not on a diet of any kind, then this pizza is definitely worth trying.
Cupcakes from Prairie Girl Bakery (clockwise from left): Red velvet with cream cheese frosting, golden buttermilk with lemon frosting, golden buttermilk with strawberry frosting, and carrot with cream cheese frosting
After mentioning how delightful Prairie Girl's cupcakes were a couple months ago, Liz ended up surprising me with a box of four cupcakes because she's the best, ever. We ended up sharing the red velvet cupcake a couple hours after our dinner along with our coffees at Aroma, and even though I totally ruined it while taking it out of the box, it was still a positively delightful dessert and a lovely ending to our foodie outing. Thanks for a fabulous evening out, Liz!
Bannock
401 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4
(416) 861-6996
Prairie Girl Bakery
First Canadian Place
Marketplace, Concourse Level
100 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5X 1B8
(416) 504-2253
I think I'm all Bannocked out now, LOL. Ate the rest of my duck poutine pizza this morning and was quite happy. The fries weren't that great but I was only half-conscious and to be honest, I like the greasy crap! I loved those pickerel tacos - wish they were bigger and served as entrees instead.
ReplyDeleteBtw, your pictures look better than the real things! And you're welcome for the cupcakes and sorry if you die of sugar overdose. ;(
LOL, I would be, too, if I had to eat there TWICE in one day. :P But your mac and cheese was quite delightful, as well! I definitely wanna go back and try out some of their other items. Maybe the chicken pot pie? AHHH SO HUNGRY. Looking at these photos DO NOT HELP. :(
DeleteHaha, thank you! And no worries, I will only eat half a cupcake at the time. My mom was like, "Can I have half?" And I was like, "Yeah, help yourself." And then 15 minutes later, she goes, "Ummm, I smushed it when I tried to take it out of the box so I ate the whole thing." She ate my carrot cupcake and I couldn't even have a taste. :( AND SHE WANTED THE LEMON ONE TO BEGIN WITH. UGGGHHHH.
"Ummm, I smushed it when I tried to take it out of the box so I ate the whole thing." LOL, your mum's hilarious.
DeleteLOL, this obviously runs in the family. :P
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