{Event} Fionn MacCool’s new menu, PLUS a gift card giveaway

Website: http://www.primepubs.com/wp/
Address: 70 The Esplanade, Toronto ON
When I attended: June 11, 2014

At the end of the post, I will tell you about how you can win a $50 gift card to Fionn MacCool’s. Read on!

I was honoured to be invited to the media event at the Esplanade location (@esplanadefionn) to sample Fionn MacCool’s “new core menu” launching June 16, 2014 across all locations; just in time for patio season!

This was my first time at the Esplanade location and I was impressed with the spacious interior and large patio. The event started out on the patio (#onthepatio) and moved inside as the weather did not cooperate. In addition to the samples we would be trying, we were able to order any drinks off the ‘drink menu’. Yes, open bar on a weeknight!

Our evening was hosted by the friendly Chef Bryan Jurek and Mixologist Nathan Cameron where we got to understand the inspiration and thoughts behind each dish and featured cocktails. It took Fionn MacCool’s a full year to finalize the menu as the process required many tweaks and feedback. The restaurant did an excellent job at incorporating twists to classic pub fair and it was impressive to hear that all the food was made-in-pub.

The first two dishes started out as individual sample sizes and then it proceeded to regular portion sizes which were massive! My guest and I happily shared the large dishes.

The first course was the latke grilled cheese layered with sour cream and orange, old and Cahill’s Guinness cheddar cheese, served with spicy ketchup. The dish looked beautiful with layers of flavour with a nice kick from the ketchup.

The second course was the farmer’s salad with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, grilled red onion and spinach tossed in a honey-mustard vinaigrette, topped with eggs, bacon, and green onions. This was a hearty salad served slightly warm. I appreciated that the salad had grilled onions rather than leaving it raw accenting the sweetness of the onions.

The third course was the lamb pie with Kilkenny braised lamb in a flaky pie pastry served on a bed of cooked spinach and mushrooms. I enjoyed the thick chuncks of lamb meat with the soft vegetables. This was my favourite savoury dish of the evening. The pie crust was done to perfection.

The fourth course was the fish and chips made with fresh Atlantic cod with dark beer batter served with a slaw and a mound of fresh-cut fries seasoned with Celtic sea salt. The cod was meaty and nicely seasoned.

The fifth course was the tandoori street sandwich with brined chicken meat with arugula, cucumber and roasted red peppers, topped with citrus mint yogurt. The meat was tender, however I would have preferred the sandwich with more sauce and the naan more toasted.

We were completely stuffed at this point, but had to make room for the dessert and it did not disappoint.

We had fried bread pudding drizzled with Devonshire custard served with salted butterscotch for dipping. I am a fan of fried food and this indulgence was incredible.

With our meal, we had the Somersby mojito with rum, Somersby cider, fresh lime, mint and candied lime-syrup made-in-pub and candied lime. The drink was refreshing and a must when out on the patio.

We also had the bikework orange (clever name!) which had orange pekoe infused gin, Stiegl grapefruit radler and fresh orange. The use of tea in the drink was brilliant and worked well. The drink was not overly sweet and complimented our meal.

With the menu launching just a few days away, I am confident it will please different taste buds. Check it out!

*The meal was complimentary but the opinions in the post are my own.

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, the winner of the contest is @zamjet. Congratulations!

NOW, onto HOW TO ENTER TO WIN A $50 GIFT CARD that can be used at any FIONN MACCOOL’S:

You must follow me on Twitter: @themary_tang

Tweet the following exactly as shown:

“Hello @themary_tang, I want to win a $50 gift card to eat @EsplanadeFionn http://bit.ly/1jnQTAl #onthepatio #maryshappybelly”

Info:

* This contest is opened to residents of Canada only. The contest starts Fri. June 13^th,2014 to Sunday June 15th, 2014 6:00pm EST.
* Participants can enter once a day.
* Retweeting others does not count as an entry.
* Any entries not following the rules will not be considered.
* One lucky winner will be announced on Twitter on Monday June 16^th. The winner has 24 hours to respond to my message to claim the prize.

Good luck!