Food events/ Restaurant Reviews/ Toronto and GTA

[Event} Hyatt Regency pool program and Summerlicious at King Street Social Kitchen 2014

Website: http://www.torontoregency.hyatt.com/
Address: Hyatt Regency Toronto, 370 King St. W, Toronto, ON
When I visited: July 2014, Summerlicious, Media event

Once again, I had the opportunity to organize and attend a media lunch at the King Street Social Kitchen at the Hyatt Regency in Toronto to sample the Summerlicious menu.  I am a proud ambassador for the Hyatt Regency as they know how to throw a great event (Read the Winterlicious 2014 event here).

It was an intimate gathering with a few Hyatt executives and 8 Toronto/GTA food bloggers in attendance; a perfect atmosphere for mingling. We enjoyed an abundance of dishes and desserts in their beautiful private room prepared by Executive Chef Wesley Boodhram and team, followed by a visit to the rooftop pool where we enjoyed a refreshing sangria and was presented with more food! Good thing we did not have a swim after our meal, no one needs to see my food belly!

First off, I wanted to let you know about the Hyatt Regency’s pool program, a great way to enjoy Toronto’s beautiful weather.

On the rooftop of the Hyatt lies a gorgeous pool with a stunning view of Toronto. Guests not registered to the hotel can enjoy the pool with a day pass for $39/person per day and includes a complimentary glass of Hyatt’s Signature Sangria, towels, and locker for the day.  The pool program runs from Thursday to Sunday from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. There are plenty of sun chairs and lounge chairs to soak up the sun and enjoy drinks and food from the bar. And of course, the rooftop pool is complimentary for hotel guests. I can’t believe I did not know about this gem earlier.

You can call the hotel directly (info here) to reserve a spot, as there is a limited capacity or lookout for deals online.

Summerlicious Tasting menu review:

Although Summerlicious in Toronto is over, I highly recommend the King Street Social for your next special gathering or the next #LiciousTO, which will come up before we know it. Having had my fair share of restaurants participating in Summerlicious, the King Street Social is an amazing value-priced at $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner (see the 2014 Summerlicious menu here). Chef Wesley was present at the event to explain that all the dishes are farm-to-table with quality ingredients in each dish. The portions were generous with lots of beautiful summer flavours including coconut sweet potato mash, apple and watercress salad, and mango sorbet. Check out what we sampled below!

Starters:

We started out with a welcome “French martini” with pineapple, chambord raspberry liqueur, and pineapple juice.

Chilled Casaba Melon Soup with fresh mint, 10 years old balsamic (on the lunch menu). I loved this! Finally, a melon soup that was not overly sweet with the balsamic to balance the flavours.

Apple and Watercress Salad with soft Ontario goat’s cheese, grape tomatoes, toasted walnuts, and pomegranate petals (on the lunch and dinner menu). This was a hearty salad served slightly warm.
Toasted Portabella and Brie with grilled fungi, toasted brie, asparagus, cold-pressed E.V.O.O (on the lunch and dinner menu). I love brie and this was a beautiful way to serve it.
Mains:
Polenta and Short Rib on top of soft creamy polenta, shaved asiago, grilled forest mushrooms, rosemary reduction. The short rib was served off-the-bone, so every bite was meaty and satisfying.  I did not see this on their Summerlicious summer menu, but it was a great addition.
Captain Jack’s Classic Fish and Chips Fresh halibut, homestyle fries, signature tartar sauce (on the lunch menu). The fish is flown from B.C frequently. The meat was tender and moist with a light and crispy batter. They nailed the fish and chips! This was my favourite and stand out dish of the tasting.
Pan Roasted Rock Snapper with watermelon radish salad, galette potatoes, martini aioli (on the dinner menu). This was a simple dish and done nicely.
Fire Charred Rib Eye Steak with red chili and tarragon butter, roasted fingerlings, cremini, and arugula salad (on the dinner menu). This was a traditional steak dish with tons of flavour. I would have liked my steak rarer, but I understand the Chef was not customizing the orders during the tasting.
From the Garden with coconut sweet potato mash, summer grilled garden vegetables, red pepper, and parsley oil (on the dinner menu). This was my second favourite dish of the tasting. I love grilled vegetables on top of the creamy mash.
To wrap up our meal,  we were presented with the Chef’s Dessert Plate with macarons, lime tart, and other treats.
Now, if that was not enough food, we were presented with more beautiful dishes on the rooftop bar to showcase the options on the pool menu.
The event was fantastic, especially ending the event on the gorgeous rooftop. It was nice to catch up with fellow bloggers who are passionate about eating good food. At these events, I don’t feel bad about taking a million pictures of the dishes before eating and Tweeting during the tasting, that is what we do. Yes, #foodiesunite! Again, for more information on their pool program, check out Hyatt’s website.
If you are a food blogger in Toronto and want to be added to the media list for future Hyatt events, follow the Hyatt Regency on Twitter (@HyattOnKing) and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@maryshappybelly).
There are other ways to reach me through my Contact page.
*See which bloggers attended the Hyatt event on my Instagram page (Picture)

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

Mary Tang
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July 29, 2014 By
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    {Media Preview} Winterlicious 2015 at The Hyatt Regency | Mary's Happy Belly
    February 2, 2015 at 10:47 am

    […] to organize a media event for the Hyatt Regency (read about the Winterlicious 2014 and Summerlicious 2014 event),where top Toronto food bloggers got to sample the Winterlicious lunch and dinner menu, as well as […]

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