King Street Social Kitchen, Winterlicious review 2014

Website: http://www.torontoregency.hyatt.com/
Address: Hyatt Regency Toronto, 370 King St. W, Toronto, ON
When I visited: February 3rd, 2014, Winterlicious, Bloggers menu tasting event

The King Street Social Kitchen at the Hyatt Regency is offering a three-course prix fixe lunch for $20 and dinner for $35 during Winterlicious. Look at my appetizing pictures below of their dishes from both their Winterlicious lunch and dinner menu.

Background of the event:
I was lucky to have had the opportunity to be invited by the Hyatt Regency on King St (formally the Holiday Inn) to organize a bloggers lunch and to sample both the lunch and dinner Winterlicious menu. The hotel is in a sweet spot, right in the middle of the entertainment district. Inside the restaurant, the decor was modern and simple. We were seated in a private room with skylights, providing lots of beautiful sunshine and brightness to the room.

At the lunch, we met with Vivek Satoskar (sr. sales manager), Celso Thompson (director of marketing), Parry Lawrence (executive assistant manager), and executive Chef Wesley. The menu has recently changed, so this event was the perfect venue for discussing our thoughts on the food prepared by Chef Wesley and staff. It was an honour to have Chef Wesley announce and explain some of our dishes prior to tasting each course. Each food blogger in attendance was outspoken and provided great feedback to the executive team.

What I ate: 

As you will see, I ate a lot!

Appetizers: 
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Cinnamon Crème Fraiche (lunch) and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bisque with Truffle Crème (dinner menu)

Grilled Black Tiger Prawns with Bell Peppers, Grape Tomatoes, Red Onions on a Micro Green salad with a Soy Ginger Reduction   (lunch & dinner menu)

Winter Greens with Baby Arugula and Leafy Greens, Roasted Pears, Grape Tomatoes, Slivered Almonds with Orange Chili Vinaigrette (lunch & dinner menu)

Main:
Veal Parmesan Sandwich with Roasted Red Pepper, Onions, Tomato Sauce and Melted Calciocavallo Cheese (lunch menu)

The regular portion size is one sandwich, this plate was for us to share during the tasting event.

Lobster Poutine with Butter Poached B.C. Lobster, Angel Hair Parmesan, Frites with their Signature Gravy (lunch menu)

Sable Fish -Butter Poached Cod, Cannellini Beans, Grilled Heirloom Carrots, Cognac Cream, Micro Cress (dinner menu)

Braised Green Lentils, Baby Spinach, Grilled Vegetables, White Bean Hummus  on a Lentil Papadumus (vegetarian) (lunch & dinner menu)

Slow Braised Lamb Shank with pan Fried Gnocchi, Baby Spinach, Green Beans, and Red Chili Butter

Dessert (on the lunch & dinner menu):
Cannolis -Hazelnut Chocolate, Mascarpone Cheese Filled

Fresh Fruit Salad with Sorbet

Warm Peach Crumble with Vanilla Bean Cream

Overall:

The portions were generous, the food was delicious, and at a price of $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner, that is an amazing deal for the quality of food.

If I had to narrow down my favourite dishes, it would be the roasted red pepper bisque as it was savoury, fragrant and well seasoned. For the main, I loved the lobster poutine. The lobster meat really shined since there was not a lot of gravy to overpower the dish. I also loved the sablefish since the cod was moist and meaty.  My last recommendation would be the braised lamb shank since it was “fall off the bone” goodness and the plating was simple, yet beautiful.  The dessert was good but did not really stand out for me, compared to their mains.

Having met Chef Wesley and the kitchen staff, I can tell you the food is cooked with love and passion.

To make reservations, go to the Hyatt Website or  call +1-416-343-1234

Valentines Day is around the corner, and I would recommend the restaurant for a beautiful meal.

Happy eating!

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