By Sonja Cloutier
My close friend and I attended Porzia’s media party for the launch of their new menu on Wednesday April 15, 2015. This chic eatery serves a combination of rustic Italian and Chinese fare. Located in Queen West just west of Dufferin, this Toronto restaurant is host to many of the chic hipsters who dwell in the area.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lovely young lady with delicious looking pieces of Rhubarb and Ricotta Cheesecake, a great way to start the night.
We headed to the bar which did not take long as this venue is very small. They had a list of cocktails which we selected from. My drink was called “Yellow Brick Rd.” This cocktail had sprigs of rosemary in it, which made it very difficult to drink as I was constantly spitting out these sprigs. My friend ordered the “Leisure Sweet,” but she found the strong black licorice flavour of the drink overpowering. We decided to stick with wine for the rest of the night. I ordered the white wine, which was quite sweet while my friend had a glass of the red.
At the rear of the eatery, there is an open kitchen which allowed you to watch the staff prepare the food. The food presentation was amazing; everything looked delicious. but when we tasted it we felt that many of the options were missing something.
My favourite was the Rapini Sausage and Ricotta on toasted French stick. The spicy sausage was beautifully complemented by the plain ricotta and the blend of textures was pleasing.
The next appetizer we tried was a Ricotta spread with a House Hot Sauce on a toasted French stick. This appetizer was fine, although it was missing something.
The Octopus with mashed Sambalina was okay.
The Deep Fried Shrimp with a Garlic Butter Dip were fried with the shell on so it made it awkward for eating.
Escargot with Italian parsley, feta cheese and lemon zest on toasted French stick were tasty, but could have used a bit more kick.
The music was by Olenonly featuring Jay Strut. It was mainly today’s top hits with a few classics tossed in the mix. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
