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UPDATE - August 2008
Ver Jus has closed, my heart is broken. I'm crossing fingers for a reopening, but it seems like a long shot. I will update if any new information presents itself.
UPDATE - May 18, 2008.
Ver Jus has re-opened after a temporary closure for renovations - O Happy Day! Everything looks great. The yucky carpets have been replaced with laminate flooring, the walls are no longer the colour of dried blood and flesh and the plastic grapes and dollar store posters of wine bottles have gone the way of the wind.
I am happy to report that they've infused the space with sophistication and elegance, while creating a comfortable and fairly informal environment. The rear of the dining room is bright and airy, serving a tapas menu, and the front is sporting a 3, 5 and 7 course tasting menu at very reasonable pricing, as well regular a la carte.
I have visited twice since their re-opening and the food holds true - fresh and innovative, but approachable.
They are also offering a brunch menu which I know will interest many in this neighbourhood where brunch options are a little tight. If they can apply half the talent I see in the evening to a brunch menu they'll have a leg up on a fair number of brunch spots in town.
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(photos forthcoming - Patty had a little
disaster with the memory card)
It takes a talented kitchen to compensate for a front of house that's in
such desperate need of updating, but Ver Jus may be one of those places. I
wish they'd take the minor steps needed to enhance the ambiance, but that
said I've been sold on the food.
On our first visit, we ordered off the a la carte menu and I was happy
with the execution of the food. On this most recent visit we went for the
tasting menu - Wow! 5 courses for $49 per person and $25 for wine pairings,
it's an incredible value - even a little too good and I hope they have the
occasion to raise it because it's worth more. It's clearly designed to draw
people in and highlight the capability of the kitchen, establishing new
clientele and it worked for me. The wine pairings were really well done for
the price point, with only one selection that I thought needed some work
(but, again, at that price it would have been a challenge for anyone).
The amuse bouche was a rockfish brandade. Nicely portioned with defined
flavours and texture. The first course was a seared scallop with a blood
orange salad and anise Szechwan pepper gastric. Perfectly seared scallop and
a lovely presentation. It would have been easy to over power the scallop,
but the balance was smack-on.
The third course was a braised beef shortrib with warm chanterelle
mushroom salad. Yummy...I wondered if this course would be inappropriately
heavy, since we still had a another meat course to go, but I again was
pleasantly surprised. About 100g of perfectly braised shortrib, complimented
with a similar portion of warm mushroom salad. Instead of spoiling the next
course, it got my palate moving and ready for something a little more
intense. The fourth course, proscuitto wrapped pork loin with crème de
cassis caramelized fingerling potato ragout was nothing less than awesome. I
never get through all my potatoes and I lapped these up. Crème de cassis was
sweet, but rich and complemented every element of the dish. My only
complaint was that the pork was a little well done for my taste, but it was
still delicious.
I palate cleanser of pear sorbet was served as an inter-mezzo. I loved
the presentation - with a splash of Strongbow cider served table side -
approachable, but so cheeky.
The next course was the blue Juliette and candied citrus mille-feuille
and beet gastric. I thought Patty was going to fall out of his chair when he
saw the perfect little gaufrettes used in place of pastry for the mille-feuille.
The cheese was lovely, attractively stacked with gaufrettes and the candied
citrus and beet gastric were effective condiments.
The last course was total insanity. A molten chocolate cake topped with a
truffle and served with sour cherry ice cream. Patty and I aren't really
sweet eaters (the bakery has torn some of our sugary-enthusiasm away), but
yummers - I gobbled it all up.
All in all, what a lot of work went in to this food!?! During our meal,
Patty several times, stopped to rub his head in empathetic concern for the
chef and how hard he must be working to get this food out.
I don't know why they haven't extended more energy into the front end and
it would be presumptuous of me to speculate anything other than lack of
resources. The space has potential, but all restaurants need regular
updating and this one was long overdue even before it became Ver jus.
There are some easy fixes for a lot of the aesthetic problems present in the
front of house. I can love the food until the cows come home, but I really
hope they address some of the design issues, because I'd hate to see people
pass on the food because the decor is reminiscent of an Italian
grandmother's living room. (Please
see my notes from our first visit in food news for more detail regarding
physical changes.)
| Patty says...
With fewer people entering hospitality professions in favour of higher
paying or less demanding jobs, a lot of restaurants are having to use
unskilled labour, where previously they would have employed a skilled
person. So, when I go to a restaurant where the food is prepared with a
lot of skill, I appreciate it a lot more than I once did. Ver jus is
really pouring a lot of love and a lot of skill into their food. I have
to give them a real hats off, for their commitment to food. |
Value of Food: 85/100 (great value, but I don't want to endorse it so heavily that they won't feel comfortable raising prices when the need be.)
Quality of Food: 88/100 (this
kitchen knows what it's doing)
Service: 82/100
Wine and Beverage: 79/100
Ambiance: 78/100
average score: 82/100
Reviewed:
January 14. 2008 / May 15, 2008
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