Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Toro Bravo, FORTITUDE VALLEY

The fortitude valley is becoming a utopia for dining with many new venues serving up exciting cuisines from around the world but before trying all the new stuff, I decided to visit a place that has long been on my list; Toro Bravo. I absolutely love the idea of tapas and small share plates so naturally Toro Bravo would be on my ever expanding wish-list.

I dined here a couple of weeks ago and to this day I still haven’t come up with a definitive answer as to whether I had a good night or not. There were amazing points and there were moments that tipped the scale towards the other direction. I arrived earlier than my friend so decided to proceed inside, the bartender casually strolled up to ‘greet’ me and I informed him that I had made a reservation. Unaware of any bookings made, he asked me whether I was by myself. I told him I was waiting for a friend and happy to do so at the table that had been set aside for us and the response I receive was uncalled for and it really put me off, so I decided to go back out front and wait while I contemplating eating next door.

My friend arrived and we were then greeted by the waiter who sat us down inside. Service took a massive turn at this point and I was glad I chose to stick around. Our waiter handled things superbly; he was a friendly and knowledgeable and helped us choose the right amount of food and made the experience fun and comfortable.

We started our dinner with the Field mushrooms and feta that came with a mound of rocket. This was probably the simplest dish we ordered but was definitely my favourite. The mushroom was cooked well and full of flavour and juicy while the feta was soft and rich. A perfect example of how simple ingredients can taste astonishing when cooked well.

Sauteed field mushrooms with roquette roast pumpkin, feta & manzanilla sherry dressing.

Croquettes are a must have every time for me; it’s exciting to see what new flavours chefs are trying with the croquettes. That night at Toro Bravo, it was hamburger. Intrigued at first and not sure what to expect, we were bitterly disappointed when they finally came out...not to say they weren't absolutely delicious and perfectly crispy, it just wasn’t as adventurous and bizarre as we hoped. In all fairness though, when you break down the ingredients in a hamburger it’s really is just ham, cheese & tomato sauce. We had a good laugh about that one.

Croquette of the day: Hamburger

The bartender came with out with our paella and seemed annoyed that there wasn’t enough room left on the table. He lingered uncomfortably for a little while and then popped then dirty plates on the table next to us, placed the paella down and walked off empty handed and left us with the nice view of our used dishes. I could have done that myself.

The paella was pretty good. There was a decent amount of chorizo and prawns, and the rice was cooked nicely however the chicken was a little bit dry. The flavours were good and I was quite satisfied with the dish but it would have been much better with a bit more heat to it

Chicken, prawn, chorizo paella with winter vegetables.

Lastly, just to make sure we were really done and full, was the lamb skewers. The lamb had a strong charred flavour and the haloumi was still soft and moist and although the rosemary oil was evident, I think it would have been nice if it was accompanied by a dipping sauce.

Chargrilled lamb and haluomi skewers with rosemary oil.

We were going to skip dessert but upon finding out that Thoa has yet to try a clafoutis, I made an executive decision to order one despite our stomachs telling us we were done for the night. It came out warm and was very comforting to eat on a cold night. The only complaint I have with this one, was it needed more sour cherry and would have been nice with a sauce. I liked it, but felt like it was a little plain and needed one more thing to make it memorable.

Sour cherry clafouti with vanilla icecream

When we were ready to leave, we got the passing bartenders attention for the bill and tried to inform him that we had an entertainment card so he would know to adjust it accordingly  rather than having to go back and do it later. He stuck his hand up to us and said he was already getting it and didn't take the card with him. We fixed our bill up at the counter and were on our way back to the car pack when he came running after us and said he needed to see the card because he forgot to take down some details, so back in we went. Although not being inconvenienced by it, I felt like the way he spoke to us and his attitude could have been a bit better at that moment and throughout the night, but we tried not to dwell on it seeing as everything else was pleasant.

With or without the entertainment discount, I think Toro Bravo offers good value and would be a great place for big groups and families. Our bill came out much smaller than expected and despite a few mishaps, service from the waiter was excellent and we received a decent amount of food that came out quickly even though only one chef was in the kitchen that night. I'm definitely keen to come back and give their mains plates/grills a go some time in the near future.

Food: 8/10
Service 8.5/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value: 8.5/10

Overal: 8/10
-wd
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