Jen N

Review of Langdon Hall Country House Hot...

By way of background the best food I have had in T...

By way of background the best food I have had in Toronto was at Scaramouche and in Canada was at Eigensinn Farm. Now that we have calibrated our palates lets proceed to my thoughts on Langdon Hall.

This restaurant is good for:
- Impressing a date;
- Celebrating your grand parents 50th anniversary;
- Seeking quietness.

This restaurant will disappoint:
- People who care about good value for their meal;
- Foodies who have heard so much about this place and are excited to try;
- Sticklers for good service.

The grounds are stunning, the house is cozy and the laid-back staff makes you feel that you can just wonder through the place and experience its history first hand.

I went there with my business partner and ordered the Venison Tartar, the romaine lettuce, the lamb, the scallops, the aged steak, the hen, and a bottle of Barolo to bring everything together. For desert we had the chocolate ganache, cheese, and caramel souffle.

Starting with the appetizers. The tartar was phenomenal, but the romaine lettuce was disappointing. It was served with a morsel of pork, which felt like a failed attempt at a deconstructed ceaser salad.

The mains were well beautifully plated and, except for the steak, they were delicious. The hen was succulent, the lamb flavorful, and the scallops cooked at the right temperature. The steak however was mediocre and lacking in flavor.

The cheeses were very well curated and one of the best parts of the meal. The caramel souffle and the chocolate were an absolute disaster. There is nothing better than a terrible desert to spoil a good meal. The caramel souffle was excessively sweet to the point that you could not taste caramel in it, while the chocolate was unimaginative and felt like you would be better off had they served a chocolate bar from Winners.

The service was also disappointing. While everyone was nice and tried to be helpful they lacked knowledge of what they served. Perhaps this may be an problem with management, as it appears they do not give their servers the food to try. The lack of knowledge was also evident when I asked for a long espresso and got a double espresso instead.

The timing of service was also off. When we asked for coffee to be served with desert, our request was ignored and it came almost at the end. Additionally, we would often have to try for a long time to get a server's attention, which should not happen in a restaurant of this price range. Lastly, it was disappointing to have the sommelier pour most of our wine before any main was served. In my view, a good sommelier will make sure the bottle will last you for the meal.

So. This leaves us with a restaurant that is extremely expensive for the quality of food it serves. My recommendation is to revamp the desert menu, to put more resources into training staff and to maintain that cozy atmosphere that makes us want to be there.