One of the restaurants that has gotten me curious for a while now is Yours Truly, at Ossington and Dundas. The reason it was trending was that the service in this restaurant has a personal touch. What a diner would see on the menu was a list of the main ingredient of the night’s offerings. That was just about all the information that one would get and how it was cooked would be up to what was the rendition for the night. There was a sense of anticipation as one waits as we have no idea what were we going to be in for. The dish would later be presented to the table by the cook, giving an elaborate description of the dish with ample flourish. I was curious of how this extra personal touch would enhance the dining experience. I finally got the chance to try it out last week with my friend Diona Joyce, a.k.a. Tita Flips.
Despite the pouring rain that night, Diona and I still stubbornly went ahead in great anticipation to be wowed by Yours Truly Chef Jeff Claudio. There were many good reviews of this restaurant, we just had to sample it ourselves. I was a little apprehensive at first as we did not make a reservation but found out that luck was on our side. When we walked in, the communal table positioned at the front of the restaurant were devoid of any diners. Wanting to have the light shine through to light my food, I chose the seat closest to the window. I was one happy foodie blogger, knowing I have enough light to give my food justice.
As we waited for the menu, I take note of the minimalistic interiors of the restaurant, exposed cemented wall to one side and boarded wall on the other. A series of slim pendants border the bar space from the dining area. What I liked especially was the a pedestal on the exposed cemented wall that held a statue rendition of the restaurant’s logo. It was simply highlighted with a lone spotlight. Very understated but elegant nonetheless.
Our server came to the table and explained to us that we can go have our food in two ways. Either we choose the 4-course meal or go live large and try for 10. Diona and I both opted for the 4-course meal, thinking if we ordered different options, we get to taste different dishes. I don’t think I could last through 10 courses. The last time I have something like that, my palette was fatigued at the tail end. So I thought moderation was better than overindulging. We did get a bonus though as the server tells us that Chef Claudio decided to give an extra dish for the night. That made me extra glad to have opted for the four course meal.
When the first of the five arrived, we were presented by the cook a plate with one panko-crusted asparagus paired with cold cucumber soup. I was amazed at how much bright cucumber flavor that they have on the soup. You would begin to wonder how much cucumber did they extract all that flavor from.
Next in line, Diona and I opted for the same, Salmon, Tuna and Mackerel Chirashi. I have my ample share of Japanese sushi but this one is the runaway winner. I am not so sure of what was between the rice and the sliver of fish as I missed out on the explanation of the dish. I was too distracted by how beautiful the plated dish was.
For our third helping, Diona and I opted for different things. I chose to have duck while she chose trout. My duck arrived with coffee crumbles, sitting on apple purée and a side of arugula purée completed the dish. Diona’s trout came serve on a bed of seapeas and topped with light foam. I was again impressed by the layers of flavor from my duck dish, the elegance of Diona’s dish. But I think my number one was still the Chirashi at this point.
In no time, the fourth installation arrived in the form of ricotta gnocchi in clear broth with garlic oil for me and roasted chicken with garlic scape for Diona. I find it suprising how one clean clear broth would work so well with something cheesy. This was the first time that I tasted something cheesy not curdling on soup and I find the texture really pleasurable as I have a spoonful of the soft pillow of a gnocchi. Another first for me was to taste garlic scape. As we find the taste pleasantly satisfying, we googled this ingredient and found out that it was a seasonal produce. I really have to learn to find all these seasonal wonders that can only be enjoyed on a short window of time over summer. It never ceased to amaze me how many varieties of vegetables I get to taste here in Toronto.
When our desserts finally arrived, mine was in the form of rhubarb topped with mousse and Diona’s was a cheese plate. I have a love for the tartness of rhubarb. It was most pleasant to dig my spoon to the depth of the glass to fish enough mousse and enough rhubarb for one spoonful of a helping. I took also a piece of the cheese dessert and even if it tasted so good too, although I think I was happier with my rhubarb. I got hits of tartness as I scraped the very bottom of the glass and it was something that I relished.
The night ended with me in awe about the flavors of what we have just eaten. I was overwhelmed with little details that I needed to remember to highlight in this blogpost. There were just too many highlights to the evening that I worry of forgetting. This was one meal that really impressed me and I was glad Diona and I persisted in trying Yours Truly. It was a foodie experience that I would surely rave about for a long time.
Food Trippin' 
Posted on June 19, 2012
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