Edo

I've been on a deal-finder spree with Groupons - I can't resist the deals especially when they give me an extra 20% off! This Edo deal was $72 for a 5 course tasting menu for two.  

 

 

Amuse bouche: Seafood sunamono

Tiger Shrimp, Hokkaido Scallop and kanikama on a bed of glass noodles and seaweed

It was a tiny shooter glass with all this stuff inside - I wasn't too sure what to think. It was refreshing, but not particularly flavourful. I almost think the shrimp, scallop and kanikama got lost in this because all I remember was the glass noodles after eating it.

Chawan Mushi

Lobster and egg custard in a tarragon and black pepper lobster bisque
Really lovely presentation, but it didn't really stand out for me despite the impressive ingredient list of tarragon, lobster and egg custard.

Nasu dengaku (miso eggplant)
This wasn't part of the tasting menu, but ever since Shinobu, we have been obsessed with nasu dengaku - so we ordered it to try it.
They cooked it like they just threw on too much miso paste and baked it hoping that it would absorb the flavour. We found the texture really mushy and it tasted really salty. Awful - not worth the extra money.

Black Dragon Roll 

BBQ eel on shrimp tempura maki with avocado, cucumber and dynamite sauce
The roll was tightly packed and artfully presented. The size was a little small, but it was pretty decent.

Nigiri Moriawase

Tiger Tuna, Goma Hamachi, Salmon nanabi, botan ebi and wakame
I really liked this - probably my favourite dish of the night. Such beautiful colours and a classy presentation. The fish was really good and the sauce and accompaniments to each piece of sushi was fantastic and well-suited. The only piece I didn't really like was the wakame (because who really needs a piece of seaweed sushi?)

Kobe beef sliders on panko crusted crispy rice patties with sweet potato frites and wasabi mayo
When we saw Kobe sliders, we thought a few mini burgers or something. Instead, we got this interesting combination of three patties onto of a fried rice cake and tempura fries.
The slider was good, but we were disappointed by this course.

Miso Alaskan Black cod
When they say tasting menu - they really mean tasting menu. This black cod was probably the size of one of my fingers - I didn't even know you could serve fish this small without it being an appetizer.
The wasabi risotto was heavily flavoured with wasabi, which is good if you like the taste of ground Japanese horseradish, but not so good if you don't like the stinging taste (which was me).
The portions were cute and dainty, but definitely not what I expected for the main course of the tasting menu.

Mochi

sticky rice ice cream cake with fresh fruit

It was okay...the meal wasn't going so well at this point and I was still a little hungry.

Green tea panna cotta

Very heavily flavoured with matcha

Overall: The service was good and there were some highlights to the tasting menu Groupon. However, overall, I wasn't impressed. For the most part, the food wasn't particularly flavourful (and kind of bland in some parts) and the portions were tiny making the experience very expensive! Even though it's a tasting menu, I usually come away full and in this case, I was tempted to stop by the McDonalds across the street at Markham Town Square to grab a quick bite to fill me up.

Website: http://edorestaurants.com/