Winterlicious lunch at Nota Bene

wonderful wine collection @ Nota Bene

For Winterlicious this year, hubby took me to Nota Bene on Queen St. I’ve heard some good reviews about the place so we decided to give it a try. We even spotted Ben Mulroney at the next table so I guess it was something worth trying, right? Well, you can actually get a three-course vegetarian meal here, if only for that. I am not vegetarian, however, so the choices were a bit limited for me.

What I noticed was that the menu was different from the time we made our reservation. The Salmon Tartare turned into Salmon Sashimi, which is fine. But the Crisp Chicken “Ramen Bowl” which changed into Sesame Chicken Salad was not quite the same.

Anyway, hubby got Salmon Sashimi for starters which he really enjoyed. I got a taste of it and the salmon was fresh on top of a bed of green papaya salad. The lime and coriander stood out with just a hint of fish sauce and a little kick of the chili. It was a refreshing salad.

Salmon Sushi @ Nota Bene

I also quite enjoyed my Northern Woods Mushroom salad with mini bella and chanterelle tossed with arugula and dill and topped with Parmigiano cheese. The balsamic vinegar-olive oil dressing did not overpower and complemented the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Northern Woods Mushroom Salad @ Nota Bene

For the mains, hubby got the Nova Scotia Haddock "A la Plancha" Taco Salad with pico de gallo. I got the Sesame chicken salad. I debated over getting the Cavetelli Pugliese but I figured I had enough mushrooms for the day. Hubby’s haddock was quite flavourful but to the point of salty for me. Hubby found it just right along with the pico de gallo.

Nova Scotia Haddock "A la Plancha" Taco Salad @ Nota Bene

My Sesame Chicken was a cold salad (far from the Crisp chicken I was expecting in the original menu) on top of pretty much the same green papaya/cucumber salad with the Salmon Sashimi. Again, the coriander cut through everything but the toasted nori balanced it out. It would have been good if they considered the different combinations one might order. Imagine if I had the Salmon Sushi and the Sesame chicken with the same green papaya salad...I’d be burping coriander and lime for days!

Sesame Chicken salad @ Nota Bene

For dessert, again there was a change in the menu where I was expecting to see an Apple Crumble but this was replaced by Chocolate truffle and cookie. Hubby chose the Clementine Sorbet on top of a citrus compote while I had the Artisanal Cheese Plate. The sorbet was a wonderful palate cleanser.

Clementine sorbet @ Nota Bene

Not being a cheese connoisseur, I don’t remember the three different cheeses but if I recall correctly, gouda and bonnechere were two of them. I liked the gouda with the red wine jelly and crostini.

Artisanal Cheese Plate @ Nota Bene

Overall, this meal was good but it did not blow my mind away. Serving was just ok for us--we were not too full and we were not too hungry, though I imagine some people would not be satisfied. The flavours were interesting enough.  It was a nice lunch, better than a usual lunch—although that is a basic expectation I would have from a winterlicious meal. However, despite its name, there was nothing to take note of (unless I turn vegetarian), to come back again and again—though I heard cocktails here were great…hmnnnn…