Muse Restaurant and Lounge

Muse, the restaurant in Kensington, sits prominently in the neighbourhood and is hard to miss. The menu itself is laid out like a typical Italian restaurant with First, Second, Third and Fourth course.

The restaurant itself is quite rustic, but hardly new. It has decent ambiance for romantic occasions and all the tables were evenly spaced out providing plenty of room. The lower level, where we sat, has booths and tables for smaller group of parties, while the room upstairs is designed to house private party.

The food. It was good. We skipped the First and ordered a couple of Second's. The French Escagagots were decent -- it was tender and firm, and good-sized, but nothing extraordinary. The Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts were hit and miss. Someone loved it but most of us at the table disliked it (for no other reason than because we dislike Brussel Sprouts).

Items ate:
Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Dark Organic Maple Syrup, Toasted Pine Nuts, Maldon salt $13
French Escargots, Organic Shemeji Mushrooms, House Made Brioche, Tarragon Beurre Blanc $16

Thankfully, the entrees were much better. The Duck Breast was decent but again was not anything extraordinary. I still think nobody prepares duck as well as the Asian and their Peking Duck.

The Veal Tenderloin was fantastic, however. It was tender, well seasoned and grilled and cooked to my request (medium rare). The Rosoti and sauce were good complement to the veal. It was simply delicious. More so when the server came to our table to briefly summarize how each of our meals was prepared.

For dessert, I couldn't resist anything with creme brulee. And while carrot and honey does not sound at all appealing in a creme brulee, my curiosity got the better of me.

And it tasted exactly like its name suggests. Creme brulee with some influence of carrot and honey. It was average as far as creme brulee was concerned.

I also had a bite of the Olive Oil Ice Cream with the almond cake and it was decent. The vanilla ice cream had a hint of olive oil in it, but it was mostly vanilla and the cake was dry and tasted like a typical store-bought lime cake.

Items ate:

“Noble Farm” Duck Breast, Sun Dried Cherry Polenta, Chestnut & Butternut Squash, Anise Jus $36
Pan Roasted Milk Fed Veal Tenderloin, Parsnip Rösti, Corn & Salsify Sauté, Foie Gras Emulsion $39

Carrot & Honey Crème Brulée, Cinnamon Shortbread, Fresh Berries $9Warm Almond Cake, House Made Olive Oil Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce, Orange Tuile $9