Winterlicious at bymark.

The idea of winterlicious has mass appeal and its not hard to see why. 3 courses for a fraction of the normal price. Dig a little deeper though and you'll realize that alot of resturants treat the fixed menus as an afterthought and really skimp on you in terms of portion size AND flavor.

Last week i hit up bymark with a friend and I was overall satisfied with the meal and service. Although the main was quite disappointing. First off I'd like to say the ambiance of the place is really good, music isnt distracting, the decor is interesting and unique enough. One of the problems however is that the tables are really close together, which makes it hard to get around the place. Service was prompt and courteous all around, though the bread guy didnt show up till we had our mains.



This appetizer was really good in my opinion. The tuna sashimi was really fresh and the asian inspired garnishes and sauces really added a range of flavors to the dish. It was almost too flavorful.

The main i had was a sapporo braised short rib dish.
Once again the flavor was quite good although a bit on the salty side in my opinion. The meat was tender in some parts but it seemed like it was a little too dry and chewy in others. The risotto was good but nothing too memorable. I find it a little disturbing how so many Toronto restaurants seem to mindlessly follow trends all offering up some sort of squash risotto, short ribs, and some sort of exotic fish dish.

The desert impressed me and despite it being deceptively simple, it was memorable enough. The ice cream ontop of warm moist carrot cake is exactly how it sounded , but id be damned to remember the last time i had carrot cake this good. Also want to commend the pastry chef for ensuring that it wasn't too sweet or overpowering.

All in all i'd say bymark is worth a return visit but perhaps I'll have to order off the much more expensive regular menu next time.