Quince is a modern bistro in midtown Toronto opened by a couple returning to the neighbourhood after a trip to Europe. It was nominated Best New Restaurant in 2007, so I took advantage of Summerlicious to try this place out.
The architectural design of the space is ingenious. The store-front is small and assuming, but the inside feels like walking into a cavern filled with light. There is even a spiral staircase that leads down to a bar/lounge in the basement for private parties.
The Moroccan spiced lamb “bricks” came in a spring roll, surprisingly. Light and golden on the outside, the lamb inside was well-balanced and tender. The harissa dressing was a sweet after-thought.
Confit of duck leg was sparkling in juices when it arrived. The duck on bean cassoulet tasted like home-cooking; down-to-earth, bold flavours surrounded tender duck meat cooked to perfection in a crispy skin.
House-made gnocchi was equally impressive, but when has house-made pasta ever gone wrong? (Don’t answer that.) The gnocchi was chewy, with light flavours from the green olive and oregano.
Dessert was Belgian dark and white chocolate terrine in raspberry coulis and caramel sauce. Sounds impressive, tastes just like ice cream. Not that I’m complaining.
Lemon, almond polenta cake was a disappointment. The cake was not fluffy or cake-y and the almond flavours were too subtle.
Their wine selection was surprisingly poor, and service was below-average1.
Rating: 
- Although that may have been due to the fact that we were ordering from the Summerlicious menu (but we did order wine); nonetheless, that shouldn’t be an excuse for poor service. [↩]