East End Envy

She does Tomi-Kro

by Julie Reitsma
Don’t be fooled—Leslieville isn’t just for the likes of Feist or Mr. Nielsen, and Tomi-Kro, despite its Greekish appellation, isn’t all Opa (!) and souvlaki. Tomi-Kro is, on seemingly every level, a study in fusion—cuisine (Mediterranean and Asian), décor (bare-wood, cottagey bathrooms, that don’t appear to be an attempt at kitsch, belie the chic dining area, complete with over-sized paintings, exposed brick, and funky pillowed seating), and function (the presence of a large, front window consuming, bussing station was mysterious, with more sensible locations coming to mind). With this much gumption for mixing it up, Tomi-Kro had us intrigued, so we decided to attempt some fusion of our own and schlepped our sweet West Queen West ass to the East side of the block for a little taste.

We began with the Crispy Beef Dumplings; created with half-mooned wontons, these fried pockets brought delightfully punkish visions to our minds with their mohawesque edge-crimping. Served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, the beefy interior had hints of ginger, green onion, and finished with the slightest of kicks. The Arugula salad, served with two crunchy eggplant chips that left us wanting more, was topped with feta, walnuts and a sweet chilli-esque dressing that complemented the peppery rocket to a tee. Gratis toasted pita, topped with olive oil and a smattering of dried herbs, was handy for mopping up the broth from our final starter, the Sake Steamed Mussels. Generously sized and perfectly steamed, these fresh mussels were undoubtedly the highlight of the meal. The broth, creamy with a definite miso-tang, was a sodium-lovers heaven, and the cause of two requests for additional bread.

After partaking in three starters, we decided on a shared main, and set our sights on the Sesame Albacore Tuna with Miso Fondue. The visual presentation of this dish was stunning, with the seed-crusted tuna precisely placed alongside vibrant edamame hummus, and topped with a sprinkling of flower petals. The concept of this dish was what had appealed us to it, however the tuna, though on the right side of rare and not badly flavoured, suffered the same fate as the hummus in being relatively bland. The aforementioned fondue was, if we may delve into semantics, actually a sauce, and though very flavourful, lacked in quantity, and was suspiciously reminiscent of the, albeit delicious, broth served with the mussels.

Additional sides are available to complete your main, including a Brussels Sprout slaw that was nothing short of a revelation, and may be the key to getting any inner child to eat their vegetables. Subtle in flavour, these sprouts were shaved down, displacing the usual Brussels bitterness, and the addition of asiago and pancetta was perfect—two flavours that demand attention, the amounts of both were spot on, ensuring their presence did not detract from the overall lightness of the dish.

Tomi-Kro’s desserts are all made in-house, and choosing just one is difficult with each item tempting a different part of our palate. Though the key-lime pie was recommended, we couldn’t deny our love for cheese and went for the Whipped Brie—beautifully creamy and served with a Pernod-spiked fruit compote, berries, and some (perhaps too oily) crostinis, and the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake—walnut brittle adorned and only lacking in that the Dulce was drizzled and not, in a more concerted effort to satisfy our sweet tooth, blanketing the entire plate.

A meal at Tomi-Kro will bring out the inner chef in anyone; with such inspired concepts we couldn’t help but want to attempt the dishes in our own kitchens, with perhaps a wee more something here and a dash of that there. Fusion cuisine is, undoubtedly, rather old news on the foodie scene, but Tomi-Kro’s menu demands attention beyond epicurean trends and buzz words. The proof is, after all, in the pudding, and Tomi-Kro, having managed to disrupt a 29 year Brussels Sprouts aversion, has proven there’s yet another great reason to take the 501 outside of our usual West-end comfort zone.

Tomi-Kro
1214 Queen St. East
416-463-6677

Mains in the $20 – $30 range