Bloom
2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village)
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1
Tel:
One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting invites to try places that I wouldn’t normally make it to. The lovely folks at Sizzling Communications invited me to join a media/blogger dinner at Bloom to sample their new menu. I jumped at the chance because I’m always on the lookout for new Latin spots in Toronto. Having spent 6 years living in New York one of the things I miss is being able to easily (and cheaply) enjoy Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican food. Toronto’s Latin food scene is sadly underdeveloped so I was hoping to find a hidden gem in Bloom.
Bloom has been around for years but was definitely off my radar as it’s located in the Bloor West Village area of Toronto. BWV is a cute neighbourhood with lots of little shops, but it’s not really on my regular route of life so I rarely make my way over to that part of the city.
On a sweaty Monday after a LONG LONG day at work I was thrilled to be greeted with a mojito. I’m generally a fan of mojitos and trust me when I say this one was pretty lovely.
Soon after we were brought out an amuse of Cassava Frites with Mojo Dipping Sauce. These absolutely delighted me. First of all, I love any kind of mojo dipping sauce. I could definitely see this sauce going well with some tostones. The frites were a great match with their soft and starchy interior and golden crisp interior. I literally could’ve eaten a dozen of these.
Next up was the ceviche. The ceviche featured sustainable OceanWise halibut with tomatoes, habanero peppers, lime juice, garlic and spices. The fish was very fresh which was lovely and I really enjoyed the hit of heat from the habanero and the acidity from the lime juice. Interestingly enough, the ceviche was served on top of a sweet potato slice. I thought it was an interesting idea but it didn’t add much to the dish. I think it would have been fun to serve the ceviche on top of cassava chips or something… but that’s just me.
For the mains and desserts Celine of Plato Putas and I decide to split the selections so that we could get a full sense of the menu. This of course was a brilliant idea.
The first main was a flank steak with chimichurri. I have a serious weak spot for steak and chimichurri. Yes, I enjoy a regular steak but who wouldn’t want the addition of herby, garlicky goodness? Luckily this dish really delivered. The steak was perfect cooked and the sauce was perfectly spiced.
Next up was a sesame crusted tuna. I was excited for this as I’m often one to pick a fish dish and I was intrigued by the idea of a tofu-wasabi dressing and roasted vegetables. Alas the dish was just ok. I didn’t get any tofu from the dressing and although I enjoyed the roasted vegetables I found the addition of wasabi peas a bit bizarre. The fish itself was lovely but there was just a lot going on… a bit too much. The steak was definitely the winner.
For dessert we were treated to a Cuban Flan and Churros. I have a complicated relationship with flan — sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. My funny feelings aren’t limited to flan however, I often feel the same way about panna cotta. This was a dulce de leche flan, and while I enjoyed the flavours I found the texture a bit too eggy for my tastes (and remember, eggs often freak me out). BUT the churros… oh the churros! I could eat churros every day of my life (and when I’m in Chicago I try to). The churros were served on top of vanilla ice cream with a drizzling of chocolate sauce and were pretty darned perfect.
Dinner at Bloom was lovely. Weeks later I’m still thinking about the cassava frites and the steak. They offer a prix fixe for $35 which features an appetizer, main, dessert and choice of coffee or tea. Bloor West Village is lucky to have Bloom.
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Looks very good. I have not been in Toronto in several years but I think I would add this place and the neighborhood to my list for a return visit.
Looks like Sizzling Communications made an excellent choice-congrats on being invited! Those plates do look tasty-thanks for sharing your dining adventure.
Love your blog and photos. – AnaMaria from Santa Barbara CA
Thanks AnaMaria!
Canada is always a favorite place to visit, but I’ve yet to make it to Toronto — well, unless you count whizzing through the airport, which I don’t. LOL I’m hoping to get there next year. Look forward to great eats like this.
Doesn’t hesitate to contact me for food recos if you do make it to Toronto
Oh man, I miss that flank steak and chimichurri. Thanks for splitting the plates, so glad we did that!