Posted by Melissa Bell in bistros, restaurant review on March 20, 2008 at 8:00 am

Karuchie
924 College Street
416-850-1729
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine - $125

It has me at konichiwa. The pristine aquarium at the front door, the dark wood, the small pieces of Japanese charm displayed here and there. A contemporary French bistro displaying the (paradoxically) complex simplicity of an origami box, Karuchie is a fresh culinary cerisiers en fleur to the neighbourhood. Bonus extra = I score a (free) parking spot within yards of the entrance. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone – always a big plus when planning an evening out.

My fellow diner begins with watercress salad ($9) comprised of toasted pumpkin seeds, sections of blood orange, and avocado – this is a lovely salad, but a tad frustrating. Like eating a plate of flower stems, the watercress doesn't lend itself especially well to eating with a fork – it falls all over the place. I don't know what to suggest – maybe chopsticks would be more practical. Or fingers. For those who desire a beginning to their meal on the lighter side, this is a winning combination of ingredients. Never mind my own difficulties in getting the greenery up to my own piehole.

I am tempted by the honey and soy-glazed edamame with toasted sesame seeds ($6), but I've been craving some pasta all day so I choose the herb-cured and braised venison with handmade gnocchi and cream ($14). As an appetizer, this is a nice-sized portion, but it's so damn good I immediately want seconds. The meat is rich with flavour, but not overpoweringly gamey; the gnocchi are ethereal little cushions of starchy love, cuddling beneath a blanket of warm cream. Seriously. Two forks up.

Moving on to mains, my guest goes for the steak frites – a 10-ounce Angus strip loin served with crisp-fried potato strips, rapini on the side, and shallot confit ($28). The steak is cooked nicely to order and the frites are a hit. Not the most adventurous offering on the menu, but as a meat-lovers' bistro classic, this is as good as it gets.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my gnocchi appetizer and could easily scarf down some more, I don't order the potato gnocchi with tomato stew, mustard greens, and organic olive oil ($17). I opt, instead, for the pan-seared sea bass, potato and chorizo stew ($24). The fish is perfect with a taste and texture that suggests it was pulled from its native waters just hours before hitting my plate. It partners well with the smoky sausage and soft-cooked potatoes. My only disappointment with this dish is not with the dish itself, but with the bread available to dunk in the lovely flavour-rich broth. The default bread offering at Karuchie is depressingly ordinary – hollow, holey slices of white loaf paired with slices of lifeless some-other-kind-of-equally-forgettable-bread. Dipped in the fragrant remains of my meal, the bread has all the appeal of soggy Kleenex.

But the bread issue is minor gripe. Let us move on.

In other reviews I've read about Karuchie, some diners have disclosed that they were so full after their appetizers and mains, they simply didn't have room for dessert. While that's certainly understandable – the portions at Karuchie are not on the skimpy side – not leaving room for dessert is a shame.

By all means, space should be saved for dessert (all $9). Pastry chef Lisa Root presents a sensual selection of sweets with a focus on traditional favourites. There is no crazy modern twist on things that already work when prepared as they should be. The sticky toffee pudding is a classically dense chewy muffin of warm spice and dates crowned with a scoop of burnt almond ice cream and swimming in a buttery sauce of warm caramel. The ‘trio of banana’ sounds intriguing, as does the maple-poached pear with pecans and bourbon cream. But as soon as I spot the warm chocolate brownie with house-made ice cream, I am done for. Two gorgeous wedges of fresh-baked deep dark deliciousness share the plate with a sphere of mocha ice cream and a berry garnish. The addition of chocolate syrup might be considered gilding the lily by some, but certainly not by me. I come this close to licking the plate clean.

Service at Karuchie is laid-back and unhurried. This is not the place to dine if you’re in a rush to get somewhere. But the servers are thoughtful, friendly, and informed; I’ll take that over speedy any day. Just before the bill arrives, my guest and I are provided with a complimentary tasting of limoncello and house-made chocolate cookies. A nice touch. We enjoy the limoncello right away, but the cookies get wrapped up for later. There's just no room left.

Karuchie’s website isn’t kept up-to-date, and the menu changes seasonally, as do the prices. As we are now on the cusp of spring, it’s possible that what's described here may not be on the menu once the thermometer reads on the plus side. Perhaps that’s the idea behind the restaurant’s name: karuchie is Japanese for “wise gamble”. One can never be sure what might be on the menu on any given day, but it's a pretty safe bet that it's going to be win-win situation – not just for Chef Chris Thorn, but, most importantly, his diners.