The restaraunt has a very extensive wine list with a variety from all different regions in France- It was like a bible and we just didn't know where to start. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and he suggested a nice bottle of red that was reasonably priced. So we started off with a smooth bottle of red called bonlieu hence the title of this post. The wine list wasn't the only thing that was extensive- We were given 2 menus for the evening- one was the regular dinner menu all stacked with french delicacies and one was a prix fixed menu where the proceeds help a local shelter deliver local and fresh goods to the homeless and less fortunate. Because of the many options- we decided to share dinner from both menus - all for the sake of research.
The prix fixe started with an assiette of vegetables - it was the french version of antipasto with olives and 2 spreads- one of spicy roasted red pepper and the other was an eggplant spread. There were sweet onions, marinated carrots, beets and cold mushrooms tossed in garlic. It was a great introduction into our meal and it was delicious.
We then had the lobster and rock fish soup- which was a velvety bisque with garlic aioli cream. This was done perfectly - i adore bisques but to have lobster mixed with rock fish was such a treat! Our next course was the Cassolette d’Escargot à La Papa- which was pastery filled with escargot- the tart was flaky and delicious and all the escargot morsels were exactly the right consistency - it was really yummy as well.
Our mains- we ordered the duck cassoulet and the Angus steak cooked rare. The cassoulet is is described on the menu as rustic baked white beans with duck comfit, sausage & crispy pork belly- it came in a cast iron dish that was steaming hot and it reminded me a lot of sheppards pie except with tender pieces of duck included the drumstick. It was piping hot as you dug in and pulled out forkfulls of the cassoulet - the steam would just fume out.The Angus steak was unbelievable- juicy, in a peppercorn sauce and exactly how we liked it- bloody! It came with a roast tomato which was tasty and a good compliment to the steak.
We had to order frites to compliment the steak and make it a complete steak frites- the fries were so yummy- they were hand cut and salted right and came with mayonaisse which is the only condiment i would dip my frites in! For dessert we had a delicious lemon tart which is another favourite of mine considering i don't like chocolate. The restaurant also sent us each a glass of port for dessert. We had very full bellies by the time we were done but I have so many more things i would like to try including the horse tartare, the rabbit and the dory.
C'est un soiree magnifique!!! Batifole claims they are the best friend restaurant in Chinatown (east-end) - I truly believe it's one of the best french restaurants I've ever been to!
Batifole- 744 Gerrard st east
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