We heard about this restaurant for awhile, and tried out yesterday of a friend's birthday dinner.
We started at 17:00 and no wait for the table. Our waitress is very nice and informative.
We ordered most of their signature dishes, we like the sea bream, but the butcher's block was not done according to our order. We also like the coconut cream pie.
I think the restaurant is overrated and should be able to offer better value for the price we paid.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Daryl
Hamachi crudo, scallop crudo, and steak tartar were pretty good. Sea bream was really good. Short rib was mid. Sticky date toffee pudding was amazing. They need to bring this back. Refusing to go back until they reinstate this on the menu 😤
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Rib, Hokkaido Scallop Crudo, Hamachi Crudo
Jon N
Great restaurant vibes. Decor is nice, and there’s live music during Sunday brunch. Staff was attentive and service was smooth. The croissants were really fluffy and delicious. The shakshouka was also a great savoury dish. The chicken and waffles were really good - especially with the glazed chicken. French toast was a pillowy texture but not to my taste - was a bit too sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Alfonso Prieto García
Not only the food quality but also how Tiffany, our waitress, treated us. 100% recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kianna Beckford
I have a list of “best steaks” and Alder immediately took the number 1 spot. Was the most tender cut of meat i have ever had (literally told the waitress to let the chef know im in love). My stay at the ace hotel was sub par but thankfully ALDER was a completely separate experience! Great staff, great atmosphere and really great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tristan Tristan
The amount of salmon in the salmon tartare was pretty small for $26, mostly avocado
Steak and eggs was really great, amazing fries
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Duane Brown
Came here tonight with a friend for their birthday 🎂 celebration.
We tried the cucumber salad which was tasty. The baby cauliflower was interesting and good. Maybe less cream fresh on top, IMO.
The chicken was good and moist. The homemade bread and butter was perfect. It was a great start to the meal.
The chocolate banana dessert was good. It was a great meal overall and a fun spot. Really quiet for a Friday night.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad
Jo K
Cute place part of the Ace Hotel. Loved the open kitchen to watch the chefs at work. Cocktails were amazing and the service was super impressive.
📸 click the photos to see what we ordered
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Victoria L
Came here to try their summerlicious menu. The food was delicious, loved the salad and the corppetta, very nice patio. However, the service was nice and friendly but wait time was very long after appetizer we waited for almost 30mins then had to ask when are our main are coming. Pretty sure they forgot about us there. I also wanted to try the wagyu carpaccio outside of the summerlicious menu but the waiter totally forgot our order so never got to try it (they brought out short ribs after the forever wait so there was no point for us asking about a missing appetizer) Overall it was a good experience because I had a good time with my friend but probably bad enough impression that we will not be coming back.
Also please note they charge for the water and did not mention when we were there
Recommended dishes: Salad
Alicia Tian
Average food at this price. Charged us $1 for every glass of water and did not mention this on their menu, with mandatory 20% tips.
Alder’s first dish was a hit. The Hokkaido sea scallop and sea urchin featured two barely cooked through poached scallops, shaved in half and served with smoked buttermilk that had a tartness that’s like adding lemon to seafood but finishes with a rich creamy touch. The uni was flown out the day before for the dinner, balancing the dish with sweetness.
Fat Rabbit’s beef tartare included honey and golden raisins, which gave it a sugary taste. The addition of pickled vegetables helped bring out some acidity, but it was the mint and cilantro blossoms that added a brightness that impressed.
I can see why they left the tartare less salted as the breaded and deep-fried Guernsey Girl cheese it sat on top was savoury. It was just a waste as it wasn’t hot, so the dairy felt hard and rubbery. A great idea to feature local ingredients from the Upper Canada Cheese Company, just not showcasing it at its best.
Alder’s lobster raviolo was so good. The bisque-like sauce was bit salty, but the pasta was cooked to perfection and stuffed with large chunks of lobster, each bite bursting with flavour.
While the roasted pork collar was meaty and almost like a pork loin, it was a tad tough and likely would be better cooked as slices rather than a huge steak. Perhaps Fat Rabbit wanted something that would hold up against the spicy aji amarillo sauce? We all agreed the pancetta wrapped shrimp stole the show and would have been happy with two of these served with more vegetables.
A generous slice of coconut cream pie finished the meal; its crust made from toasted coconut meringue so it’s crumbly and a bit nutty. Despite not being able to finish my pork, I happily consumed the entire slice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Amie Petroff
The food was really good; I'm usually not a fan of paté or things like that but the parfait on toast was amazing, Im surprised I ate it all! Our server Averyrose was really nice and such a lovely person. Thank you for the amazing night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cathy Bogaart
Had a summerlicious meal of hamachi, branzino, and caramel, chocolate banana gelato. Wow. Delicious. Even tried a strawberry fields cocktail, although I think I liked the cucumber one better. I went with two other friends and they enjoyed their meal as well. They had vegan meal options as well. Service was good. They let us hang out and talk—no one rushed us. Loved my meal and need to go back and try the coconut cream pie apparently…?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hamachi Crudo
Scott Barbeau
My friend and I had a lovely meal there recently. Service was a particular stand out. I would have given the food five stars, but one dish was good, not great. The other four were great, particularly the hamachi appetizer and the smoked rib main. Interesting wine list conveniently organized by style - light and fruity, big and bold, etc.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Rib, East Coast Oysters, Hamachi Crudo
Jessica Jia
An “interesting” vegetarian dining experience. Although there is a fixed seating time, it does not affect your leisurely enjoyment of everything during your round of seating. The “18% service charge” is in fact their fixed tip rate rather than an extra like once appeared on news of restaurants in general . So if you like it there, visit again 👀 . for omnivores, a good option to try vegetarian once in a while 😝
We heard about this restaurant for awhile, and tried out yesterday of a friend's birthday dinner.
We started at 17:00 and no wait for the table. Our waitress is very nice and informative.
We ordered most of their signature dishes, we like the sea bream, but the butcher's block was not done according to our order. We also like the coconut cream pie.
I think the restaurant is overrated and should be able to offer better value for the price we paid.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Hamachi crudo, scallop crudo, and steak tartar were pretty good. Sea bream was really good. Short rib was mid. Sticky date toffee pudding was amazing. They need to bring this back. Refusing to go back until they reinstate this on the menu 😤
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Rib, Hokkaido Scallop Crudo, Hamachi Crudo
Great restaurant vibes. Decor is nice, and there’s live music during Sunday brunch. Staff was attentive and service was smooth. The croissants were really fluffy and delicious. The shakshouka was also a great savoury dish. The chicken and waffles were really good - especially with the glazed chicken. French toast was a pillowy texture but not to my taste - was a bit too sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Not only the food quality but also how Tiffany, our waitress, treated us. 100% recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have a list of “best steaks” and Alder immediately took the number 1 spot. Was the most tender cut of meat i have ever had (literally told the waitress to let the chef know im in love). My stay at the ace hotel was sub par but thankfully ALDER was a completely separate experience! Great staff, great atmosphere and really great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The amount of salmon in the salmon tartare was pretty small for $26, mostly avocado
Steak and eggs was really great, amazing fries
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Came here tonight with a friend for their birthday 🎂 celebration.
We tried the cucumber salad which was tasty. The baby cauliflower was interesting and good. Maybe less cream fresh on top, IMO.
The chicken was good and moist. The homemade bread and butter was perfect. It was a great start to the meal.
The chocolate banana dessert was good. It was a great meal overall and a fun spot. Really quiet for a Friday night.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad
Cute place part of the Ace Hotel. Loved the open kitchen to watch the chefs at work.
Cocktails were amazing and the service was super impressive.
📸 click the photos to see what we ordered
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Came here to try their summerlicious menu.
The food was delicious, loved the salad and the corppetta, very nice patio. However, the service was nice and friendly but wait time was very long after appetizer we waited for almost 30mins then had to ask when are our main are coming. Pretty sure they forgot about us there. I also wanted to try the wagyu carpaccio outside of the summerlicious menu but the waiter totally forgot our order so never got to try it (they brought out short ribs after the forever wait so there was no point for us asking about a missing appetizer) Overall it was a good experience because I had a good time with my friend but probably bad enough impression that we will not be coming back.
Also please note they charge for the water and did not mention when we were there
Recommended dishes: Salad
Average food at this price. Charged us $1 for every glass of water and did not mention this on their menu, with mandatory 20% tips.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Alder’s first dish was a hit. The Hokkaido sea scallop and sea urchin featured two barely cooked through poached scallops, shaved in half and served with smoked buttermilk that had a tartness that’s like adding lemon to seafood but finishes with a rich creamy touch. The uni was flown out the day before for the dinner, balancing the dish with sweetness.
Fat Rabbit’s beef tartare included honey and golden raisins, which gave it a sugary taste. The addition of pickled vegetables helped bring out some acidity, but it was the mint and cilantro blossoms that added a brightness that impressed.
I can see why they left the tartare less salted as the breaded and deep-fried Guernsey Girl cheese it sat on top was savoury. It was just a waste as it wasn’t hot, so the dairy felt hard and rubbery. A great idea to feature local ingredients from the Upper Canada Cheese Company, just not showcasing it at its best.
Alder’s lobster raviolo was so good. The bisque-like sauce was bit salty, but the pasta was cooked to perfection and stuffed with large chunks of lobster, each bite bursting with flavour.
While the roasted pork collar was meaty and almost like a pork loin, it was a tad tough and likely would be better cooked as slices rather than a huge steak. Perhaps Fat Rabbit wanted something that would hold up against the spicy aji amarillo sauce? We all agreed the pancetta wrapped shrimp stole the show and would have been happy with two of these served with more vegetables.
A generous slice of coconut cream pie finished the meal; its crust made from toasted coconut meringue so it’s crumbly and a bit nutty. Despite not being able to finish my pork, I happily consumed the entire slice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food was really good; I'm usually not a fan of paté or things like that but the parfait on toast was amazing, Im surprised I ate it all! Our server Averyrose was really nice and such a lovely person. Thank you for the amazing night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a summerlicious meal of hamachi, branzino, and caramel, chocolate banana gelato. Wow. Delicious. Even tried a strawberry fields cocktail, although I think I liked the cucumber one better. I went with two other friends and they enjoyed their meal as well. They had vegan meal options as well. Service was good. They let us hang out and talk—no one rushed us. Loved my meal and need to go back and try the coconut cream pie apparently…?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hamachi Crudo
My friend and I had a lovely meal there recently. Service was a particular stand out. I would have given the food five stars, but one dish was good, not great. The other four were great, particularly the hamachi appetizer and the smoked rib main. Interesting wine list conveniently organized by style - light and fruity, big and bold, etc.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Short Rib, East Coast Oysters, Hamachi Crudo
An “interesting” vegetarian dining experience. Although there is a fixed seating time, it does not affect your leisurely enjoyment of everything during your round of seating. The “18% service charge” is in fact their fixed tip rate rather than an extra like once appeared on news of restaurants in general . So if you like it there, visit again 👀 . for omnivores, a good option to try vegetarian once in a while 😝
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...