FID Resto

In the midst of the Savour food & wine Festival, I had the opportunity to dine with our wonderful guests, three food writers who were visiting for the Savour food & wine Show. As you probably can imagine, as a food writer myself, I was thrilled to make the connection with these women, dine with them and pick their brains about fantastic gastronomic experiences all over the world.

Come to think of it - this was the best dining experience of my life. The way some dinner conversation might range from politics, war, economics, pop culture and natural disasters, this conversation covered incredible wines from South Africa, amazing Latin food in Brooklyn, NY and lessons in butter with Quebec chef Martin Pickard. If there was ever a situation where I was 'in my element', it was this one. I've dined with many-a-foodie before, and the topic of our favorite restaurants, recipes and products always come up, but this was an occasion where food was the star.

For a first course, I chose a dish that I've had my eye on for quite some time. The warm mushroom tart with aged cheddar consisted of lovely, flaky pastry cradling a mountain of tender, earthy mushrooms. This was the perfect dish to begin the evening; warm and rich, it was the catalyst to the salivating that ensued.

Warm local Wild Mushroom Tart with Foxhill Aged Cheddar

Just as us food writers began dissecting our dishes and sampling each other's, a "snack" arrived in the form of Dennis' house smoked salmon. The sweet fish was paired with a crisp, clean cucumber, and Christmas seaweed salad. Alongside, Dennis served a seafood soup, delicately flavoured with a touch of orange.

Snack of hot smoked salmon w/ pickled cucumber, Christmas Seaweed

& seafood soup shooter with a touch of orange

Following our 'snack', the entrees arrived. I, along with many of our company, had chosen the halibut. The fish was wonderfully tender, and meaty in a way that emphasises the fish's 'steak of the sea' nickname. I'm not usually one for potato in a dish - unless it's french fries, or chef Craig Flinn of Chives' Gouda mashed potatoes - I generally leave the spuds on the plate. For this reason, I was thrilled that Dennis opted for a starch of carrots and parsnips. Ah, the parsnip! I always forget how much I love this root vegetable. Roasted, so as to concentrate the sugar, each bite was like a piece of candy. A sweet tomato sauce added a subtle richness to the already decadent, yet clean dish.

Halibut w/ Roasted Root Veg, Pickled Cabbage & Tomato

And in the vein of "the best dining experience of my life", instead of ordering individual desserts, we simply ordered the entire dessert menu and shared them around so as to get a taste of each!

Tarte tatin with fresh vanilla ice cream and Parmesan

Moelleux au chocolat

Banana crème brulee

Fid trifle

And so, our dining experience at Fid ended in a sugar coma. With one or two bites from each desserts, I'm able to say that Fid Resto's dessert selection really does have something to suit every taste. From the indulgent molleux au chocolat, to the comforting tarte tatin, the exotic banana creme brulee to the creamy trifle, Dennis makes it hard to pass on dessert.

By the time we left, we were more than full, and just as much satisfied. Fid resto provides diners the opportunity to have a small, simple meal or a feast for the palate at a price point that won't hurt your wallet.