Le Swan — Restaurant in Toronto

When we heard Jen Agg has a new restaurant in Toronto, we were not surprised. However, when we found out it is French diner, we knew it was something unique to her portfolio. Basically, we had to try it.

We booked a booth on a chilly Monday night and it was hard to get excited about going out anywhere or having to face the cold. Yet as soon as we walked through the doors of Le Swan, we were engulfed by the warm vibe of the space. If you close your eyes right now and imagine what a French Diner looks like, or better yet, FEELS like, that is what Le Swan is - beautifully lit with incandescent lights giving the space an airy yellowish ambiance, furnished with intimate booths that immediately make you feel at home, and full of life.

After becoming acquainted with our wonderful hostess, we started off our dinner with an order of the Amandine sour cocktail. A perfect blend of sweet and sour and topped with crunchy almond bits, the drink immediately became our favorite sour cocktail in Toronto.I am definitely coming here again just for that.

Afterwards, it was time to start eating. We ordered a few items from the menu: a charcuterie board, smoked trout rillette, cobb salad, french onion soup, and the meatloaf with mash and green beans to seal the deal. Overall, the food was flavorful and executed with finesse.

Starting out with the charcuterie board, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that all the meat was made in-house. In terms of flavor, the meat was delicious. However, we found the board to be missing an extra dimension of flavor. Perhaps adding cheese to an all-meat board or additional pickles would've helped.

Next up was the smoked trout rillette. It was buttery, creamy and, most importantly, very fresh. The addition of caviar on top added depth of flavor to the dish. My partner and I did find the dish to be lacking in notes of acidity to complement the richness of the dish.

As soon as we were done with the rillette, we refreshed our palette with the zesty and beautifully presented Cobb salad and then it was time for the french onion soup. I could sense that this dish is exquisite by the animated grin on the waitress's face as she brought it to our table. And then here we were faced with a delicious looking onion soup topped with toasted bread and melted cheese. The broth which is rich and murky from the red wine was the perfect vehicle for the onion. This dish was definitely the highlight of our dinner.

For the main dish, we decided to dive back into the diner side of the menu and try the meatloaf. I have to start this by saying, I hate meatloaf. So, ordering at a restaurant seemed unfair to the chef, but we wanted to see if anyone can change our minds. Served on a beautiful, fluffy, buttery mash, the meatloaf was delicious. We found it surprising that it was not smothered in sauce or gravy, but that might've been what made the dish so good. Instead, the loaf had an almost caramelized exterior and instead of a grainy interior, it had a tangy beautiful texture on the inside. The side of green beans added a citrus punch to the dish and really elevated the whole experience.

For dessert we had the chocolate mousse. Chocolaty, rich, and so extremely decadent. Definitely satisfied a craving. After we finished our dessert and our bottle of wine we stumbled out of the restaurant and went for a walk in the nearby Trinity Bellwood park. There we decided, once and for all, that if anyone can build an intimate French diner in Toronto that delivers on every aspect of the experience, it is Jen Agg...

Went here yesterday night and was privileged to have front row seats at the bar. When you see the cocktail menu, they're normal unpretentious ingredients that make drinks that make sense. Even for someone as picky as me, you want to drink your way through the cocktail menu and I'm already thinking about my next visit where I get to clear the rest I didn't try. The bartender brings it to life. I got to try the Provence, Swan 75, Root Beer Old Fashioned, and a peach cocktail that I forget the name of. The attention to detail crafting the drinks was immaculate from the different glassware to the different types of ice used (one big ice cube versus nugget shaped ice). I told the bartender after the meal that I think I found the key to having a great restaurant and it starts with great attention to detail and a great bartender. The steak tartare was amazing -- I don't have this dish as much as I should but it was properly seasoned, the yolk added savoriness, and the tartare had pickles included in it. The bread was decent, I would have recommended a softer bread with larger slices, but that's just personal preference. Having the steak frites, the attention to detail persisted. The fries were warm, fresh, and crunchy, the green beans were savory with a slight, pleasant sour kick, and the steak with the butter was amazing as was the aioli for the fries. They understand here you eat with your eyes as well and the plating, just like how they served the cocktails, was meticulous. They had warm lighting and French ambient music that isn't too loud. I'd go back for everything but I think the bartender took the cake by setting the tone with the kitchen holding things strong. As I said during my meal, it's an underrated spot, but it's not underrated. It's not overrated either. It's definitely popular as seen by the reservations but has the air of being lowkey where you're not fighting to hear others speak or feel like you're in a mess hall. Le Swan was on the list for steak frites for the last month and I think was pushed back (not by me) due to their offering of corn dogs, chicken fried steak, etc. Definitely coming back and definitely recommending - a sleeper pick for best steak frites in the city for those sleeping! The many that...

Walked by here for years and was always curious about what it would be like. Its menu for entrees is split in two, with ‘French’ and ‘Diner’ headings, with arguable equivalent pairings under each (ie beef bourguignon beside meatloaf and mash). I had the steak fruits with a side salad, and my daughter had the French onion soup. The portion size for the steak frites was quite small considering it was $39 without the salad. However, the steak was of the utmost quality (lean yet tender) and cooked to perfection. Additionally, the french fries had a nice fluffy yet crispy outer coating along with an unusual mashed potato-like texture inside. I wouldn’t say that there was a lot of flavour on the inside, but whatever oil they used resulted in a perfect outer texture. The contrast in texture between inner and outer was a unique experience for me. Surprisingly, the standout was the $5 side salad. It was diminutive in size, however, the selection of greens were an interesting combination for texture, and they included just the right amount of red onion, so that it wouldn’t overpower yet added a nice accent to the overall flavor. The most impressive aspect of this salad was the light dressing that reminded me of some of the best salad dressings that I’ve had in Germany. I tried some of the soup as well, but I felt that the broth was rather overpowering, and call me a traditionalist, but I prefer it when the melted cheese bread is resting directly on top of the soup. Service was very welcoming although our waiter was somewhat pushy/persistent with...