NGOGO — Restaurant in Toronto

If I could give Ngogo a 6/5 star review it still would not be enough. From the moment reservations were made, the experience was extraordinary. When asked if there was a time allotment per seating, we were welcomed to stay as long as we pleased. We were greeted with fresh cold water and the server answered all our questions. We choose along with the prix-fixe menu, additions from the a la carte menu. First stand out: incredible sear and flavour on the shrimp and scallops. The parmesan ice cream has incredible depth in the cheese flavour, rich, smooth and delectably cool in the mouth paired with the tomato salad; the highlight is the basil crumble. Noted on all the starters were the chef’s extra touches that made great dishes: such as some crumbles for texture, or contrast in textures such as a thin avocado slice to a crunchy chip, a touch of acid to elevate the flavour. This was very much so with the pickled mussels in a rich saffron broth that was served with the delicious red snapper and in the yuzu vinegarette with the salmon crudo. Asparagus is cooked to perfection. Sirloin steak was so tender we cut it with a butter knife, wonderful pairing with the crispy risotto and perfectly season au jus. A buttery barley pea is a surprise star of the chicken thigh steak. The juiciest AAA smash burger is served with plenty of pickles and caramelized onion: paired with the perfect soft bun and a gorgeous side of frites, only thing I would love to top this would be an offer of a side of mustard of some sort to add to this very delicious and cheesy burger. Fries are indulgently crispy and another pinch of salt would have been excellent. Desserts were the perfect finish: coffee mousse highlighted by toasted almonds came with a surprise shot of lemonade to finish, pineapple brûlée came with a kiss of cinnamon in the whipped cream, and the Toffee pudding, rich and deep in flavour stole the show in the desserts. Small but good priced wine list. Cozy atmosphere that can welcome families, group parties or a date night. Service was above and beyond, we cannot compliment the Chef enough for a menu of such a variety in dishes, but also the execution to such a high level. Seasoned, flavours are balanced, Chef plays with all your senses: textures, temperature contrasts; plating is beautiful, seasonal vegetables, gorgeous colours in the broths and sauces, Chef treats the plates like artwork. Hopefully Chef can add a selection of breads to the menu for all to enjoy every drop of the kitchens creations. Looking forward to returning; highly, highly recommended. Street parking only, not...

A group of my friends and I went for the 38$ summerlicious dinner offer. While the price was decent for 3 courses + amuse bouche we found that the overall experience was extremely lacking compared to their promotional material and even compared to some of the reviews here.

Food: it was okay and it did resemble all the pictures on instagram, the free soup was very well made and refreshing and the fried chicken and caeser salad appetizers were okay. The scallop carpaccio tasted too strongly of mint and the portion size was lacking compared to the other two apps. The mains were mid. I had the salmon steak with soba and found the broth to be too sour and salty without a depth of flavor. Bugogi burger was overly sweet. Desserts were a highlight for us, not super sweet and very delicious. We had the toffee pudding and the white chocolate mousse.

Service: this is where it really falls apart. They were not ready for us at the time of our reservation (6pm) and we had to wait in the heat for a spot. When we ordered, each time the waitresses brought us our food they didn't remember who had what. Even when we were actively telling them someone else had ordered that, they proceeded to place the food in front of the wrong person as if ignoring us. This was consistent for every course. Since we were a group of 5, when it came to paying we were notified that there's an automatic 18% gratuity, this was NOT made clear anywhere on their instagram, website, or even when i called to book. It was very annoying to learn, especially since their service was lacking. We were then notified of a 1.5h seating limit, again this was not communicated to us at any point in time until 15 mins before our seating was supposed to end. it seems they're extremely unprepared for the business they have.

Drinks: Their instagram details 50% off wine on Wednesdays (when we went), but when we arrived we were notified it was actually 10$ cocktails (most around 15$) instead. We were a bit miffed, but opted for cocktails instead. We all ordered different cocktails, but all did not have the taste of what they were supposed to me. I had the floral cocktail, which just ended up tasting of cheap gin, and no sense of the other items that were supposed...

It's very difficult for me to give such a low rating as I love supporting small businesses/ establishments. I was excited to try this place based on reviews. The night started out great. Wife and I got a nice bottle of French cabinet. Ordered the pan seared shrimp appetizer and though small in portion, it was excellent perfectly cooked. Wife had the duck confit and she loved it. Crispy skin and steaming hot. I had the medium rare steak and fries. My steak was way overcooked but that's not the bad part. It was cold which is odd. So prob meant it was cooked prior. I hate sending food back as I worked restaurants for years long ago. But had to just because it was cold and dry like wood. There was only 1 server on this night which is fine. She was friendly. But when I told her, my food is cold and overcooked, she said they will make me a new one so she took the whole plate away. So I waited between 13 to 15 minutes while my wife finished her food. She should've at least leave me with my fries to eat. So when the new steak came out, thsi time the chef played it too safe and my steak was too rare as you can see. I didn't bother to complain and just decide to pack it to take home and re-cook it at home. My sister-in-law was in the area and stopped by to say hi so we ordered her a steak and fries to go and I told the waitress please don't make it as rare as mine. Well, when we got home, we realize it was too rare again. I still would recommend people giving this restaurant a try but highly recommend you don't waste your time ordering steaks here as I found it is quite bland and I feel they don't have the skill to cook a steak properly. This Caesar salad is interesting but is good. You get half of a Romain heart sliced length wise. It's different but just a slight concern of how would it be possible to wash the inside of all the leaflets since they are not separated? Also The fixed price on menu say $38 for my wife, but we got charged $45. Not sure why. It's quite a shame as this could definitely have been a 5 star and me being a happy returning guest. Lessons to be learned here...