Just Desserts

I heard about Chef Donald Duong almost 10 years ago. As a European-trained pastry chef, he was something of a rarity in the Vietnamese community. Back then, he was supplying desserts to the various cafe and restaurants around town as Dessert Trends, Inc. He had just opened up a shop at the corner of Dovercourt and Dundas. Not being a big dessert addict, I only bought his goods when I was attending a dinner party. However, once he installed a professional croissant roller in the basement and was making fresh croissants, I headed over every Sunday morning after the Y for the first hot batch of the day.

After a short stint, he moved his operations to Weston Road. A few years back, he came back downtown and opened up a second location called DT Bistro on Harbord St near Spadina. But I haven't gone to it (no fresh croissants) though I've heard good things about his brunch and dinner menu. I have encountered him at other occasions.

On a blistering Saturday afternoon, I passed by DT Bistro. The special menu sandwich board listed a gazpacho. The thought of a cool soup lured me inside. The place had a European feel with small tables in a long room. Large glass doors were spaced the entire length giving it an airy feel, although for this noon-time the shades were drawn down to keep the sun out.

The tomato-pineapple gazpacho ($7) had finely diced tomatoes, onions, and basil in a cool, refreshing broth. Though it was mildly flavoured, the soup masked the taste of the avocado chunks. Odd because avocado tends to be noticeably creamy and rich. So an uninspired combination. But the goat cheese was just the ticket to add a bit of pungency to change up the flavour profile.

The shrimp and dill frittata ($16) came with a mixed salad. The salad was average though the dressing had a nice spicy heat. The generous 7-8 shrimps were nicely cooked and salted. No asparagus that I can see though it was listed on the menu but there was zucchini. The egg was soft and well flavoured mixed with some dill and scallions. But best of all were the sweet peppers and caramelized onions buried in the mix.

With the golden colouring, the dill and scallions, and the bubbles of grease evaporating along the edges, this reminded me of a Vietnamese omelette which is made with almost the exact same ingredients. But usually the omelette is stuffed with minced meat.

It was a delicious but with tax and tip, the meal came to $30. Two thoughts. First, with minimum wage (i.e., working class wages) around $10, my frugal-minded grandma would have a conniption with such a pricey lunch. Second, tax and tip added almost 1/3 additional cost to the final tally. So the menu prices look misleading. I would much prefer, European-style, that both were included in the listed prices.