Mel's Munchies: A taste of London's downtown

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: THE TASTING ROOM
A look inside London's The Tasting Room restaurant on Richmond Street.

In my new column, Mel's Munchies, I'll be reviewing restaurants around the city, finding fun recipes to try at home, and making meals for every occasion. Look for it every other week.

This week I chose a popular London restaurant located in the heart of downtown: The Tasting Room. It's a fairly new addition to Richmond Row that I would describe as small and charming. With a large appetizer menu and a few wine flights to choose from, it's a great place to go whether you're searching for a quick bite or a large meal.

My meal started out with a Pinot Grigio wine flight. My four glasses of wine contained two ounces each of different pinots. A wine flight is a great conversation starter and is perfect for someone who wants to start learning more about wine. The wines were good, and had diverse flavours, but I thought there would be more variety in terms of their origin: three were from Italy and one was from France.

If you are a brie cheese fan, you will love the Roasted Garlic Brie appetizer. It came out piping hot, with a thick slab of brie topping a layer of roasted garlic, and a toasted baguette for dipping. Probably not a good choice for a date considering it makes your breath reek of garlic, but it was absolutely delicious. With a price tag of $12, it was a little costly for an app, but it was a large size for a starter — definitely filling when split between two diners.

Even though the meals are a little pricier, you're paying for quality food and large portion sizes. I ordered the Celebration of Pork as my main course, and was very pleased. The meal came with pork done two ways — pork tenderloin medallions with an apple bacon butter sauce and maple-chili glazed pork belly — with garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. The pork dish was $26, which is a little pricy for pork, but the portions were huge. Needless to say I brought some home and it made a delicious lunch for work the next day.

I would recommend The Tasting Room for a date; the lights are dim and it has a cozy atmosphere. If you're going with a group of friends or family, definitely make a reservation. I was there on a Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. and the place was packed — not an empty seat in sight. Even with a full house, the service was very quick. We completed our wine and meals in about an hour. My only complaint would be the noise level. I often found myself yelling when trying to have a conversation with my friend, but this was probably because of the small size of the place and the popularity of wine.

All in all, the meal was delicious. The food was immensely flavourful and I definitely did not leave hungry. If you're looking for a more upscale, somewhat pricy spot, check it out! The Tasting Room is located at 483 Richmond St., just two doors down from the Grand Theatre.

Drink: Pinot Grigio Feature Wine Flight, $11

App: Roasted Garlic Brie, $12

Main Course: Celebration of Pork, $26

Total Price per Diner: Around $50

If you have a restaurant or recipe suggestion for Mel's Munchies, email her at m_anderson6@fanshawec.ca