I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to reviewing Tangerine Supper Club. Reading many online reviews, comments regarding pretentious service and dull food left me leery. As it turned out, the week I had pencilled it in for review coincided with a weekend-long grand opening celebration for media and invited guests. I guess I didn’t make the cut.
So, instead of visiting for dinner, we meandered in on a quiet Sunday afternoon for lunch. Located in the Eaton Centre below Holt Renfrew, the former Elephant and Castle has been transformed into a beautiful space befitting the Concorde Entertainment Group’s other properties (Bungalow, Mercury, etc.)
Welcomed by a cascading glass installation, we descended the stairs into a vast room. Divided into a dining room and lounge, the space incorporates dark woods, deep reds and white linear wall treatments.
Once seated, we explored the uninspiring menu. Offerings include various pastas and salads and the wagyu beef burger, an Americanized form of Kobe beef served on a truffle-infused bun with provolone ($29). Seemingly a trophy lunch for black-card-carrying executives, we decided to skip it.
Negative impressions aside, we started with the feature soup, an asparagus, bacon and mint purée ($9) and the onion soup served with a cave-aged Gruyère panini ($10). The feature had a creamy texture rich with flavour. The mint, however, was notably absent and would have provided more excitement in the dish. Nonetheless, it was satisfying and the serving, size was decent. The onion soup was a delight. With a beefy stock similar to bourguignon, the bold taste was complemented by the Gruyère panini. The presentation wasn’t much to look at, but the deconstructed take on traditional French onion soup was brilliant.
The selection of starters was unimpressive and lacking certain items featured on the online lunch menu, so we settled on the beef carpaccio served with Grana Padano, watercress and steak tartare ($17). While not mind-blowing, it was tasty, with loads of fresh watercress and lightly toasted ciabatta crostinis.
Next, we tried the fish and chips ($18), a straightforward tempura-battered cod served with medium-cut fries and a lemon chive aioli. The batter was light and the aioli pleasant, but there wasn’t much more to the dish. The fries, served lukewarm with ketchup, were a mismatch for the tempura batter. An alternate dip for the fries would have been nice, as the side of ketchup cheapened the dish.
Our last dish was the recommended house-made beef burger with aged cheddar and double-smoked bacon ($16). It was quite tasty, served on a delectable truffle-infused bun with a side of mixed greens tossed in white truffle vinaigrette. The burger could have been slightly juicier, but beyond that, it was bang-on.
The service was professional, courteous and knowledgeable. Aside from our mains and bill taking awhile to materialize, our experience at Tangerine was fairly good, though I suspect that may have had something to do with us being the only customers there.
Tangerine’s dinner menu intrigues me, though I am not too keen on the prices. Double and triple what they are at lunch, the menu consists of side-less entrees ranging from $32 to $52, sides from $7 to $12 and asparagus at market price. WTF?
Primed to be a busy lunch spot in days to come, I wonder about Tangerine’s longevity as a nightspot.
Tangerine Supper Club is located at 100-751 3 St. S.W.; phone, 237-8237.
