kiki's B.F.F: The Tempered Beast's Sucré Salé [Winterlicious Event]

This is the first time I have been to Winterlicious Culinary Events which not many people know of. And guest what caught my eyes : The Tempered Beast which is a 2 night collaboration by two of my fave chefs, the "Tempered Chef" Bertrand Alépée and Scott Vivian of Beast Restaurant.

Beast Restaurant being one of my fave restaurant in Toronto, I was excited to be back

(I have been many time, but see my old post here)

For $60pp, the event feature 4 courses where both a savory and a sweet interpretation of each course signature ingredients was served and that mean 8 dishes per person. Alépée who is a known pastry chef took on the sweet while Chef Scott took on the savory side.

Beast's famous brioche served with a poblano honey butter which was to die for, I will actually come back just for this. What a great start to an amazing meal.

The 2 of us order an Aperitif and one wine pairing to share since we didn't feel like drinking that much on a Tuesday. Each course came with a wine pairing (3 wine + 1 beer) for $25

The Tempered Beast $8

~ Sortilège Maple Whisky, muddled orange, Allspice syrup, mole bitters

This was the perfect aperitif, so smooth buttery caramel flavors.

Course #1 ~ Chicken / Sunchoke / Apple

Chef Alépée (sweet)

~ Chicken Chip, Caramelized Endive, Compressed Sunchokes & Vanilla Apple Purée

We were both not sure what to make of this dish at first but everything tide together really well with very delicate texture.

Chef Vivian (savory)

~ Chicken Liver Mousse, Pickled Apple, Grape Musk & Sunchoke Chips w/ Curry Flavor

Love the added curry seasoning together with the chicken liver, the tart apple and the sweet grape musk. Every ingredients complimented each other really well but also a great contrast to each other as well.

Course #2 - Scallop / Mandarin / Hazelnut

Chef Alépée (sweet)

~ Scallop Crudo, Brussel Sprout Slaw, Mandarin Gelée, Hazelnut Meringue &

Blueberry Powder

Who would have guess meringue goes so well with raw scallop, it was just amazing. I love brussel sprout but this is the first time I had it raw and it was great.

Chef Vivian (savory)

~ Cuttlefish Ink Marinated Scallop, Boquerones, Mandarin, Salsa Verde, Saffron Aioli & Hazelnut Romesco

This was my fave dish of the night, seems like a lot of components in one dish but it was perfect. Would love the pop of acid from the boquerones (pickled white anchovy) but it was a tad too tart/acidic and sort of overpowering.

Course #3 ~ Beef / Rutabaga / Chestnut

Chef Alépée (sweet)

~ Crispy Beef Cheek, Coffee Braised Rutabaga, Compressed Pineapple & Chestnut Mousse

The beef cheek was incredibly moist and tender, perfect with the rutabaga and the pineapple but thought the chestnut mousse was a tad too sweet, wished it was more chestnut-y.

Chef Vivian (savory)

~ Beef Short Rib, Rutabaga Succotash, Chestnut Cream & Blistered Shishito Peppers

I was disappointed to find out afterwards from instagram that there was Blistered Shishito peppers with this dish but we both didn't get any that day. The short rib was overcooked and very dry (>_<)

Course #4 ~ Pork / Sweet Potato / Fig

Chef Vivian (savory)

~ Cornbread, Fig Syrup, Sweet Potato Ice Cream & Bacon Crumble

A savory take on dessert but it failed.... the cornbread was incredibly dry that we can\t finish it. It's really difficult to make cornbread in advance and this was the result. If the cornbread was fresh out of the oven, I could totally see myself falling in love.

Chef Alépée (sweet)

~ Almond Cake, Sweet Potato Financier, Mascarpone, Mousse Fig, Bacon Jam & Fried Sage

This was the perfect ending with the perfect buttery soft & moist almond cake which was made even better with the rest of the ingredients. I especially love the fired sage which not only add the perfect touch to the presentation but also added the much needed touch of saltiness and texture.