Big Crow

Stars: ​2.5 (out of 4)
Address: 176 Dupont St. (647) 748-3287, www.roseandsonsbigcrow.com
Reservations: Yes
Cuisine: Smokehouse/BBQ, sharing style
Noise Level: Energetic
Dress Code: Casual
Wheelchair accessible: No

Date: Tuesday, April 28th 2015
Meal: Dinner

Price: ​mains $13-32 (MP for daily specials)
Best Dishes:​ Steelhead Trout Poke, Grilled Shrimp Diablo, Smoked Mozzarella & Roasted Garlic Bread, Caesar Salad with Bacon

Starters

​Dish: Smoked Mozzarella & Roasted Garlic  Bread ($13)

Description: Slow roasted garlic and smoked mozzarella cheese sandwiched between a grilled loaf.

Thoughts: A wonderful start to the meal. The garlic was perfectly roasted and the bread  grilled to crispy perfection, making for a thematic beginning to our bbq meal.

​Dish: Steelhead Trout Poke ($16)

Description: Diced raw steelhead trout, peanuts, chilli, ginger, soy, furikake, tortilla chips.

Thoughts: My favourite part of the meal! The poke was a perfectly balanced with elements of sweetness, spice and salt. Topped off with the nutty crunch of peanuts, the flavour combinations were truly unique and absolutely refreshing.

​Dish: Grilled Shrimp Diablo ($18)

Description: Shell-on grilled shrimp, honey chili hot sauce, guacamole, pepitas.

Thoughts: This was another favourite of the night. Though slightly difficult to peel, the honey hot sauce lingering on the shells, left you longing for more. The shrimp inside were perfectly tender and paired wonderfully with the creamy guacamole and sweet hot sauce.

Mains

​​Dish: Baby Back Ribs (Full Slab – $32)

Description: Bacon, smoked ancho & molasses BBQ sauce

Thoughts: The main event of the night – what we came to Big Crow for – actually turned out to be the most underwhelming dish of our meal. These ribs are not for the fall-off-the-bone, saucy rib-lover (me). The star of this dish was the deliciously spicy sauce and few pieces of tender bacon cubes on top. However, the ribs themselves were lacking meat and tenderness and – personally – I felt they could have used a little more sauce. However, there are some who love a crispy, stuck-on-the-bone rib, and these definitely cater to that audience.

​Dish: Whole Grilled Sea Bream (MP)

Description: Whole grilled seabream, winter cranberry bean succotash, brussels sprouts, acorn squash

Thoughts: Our first thought – there’s no cranberries in the succotash! Our mistake, they are actually ‘cranberry beans!’ Aside from this, the fish was nice. Definitely fresh and tender, wish a wonderful smokey flavour from the grill. The brussels sprouts and grilled squash also added a nice element of texture to the dish. This is a great option for the non-meat-eating diners. However, they could have done more with the fish, as it was nothing out of the ordinary.

​​Sides

Dish: Potato Gratin ($9)

Description: Sliced fingerling potatoes layered with cream sauce, topped with toasted bread crumbs.

Thoughts: The crispy breadcrumbs sitting on the top layer of the ‘gratin’ was absolutely delicious. However, beyond that, the cream-covered, undercooked potato slices were a little underwhelming.

Dish: Grilled Butternut Squash ($6)

Description: Grilled squash topped with herbed cream sauce.

Thoughts: The salty cream sauce perfectly complimented the deliciously sweet grilled squash. A great addition to our meal.

Desserts:

Dish: Bakerman’s Bar, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Oats & Apple ($7 each)

Description: Bakerman’s – similar to a magic bar or a hello dolly, filled with coconut, nuts, chocolate and condensed milk. Pumpkin Cheesecake – classic cheesecake subtly flavoured with pumpkin. Oats & Apple – served warm, creamy apple filling with oat crumble on top.

Thoughts: Each of the bars were delicious in their own way, but none too sweet or decadent. Although the bars were nothing extraordinary, they were the perfect subtle ending to a rich, meat-heavy meal.