EPIC Restaurant

This review is for the bar at Epic. I’m being generous with 2 stars as they were busy. I was originally going to the Library Bar but it was closed for filming. So off to Epic I went as I needed a space to work and send emails. Well what a disaster. Luckily I am a very patient person, but for people who are not, the service was disgraceful.
I arrived at the entrance and asked to be seated in the bar section. There were many empty tables that needed to be cleared and the hostess said there was nothing available and asked if I wanted a stool at the bar. I said no and that I wouldn’t mind waiting. She again asked if I wanted a stool at the bar and said there would be a 5 minute wait. I asked if I could wait at the bar for my table and if she would personally grab me once a table was clear. As I sat I was greeted by one of the bartenders quite hastily and asked for my drink order, I asked for a menu and went for a top quality bourbon Manhattan. I asked if he had large rock cubes and he said no. I am very specific when it comes to my drink and I asked if he could only put 2 cubes in. As I was saying this to my horror he grabbed a scoop of ice and put it in a glass to shake my drink. Mid horror I asked him to stop — think of James Bond and the bartender messing up his classic staple martini — this was actually happening. It’s like ordering an expensive liquor only to be watered down with ice — what was the point at all. Instead of fixing the drink to what I so patiently requested he continued to pour my drink and saying he must serve it cold. At this point, my hands are in my face cruising the bourbon Gods why they have forsaken me! He then carefully places 2 small cubes in my already watered down drink and pushes a small tray of bar nibbles in front of me. There’s an older gentlemen siting beside me in awe of a women knowing her drink and asks if he should order the same. I insist he should stick to his glass of wine and next time go to the Library Bar if he likes cocktails.
15 minutes have possibly gone by as I stir and stare at my glass. Where was this hostess. As I look around the room, many new faces and empty seats. Well, how’s that for service. I interrupt a waitress and ask if I can be seated (again) and she agrees. A little but of shuffling and finally a table where I can get to work.
For a hotel bar I was not happy that I physically had to move myself and my drink (sans coaster). I quickly start messaging away on my phone and getting some work done. 10 minutes in, sans nibbles, sans coater and sans waiter I start to wonder if I am in a bad service time zone. Am I not in the fairmont?
A waiter questionably passes me and asks if I would like anything else. I politely inform him that actually no one has talked to me since I was seated. I could tell in his eyes he was frazzled and so busy he didn’t know up from down. He quickly rectified everything and I continued to order some food. The rest of the service was great from then on.

I think I’d give this place ½ star if I could. This was part of a work function so there was a large group. 25 – 30 people.
Where to start. There was a pre-​set menu to work with so it was very limited. For an appetizer I had what amounted to a Caesar Salad with a fancy name. It was good but WAY too salty. The main was Beef Tenderloin that I asked to be medium well but arrived as rare. I also asked for «Chicago Style» but they missed the mark on that as well. I ordered a side of mushrooms with the steak. I don’t know what type of mushrooms these were but they were not good & like the rest of the meal WAY to salty & coolish. The big ending was the chocolate mousse which was extremely tasty.
Couple of places where the missed the mark… service was extremely slow. In fact some of my party that were elderly left without being served. That is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. The service was so slow that parts of the party were leaving as I was finishing dessert!
There are so many good/​great restaurants in that area… do yourself a favour… go somewhere else. If you position yourself as a 4 – 5 Star restaurant your food & service HAVE to be top notch!

This restaurant has a great ambiance no matter what meal you are enjoying or even if you’re just having a drink. I’ve eaten breakfast here as well and everything was very good and the service was great too.

I’ve been here twice now, once for my birthday and another for Mother’s Day. Both, an amazing experience for weekend brunch. I’ve heard of the ritz-​Carlton mimosa brunch but since I don’t drink, it didn’t have the appeal for me. The Fairmont buffet is just perfect for a special occasion. Highly recommended.
Food: 4/​5, great quality food, delicious pastries and many dishes you can order and they will bring it for you: the waffles and eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce was perfection. They also have a lot of local jams that accompany the bread well.
Service: 5/​5, the second time I was there. They just knew it was me; perhaps because I’m a gold member but before I could say hi, I’m here for…, they responded with my name and told me my table was ready. The servers and chefs were also amazing.
Ambience: 5/​5, awesome high chairs, beth comfortable and a lot of space between tables for a quiet conversation. And great hotel-​calm music in the background.
Price: 3/​5, it’s definitely pricey at $ 35-​$ 40 per person but totally worth it.

I went for around 9pm recently and was struck by the stink of frying oil heavy in the air. But, not wanting to go on a walkabout outside, I ordered the crème brûlée trio. It looked nice and I tasted all three. Absolutely the worst textured custards I’ve ever paid for. I didn’t taste more than once from each flavor because it was so revolting. I’ll not go back.

One of the best restaurants in this city!
The food was excelent.
I had a clam chowder, which made me think I was eating the sea! So tasty, delicious!!!
The pasta with seafood was incredibly fresh.
Chef sent us a complimentary appetizer for taste testing and since it was my birthday, the chef also sent me a nice dessert plate.
Staff is very friendly and polite. Highly recommend!

It is quite decent, but it’s only decent. The food is hotel oriented, meaning meat, potatoes, and classic French style desserts. Cocktails are the basics, and I wouldn’t order beyond that. It’s hard for me to imagine the prices being justified even at twice the quality.

ABSOLUTELY THE BOMB!
One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in the city, as I was there a couple months back for a friend’s birthday. Local, organic food, freshness in all the ingredients, and topnotch service.
Had made a reservation, so had valet parking with it, which is definitely a plus. We ended up getting there later than our reserved time, but they were super friendly and accommodating, and seated us without a problem.
Some of the freshest food I’ve ever had, and the rack of lamb was amazing! Beautiful and delicious desserts too!
Definitely on the pricey side, but if you’re willing to pay for good food, definitely worth the visit!

*Review of Bar Only*
Epic, for a downtown/​hotel restaurant, seems dated. Most new hotels like the Shang (Momofuku), Four Seasons (Boulud) have restaurants that can stand on their own. Epic, on the other hand, is hardly noticed as you pass by.
But, I had a meeting at 6 which wasn’t enough time for me to have a full blown dinner, and I was by myself. So, being the prepared one, I thought I would go to a bar near my meeting to have drinks and apps. Epic popped into my mind.
I was there at 5 and no one is there to greet you. So, I walked myself in and went to the bar and a lovely old gentleman welcomed me. From that moment on, I was very happy. Bernardo, the elderly man who was in charge of the bar counter was excellent. I would go to that bar just for him. I splurged and had to glasses of Moet and Bernardo suggested corn fritters which were just right for me.
I can’t speak for Epic the restaurant, and I don’t think I would try. But the Epic Bar was lovely.

A great up scale restaurant where the service, food and ambience are a perfect marriage and proud representation of what the Fairmount Hotel embodies.
We ordered from a 3 course fixed menu. Nearly immediately after we’ve ordered, the waiter presented us with fresh bread and oil along with a sample of the chef’s latest addition to the menu. It was a lovely start!
The crab cake appetizer were unbelievably good! Real, never frozen crab meat packed into a well seasoned, lightly battered disc the size of half your palm. The dish came with 2.
We had to wait a while for our entrée but the waiter kept us well informed. The Cornish hen was tender and moist and the buffalo steak paired perfectly with the purée.
As for dessert, the chocolate cake was very rich so take your time with it. The assortment of crème brûlée was delightful: maple, cappuccino (not the best), and lavender (INSANELY GOOD)! We couldn’t eat another bite yet when we asked for the bill, a mini platter of biscottis and biscuits appeared with it! It was a lovely gesture nonetheless.
Although we came to Epic with a Groupon, the service and cuisine held true to how any regular customer would have been treated. It was a marvelous.

The service was excellent — the staff were attentive, courteous and friendly. The food was tasty, but the hot holding stations don’t keep things warm enough when you have multiple guests lifting lids (who I guess can’t read menu cards) that need to SEE each item before they don’t end up taking it.
You get juice, coffee and tea with the weekend brunch buffet so I had an endless pot of English Breakfast and my husband had coffee. He LOVED the sugar bowl so much that he used the sugar. He never adds anything to his coffee.
The only disappointment was some of the pastries were pretty dried out. I guess the «price isn’t high enough to keep riff raff out» (staff member’s words lol) — someone put a pastry in the toaster and it caught on fire. Also, there was an old guy going around eating out of cold buffet items, licking his fingers and touching service utensils. GROSS!

Ok, I typically wouldn’t trust a review that doesn’t include a picture but PLEASE trust me when I say that the new lunch menu from Epic is fabulous. I had the short rib and it was so decadent… melt in your mouth delish!
This is a great steak alternative for lunch.
Check it out and let me know what YOU think.
I was there today for a business lunch so I didn’t want to wip out my phone and start taking food-​selfies but seriously, the plate looked great!
Enjoy!

The 2 of us came to the epic lounge around 5:15pm on a Monday to grab a glass of wine. It was a great spot to have a quiet conversation and a glass of wine. We stay for 1.5 hours and didn’t feel rushed. I had a Raven’s Wood Zinfandel and my friend had a Chardonnay. Our server Robert was very gracious and helpful. The bill came to about $ 35 with tax and tip.

This was my third visit to Epic. One out of the two previous times I came for Summerlicious. So this was my first Winterlicious lunch experience here. Obviously my return was based on a positive experience. The service was good for the most part.
For starters I had the Royal York Seafood Chowder with Maritime Salmon, Scallops and Shrimp, and Fine Herbs. As soon as it arrived at the table, the aromatics convinced me I was going to like it. I absolutely loved it!!!
Then I had the Asparagus & Sesame Lobster Salad with
Citrus Yellow Beet Emulsion, Baby Blonde Frisee, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Sweet Onion Chili Vinaigrette. This was such a delight. The salad was perfectly dressed and the vinaigrette itself was really bright and full of flavor. The asparagus was bitter so I avoided it.
I finished off with a White Chocolate and Caramel Cheese Cake With Rhubarb Chutney. I loved the cheesecake and couldn’t get enough of it. The rhubarb chutney came off a tad bit savory on its own but worked well with the cheesecake.
This was another great experience at epic. I actually liked what I had during Summerlicious better. Maybe that’s because I’m partial towards scallops and braised short ribs. This lunch was obviously on the lighter side and much needed during Winterlicious. Keep up the good work epic.

Went out in a group to have dinner at epic. The place was comfortable but the food wasn’t fine dining and pricing was very high for what I received.
The dessert was terrible, I make crème brûlée at home all the time and its so simple (heated heavy cream slowly drizzled into mixture of whisked egg yolks & sugar which then sets in ramikin within a water bath in the oven)
The dessert I received was so heavy, like a pudding thickened with flour and nothing like a silky rich mouth feel of crème brûlée.
The halibut was so average, a little dry. the dish was rich and one note. No acidity to cut the richness of all the other elements (black lentils, spinach & turnips)
Enjoyed the crab cakes and beet salad was good just very tiny and decorative, however the elements of honey, beet and what tasted like fresh cheese curds worked well.

Seems redundant to say epic service at this place, but it is also the truth. A testament to Fairmont attention to detail.
Nightly live music, great wine selection and a decent beer selection, although being from Vancouver I’m used to more local craft style beers and more than 6 choices on draft.
The signature drink list is excellent too.
If you get to Toronto stop by for a drink and a nibble before heading to a game (which the Leafs/​Raptors/​Jays/​TFC) will probably lose. But at least you will have started the night out on a good note!

How about this is my new favourite place?
My boyfriend scored a groupon and took me here for my birthday. Everything was spectacular. From the service to the food. Beginning to end, we were beyond satisfied. I appreciated the fact that we received amazing food and brilliant service despite the fact we had a groupon.
Probably the best steak I’ve had in Toronto. Every course was beautifully prepared with the best ingredients. The wine list was huge and the wine we settled with was superb. On top of our four-​course meal, my boyfriend told the server it was my birthday. We got an additional dessert.
Needless to say, we stumbled up to our hotel room and fell into a drunk and food coma state. It was seriously one of the best meals of my life. ALSO the daily brunch buffet is the best. Fairmont Hotels are worth the price, groupon or not.
Bestest.

*GROUPON EXPERIENCE*
The Fairmont Royal York isn’t usually my type of hotel. It’s historic (a clever work marketers use for dated) and you’ll most likely find OLD money (no pun intended as the demographic is usually people 40+) as the usuals.
I bought a Groupon (4-​course dinner for 2 @ $ 99).
The food was nothing special and albeit being fine dining, did not excite my palate. We started with the seafood chowder, more roux than anything else, though definitely more seafood than you’d get usually and less fillers (e.g. potatoes). It was actually quite tasty despite the disclaimers above.
I had a Farm Fresh Ontario salad of black currants, walnuts, goat’s cheese, apples and a honey vinaigrette (the honey is taken from their rooftop apiary which I think is pretty cool).
For appetizers we opt for the maple-​braised pork belly served atop a buckwheat blini with apricot coulis and Swiss chard. The pork belly was quite flavorful (though the balance of salt and sugar was definitely more skewed towards the salty side — too much soy sauce!) The blini tasted like cardboard.
The best dish of the night is no doubt the Miso Black Cod as the fish is fatty and flakes off the fork. The dashi broth is poured onto the fish at the table. The Du Puy lentils were just meh.
I opt for the Surf + Turf of bison striploin and lobster tail. The bison is cooked to perfection, nice and pink on the inside, but being a leaner cut doesn’t have the same wow factor. The lobster tail was a tad overcooked.
Desserts are certainly eye-​catching, but fail when it comes to taste. My sister opts for the EPIC chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, salted peanut prailine and vanilla ice cream; chocolate cake is usually rich enough on its own, but douse it with a bit too much sugar and my fork is down in 2 bites.
The apple tarte tatin is a huge disappointment. This is a dish, that, when done properly, usually takes 15 minutes (minimum) time and is usually something that servers tell you to order ahead of time. This version consisted only of a bottom puff pastry that was so hard to cut into pieces (seeing as I was only afforded a spoon) and was mostly a dessert of cooked apples. It may have been salvageable if the apples were hot, hot, hot — but the dessert was below room temperature leaning more towards the colder side.
Service was slow and unenthusiastic. I don’t think I saw our server smile once. Maybe he’s of the type that thinks that Groupon customers don’t tip or have bad etiquette but I always tip on the full amount (of retail, not the Groupon). We also waited extremely long between our soup + salad to our appetizers. The server finally comes over and tells us he forgot to clock in our order in the kitchen — no smile and totally unapologetic.
I expected more from a restaurant called EPIC; and on top of that a restaurant housed inside the Fairmont Royal York which isn’t exactly a cheap place to stay.
I definitely won’t be back.

Elegant dining in one of Toronto’s most yet agining, but classy Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Came here for summerlicious 2013 lunch with some old work folks. Classy, modern, and robust service we were seated and ready to order. The lay out of this place pretty, and the open concept kitchen is a PLUS!
Straight to business.
Smoked Fenwood Farms Hen Rillettes; Grilled Garlic Toasts, Cider Gelee: ⁴⁄₅ yummy crisp bacon, and cider jelly really geled well! great for starters
Yogurt Cardamom Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Roasted Red Pepper, Citrus And Farro, Baby Zucchini, Dill Cucumber, Salsa: ⁴⁄₅
Perfectly cooked Atlantic salmon, beautiful outer bark, and soft tenderly cooked inside. The yogurt cardomom was an important component which added flavor to the blander salmon steak, as well the dill cucumbers created some freshness to the overall presentation of the dish!
Compressed Berries And Melon (vegetarian) Honey Mascarpone, Lemon Verbena: ⁴⁄₅
Kind of wished there was more mascarpone lol!!! however you have to really dig deep to the bottom of the fruit cup. Great presentation and full of fruits!
Overall dining experience was pleasant! and the waiters were very helpful!

A good 3.9
Relatively cozy old fashion pricey place, with good food, good combinations and ingredients. Cocktails are pretty good also!
However, portion sizes are limited and food is not served warm enough (perhaps more the fault of the waiters than that of the cooks).
May come back during a Summer or Winterlicious and with granpas/​granmas. Perhaps also the hotel ambiance has to do with the fact that I am not that eager to go again, although I had a great dinner there.