One place that’s been on my radar for a while now is Royal Dinette. Recommended to me by a wonderful French woman I met at work solidified my curiousity for this place. Fast forward to a couple months later and I finally found a reason to check it out – a catch up lunch with a friend who works in the area – Jessica! She had not been either, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
Before I go into the food, I’d like to say that this is one of the most gorgeous places in the city. It’s not super luxe like many restaurants, but it has this high-end but charming feel to it from the tiling of the floor to the deep green chairs at the Chef’s counter/bar area that look comfortable and the recessed ceilings. Beautiful and the first thing I noticed walking into the space.
During lunch time, they offer the option to have a 2 or 3 course meal. It’s a great way to be introduced to their great food. However, something else caught my eye – their Squid Ink Bucatini ($21). The dish is prepared with Humboldt squid, sea urchin butter, Calabrian chili and lemon garlic. Let me tell you that this dish absolutely floored me. Not only was it eye catching, the flavours were just so bright – spicy, lemony and a hint of smoke from the squid itself. It was brought together by the delicious slightly briney taste from the sea urchin butter. This dish is definitely a winner – so much so, that I almost forgot to take a photo before I dove into it (what a newbie mistake!).
I also tried their house made kombucha, not sparkling by the way, but still a nice pairing with my dish. I am definitely coming back to try more items off the menu!
Food: 5
Service: 4
Value: 4
Ambiance: 5
OVERALL: 4.5
