Toucan & The Lion Revisited
Posted on | March 1, 2012 | 2 Comments
I first visited back in December (review) and tried a few dishes from what I thought was the full menu. It turns out that that was just the tip of the iceberg & the complete menu is now in full swing. Not much has changed, but there are now 8 shared plates, 5 mains, 5 sides & a few desserts.
It was nice to hear that business has picked up recently, but I was glad that there wasn’t a wait when we arrived. I’m gradually trying to work my way around the drink menu and had enjoyed the Thai Fighter last time, but I decided to try The Lion which has ginger, kaffir lime & a dash of Sriracha for added heat. I think that’s my go to drink from now on, but others still swear by The Toucan.
Sticky Pear & Arugula Salad
We actually didn’t order this dish, but there was a bit of a mix-up & it arrived at out table. It came with spiced pecans, pork crackling & sake vinaigrette. I’m not much of a salad eater, but I really liked the caramelized pear & who can argue with pork cracklings!
Scotch Eggs
I was really excited about this addition to the menu, it’s not easy to find a good Scotch Egg around here and their interpretation changes the game with duck sausage & kaffir lime aioli. Just looking at these things were enough to get my blood pumping. The eggs were perfectly runny & the five-spice in the duck sausage added loads & loads of flavor. There was a lovely outer breading & I liked the aioli; a win all the way around.
Goat Pot Pie
I grew up eating frozen Banquet pot pies & do love goat, so I was stoked about this addition to the menu. I’ll admit that I was initially disappointed when it arrived at the table; the pie had been deconstructed & childhood memories of having to tear into the steaming crust were dashed. Gone is the ‘pie’ & in it’s place is roti, a bread made from wholemeal flower. The pie has super-tender goat, sweet & purple potatoes and an amazing braising liquid that is just made to be soaked up with the roti.
Kaffir Lime Custard
New on the menu & insanely good, I was really very impressed. We made the mistake of eating most of the custard before realizing that there was a delicious graham cracker crumble at the bottom of the cup… It really adds a nice texture & flavor.
If you get this dessert, remember to dig deep!
Most of the dishes from my previous visit are still on the menu, so I didn’t bother to recap them again. The Drunken Manila Clams & the Burger are both highly recommended, but I have as yet to try them. I guess I’ll save that for me next visit.
So that’s 2 great meals under my belt, I’ll be coming back again.
The Toucan And The Lion: 342 East 6th Street off of 1st Avenue
Previous coverage here
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March 1st, 2012 @ 9:14 pm
[…] coverage here The Toucan And The Lion: 342 East 6th Street off of 1st […]
March 2nd, 2012 @ 8:47 am
[…] East Village Eats has another good meal at the Toucan and the Lion, and is especially excited that Scotch eggs have been added to the menu. […]