The Black Toro

Time: Dinner (1st session: 5.30-8pm)
Location: 79 Kingsway,
               Glen Waverley

Truck:
To help celebrate our 1st week starting up this blog, I have decided to blog about The Black Toro which I visited a couple of nights ago with DJ. I had heard that the former sous chef from Ezard started up this trendy restaurant - and since I am in love with the spectacular food served at Ezard, I was looking forward to trying Spanish/Mexican inspired The Black Toro.

The Black Toro has two sittings. DJ and I had a reservation from 6.30pm onwards and were told we had to be out by 8pm. Was it enough time? Definitely - the dishes came out at just the right intervals, giving us enough time to digest the meal before yet not so much time that we had to wonder when the next dish would come. The table service was a bit slow though - there were a couple of occasions during our meal where we had to ask for our water glasses to be refilled.

Between 2 people, they recommend 2-3 small plates and 1 large plate to share. Being on a budget, DJ and I decided to go for 2 small plates, 1 large plate & dessert.

 The menu 

Kingfish ceviche, cucumber, avocado & finger lime dressing ($18)

I love good raw fish and the kingfish in this dish did not disappoint. The kingfish was fresh, however the flavours were light and did not pack a punch. The avocado was a fair balance to complement the lime dressing but I did feel that the lime dressing might have been too overwhelming. Overall, a refreshing dish - one which I would recommend in summer but would probably stay away from in winter. 

Potato & chorizo croquette with manchego foam ($4 each)

In contrast to the previous poco (small) plate, the croquette was quite heavy in its flavours but absolutely delicious. Once you open up the shell of the croquette, you enter a wonderful smooth blend of potato and chorizo which by looking at it, would make your mouth water. The portion size was perfect - any more than 1 croquette would have been too overpowering. The manchego foam was a great addition. The only downfall (and this is me being nit-picky) was that I did not reach chorizo pieces until the last 1/4 of the croquette - maybe it was an inconsistent blend? But to be honest, that was the least of my worries.

 Sher wagyu eye fillet (220gm) with smoked potato mousse, garlic mojo, parsley & shallot ($38)

 Moving onto the grande (large) plate, we were presented with the wagyu eye fillet. The wagyu was cooked perfectly, it was soft, tender and the dish altogether was packed with flavour. Just looking at the size of this dish, however, made us raise the question .. is this really a main? The 3 slices of wagyu shared between the 2 of us was not enough to satisfy our bellies!

Deconstructed peanut butter cheesecake, chocolate ice-cream & honeycomb ($14)

The long awaited deconstructed peanut butter cheesecake. WAS IT WORTH IT? YES, every spoonful tasted like heaven. You cannot rush through this dessert, as one needs enough time to appreciate the flavours. The idea to deconstruct a peanut butter cheesecake is brilliant - it allows you to taste the different elements (the peanut butter cheesecake & chocolate icecream) separately, together, separately, together, separately, together.. until the dessert is all gone :O
Be warned though, the peanut butter cheesecake element of the dish does get a bit too sweet but that did not stop me from finishing it off that night!

Overall, the quality of the food was excellent but it did hurt the hip-pocket and both our appetites were not 100% satisfied by the end of the meal. The flavours are very different to the ones I have experienced at Ezard (fusion Asian) which just shows the versatility and skill of the head chef. Maybe next time I will save up and try the $60 banquet - instead of eating on a slightly overstretched student budget.

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