Golden Spoons Review: Grand Old House

CNS Editor | 10/04/2016

(CNS Foodie): Before I get going on the review for Grand Old House, I have a confession to make. I’ve neglected even considering GOH as a dinner option for years. After looking at their dinner menu online, I remember thinking how boring and mundane it was. Here we are three years later, and my partner and I decided to give it a go. We were pleasantly surprised at how amazing the food was.

The options for appetizers and mains were vast and creative, so much so, it took quite some time to decide on what to have. We started with the Parma Ham wrapped Diver Scallops ($14) and the Tuna Nikkey Timbale appetizer special ($14). Both starters were fabulous! The crispy tempura and quinoa mixed within the tuna was a nice touch, and the thinly sliced cucumber on the bottom was a great addition. The Parma ham was actually crisp and the baked apple and citrus sauces added the perfect balance to the dish.

Since we started with seafood, we both opted for the land main courses. The C.A.B. Tenderloin was served with a truffle potato croquet, grilled asparagus and root vegetables. Aside from it being just slightly over cooked (I asked for medium rare), it was very tasty, and for CI$39, the portion was generous enough to leave me a lunch for the next day.

We also tried the Pork Belly, served with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted root vegetables. If there was one thing to take away from both dishes, I think it was the root vegetables. Call me crazy, but I don’t like it when main courses come out with the same sides. Granted, it’s not nearly as cheeky as Calypso Grill, but we both had the root veggies (carrots, beets and a grilled mushroom) as part of our sides. I feel this takes away from the uniqueness of their dishes, almost like it’s an afterthought or “just toss a few more veggies on their plates”.

Overall, their plating was nice (more so for the appetizers than the mains) and the flavors were well balanced. GOH has a pretty extensive wine list, but it’s not overbearing and the staff is very accommodating if you have questions. We ended up with a decent Italian red blend for $40, which went perfectly with our meal. Our server, Alex, was very attentive but not over the top. He had great knowledge of the menu, was professional, courteous and was very helpful in the wine decision process.

Of course, we were pretty stuffed at this point, but still had half the bottle of wine left and needed some chocolate to go with that — Chocolate Dome please! A very decadent, chocolate mousse, loaded with Grenache and pecans. It was delicious, but we ran out of the raspberry puree sauce that was gently decorated on the plate. I think if they had a bit more of that or maybe another strawberry or something fruity, it would have been perfect.

I don’t ever like admitting I was wrong but tonight’s experience at GOH has turned me into a fan. We will be back before three more years; that is certain. There are only a few things I found to be quite cheesy: the fact that GOH is plastered on everything — every dish says it, the wine glasses, even the shot glasses! We all know where we’re dining; we don’t need to be reminded of it with every sip we take or course we get. I know, it’s been around since 1908. That’s a long time and a huge accomplishment, but do you really need to have GOH carved on your wine glasses too?

And the lighting. I’m one of those “light Nazi” people, always turning off lights, dimming lights, changing the lights. Lighting places a huge factor on ambience and should not be overlooked. This deck is absolutely massive, and it has tons of lamp-post style lights around the perimeter as well as around the tented area of the outside deck. The lights are too bright along the water’s edge, which takes away from the atmosphere. The lights underneath the tent are those awful energy-efficient surgical style white lights. Change those to the soft white, or better yet, turn them almost completely off if the tented area isn’t being used.

Our GOH experience was delightful, with the exception of the bright lights. Reasonably priced and great service. Thank you GOH. We will be back!