Update: 2022-Oct-02 - The Old Mill's AYCE menu is back, with a weekend brunch buffet (now $45) so happy to return Old Mill to the list! May need a revisit given the changes...
The Old Mill Inn is located near its very own eponymous subway station on the Bloor line in Toronto's west end, so is very easy to get to. It offers weekday lunch and weekend brunch buffets; I went for the former. Old Mill is a staple of Toronto's upper crust, and the lunch offerings certainly reflected this as there was plenty that is higher-end and unique to AYCEs. There were plenty of other people there as well, mostly older. The lunch buffet was served in a very nice dark wood interior setting with a vaulted ceiling.
Chicken noodle soup was very good and definitely homemade, with much savor, though it needed a tiny dash of salt to bring out the flavor; it's better that the salt is left out for the diner to add. It also had bones in it... beware. There is a wonderful cheese selection including bocconcini, bleu and cheddar all of which were very tasty. Cold meat selection included ham, roast beef, salami and was also very good and fresh. There was a proper antipasto setup including black olives, artichoke hearts, bocconcini, and red and yellow roasted peppers. Caesar salad dressing was good and tangy, appearing to be made on premises but a bit understated. There is plenty of parmesan nearby though to add flavor. Creamy vegetable puree soup was very good as the tomatoes were not allowed to dominate. Tomatoes did dominate the chicken cacciatore but I guess they were supposed to; it was good but needed a little more spicing. Penne primavera also had much tomato flavour although there was sufficient basil that it was enjoyed.
Sole florentine was deliciously buttery though the herbs worked in two opposite directions but it was still enjoyable. It is good that roast beef is present, but it needed a little more savour so I think that it was a reheat. The gravy was good but was dominated by sage if you're into that... I find it's more of a poultry seasoning. Happily the gravy went beautifully with the dill mashed potatoes, which were absolutely perfect, among the best mashed potatoes I have ever had. Bismark pickled herring was pickled well enough that most of the fishy flavour was suppressed. Of course the smoked salmon was the star of the show, at least my show, and was very happy to have it. Smoked mackerel was also delicious, and like the herring was done properly so most of his fishiness was gone. Honestly-labelled surimi crab salad was delicious, also with just enough dill to bring up the flavour and very well seasoned. Baby shrimp salad was also very good and well-seasoned.
Creamy potato salad was alright, but I would have added more dill to the seasoning dressing. Prune and apricot-stuffed pork loin with demiglaze was interesting and flavorful and thankfully not too sweet. Creamy corfu veal stew I tried even though I'm not big on eating baby animals, and it was delicious but I had very little of it. Ratatouille was very good and seemed authentically spiced.
For dessert, rice pudding was wonderfully flavoured with lemon and orange notes and other hints... fantastic. Chocolate mousse was wonderfully bittersweet and delicious full of flavour. Coconut panna cotta was also fantastic with plenty of flavour, I don't see this desert often at AYCEs and it is missed. Pecan pie was good and appeared to be made on premises, but I've had slightly fresher. Mango and coconut tart was very good and definitely made on premises. Fruit mousse cake was fantastic, bursting with fruit flavour including the little decorative candy beads on the topping. New York cheesecake was excellent, and very fresh full of flavour. At this point I actually asked a waitress if they had a French or other similarly-trained pâtissier on staff, and indeed they did, and it showed.
Service was very fast, I could barely put a plate down before it was taken away. Beware the lunch time is only from noon till two, so don't arrive late because precisely at two the lights go out and they start packing it up. Lunch was $29.99, which would certainly be steep elsewhere but was mostly offset by the quality of the offerings (and the locale.) The desserts certainly stole the show.
Rating: 7.5/10
Chicken noodle soup was very good and definitely homemade, with much savor, though it needed a tiny dash of salt to bring out the flavor; it's better that the salt is left out for the diner to add. It also had bones in it... beware. There is a wonderful cheese selection including bocconcini, bleu and cheddar all of which were very tasty. Cold meat selection included ham, roast beef, salami and was also very good and fresh. There was a proper antipasto setup including black olives, artichoke hearts, bocconcini, and red and yellow roasted peppers. Caesar salad dressing was good and tangy, appearing to be made on premises but a bit understated. There is plenty of parmesan nearby though to add flavor. Creamy vegetable puree soup was very good as the tomatoes were not allowed to dominate. Tomatoes did dominate the chicken cacciatore but I guess they were supposed to; it was good but needed a little more spicing. Penne primavera also had much tomato flavour although there was sufficient basil that it was enjoyed.
Sole florentine was deliciously buttery though the herbs worked in two opposite directions but it was still enjoyable. It is good that roast beef is present, but it needed a little more savour so I think that it was a reheat. The gravy was good but was dominated by sage if you're into that... I find it's more of a poultry seasoning. Happily the gravy went beautifully with the dill mashed potatoes, which were absolutely perfect, among the best mashed potatoes I have ever had. Bismark pickled herring was pickled well enough that most of the fishy flavour was suppressed. Of course the smoked salmon was the star of the show, at least my show, and was very happy to have it. Smoked mackerel was also delicious, and like the herring was done properly so most of his fishiness was gone. Honestly-labelled surimi crab salad was delicious, also with just enough dill to bring up the flavour and very well seasoned. Baby shrimp salad was also very good and well-seasoned.
Creamy potato salad was alright, but I would have added more dill to the seasoning dressing. Prune and apricot-stuffed pork loin with demiglaze was interesting and flavorful and thankfully not too sweet. Creamy corfu veal stew I tried even though I'm not big on eating baby animals, and it was delicious but I had very little of it. Ratatouille was very good and seemed authentically spiced.
For dessert, rice pudding was wonderfully flavoured with lemon and orange notes and other hints... fantastic. Chocolate mousse was wonderfully bittersweet and delicious full of flavour. Coconut panna cotta was also fantastic with plenty of flavour, I don't see this desert often at AYCEs and it is missed. Pecan pie was good and appeared to be made on premises, but I've had slightly fresher. Mango and coconut tart was very good and definitely made on premises. Fruit mousse cake was fantastic, bursting with fruit flavour including the little decorative candy beads on the topping. New York cheesecake was excellent, and very fresh full of flavour. At this point I actually asked a waitress if they had a French or other similarly-trained pâtissier on staff, and indeed they did, and it showed.
Service was very fast, I could barely put a plate down before it was taken away. Beware the lunch time is only from noon till two, so don't arrive late because precisely at two the lights go out and they start packing it up. Lunch was $29.99, which would certainly be steep elsewhere but was mostly offset by the quality of the offerings (and the locale.) The desserts certainly stole the show.
Rating: 7.5/10
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