Sous Sol, Sophisticated French Cuisine

After this year's Raw Almond experience with Chef Mike Robins, I was eager to try his latest restaurant Sous Sol, one of the two restaurants in the city that have taken up the Speakeasy trend. Excited to see what Sous Sol has to offer, we gathered a group of residents friends and headed off in search of Sous Sol's location.

Located at the southern edge of Osborne Village, its location is tricky to find: an unmarked overhead canopy with stairs that lead down to glass doors that simply say Vandelay Industries. Past these glass doors are another set of stairs that lead you down to an old giant rug and a large wooden door, but behind this door you will find warmth and inviting French music that beckon you into a secret world. The interiors are an eclectic assortment of antique chairs, lighting and table settings. The menu itself features French-style cuisine and is a constantly changing collection of starters, mains and sides. The service staff is very knowledgeable and flexible, offering appropriate changes for our group to cater to food allergies and even checked to see if the Chef was able to offer a vegetarian main, which they did.

Parisienne Dumplings was one of the sides offered for the evening and a popular choice among the group. Similar to gnocchi, these dumplings are made from pâte à choux, a flour-based dough instead of potatoes, making them lighter and more fluffy than the standard gnocchi. Tonight's version used a butternut squash interior with curry. The Parisienne dumplings were very soft and chewy, but without much flavour. This was made up for by the butternut squash that burst from the interiors. The hint of curry was a nice addition and gave an added depth of flavour, but I wish there was more than a subtle hint.

Rack of Lamb was the main of choice for a couple of people in our dining group. A Pistachio crust on the tender lamb with a couple of different sauces including one resembling tomato puree. The lamb was cooked rare for me with just the tiniest of sear on the outside. And while this allows for the inherent juiciness of the lamb to come through, the meat was a touch too rare and gamey for my liking. Compounding the issue is the lack of seasoning found on the lamb with the pistachio crust simply giving a slight crunch but nary flavour; instead I relied on the aforementioned sauces to give even the slightest of taste to the dish. Overall slightly disappointing.

The meat on the Braised Shortrib was the perfect fall off the bone tender. The two large pieces of meat had an enticing aroma of the ?wine based braising liquid mixed in with the juices of the beef. And the flavour had indeed permeated through the meat giving the tendrils of shortrib a strong and robust rich taste. The nut topping helped give a bit of crunch to the main. Definitely the favourite of the two mains we tried.

Braised Cabbage was another of the sides offered on this menu. The braised cabbage was very nicely cooked and full of sweet and a hint of tangy flavour. Almost like a picked cabbage, but less tart. A nice vegetable option for a mainly meat and starch-filled menu, but nothing special.

A couple of options were offered for desserts, but I had to try the Crème Brûlée. Beautifully presented, it was served in an antique cup and saucer pairing with an antique souvenir spoon. Tonight's was a chocolate variation: crisp, crunchy caramelized top broke away to delicious chocolatey goodness. Creamy rich, but not too sweet, chocolate and Nutella combination was the perfect way to end the night.

Sous Sol is a restaurant who's location is shrouded in mystery. The 1920s ambiance and atmosphere offers a unique setting which I have not previously experienced. Overall solid French cuisine, of which some impressed more than others. But with the ever changing menu, you never know what might be on the menu, adding to the intrigue of the restaurant. If you're looking for a different kind of dining experience, Sous Sol is worth the search.