The Tasting Room

My husband and I just love this restaurant. If you like sharing food and tasting a bit of everything this place is the best. Last night we took a couple friends with us who have never been. We had quite a few of the appetizers they serve and doubled up on our favourites. The ahi tuna and duck wings are by far one of the best in the city. Our service was on point and the bottle of Caymus was delicious. Overall another great experience at the Tasting Room.

I haven’t been here for years but my most recent visit jogged my memory of why I used to visit so often! I went with a few girlfriends and shared a lot of appetizers, as well of cocktails and wine. Although the food prices have gone up, everything was well worth it (tuna is always excellent, mussels were different and flavourful, charcuterie board was more than generous). The food was excellent, wine fairly priced, and service great as always!

My friends and I came here for a birthday dinner one weekend and had a great time! Our server was very friendly and took the time to explain the menu and specials to us. The atmosphere of the place was nice despite the dark lighting.
I know the Tasting Room is known for their appetizers, but my friends and I all ordered a main and split a few apps. Their lobster poutine was very delicious but the portion size was quite small and there were only 2 – 3 pieces of lobster in it. The portion sizes of the mains definitely made up for it though. I ordered the pork tenderloin with a side of loaded mash and it was very flavorful! The portion of the tenderloin was so hefty that I barely touched my mashed potatoes. The sauce that they served with this dish was also great. My friends ordered a variety of mains (blue ribbon chicken, lobster stuffed chicken, steak, etc.) and they were all quite pleased as well.
Last but not least, our server brought us free birthday cheesecake with sparklers! I would definitely go again to try a few more appetizers because they have a great variety.

My wife and I had dinner there this evening. We enjoyed some appetizers and had a fantastic server.
Highly recommend The Tasting Room.
Fantastic food and fantastic service.

I took a friend who had never been to The Tasting Room out for dinner last night. Unfortunately this meal was not as memorable as my previous meals here.
We each ordered a flight of the Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The wine was served in good portion sizes adding value to the $ 12 flight. The wines themselves were decent but not inspiring. The complexity of each red did not increase as they should in a tasting. The «boldest» wines on the flight were flat and lacked deep tannins and intense flavours you hope to get from a complex cab.
We chose to split a variety of apps instead of each having a main. Our first Dish was the baked bre. It was very good, cheese was hot and melty and the baguette pieces were nicely toasted with good flavour.
Next was the lobster poutine, unfortunately this dish did not deliver as hoped. My lobster was dry and over cooked. The amount of lobster was probably adequate for the price but it just got lost in the heaping portion of fries. I would have enjoyed a bit more bernaise sauce to give the dish more of a poutine feel. It’s hard to make a poutine look sexy but… this presentation didn’t match up to the standards of this restaurant.
Fried risotto balls followed. The risotto balls were cooked well and had good colour with the right textures; though they lacked in flavour and seasoning. The spicy tomato sauce certainly helped bring life to the dish. I would order again.
Escargot soon arrived and they were good but not great. They were served with mushrooms and topped with cheese. I found the escargot got lost in the dish, too many mushrooms seemed to take over my pallet.
Our last dish was the beef tenderloin tips. This was the best dish of the day in my opinion. The beef was very tender and the sauce was light but flavourful. My friend though felt the cilantro flavour in the sauce was overwhelming and didn’t care for the dish.
We split the special dulce de loche cheesecake. It was just ok. A bit sweet for my taste but not too much sweetness for a caramel flavoured dessert.
The service was adequate. Our server was very friendly but distant. Our orders were taken promptly and the food came quick. Because we were splitting apps we had a lot of plates on the table. The plates took a very long time to be cleared after we had finished each.
It was a good meal overall but not as good as I have had in the past. My personal recommendation of dishes I have enjoyed previously are: the seared tuna loin, fiery pork, crab cakes and beef carpaccio.
Happy eating everyone!

I went to The Tasting Room recently with family and we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share. Their apps are incredibly tasteful and more filling than you’d except.
The brie cheese was a bit less delicious than I expected, but the garlic and artichoke dip was one of the best apps I’ve ever had — a must try. I also really liked the different sauces that came with the chicken skewers.
There is bread before your meal that comes with a flavoured butter (different one every day I believe).
Our server was nice, funny, and quick.
Would definitely return again!

Went to this restaurant on a weekend for dinner. Was seated at the bar, since with no doubt it was all booked. I would have to say the food was amazing! Best I have had in London, ON, so far.

The Marinated Blob strikes again… In London… Canada… sitting at the bar alone at The Tasting Room…
This was my last night (ever?) in London, Ontario so I took some other Unilocal reviews and made my way here.
Started off with the Kang’s firey pork with sesame cilantro spaetzel. Pork was delicious, slightly on the dry side and not that firey (I’m Indian, your 10 is my 2), but still edible and had great flavors… And edible I did… The whole thing… the spaetzel was really good, too, but ima tryin to watch my blobish figure so I left about a spoonful on the plate. It’s good, and if you ain’t blob-​ish, it’s probably enough for 1 person as an entrée.
I paired the pork with a pretty good local Steam Whistle beer (local meaning Toronto)…the really really local beer from London, Ontario they had on tap, I didn’t like. Not sure the name… but it was like watered down beer, I rejected it after having a sample. Reed, the bartender, was good about giving me a different sample (although his facial expression made me feel like he had a stake in the company when he took my tasting glass). Probably not the best first impression I made.
After the beer and pork, the Blob was still hungry. Debating between the seared ahi tuna loin and the beef tenderloin carpaccio (Reed’s favourite… SEE THAT, HALF-​WAY CANADIAN, eh?), I went with the ahi tuna. No complaints, cooked perfectly, and all went down the gullet. Salad and dipping sauces were on point! Paired that with a Creemore Springs brew they had on tap. The brew was better than the first Steam Whistle one I had.
Blob, still thirsty and in need of a night cap… Forty Creek rye Whiskey, neat, was used to polish off the evening. Good flavor and bite to it… And Canadian!
All good food and drink. Gonna sleep like a blobby.
Don’t debate, go there… Stop reading reviews and jump off the cliff already. You’ll have plenty more meals in your lifetime to make up for it if you don’t like it… and eat something different from what you’ve had already. The tasting room has plenty to offer.
London, Ontario did not disappoint.
Blob-​on!

My most recent visit was for my mom’s birthday. I really like going here because I know the food quality is solid and there is a great selection of dishes, especially their appetizers to fulfill the tasting room aspect. I always want to order the lobster lollipops and bacon wrapped scallops. This time I got lobster poutine. I was a bit leery of the bearnaise sauce and it did sweeten the dish but not overly so. It helped that the fries were rustic shoestring and cooked perfectly.
Tip: the white truffle aioli from the steak and frites meal (that my sister ordered) with the poutine is *amazing* and it should come as a side. LOL

I’ve been there many times. This place can do no wrong! The food is always amazing and the service is great. Always enjoy the specials, and especially the maple glazed lamb! I wish they always had that available.

We went to the Tasting Room after a team-​building event. We made reservations but were about 20 minutes early so we waited at the bar. This place gets packed on a Thursday night! There was a couple happily munching down some apps at the bar for dinner, they all smelled amazing and looked just as good. The bartenders were quick on the draw and the drinks were good, a bit strong, but good (its hard to mess up a vodka-​7 but my co-​worker loved his very spicy Caesar).
When we were seated the waitress read out the specials and could tell that we had interest in their meat and cheese board so she gave us the meats and cheeses of the night.
We ordered a meat and cheese board, spare ribs, and spring rolls as an appetizer. The meats and cheeses were wonderful and fresh, she noticed we didnt have as much as other tables did so she brought out more. The ribs were fall of the bone amazing (reminded me of my moms ribs which are the best), and the spring rolls were nicely wrapped and fresh as well. The only thing was the dipping sauce for them was a bit acidic for my tastes.
I ordered the crab and lobster stuffed chicken in a saffron sauce. I found it was a tiny bit dry and the taste of the skin on the chicken kind of took over sometimes but the lobster and crab was amazing. Paired with the sauce it was very tasty. Everyone else thoroughly enjoyed their meals which was fish, tenderloin, and the philly cheese. It was a brand new menu starting that night I believe. Either way, it all was well received.
We also ordered the sangria for 2 near the end of the night. It was perfect. Not too sweet and the notes from the wine really shone through.
My coworker who is new to London returned not long after to bring her friend in for her birthday. It is a great spot for a celebration, intimate dinner, or a drink or bite before the theatre.

I am not going to
write a book here but the tasting room is worthy of a more detailed review. What can I say I’m a man of few words. Mahi mahi special was delightful as was Melissa very efficient lacking a little warmth that this out of towner desires. None the less TTR did not disappoint. Very good food, I will be back.

I have gone here with co workers for lunch twice now and gotten the Baja fish taco! They are amazing with a side of Salad! I have also tried the scallop salad and they have been cooked to perfection!

Their service is the worst among Richmond row restaurants. I’ve been to almost every restaurant around the area. I have to say this one is the most racist restaurant I’ve never been in London. When we entered it and told her we had a reservation and our friend was probably here already, the recipient girl said we might entered the wrong restaurant without checking reservation list, and told us garlic is the next door. I asked her if she saw a single lady got in 10min ago, she insisted she didn’t see any ASIAN girl came in. Well, why Asian’s friend must be Asian?
Our waitress had never smiled to us and when she came to take order she just said:” ok, what do u want?” She had never gave us her name, and had never asked if we want any dessert. Bill just came along, we didn’t even ask for it. The more ridiculous thing was, she brought credit card machine to us when we were having our tea and desserts, asked us directly how do we wanna pay. That was 9:30 to 10ish. People were still around and tables were also available. And, i promise we were just typical customers. I couldn’t find a decent reason for her of doing this.

The Tasting Room is right of the heart of Richmond Row. It’s always busy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to get a table without a reservation. The full menu is available at the bar. They are open for lunch and dinner.
The crowd is a mix of pre-​theatre patrons, professional singles and small groups. There always seems to be a celebration going on at one of the tables.
The space is divided into three areas — the front area, the rear raised area and the bar. There are banquettes and tables in the front and rear areas. The had to redecorate after a flood upstairs a few years ago, but it’s not wildly different than it was before.
The menu has mains and small plates. The small plates are the real draw, not that there is anything wrong with the mains. Three or four of the small plates are plenty for two people. Faves include the lobster lollipops ($ 13), seared Ahi tuna ($ 12) and Kang’s fiery pork ($ 11). Allergies can be accommodated if servers are advised at the outset. Mains run from $ 14 to $ 32.
The «tasting» part of the name refers to both the small plates and the wine flights. They have two white flights (chardonnay and sauvignon blanc), two red flights (shiraz and cabernet) plus two changing feature flights (one white, one red). The main flights are $ 12 for four two oz. pours. It’s a great way to try wines from different regions.
Service tends to be quicker at the bar than at the tables. Many of the staff are professional servers so expect good service.

I went to dinner here on Saturday night after rave reviews from other people. My experience, however was mediocre at best. Everyone kept telling me that the restaurant is known for its appetizers, and to pass on the main course– this for SURE is true.
We ordered the Crab Cakes– it is supposed to be their specialty, but i’d give it a 3.5÷5. The cakes themselves lacked flavour. All the taste was in the sauce
Next– Garlic and Artichoke Dip– great dip, though not a show stopper. great if you are sharing with a group, because it is a large portion and quite heavy
Baby Back Ribs– these were quite tasty. However, if you frequent Asian restaurants often, well they make them better there
Kang’s Fiery Pork– these were also quite good, but once again, not spectacular
Finally, for the main course: Crab and Lobster Stuffed Chicken with mashed potatoes. This was a total disappointment! The chicken was dry, the lobster and crab were tasteless. There was nothing special about this dish, and in fact tasted like a generic stuffed, dry chicken you get at every restaurant. The entrees are definitely not worth it at this restaurant.
Overall, I’d say that this restaurant was good, but not great. It has a great atmosphere, and interesting concept, however, it really needs to up its game in terms of flavour and taste.

I went here for date night with my out of town boyfriend. We were looking for a semi-​fancy restaurant and friends had suggested that The Tasting Room might fit the bill.
I’m a vegetarian, but I’m usually fine as long as there’s an option for me on the menu or the kitchen is willing to adapt an item to be meatless. However, the veg item (which sounded ok on the menu) was pretty unappetizing when it came to the table. It was basically a number of mushrooms, stacked, with plain tomato sauce dumped over the top and some cheese grated on it. The dish was bland (and to be honest, kind of bizarre) and felt overpriced for what it was.
My boyfriend got a chicken dish and thought it was great. I assume they’re generally pretty good, just not totally vegetarian friendly.
One thing I can say I LOVED was the flights of wine. We did the red flight and it was incredible. Several small glasses of wine, ordered from light to dark. The idea of doing a mini-​tasting was really fun. I would go back just to do this again.

Have been numerous times and never disappointed. Excellent food and variety and generous-​sized appetizers. Service was fast and professional.

I was at the Tasting room for dinner on sunday. We had a reservation and when we arrived there weren’t that many people… more people came in as we were eating dinner, the crowd was decent on a sunday evening. The waiter that served our table was pretty good, but the wait time was really long, I think there were only 2 waiter/​waitress in the room, as far as I can tell. We shared 2 appetizers: Seared Ahi tuna and escargot. They were both really good! If you enjoy tuna sashimi, then the ahi tuna is definitely for you! I got the portobello mushroom tower, it was really good, the portion size was decent and the taste was excellent! The halibut dish was good too, but if you get rice, the rice was slightly undercooked and drenched in butter… The lobster stuffed chicken was really good as well, it goes really well with mashed potatoes and veggies. For dessert, we got carrot cake and chocolate cheese cake. They were standard desserts, nothing too special.
Overall, it was a good experience. I would definitely go back!

Med-​large portions for the appitizers and tasty. 4 out of 5 for quality and taste. I had a tuna ahi app with Cesar salad and my partner had a garden salad with the chicken satays.