Last night we finally made it to Restaurant 20 Victoria, the only downtown Michelin-starred restaurant east of Yonge. It was an outstanding meal: the food which was excellent from start to end, the wine pairings which were consistently intriguing, the service which was timely but never obtrusive, and even the atmosphere which was busy and buzzy but intimate and not too loud.

• Crab & citrus salad (Yves Dupont Bugey ‘Originelle’ Brut, Savoie, France*)
• Mackerel on toast & cabbage (António Madeira Branco, Dao, Portugal)
• Scallop & potato in chicken broth (Plume Savagnin, Jura, France)
• Sweetbread & currant, with milk bun (Domaine Paul Ginglinger Muscat, Alsace, France)
• Lamb & squash (Vino Gross Furmint, Gorca, Slovenia)
• Cheese, lavash & apricot (Tissot Macvin Blanc, Jura, France)
• Desserts:
  • Almond cake w/ sour cherry (Laurent Cazottes Guines & Guins Wild Cherry Liqueur)
  • Sunchoke & apple ladyfinger-ish (Finca San Blas Vino Dulce)

Every course was excellent, and if you had told me that the wine pairing for lamb would be a dry Slovenian furmint, I never would have believed you, but it worked somehow (probably the clam sauce). If I had to pick favourites, I guess it would be the crab & citrus salad, and the lamb, but there were no weak points.

Another point in their favour: we left feeling full, but not too full. Unlike some other Michelin joints I didn’t need a slice of pizza on the way home, but nor was I in pain. That’s a wonderful balance.

All in all, one of the best meals we’ve had out in quite a while.