Recently, I got asked to go on a casual dinner date by a friend, following up with a movie. It didn't occur to me that the term, "casual" means fine dining at a restaurant that I've once chosen for my parent's 33rd anniversary dinner celebration. I did not prepare as I would like to be, both in appearance and mentally.



Terra has a cozy and fairly romantic atmosphere with super elegant chandeliers across the dining area. I am a real sucker for chandeliers. The last time I was here, they even had a live jazz band to spice up the dining experience. The staffs are friendly and responsive. A good selection of wines are available on their menu, and our server was knowledgeable in pairing our entrée with a good glass of wine that fit each of our taste.





Although I was unprepared for how not casual the night turns out to be but the food helped bring us together along with some ironically carefree conversations. Originally I thought I’d go for the Winterlicious menu given that it is during that time of the year. But soon I found out instead, they have their own Prix Fixe menu every Sunday, called the Sunday'licious. A pretty clever business strategy in my opinion. With their Sunday'licious' menu, you pretty much get the same entrees as from the a la carte menu, though some options are slightly more expensive than others and you'll have to sub in the price difference.

My date ordered an Ostrich filet which is not part of the Prix Fixe menu so he had to order his Caesar Salad on the side. Because we decided to share the Calamari, I also just ordered an Atlantic Salmon on its own. After we placed our order, our server diligently suggested that getting the Sunday'licious' menu would be a better deal, since with $5 dollars more, we get the salad and also a dessert. Of course, we'd go for that. I wanted their Chocolate Torte.

Classic Caesar Salad

Then the moment of awkwardness! We didn't know how to share our dishes without continuously spooning off from each other's plate! At the time, ordering an extra plate did not come to mind. Perhaps, we both thought it would be awkward to do that in a classy environment, especially on our first date. It was hilarious just thinking back about it now and I ended up finishing the entire Caesar Salad that was supposed to be his.

The Calamari was delicious. It is a minced dish with sautéed tomatoes, garlic and spinach, also served with homemade crispy shrimp chips. Ideally, it would be the perfect appetizers to share, maybe except for us. Haha. After the appetizers, we were served with a really fresh lemon sorbet with mint leaf to help clear our mouth before our entrees (That was my guess of  reason for this complimentary dish). Both our entrees were above par. Perfectly grilled and flavourful Atlantic Salmon.  The Ostrich filet cooked to perfection, juicy and tender in the centre. My date clearly enjoyed it a lot even though he said it tasted quite like beef.

Lemon Sorbet with Mint Leaf

Grilled Centre Cut Atlantic Salmon

Grilled Ostrich Fan Filet

As for the dessert, the Chocolate Torte reminded me of my favourite molten lava cake, except that there's no melting chocolate ganache inside. This flourless torte is super moist and warm in texture with a crunchy caramelized glaze on top. It could almost feel like the torte melted right in your mouth. The light banana flavoured ice cream compliments well with the torte, making it not too sweet and filling after a big meal.

Chocolate Torte with Banana Ice Cream

Overall, it was a wonderful first date dinner. Kudos to my date for being such a gentleman the entire night, and bringing me to this fine restaurant with quality food and service. He sure did leave me a good impression after this night.