Foods from 222 Lyon Tapas Bar
Comments
2013 Jan 1
My husband and I went to 222 Lyon a couple weeks ago with our groupon. It was once upon a time our favourite date night restaurant until I got a tapas cookbook and started cooking at home.
The food was delicious, as always. We had the chorizo sausage, a chicken dish, a shrimp dish, scallops and the mussels. The food was great and the mussels were the best part, I've never had a complaint about the food here. The wine was good too, with a nice selection and price point for everyone. While the food is great I will say that the atmosphere is not what it used to be. I feel like it is a bit rushed now, with less time to linger and enjoy. A couple years ago we would sit at one of the little tables for hours and have a romantic date, but it just doesn't have the same feel, the service is spotty now. We'll definitely return and give it another go, I still love the food.
The food was delicious, as always. We had the chorizo sausage, a chicken dish, a shrimp dish, scallops and the mussels. The food was great and the mussels were the best part, I've never had a complaint about the food here. The wine was good too, with a nice selection and price point for everyone. While the food is great I will say that the atmosphere is not what it used to be. I feel like it is a bit rushed now, with less time to linger and enjoy. A couple years ago we would sit at one of the little tables for hours and have a romantic date, but it just doesn't have the same feel, the service is spotty now. We'll definitely return and give it another go, I still love the food.
2012 Aug 28
My girlfriend and I had a wonderful evening at 222 Lyon last Friday night. Utilizing a groupon, we ordered Snails Andalusian, the chinata shrimp and the spicy mussels. With a glass of wine, a beer and the tip, it came to about 70 dollars. I find this place a little on the pricy side, but the groupon made it all worthwhile.
Both the snails and the shrimp were fantastic! The snails were served in a very rich garlicky sauce which consisted of chorizo and sautéed mushrooms; all covered in a sherry reduction. This amazing dish lingered in my mouth well into the evening! The shrimp (sauteed chorizo, mushrooms, peppers & wine ) although less flavourful, were big and juicy.
Both the snails and the shrimp were fantastic! The snails were served in a very rich garlicky sauce which consisted of chorizo and sautéed mushrooms; all covered in a sherry reduction. This amazing dish lingered in my mouth well into the evening! The shrimp (sauteed chorizo, mushrooms, peppers & wine ) although less flavourful, were big and juicy.
2012 Aug 28
My favourite dish of the night was the spicy mussels which were in a beautiful cream sauce (dijon with white wine. chili & cream). The sauce wasn’t spicy per say, but after the whole bowl was finished, there was a nice bite that remained in my mouth. The mussel quality could have been slightly better – I find Johnny Farina’s mussels much bigger, fresher and juicier – but at any rate, the sauce at 222 Lyon was really delicious.
The servers try to upsell a lot, so as a general rule, 3 dishes is more than enough for 2 people, since they include unlimited bread to sop up all the sauces. They time the dishes just right, that way they don’t crowd the already small table with too much food. The service in general is really friendly and efficient.
I’ll be back. 222 Lyon is appropriate for certain occasions, especially with a group of people (make sure to reserve though since the place is really small), but it is not my absolute favourite restaurant in the city. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend 222 Lyon.
The servers try to upsell a lot, so as a general rule, 3 dishes is more than enough for 2 people, since they include unlimited bread to sop up all the sauces. They time the dishes just right, that way they don’t crowd the already small table with too much food. The service in general is really friendly and efficient.
I’ll be back. 222 Lyon is appropriate for certain occasions, especially with a group of people (make sure to reserve though since the place is really small), but it is not my absolute favourite restaurant in the city. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend 222 Lyon.
2012 Aug 3
Went last night with a groupon: $20 for $40 worth of food.
Decor was warm albeit disjointed; the dining room has an orange Spanish theme, the basement is a bright blue nautical theme and the powder room has a dusty rose victorian theme.
Service was warm and helpful.
We ordered:
Squid a la romana: perfectly fried calamari with a fairly average chipotle dip. The portions seem to vary; ours was quite small, but we noticed some of our neighbours had significantly larger mountains of calamari.
Snails Andalusian: my favourite dish of the night. Loads of garlic, chorizo and sauteed mushrooms in the most perfect of sherry sauces.
Chinata shrimps: large, succulent shrimp with green peppers and chorizo. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with this dish; I found it lacked flavour. But my dining companion quite enjoyed it.
Spicy Mussels in a dijon cream sauce: excellent. Great big portion of mussels, and a fantastic sauce.
There was ample bread to soak up all the sauces in, which was excellent. We asked for more bread and it came quickly and free of charge. Some people have noted that the bread was "spongy" but I found it typical of the bread that I have gotten in South America and the "spongyness" makes for better absorption of sauce.
The winelist we found a little overpriced by the glass, so we each got a pint of steamwhistle for $5.75.
Our total bill was $67 minus $40 from the groupon. In the end, we each paid $26 for the meal, which was a steal considering the food we got.
Side note: the server mentioned that when you order croquettes or scallops you get 4, and when you order shrimp you get 6 shrimps. For value, I would stick with items like the calamari, the mussels, and the snails, which were all very well portioned.
Decor was warm albeit disjointed; the dining room has an orange Spanish theme, the basement is a bright blue nautical theme and the powder room has a dusty rose victorian theme.
Service was warm and helpful.
We ordered:
Squid a la romana: perfectly fried calamari with a fairly average chipotle dip. The portions seem to vary; ours was quite small, but we noticed some of our neighbours had significantly larger mountains of calamari.
Snails Andalusian: my favourite dish of the night. Loads of garlic, chorizo and sauteed mushrooms in the most perfect of sherry sauces.
Chinata shrimps: large, succulent shrimp with green peppers and chorizo. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with this dish; I found it lacked flavour. But my dining companion quite enjoyed it.
Spicy Mussels in a dijon cream sauce: excellent. Great big portion of mussels, and a fantastic sauce.
There was ample bread to soak up all the sauces in, which was excellent. We asked for more bread and it came quickly and free of charge. Some people have noted that the bread was "spongy" but I found it typical of the bread that I have gotten in South America and the "spongyness" makes for better absorption of sauce.
The winelist we found a little overpriced by the glass, so we each got a pint of steamwhistle for $5.75.
Our total bill was $67 minus $40 from the groupon. In the end, we each paid $26 for the meal, which was a steal considering the food we got.
Side note: the server mentioned that when you order croquettes or scallops you get 4, and when you order shrimp you get 6 shrimps. For value, I would stick with items like the calamari, the mussels, and the snails, which were all very well portioned.
2012 May 30
I tried 222 Lyon last year and have been coming back every so often to have a couple of tapas and a glass of wine. I tend to sit at the bar and Cathy and others at the restaurant are friendly and sometimes see Laurie the owner around. Sometime you see chefs and people in the kitchen if you are there early or late. I have had conversations with other diners as well as the team at 222 Lyon so a nice spot to come to if you are by yourself.
I tend to order seafood such as mussels, shrimp or scallop when I am here but have tried coquette and other tapas and had dessert a few times as well but tend to pass on the desserts since I am starting to watch my sugar. I am not that fond of their bread and it would have been nice to get some better bread or whole grain choice but tend to take their bread to soak up the sauce.
I had to do some blood tests on tuesday after Victoria day and it required fasting. So to treat myself, I went to 222 Lyon for a late lunch or early dinner. I forgot to ask for the daily special. I did glace at the blackboard by the door and they were already on dinner specials and did not fancy it so went to my usual go to of scallop (done with vegetable that day) and went for the Chinata Shrimps (with chirozo, mushroom, peppers and wine) plus a coffee.
I like the shrimps (or the mussels when I get them) but the scallop was not not to their normal standard. Normally they came well seared but done just right. Not much of a sear that day so it was cooked at too low a temperature and was just a tad overcooked. I did not enjoy the scallops as much as usual but should have clued in that with the chef at the bar chatting, probably the sous chef or kitchen staff is cooking in the off hours. I was pretty hungry so ate them all lol.
My waitress was about to go off shift and she asked if everything was good when I was paying. I mentioned the scallop was not up to the normal standard and she said she will tell the kitchen but think she was thinking more about leaving work.
Afterwards while I was relaxing, heard the staff discussing at the bar that the fridge was out so they were icing everything. Then I asked the young waitress if the scallop was fresh today and she answered they were not. Even though they were open for dinner victoria day, the fish markets would have been closed and they were closed on Sunday, the scallops were not fresh and likely from Saturday and I like my scallop really fresh. If I had known I would not have ordered the scallop and the scallop may have been on the verge of going off.
One of my favourite bartender/staff Cathy came on shift and she was telling someone the specials and they had a lobster Spinach salad that was for lunch but hey had some left so still offering even though it is now dinner time. Wished my waitress had took the time to tell me the specials since I would have had that than the not so fresh scallop.
I think I prefer this as an evening or late evening place. The service is a little bit more polished and friendly then and it tend to have a better buzz in the evening. With prices the same at lunch for the tapas (except for the lunch specials which with soup included is sometime a decent deal) there are better values for similar quality of food elsewhere at lunchtime.
I tend to order seafood such as mussels, shrimp or scallop when I am here but have tried coquette and other tapas and had dessert a few times as well but tend to pass on the desserts since I am starting to watch my sugar. I am not that fond of their bread and it would have been nice to get some better bread or whole grain choice but tend to take their bread to soak up the sauce.
I had to do some blood tests on tuesday after Victoria day and it required fasting. So to treat myself, I went to 222 Lyon for a late lunch or early dinner. I forgot to ask for the daily special. I did glace at the blackboard by the door and they were already on dinner specials and did not fancy it so went to my usual go to of scallop (done with vegetable that day) and went for the Chinata Shrimps (with chirozo, mushroom, peppers and wine) plus a coffee.
I like the shrimps (or the mussels when I get them) but the scallop was not not to their normal standard. Normally they came well seared but done just right. Not much of a sear that day so it was cooked at too low a temperature and was just a tad overcooked. I did not enjoy the scallops as much as usual but should have clued in that with the chef at the bar chatting, probably the sous chef or kitchen staff is cooking in the off hours. I was pretty hungry so ate them all lol.
My waitress was about to go off shift and she asked if everything was good when I was paying. I mentioned the scallop was not up to the normal standard and she said she will tell the kitchen but think she was thinking more about leaving work.
Afterwards while I was relaxing, heard the staff discussing at the bar that the fridge was out so they were icing everything. Then I asked the young waitress if the scallop was fresh today and she answered they were not. Even though they were open for dinner victoria day, the fish markets would have been closed and they were closed on Sunday, the scallops were not fresh and likely from Saturday and I like my scallop really fresh. If I had known I would not have ordered the scallop and the scallop may have been on the verge of going off.
One of my favourite bartender/staff Cathy came on shift and she was telling someone the specials and they had a lobster Spinach salad that was for lunch but hey had some left so still offering even though it is now dinner time. Wished my waitress had took the time to tell me the specials since I would have had that than the not so fresh scallop.
I think I prefer this as an evening or late evening place. The service is a little bit more polished and friendly then and it tend to have a better buzz in the evening. With prices the same at lunch for the tapas (except for the lunch specials which with soup included is sometime a decent deal) there are better values for similar quality of food elsewhere at lunchtime.
2012 Feb 19
This smallish restaurant is in an old house and seems to be busy most nights. There was a reservation cancellation the night we were there which is why we were able to get a table, otherwise we would have been out of luck. The two rooms that make up the restaurant are not large, with one being completely filled with the substantial U-shaped bar. The other has space for approx. 25 people including a table for sizeable groups (maybe ~8) in the front window. The times I have visited the atmosphere is very friendly and people seem to either know someone else at the restaurant or know one or all of the servers.
The menu is focused on tapas but there are usually 1 or 2 “large plate” options on the blackboard. We chose from the tapas menu:
- Spanish meatballs in a tomato based sauce – I really like meatballs and these are very good – moist and flavourful
- Mushroom Sevillana – a mixture of mushrooms cooked with onions, garlic and prosciutto
- Garlic Shrimps – large shrimps in a garlic, chili and white wine sauce
There is always a basket of bread served with the plates. It is the spongy kind which I am not particularly fond of but it does do a good job of sopping up all the sauces.
My one complaint is the small plastic containers of butter – they do not have a place is such a restaurant. Otherwise this place gets high marks.
The menu is focused on tapas but there are usually 1 or 2 “large plate” options on the blackboard. We chose from the tapas menu:
- Spanish meatballs in a tomato based sauce – I really like meatballs and these are very good – moist and flavourful
- Mushroom Sevillana – a mixture of mushrooms cooked with onions, garlic and prosciutto
- Garlic Shrimps – large shrimps in a garlic, chili and white wine sauce
There is always a basket of bread served with the plates. It is the spongy kind which I am not particularly fond of but it does do a good job of sopping up all the sauces.
My one complaint is the small plastic containers of butter – they do not have a place is such a restaurant. Otherwise this place gets high marks.
2011 Jul 11
I went back to my old date spot this weekend with my groupon. I stopped going for a while as I started making Tapas at home. It started as a date night with my husband, but two of our good friends were having dinner there as well. They were nice enough to accommodate us, but were a little bit pushy about making sure we were all out by a certain time to accommodate their other reservations. I didn't mind this so much, but when they offered us coffee and dessert, and when we ordered, they looked pained and reminded us of the time again. Hard to relax and enjoy their amazing desserts when you're checking your watch.
Other than that, the food was amazing, as always. It had been a year since I've been there and the menu has expanded a bit so we made sure to try all of the new things on the menu we hadn't tried before - from memory the shrimp mona lisa, spicy mussels were the top of the night. We also ordered the day's scallops, which were in a fennel cream sauce. I am usually not a fan of scallops as they've always been rubbery.. these were tender and delicious!
We had 8 dishes, 4 beers, 1/2 litre of wine, 3 desserts and 4 coffees and it didn't break the bank. I love Tapa's bar!
Other than that, the food was amazing, as always. It had been a year since I've been there and the menu has expanded a bit so we made sure to try all of the new things on the menu we hadn't tried before - from memory the shrimp mona lisa, spicy mussels were the top of the night. We also ordered the day's scallops, which were in a fennel cream sauce. I am usually not a fan of scallops as they've always been rubbery.. these were tender and delicious!
We had 8 dishes, 4 beers, 1/2 litre of wine, 3 desserts and 4 coffees and it didn't break the bank. I love Tapa's bar!
Older
2009 Jul 26
There's a variety of tapas to choose from here and everything sounds wonderful - and they are very reasonably priced ranging from $8-14. The waitress let us know that two of the tapas plates there are equal to a regular sized meal. So my date chose the grilled shrimp and I chose the chicken al pajillo (or al parillo?).
The grilled shrimp was succulent, not rubbery. They were perfectly flavored with garlic lemon and salt. The shrimp comes with the shell on and if I hadn't been using my table manners I would've eaten the shell too - it was that good! I think there were about 6 large shrimps which I think was a great value for $8.
The chicken was excellent too. It was like it melted in my mouth lol. I don't remember the main ingredients, I know there was prosciutto ham and...oh damn I dont remember. I do know there was no peppers in it b/c my date didn't like peppers. And the sauce is perfect for dipping your bread in. yumm
Next time I will try one of the squid tapas and the shrimp with peppers.
The grilled shrimp was succulent, not rubbery. They were perfectly flavored with garlic lemon and salt. The shrimp comes with the shell on and if I hadn't been using my table manners I would've eaten the shell too - it was that good! I think there were about 6 large shrimps which I think was a great value for $8.
The chicken was excellent too. It was like it melted in my mouth lol. I don't remember the main ingredients, I know there was prosciutto ham and...oh damn I dont remember. I do know there was no peppers in it b/c my date didn't like peppers. And the sauce is perfect for dipping your bread in. yumm
Next time I will try one of the squid tapas and the shrimp with peppers.
Mac1960