I adore eating a meal at the Prune in Stratford. Yes every option is Prix-Fixe – but there are lots of options – a ‘Chef School’ option for $49, a ‘Vegetarian’ option for $59, a 4 course meal for $85, and a 5 course meal (it includes the cheese course) for $95.

To challenge the kitchen we ended up ordering 3 different options. I was torn between the vegetarian option that sounded yummy and the ‘Chef School’ option which featured a Flat iron Steak. I ended up with the steak – which aside from being a tad over-cooked (I prefer raw, it was served without asking at Medium Raw), was delicious. I found my beet and Kielbasa salad delicious – and my desert of lemon semi-fredo was amazing.

My husband’s fresh pea soup was thick, creamy, and a delight on the tongue. I didn’t try my sister’s chicken liver mousse (I hate liver) – but she seemed to enjoy it! Her main course – a risotto – wasn’t as creamy as she expected, but she refused to let the chef know. Her choice, I guess. My husband’s main course was the clear winner – a pouched trout Napoleon. Layers of crisp pasty dough sandwiched between slices of pouched trout. Oh, it was wonderful.

For the cheese course, they offered 4 cheeses from Ontario – none of which I’d ever heard of. They were properly served with toasted walnut bread. Perfect.

But the most fun – the conversation. We were seated in a side section of the restaurant – and the people at the next table heard us discussing a play we’d just seen – and joined in. Eventually, our entire corner of the restaurant was engaged in a free-for-all discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”. Only in Stratford, eh?

Bottom line – great looking restaurant – modern without pretention, excellent food, a variety of price points to suit many different budgets and requirements – and as an added bonus – fab conversation.

A winner, for sure a winner.