On the menu with Cumina Roastman

BOUDDHIQUE **1/2 $$$1/2
Asian fusion
2 Parliament St., Unit 11C 416-878-0055

Owner/chef/decorator Judi Printz whimsically wraps up shiitake-duck ravioli to look like saltwater taffy -- 6 on a plate for $20 -- as an appetizer. Others -- mercifully they are not referred to as "tapas" -- include puffed seaweed cracklings with pear allioli. We are thrilled, even excited, by the size of the rump roast and its blackberry ginger glaze but disconcerted by the gratuitous prunes seemingly forming a conga line around the edge of the plate. The sake-infused escabèche of trout is tarter than Connie Chung's political commentary, but we wish we hadn't ventured to taste the bitter melon frittata on yam spears. The wine list is respectable, with a preponderance of mid-priced Australian and South African rieslings. We put our life on the line and went with the suggestion of the waiter, which is a Dessert Star Opal Shiraz (New South Wales, 1998). Springy, plummy, a little bombastic. Desserts here are where things truly start to get weird, although surpsingly good. Dried apricots plumped in lychee wine are served with candied rose petals and tapioca. Green tea ice cream is ice cream (vanilla, presumably) floating in green tea with crystallized ginger "flowers". Bouddhique is in a stark eleventh-floor loft in the distillery district. You must ride a freight elevator that opens up and deposits you next to the kitchen. There are wooden swings with bonsai arrangements hung at various levels, plus kimonos suspended in mid-air; some tables have taffeta dresses instead of tablecloths. Ms. Printz's esthetic, in terms of food and decor, seems to be equal parts Dada, Peking Opera, and Sesame Street. Not for all tastes, but definitely an evening (or even brunch!) to remember.