1.12.15

The Harbord Room

www.theharbordroom.com

We almost never find ourselves in this neighborhood so do not know too many places around. The Harbord Room was top of the lists and we spontaneously decided to give it a shot.

APPEARANCE
Our search for The Harbord Room took a bit longer than anticipated as we struggled to find the address. From the outside, the signage just read THR & Co in white and orange serif letters on a black background. The corner restaurant had warm brick cladding and a large side patio, onto the small street. We remembered seeing the lively, animated patio here in the summer days.

NOSE
We entered into a narrow white-walled vestibule, and this corridor layout carried into the main room which lead to the hostess stand. The dining room of muted neutrals with the brick wall continuing on one side welcomed us in. The environment consisted of a lovely muted-pink banquette, grey marble tabletops, white ribbed ceiling with pot lights and some glass jar-inspired light features. We sat at a table right across from a metal wall with some subtle colours from the stained areas.

SWIRL
Jake, our polite waiter, was with us in no time to fill up our water glasses. We took a while exploring the menu - a single-sided, letter-size, black and white card-stock. The writing was quite tiny in size so anyone with vision problems, don't forget them glasses! Layout-wise, it was comfortably contained on the page, with a wide white margin all around. There were at least three fonts used on there, so it felt trendy and fun. A separate more specialized wine map, laid out a bit more traditionally, also landed on the table. The food menu included a drink section as the meal options were not too many, which we both appreciated. There were plenty of choices to tempt us.
Mon cheri noted that there was a lot of staff, for what it felt to be just the two of us. We really were the first clients in the restaurant, as it had only opened 30 min before we came in.
As we made our order, we asked Jake to give us recommendations for a couple glasses of wine. He let us taste quite a few before we landed on our decisions - Viognier Blend from Languedoc and a Nymphs Sacre which was their feature wine. The Viognier blend was light, in comparison to the smooth Nymphs Sacre, but they both finished with crispness.
While waiting for our dishes, we enjoyed their psychedelic rock playlist. We were not given any bread to get us started in between. At the same time, it seemed rather quick for our dishes were to arrive. As Jake said, it pays to be the first one in.

PALATE
Our gnocchi came piled in a deep dish and covered in plenty of grated sheep's cheese and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds as well as a few fried leaves of sage and rosemary - memorable and enhancing garnishes. The tender gnocchi was definitely freshly made. It was surrounded by roasted butternut squash chunks as well as oyster mushrooms. We felt the ladder was in disguise as it was had to differentiate from the gnocchi, yet it's disguise was done once inside our palettes - it's chewy texture became very prominent. We both really enjoyed this dish. Even-though we had picked the Viognier blend to accompany this dish, the Nymphs Sacre did a better job accompanying it
Secondly we had their award winning Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Slaw. The dish was presented on a wooden board with the chicken in a clay pot. The chicken itself had quite a few lovely pieces without any bone but just tender juicy meat, as well as a couple of ones with plenty of bones and tendons, to occupy us away from enjoying the dish. The barter was perfectly done - crispy, uneven, and slightly spiced. The sides of this dish are what brought it to life, adding an intriguing character. Adding a layer of zesty flavour, the slaw was a usual suspect, however the chef even involved the hot sauce for a more holistic kick. We learned from Josh that he added some pineapple to it. Lastly, to add an extra (harmonious) layer to the chicken was their garlic mayo. We both agreed that it really made the dish. As per Jake's recommendation, again the Nymphs Sacre was the better choice - complimenting this dish fully.

FINISH
By the end of our visit, the music had morphed into more of underground hip hop. Either way, it was consistently unique and not overly loud.
We had a nice chat with Josh as he inquired about our opinions on the dishes. It was great to have a waiter who is interested in more that just a nod and a smile.

The Harbord Room Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

1.11.15

Jim's Restaurant

Mon Cheri eyed this little family diner ever since we moved to the neighborhood. We thought it might be a good introduction to the East part of town for us.

APPEARANCE
Situated on a corner of a small plaza, Jim's had a local feel to it. I would have definitely passed it by, if it was not for Cheri's sharp eye. Their narrow horizontal sign really made this place seem like a variety store. "Jim's Restaurant" written in a simple sans serif followed by the tag line "the Best Westerns". With two Coke logos on either side, we knew what we were in for. Some metal chairs lined the front, for those who wanted to observe local folks passing by. In a case of chilly weather, like that day, there was another line of chairs (high chairs, to be exact) right by the window. Overall, not very easily approachable setup, I would say

NOSE
We were faced with an open concept once inside with some seating by the bar and plenty of light from the large front windows. The shades of brown inside make the place cozy and out-dated at the same time. Plenty of laminate everywhere added to the diner feel.
Despite our initial reactions, we were really charmed with our elderly yet swift waitress - Debbie. She asked for tea of coffee straight away. I decided to try their beer, which our waitress couldn't comment on as she confessed she is not a beer drinker. In reality it was a light and plain ale - food friendly and good for the price.

SWIRL
We submerged in the atmosphere as we waited for our order. The demographic was mixed - family with kids, older couples, college students, middle-aged men... There was no music, but plenty of chatter and kitchen sounds. It seemed that the owner was the chef as well. He was not shy to remind the two waitresses when a new customer had entered. There was a large TV in the corner with CP24 on (definitely a powerful distractions). Overall it is a pretty tiny place with tables nice and close - keeping the community bonding.

PALATE
My home-made burger arrived open and loaded with thick slides of pickles (a must), lettuce, tomato, onions, relish - note that I opted in for all the toppings. It was a great burger and with a side of fries, which I luckily upgraded for Greek fries. This means that the potatoes were served with grated cheese and a light vinegar, oil and pepper dressing. Took me back to fries back home at the Balkans, where feta is an essential addition to almost everything.
Cheri had to order their famous Western. He was smart to ask for a side of salad instead of home-fries. We managed to see the pile of them ready in the open cook top - definitely a heavy dish, probably ideal for a hung-over morning. Their house salad had a Greek theme with plenty of feta, olive oil and olives. I was not impressed with the Western though. It was light on veggies and overall salty, heavy and a bit over-done. The portion was generous though.

FINISH
We should note that as our sweet Debbie was writing down our order on carbon copy paper, she did warn us that changing sides meant a change in price. She inquired to check with the owner for us but we decided that it can't be that bad. Also, note that they only accept cash (with an ATM in-house).
Despite all the not-so-perfect details, we really enjoyed this place. Felt very true and warm.

12.3.15

Fratelli Village Pizzeria

http://www.fratellis.ca

We actually passed Fratelli many times on our way to visit our sister&brother who lives in the area. Unfortunately we never noticed it before. Might have been a narrow sidewalk or us simply not expecting a restaurant around there.

APPEARANCE
Nothing much to boast about here, a clean and simple front with a fair amount of glass. Their word mark is written in not easily readable script font with an oven illustration which does the restaurant no justice. They only reason we know it's an oven and not a bee hive is due to the tagline "Classic Wood Oven Pizza". We parked on the side in a somewhat dark alley, plenty of parking spots though. There was no direct way to get in from the lot, so we took a small trip around the building looking for the entrance. Later on we noticed a rail garage door shut for the season – it was actually well integrated in the interior and lead to the parking area. We should check the place out in the summer to see how that changes our experience.

NOSE
We were welcomed by a man smiling at the bar, we believe the owner. He was there all night, looking very content to see us. We passed by a wall with a window-like opening, giving a great panoramic view of the restaurant - a live painting. On the way to our table, we also passed their open kitchen area with a chalk board filled by specials above - not a very obvious place to be read, but a good idea.
The interior was very open, walls were painted a warm brown with stone faced sections, stone-tiles floor and black furniture. They had interesting wine storage shelves with wood lettuce, but we didn't think its a good idea to have them near the ceiling with direct light at them. Unless they were decorations, this is not the best way to store decent wine.

SWIRL
Our waitress quickly brought us up to speed on what’s new and exciting at Fratellis. We asked our waitress to recommend us some dishes and perhaps what's popular. She strongly suggested Victoria's pizza and their salads. She also mentioned sharing an appetizer and a pizza is a good idea.
Their neatly organized menu seemed to be geared towards pizza selection more than anything else although we noticed a decent selection of pasta dishes with home-made sauces. There was a side Wine List cart, dominated by Italian and Californian one at reasonable prices. Their house wine was available in a variety of sizes from 5oz all the way to a little carafe. We made a mental note to get a glass or two next time we are here.
At last, we ordered their White Pizza on special and Milan's Pizza, there was no choice on size all are 11". Their daily soup also appeared quite appetizing - creamy bacon, potatoes and leek.

PALATE
As we waited, lounging music was playing in the background putting us in the right mood. As we were quite hungry, we did miss not having bread or something to munch on. Perhaps the appetizer recommendation was not to be ignored.
It took a little bit over fifteen minutes for our pizzas to arrive, but we were hungry enough to dig in at once, burning ourselves a bit against the hot crust fresh out of the oven. That wood-burning oven was in the corner, open for viewing as one of the restaurant attractions - it was topped with little mosaic-like stones. The pizza's crust itself was thin and floury. We found White Pizza quite an interesting and remarkably flavorful choice. It came with copious areas of ricotta cheese, smoked salmon, the dish was adorned with plenty of spinach, red onion and some delicious fried capers (the most original ingredient for us). Although there was no sauce, this pizza felt quite filling. Milan's Pizza was more traditional - tomato sauce base, red onions, grilled chicken, feta and a tad of mozzarella. The best part were the sundried tomatoes - an intriguing addition.

FINISH
Fratelli is quite a place for the neighborhood. Definitely a restaurant to visit with your family in the evening, or even on a date. We found it not pretentious, but wholesome. The service was great and staff very knowledgeable. Check it out if you are in the area!

ps In retrospect, we regret not checking their dessert menu.

Fratelli Village Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

8.2.15

Cafe Novo

http://cafenovo.ca/

We stopped over for a quick breakfast and a meet-up with friends from the area. Appears we were not the only ones with this idea on Sunday morning - there were a few other couples, although we thought it will be busier than that.

SHORT & SWEET
We had their cranberry scones were just out if the oven, very yummy and not too sweet. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much savory choice (food-wise) made on premises. The sandwiches were made by Foodbenders. There was a fairly large selection of them, but about 80% of the sandwich was focaccia-like bread - too much for our taste. The bread was not very fresh but the ingredients in there were quite flavorful. In addition, we could not get it warmed up, which was unfortunate. In retrospect, they were not bad cold though.
Cafe Novo is not too focused on breakfast food, however there is a large selection of coffee drinks and teas. Elizabeth, the owner, served us a great steeped tea and a freshly ground coffee.

FINISH
This cafe is about meeting local people and being social. The atmosphere will put you in the right mood. It is a very friendly place with a piano in the corner, stucco walls, weathered wooden tables and a chess board in the middle.

Cafe Novo is moving to Kensington due to rent increase which will be a loss for High Park, but gain for the new area! We will definitely visit them in their new location in a few months.

PS: check out their washroom, there is a fun word jumble on the door - anyone can circle their findings!

Cafe Novo on Urbanspoon