12.12.12
Where
to go on the last repeating digit date of the century (12/12/12)? How about the
relatively new restaurant in Leslieville, Skin & Bones where Chef Matthew Sullivan heads the kitchen?! Sounds about right. Quietly opened in November last year, it hadn't yet broken through onto the foodie scene yet. Oooh I had no clue how great
of a meal I was in for.
Leslieville
980 Queen st. E
Toronto, ON
Transit: 501
Queen streetcar eastbound OR 72 Pape bus southbound
Hours: Sun – Thurs
(5-11pm), Fri – Sat (5pm-12am)
 |
| They converted an old Jaguar repair shop into this beautiful restaurant space! :D Great looking bar too. |
With
so many restaurants opening up in the Parkdale/Ossington neighbourhood, it was
about time that Leslieville got a new and exciting addition. Skin & Bones
is just that and a lot more. I didn’t know this until I read the article on
them last night, but they’ve got complimentary bites (5-6pm), ½-price beer
& cocktails, and ½-price sparkling wine and buck oysters Sundays! As if the
food itself wasn’t enough to lure you in!
Something
that Chef Sullivan is working on… ;) Thanks for the sneak peek!
Freshly
in-house baked bread. You cannot go wrong with fluffy bread. When butter is
superfluous to the bread, that’s when you know it's real good.
Crostini (amuse) – stracciatella, burnt honey, “Perth pork”
crackling
Amuses are supposed to be a bite-sized, light
introduction to your meal. This one was super well-balanced. The honey and the
crackling were an amazing combination.
Morcillia Spanish Blood Sausage (8) - pickled apple,
sourdough crostini
I could eat this all day. Balance and the notion of "just right" was definitely a prevailing theme of the dinner.
Crispy Chicken Tails (8) - potato salad
Reading
this on the menu, it didn’t immediately jump out at me but Stella insisted that
we MUST order it. So we did, and I was instantly converted. And so I shall pass
on the same words of wisdom to you when you dine at Skin + Bones, you MUST
order the chicken tails!!
Beef Tartare (13) – iceberg
lettuce, milk bread, pickles and “Montforte” toscano
In
my slowly growing number of tartare experiences, I’ve learned that no two
tartares are the same. As for this one, it’s the pickle flavour that dominates
along with the beef. The chili brings it to life.
Celeriac Gnocchi w/ Uni Bottarga
(15) – fried tomato preserve, chili and garlic
Stella
can attest to this. I was positively giddy as I speared the pillowy gnocchi,
swirled it around in the sauce before popping it in my face. Deceivingly
simple, the uni bottarga shaved on top (from Société Orignal?! I was
fortunate to have sampled some of their products at canoe HERE) brings this
comforting dish to another level.
Roasted Perth Pork Belly &
Octopus Salad – w/ roasted bone marrow arancini, marinated radish & parsley
(18)
You
don’t often get served pork belly like this, looking like a super thick piece
of bacon. But fyi, that’s what bacon is, thinly sliced seasoned and cured pork
belly. There is a counterpoint here of fat to meat that is only enhanced by
that crust. The octopus salad lends more crunch and the necessary acidity to
cut the fat.
Chicken & Wine (19/37) – slow
cooked half/whole chicken, rutabaga purée, celery & white wine sauce
I
kid you not this is a perfect dish. Yes, all the others we’ve enjoyed so far
were fantastic, showing great technique, restraint and balance. But personally,
I’ve never had chicken so good before. “Sous-vide” is now a magical word to me
as Chef Sullivan explained to us how he prepares the chicken.
Sticky Toffee Pudding (6) – bone
marrow caramel and chantilly cream
How
do you eloquently cap off a meal full of highlights? With this dessert. If
you’re on a diet and are allowed one cheat dessert, this is how you should
spend that cheat card!! This is an exemplary use of bone marrow in a dessert.
Another MUST when you’re here.
Co-owners
Harry Wareham and Daniel Clarke have really created something worth noting (by
“noting” I mean dining at ASAP!). Now more than ever, you cannot say that great
food means empty wallets and awkward table manners (ie. which fork do I
use?! What do I wear? I must fit in...). Behind this non-descript gray brick wall is a great time, mindblowing
dishes and an awesome bar.
Verdict: Clearly, I’m
raving about this place. Skin + Bones is doing it right. I’m not a wine person
but if you are, this is your place. Chef Matthew Sullivan designed the each
menu item to be paired with the wines they’ve got, not the other way around as
per usual. The atmosphere is chill, zero pretension in sight, there’s coat
check (free), and the food is top notch.
Check ‘em out! http://www.skinandbonesto.com/
5
out of 5 NOMs
nomnomnomnomnom
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