Address: 348 Adelaide St West (inside the Templar Hotel)
Type of Meal: Dinner
My advice… go to Monk
Kitchen soon before it becomes impossible to get a reservation. And yes, with the
quality of cooking they offer, it’s inevitable that in time they will be highly
sought after. Tucked in the basement of
the Templar Hotel, it’s a hidden contemporary oasis of pristine white and shiny
stainless steel accents. As a warning, as you’re walking up Adelaide Street,
pay attention to the numbering as the only signage for Templar is a small
embossed crest on the bottom of a column.
But, it’s hard to miss if you know to look for a gleaming white counter
with a few chairs off to the side. On the somewhat dark street of Adelaide the
stark change in décor is certainly noticeable.
Having arrived 15
minutes early, we started off with a drink in their lounge, upstairs on the main
floor. Brendie, the mixologist, described a tasty Pimm’s cocktail ($14) so
naturally I went with that. Made with gin and mango juice there was also a
refreshing hint of ginger, a great starter while waiting in the modern quiet
lounge.
Being a huge fan of chef’s
tables, I automatically asked to be seated in one of the six seats within the
kitchen. Monk also has a dining room area holding about twenty additional
patrons so these seats are easier to nab.
Monk Kitchen has no
menu, rather Chef Roberto Fracchioni comes by to ask about
allergies/limitations and then the food begins. Without a set menu, there’s no
indication of what and how many courses will appear, but then that’s what
really adds to the experience – that anticipation and excitement of each dish
to come.
First up, a cold shrimp
salad where the shrimp were marinated in a savoury sauce with just a slight
heat to it. The salad portion consists of leafy Asian greens (Chinese broccoli,
bok choy and tung ho (?)), which were crispy and flavourful and unlike the stir
fried or blanched ones I've had. We were advised they were steamed in a lobster
shell bath which is what allows the leaves to retain its flavour and gives it
that slight augmented fragrance. A wedge of creamy grilled avocado, bits of
tempura and a yuzu dressing finish off the plate.
As soon as the
lobster risotto was laid before me I knew I was in for a treat. Just the
incredible shellfish aroma wafting off of it was amazing, making it hard to
remember – snap picture first then eat! The rice was cooked perfectly with just
a slight bite to it without being hard. Finely diced bell peppers mixed
throughout the lobster bisque sauce added a bit of crunch and freshness to the
flavourful rice. The consistency was spot on - enough liquid to form a creamy
sauce but not so watery that’d you’d need a spoon to eat it. On top a simply
cooked piece of lobster that was tender & flavourful and some fried muted
capers rounded it off.
When we told Chef
Roberto how great it was, he humbly shrugged stating that you can’t go wrong
with lobster. But, alas sometimes even with lobster things can go horribly
wrong. While replaying our conversation with the second chef (unfortunately,
forgot to ask for his name and can’t find it on their website) he laughed and
stated he’s from out east - they don’t mess up lobster. It’s these
conversations that immediately put a diner at ease; I felt comfortable asking
questions and conversing with them. Having done a couple of other meals kitchen
side, at Shoto and Chantecler, none offered this down to earth friendliness
that Monk Kitchen excels at.
It’s as if Chef
Roberto knew me, as up next was duck – lobster and duck in the same meal, I was
in heaven already. The duck breast was seared and cooked to an impeccable
medium, paired with a sweet and sour fig sauce. The fruity fig added just the right
amount of sweetness without being overwhelming. With each bite, you get a bit
of the tender juicy meat, rendered duck fat, crisp skin and the sauce that
mellows everything out. There was even a dried fig chip that when broken into
small pieces and mixed with the sauce and duck juices starts to rehydrate and comes
delicious & chewy.
Roasted carrots &
parsnips and kale leaves tossed with pickled mustard accompany the duck. The
pickling is very light but really helps soften up the kale and left little
balls of mustard seeds which provided such a pleasant texture.
Before the last
savoury dish, an intermezzo of pomegranate granita topped with fresh juicy
pomegranate seeds was served. It was refreshingly sweet with a hint of sour to
wash away the heavier duck.
The last savoury dish
was truffle breaded veal. The Chef informs us the truffles are imported from
Italy and used in all the parts of breading - pieces in the flour, truffle oil
in the egg mixture and more shavings in the bread crumbs. Without a doubt, you
can taste the distinctive truffle flavour with each bite but because the oil
was used in moderation it wasn't overwhelming. Given the veal is such a neutral
tasting meat, almost like pork but leaner, it could have been completely lost
in the truffle but wasn't. It went especially well with the cauliflower purée,
which deepened the earthiness inherent in the truffle. I was also pleasantly
surprised that the cauliflower purée still tasted like its main ingredient; too
often so much butter and cream is added to it that any cauliflower flavour is
lost and the smear on the plate could really be anything.
We opted for the wine
pairing with the meal. At first, we weren’t going to do it as I typically find
there’s too much wine and you end up being so far behind and tipsy by the end.
But, Brendie was great and offered us a half wine pairing ($30/person) where
we’d get 1.5 ounces with each dish, just enough in my opinion. The pairing consisted
of two whites and two reds, I’m not wine expert so I won’t begin to try and
rate these, but ended off with a delicious cocktail. It was vodka based with muddled
strawberries, elderflower syrup and soda water and was so refreshing that it
wakes you back up after all the food.
To end, we each
received a dessert plate made up of five items. It's difficult to determine a
favourite as each offered a distinct taste so there’s something for everyone. All
were fresh, moist and full of flavour; thankfully they were small pieces so you
didn’t feel guilty finishing everything. Starting from the left a pear tart
that was nicely poached and paired well with the crumbly buttery tart, a
velvety espresso chocolate ganache with a rich dark chocolate flavour, smooth French
toast cheesecake with blueberry sauce and hints of maple syrup and perhaps
cinnamon, a delicious chewy walnut pecan tart (I simply loved the moist nutty
cake) and lastly an After Eight cake consisting of layered vanilla sponge cake
and chocolate topped with mint frosting, a great refreshing end.
I can’t say enough
good things about the service at Monk Kitchen, everyone was friendly and
checking in to make sure things was going well. The entire evening went
spotlessly and the overall experience great. Given I couldn’t find anything
about prices online, I was a tad worried at what the magnificent meal would end
up costing; at $75 per person for five deliciously pulled together courses and
an intermezzo, I felt was well worth it. Monk Kitchen is my new favourite
restaurant in Toronto, I can’t wait to return. Just please don’t become too
popular that I won’t be able to get back in!
Overall mark - 9.5 out of 10
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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
