Address: 99 Queen Street East
Website: http://thecarbonbar.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
You won’t
find gingham tablecloths, tin foil platters or uncut hunks of meat here. The
Carbon Bar is refined with linen napkins, plate changes and meat cut into fork
friendly portions. Between courses the table is wiped clean so all evidence of
dripped sticky sauce is erased with it.
The dining
room is surprisingly spacious with soaring ceilings, adequately spaced tables
and minimalistic décor. Want to throw a “family” BBQ without messing up your
home? The Carbon Bar offers a private room on the second floor that can hold
30-50 people.
Without a
doubt, beer goes with BBQ and the Carbon Bar has plenty of that. But for the
refined BBQ aficionados, fancy handmade cocktails are also available to swig
back with meat platters. A refreshing spring soother ($16), tequila based with
an elderflower syrup (?) and splash of citrus was a lighter drink complementing
our appetizer. The C2 colada ($16) was the better choice. With a hefty portion
of rum it’s stronger tasting but finishes nicely with a creamy coconut water.
With the
sheer amount of meat to come, we decided to start with something lighter. The
Hamachi ($14) fit the bill with cubes of delicate cool fish, sweet clementine,
crisp pear and cherry tomatoes all melded together with kombucha vinegar and
sesame oil. The dish was flavourful, simple and energizing; a great choice for
the warmer months. I thoroughly enjoyed the sesame oil added to the dish that
gave it a nice finish on the palate.
The pit
master platter ($27 per person with a minimum order of two people) seemed like
too much food for us. Instead, we shared an order of the pork ribs ($19) and
beef brisket ($19). Both were delicious, but for me the beef brisket stood out
just a bit more. It started off with a great cut of beef; in between the meat
was a thin cap of fat that soaked into the beef to keep it moist throughout the
cooking process. Although it had been slow smoked (same as the pork ribs) the
smokiness wasn’t overpowering, just enough for you to get the essence of it.
Served with a sweet molasses (?) BBQ sauce it was a good plate.
The pork ribs
were equally tender but didn’t seem as smoked as the brisket. I have to commend
the Carbon Bar’s butcher because the meat was another great cut. Too often ribs
are either too fatty or lean, this one had just enough fat to add flavour but
not too much that you felt the need to cut it off. Additionally, you could
taste the pork but it didn’t have a strong “hog” smell to it, which can be such
a turnoff. The rib’s sauce was much tangier; a bit sour for my taste so I opted
to use the brisket’s sauce instead.
Some reviews from
other diners had noted their meat was dry and/or bland. Our ribs and brisket
were definitely not dry, but as for the taste? I wouldn’t say it’s bland,
perhaps not as saucy as other ribs, but this is due to the Carbon Bar’s cooking
style. Their menu warns about the simplicity of the preparation - that meat is
rubbed only with salt and black pepper and then placed in the smoker, no sauce
is applied through the cooking process.
Admittedly I’m
not a huge BBQ connoisseur but when the cut of beef or pork is this good,
shouldn’t you want to actually taste the meat? Afterwards, if you want to douse
it with sauce than that’s what the sauce on the side is for. Of course, since
the meat wasn’t basted during the cooking process, you won’t find a thick barque
around it (there’s no layer of hardened caramelized sauce). So, as a warning, if
you like sticky ribs and well crusted brisket then the Carbon Bar may not be
the place for you.
We really
enjoyed the collard greens ($5) which helped stave off the meat sweats. The
sauce was tomato based but had a great zing of spice that hits you at the end.
Not being a fan of mushy vegetables, I was glad that the stalks of the collard
greens retained some level of crispness.
To end we
shared the banana toffee cream pie ($16) and it was delicious. Comprised of a
crispy shortbread crust, softened bananas pieces and light whipped cream,
the dessert was satisfying but not too heavy. Interestingly, the toffee was cut
into thick cubes and sat on the bottom of the crust; it wasn’t sticky or overly
sweet and almost had a rich ice cream like consistency. All in all, I was quite
happy with the reduced sugar levels and abundance of banana, you could almost
trick yourself to think it was healthy if it were not for the buttery crust.
Kiri, our
server, was extremely friendly and attentive. Consequently, you still get that
small town charm despite the cloth napkins and real cutlery. The crowd also has
a jovial atmosphere to it; as the night went on the groups got a little rowdier
and soon cheers and laughter rang throughout the restaurant. But, the noise
level was always bearable given the well regulated music level and the large
space. In the end, my experience at Carbon Bar was enjoyable and perhaps will
round up a larger group of people to try their pit master platter.
Since the above visit I've returned to the restaurant and tried some other items. Read about it at my other post.
Since the above visit I've returned to the restaurant and tried some other items. Read about it at my other post.
Overall mark - 7.5 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!
