Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 30 Baldwin Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
Address: 30 Baldwin Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
Bodega is a quaint bistro situated in Baldwin Village. The
dining area, split into two rooms, is more spacious than it appears; swathed
with traditional dark woodwork and white linens. Despite the hushed
surroundings, service is surprisingly friendly and boisterous putting diners
are ease to let loose.
Of course, their cocktail hour from 4 to 6:30 also helps.
What a great deal of $5 pints, $6 cocktails and $7 wine. You’re allowed to choose
from anything on their menu. I tried the strawberry tonic (regularly $9) a
refreshing concoction with gin, muddled strawberries, grapefruit bitters, thyme
and tonic water. It was delicious and I’d highly recommend.
Bodega has a fairly extensive menu with even a few Spanish
dishes thrown in the mix. Their affordable $35 prix fixe dinner is hard to turn
down, so the majority of our table ended up ordering from that. The rabbit
terrine appetizer was a generous slab (much meatier than expected for a lean
animal). It wasn’t overly gamey and went well with the pommery mustard, gherkins
and plenty of pieces of crostini.
Most of my friends opted for the grilled flat iron steak for
their main. Adorned with shallot butter and crispy Yukon gold frites it was a
satisfying portion for everyone. My friend thoroughly enjoyed the frites, but
the crispy coating (perhaps from being tossed in flour?) wasn’t how I generally
prefer fries made.
The grilled salmon I had was a big portion covered with
rosemary, mustard and maple glaze. The maple syrup definitely stood out, to the
point that it was a tad too sweet for my taste. The menu notes the dish is
accompanied with fingerling potatoes and vegetables (roasted carrots and snow peas).
But, it made no mention of the creamy sauce covering the sides. Personally, I
could have done without it as found the creamy cheesiness mixed with the maple’s
sweetness to be an odd combination. But, the salmon itself was cooked nicely.
My friend ordered the roasted pork tenderloin ($24) off of
their a la carte menu. As with all their dishes, it was a hearty portion. The
pork was tender and I enjoyed the sage vinaigrette accompanying it, although I
must agree with my friend who found it a bit strong.
To end we shared the lemon tart and crème brulee. The tart
was delicious – sour enough to taste the lemon but with some sweetness to
remind you it’s dessert. The shortbread crust was also excellent, buttery
enough without covering up the lemon.
The vanilla crème brulee was a deep dish portion so you get
plenty of the creamy custard. The sugar crust on top was a tad thick but well
bruleed and caramelized.
All in all, Bodega has the old fashioned charm synonymous
with traditional restaurants. It’s an ideal location for date nights or
somewhere to bring the parents (unless they of course love blaring music and
sharing small plates). I’m just glad it’s a good balance and also not too
stuffy.
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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!
