Sharing is caring, oh so the saying goes. Sharing is what
Nuit Social wants. In fact, create your own charcuterie “social boards”
dominates half their menu where diners choose one, three, or five items from meat,
cheese, and olives selections to create a sharing platter. Opting for five
meats ($17) and three cheeses ($13), our board was enough for our table of five
to have a taste each, the meats more so than the small bits of cheese.
Of all the items, the ones that stood out were the Tyrol schinkenspeck, the salty pork letting
off that faint smokiness that’s synonymous with speck, and the bresaola (extra $1), which is best
eaten plain as it’s fairly neutral and the leaner cut allows you to taste the
beef. Really everything we chose – Rosette
de Lyon French salami, Prosciutto, and the spicy sopressata - were all solid charcuterie.
Meanwhile, the cheeses were good but when paired with the
strong meats felt a little lost. Whether it was the Vermeer gouda, Rondin du
Poitou goat cheese, or the Charlevoix, the mild cheeses were flavours I enjoyed but couldn’t hold up
against the bolder meats.
The last third of the menu is dedicated to “social plates”,
which could be renamed to “social bags” given many arrive in a rolled down
brown paper sack. Some items like the crispy frog legs ($12) and arancini ($14) are understandable, since
the paper helps weep away the extra oil. But, for the Buffalo Brussels sprouts
($11) it’s a little strange as you can’t really get to the pool of hot sauce settling
on the bottom.
If you can get past the image of a frog looking at you as
you bite into the frog legs, it really does taste like tender chicken or, with its small size, sort
of like a less gamey quail leg. They were lightly dusted and mildly salted, but
I would have liked them fried a bit longer.
Both the arancini and
Brussel sprouts are dishes I’d avoid – the risotto balls so crumbly and dry
that it tasted like fried dirty rice rather than a creamy porcini base. That
bit of melted fontina cheese in the
centre helped a bit, but could hardly save the dish. As for the Brussel
sprouts, it’s a personal choice as the tangy harsh Buffalo sauce drenching the
vegetable is something I normally don’t like anyways.
Items that were actually served on plates (or some case
bowls) were the highlight of the meal and should be featured prominently rather
than being relegated as the last things on the menu. I can still taste the
sweet maple soy glaze on the pork ribs ($17) giving it a bit of stickiness but
thin enough that it didn’t feel like you’re biting through a heavy sauce to get
to the tender ribs. And the bed of smoked macaroni & cheese it sat on was
equally delicious.
Normally, I find ricotta gnocchi ($16) a little too soft,
but Nuit Social’s consistency was perfectly balanced with a light fluffiness and
a bit of chewiness. The cheese and cream sauce could have been really really rich, but a bit of citrus, sweet
peas, and smoky bits of chicken (oddly tasted like bacon) helped to temper the decadent
dish just a little. Aside from the ribs, this was my favourite of the night.
The seared sushi steak ($17) is really a flat ironed steak
done rare so that the meat has a thin ring around it like Albacore tuna. For
being so underdone, the beef was surprisingly tender and the liberal amounts of
chimmichurri gave the Japanese
sounding dish an Argentinian flavour instead. Well roasted Brussels sprouts
(thankfully, without Buffalo sauce) and fingerling potatoes finished off the
plate making this one of the better-rounded dish for those who don’t want to
share.
But then sharing is Nuit Social’s mantra, they “are all
about social gatherings, sharing great food and conversing over delicious
drinks with old friends and new friends.” Their ambiance is set up for the
mission as the music’s volume is kept at a low enough so you can actually converse
with your friends (new or old). This is quite different for being a west Queen
West restaurant where places like Drake Hotel is a neighbour.
Since it’s opened until midnight on weekdays and 2am on
weekends, it’s also a great place to gather after a night of drinking. Nuit
Social definitely doesn’t serve the typical post bar eats. It’s not every day
that after a night of drinking you can tuck into amazing ribs with a side of
ricotta gnocchi.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1168 Queen Street West
Address: 1168 Queen Street West
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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!
Is That It? I Want More!
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