If dining at Alo, Canada’s top restaurant for 2017, is unattainable
(either financially or due to lack of reservations), their more affordable
counterpart has opened on the first floor of the building. While Aloette looks
like a diner, you’ll still experience luxurious touches such as the
never-ending water glass, plush triple-ply toilet paper, and cloth towels in
the washrooms. It’s a diner… with Chef Kriss’s touch.
You can’t visit a diner and not expect them to serve burgers.
Aloette’s version ($18) is probably the most reviewed item from the menu. Post
City informs us about the months of testing the team used to come up with the main,
Amy Pataki lets us in on the aged beef fat added to the patty, and BlogTO raves
about the soft toasted bun. Indeed, the bun is good: well toasted, even on the
outside, and that soft sweet version that doesn’t have a grain in sight.
During our dinner, the beef patty was not the typical medium,
but still tender, juicy, and so flavourful on account of the beef fat. The
fixings were of course refined: a thick layer of buttery Beaufort cheese, finely
shredded lettuce, stringy onion, and a thick Russian mayonnaise. I only wish it
came with tomatoes to balance out the salty richness of the burger.
For a real treat, upgrade to the Aloette fries ($6 with the
burger or $9 on its own), which is smothered with smoked Gouda, hot sauce, and
jus. There aren’t many fries that can compete with poutine in my books, but I
love the spicy smoky kick of these.
Despite all the press for their burgers, it’s the roasted
pork ($20) that really impressed. The pork belly is cooked so beautifully that
with every bite the creamy fat and juices covers the month, while the meat has
a nicely grilled crust without being hard. While other restaurants tend to pair
pork belly with a sweet glaze, I loved the stronger savoury flavours used at
Aloette: spicy ‘nduja, briny olives, and grilled lemon to help cut the
fattiness.
With a side of Brussels sprouts ($9), you could really make
a complete meal of the roasted pork. Here there is the sweet element from the
maple syrup, and the added walnut pieces and mustard kick makes for interesting
touches to the side. They were a bit soft for my taste and since all the other
dishes are already so well-seasoned, it would have been nice to have a dish
that’s plainer to balance the heaviness. Even if it weren’t the Brussels
sprouts, a simple tossed olive oil and balsamic spring mix salad would be nice.
Not surprisingly, their mac & cheese ($14) is delicious.
Within the hot skillet are long tubes of pasta that holds the creamy cheddar
sauce and is covered with melted parmesan. If you can hold off on devouring the
complimentary toasted cheese brioche, you can use the bread to wipe up any of
the remaining heavenly béchamel sauce.
The menu contains plenty to munch on including a cone of fried
smelts ($11). If you’re afraid they’ll be fishy, at Aloette they’re well-cleaned,
headless, and deboned. The light flour batter is relatively well-seasoned on its
own and for extra flavour there’s a jalapeno, artichoke, and lemon aioli dip
that could use a bit more heat.
Dessert includes two options with the lemon meringue pie
($10) having a take-home version as well. The height of the pie is certainly
impressive, but with the larger size you really need to make sure every bite
contains both elements. Together it makes for a decent dessert, but on its own
the super sugary meringue and tart lemon curd can be a bit jarring.
Unlike most diners, the portion sizes at Aloette is fairly
small. However, since everything is rich you’ll feel full and it’s best to
share dishes to avoid having too much of a good thing. Just don’t think about going
with more than four people, with their no reservation policy and limited
seating arrangements (diner booths and bar stools), it’d be difficult to find a
table.
Even if there’s a wait, tables turn over fairly quickly –
our “three-course meal” still had us out of there in just over an hour. Plus,
with a glass of wine, my portion of the tab was just over $50 (inclusive of
taxes and gratuities); Aloette is affordable enough that I can keep returning
to, for more roasted pork, of course.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 163 Spadina Avenue
Address: 163 Spadina Avenue
Website: https://aloetterestaurant.com/
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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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