Dinner at The Gabardine
Walking up to The Gabardine on Bay Street in Toronto, I immediately fell in love with how cozy the restaurant looked. It's tucked away in the street, and only gets more cozy once you step inside.
A friend and I stopped by on a weeknight, so it wasn't too busy inside. We were immediately seated and given amazing service throughout the evening. While we didn't try out any of their drinks, we definitely tasted several dishes.
Image from thegabardine.ca
First up, we went with two appetizers to split: the hot pimento beer cheese fundido with tortilla chips and the Korean fried cauliflower.
I feel like you can never go wrong with a cheese dip! As a huge lover of nachos and cheese, I couldn't wait to dig into this dish. It definitely lived up to my expectations. There was a perfect ratio of nachos and dip, so we didn't have any left over.
The Korean fried cauliflower was tossed in just the right amount of sauce to give it a kick, along with a drizzle of Japanese-style mayo and nori. If you're looking for a vegetarian version of buffalo chicken bites, this would be it. They have a bit of a crunch to them and a ton of flavour. I’ve returned to The Gabardine on multiple occasions and I always make sure to order this app!
For our main, we decided to split the chicken pot pie. It's a large portion and VERY filling. Even though we only had half each, neither of us was able to finish the dish, despite how tasty it was. It did make a great lunch the next day though! The dish was creamy with a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry crust. I loved the pretty blue patterned plate it was served on too!
On another occasion, I selected the BC rockfish bubbly bake, potato pave, clam and mushroom chowder, and saltine crust as my main. I love the layout of this plate and the unexpected crunch on top of the fish. The creamy seafood chowder was hearty and filling.
Overall, I really enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and hearty, home-cooked food. Next time I visit, I want to try out the crispy Atlantic cod tacos or the crispy falafel patty.
What are your favourite cozy pubs to eat at?