You wouldn’t expect to find an Argentinian inspired grill
house in a cozy corner house. Blink, especially if you’re driving, and you may
miss the conspicuous neon Branca sign
in the window. Surprisingly, with all the talk of roasting meats, there wasn’t even
a scent in the air to guide our way. But, my dutiful husband looked up its
location ahead before heading out and stopped our driver in the nick of time.
Of course, a nice robust wine is a must with red meat –
especially one from Mendoza (there are plenty on the list). But, before the
mains, their cocktails sounded so enticing that I had to get a Pisco sour ($12)
to start. My first experience with this Chilian brandy, it was light with the
lime juice and aromatic bitters… dangerously easy drinking. The dark rum mojito ($12) was packed with fresh mint leaves;
another refreshing simple cocktail to enjoy during the summer months.
As soon the order was in, a bowl of chipas, Branca’s version of a bread basket, arrived before us. The
Argentine cheese bread is light and airy, like choux pastry except made with
tapioca flour. Filled with melted cheese studded with peppers I could have easily eaten all three
myself.
Luckily, as my appetite was whet, the empanadas ($6) soon
followed. Served piping hot, I was torn – let it cool down or dive in
immediately so I can enjoy the molten cheese and corn mixture? In the end, I
cut it into smaller pieces as a compromise. Filled with roasted corn, poblano
peppers, gruyere and fontina they’re a great way nibble to start on.
The cuttlefish or sepia
($15) perfectly showcased the seafood and all its parts: the pigment from its
ink sac helped to colour the cuttlefish such a vibrant reddish-brown hue while
its ink acted as a savoury sauce. The saffron fregola, little balls that glide
across the tongue, was specked with spicy chorizo and sweet roasted cherry
tomatoes.
Branca uses the Argentine grilling method al sador, where meats are splayed and
skewered across metal crosses. What looks like a torture device for us ensures
the meat has access to the hot wood-burning fire. So, a visit to Branca isn’t
complete until you’ve fried something from their grilled section – we tried
three.
The first, the entrana
($19) or skirt steak was my favourite. Cooked medium rare at the thinner slices
and a touch above rare at the thicker parts, it’s beef the way it’s meant to be
enjoyed – cooked, simply seasoned and then left alone. Eaten by itself or
topped with a condiment ($1/each), it was equally good:
- Chimichurri – vinegary, filled with herbs and with a lighter touch on the garlic than most. Best with the skirt steak and suckling pig to help cut through the fat.
- Roasted garlic – cloves of sweet mild garlic sitting in an oil, delicious to eat but personally didn’t seem to go with anything.
- Poblano romesco – a creamy sauce with a light touch of smokiness, which for me went best with the short ribs.
- Harissa – a fiery chili sauce that’s flavourful at first before the zing from the heat slowly builds. In my opinion, it tend to overpower the meats, but I didn’t mind it on the pulled pork.
The tira ($26), a
meaty short rib, isn’t the fall-off-the-bone tenderness of the braised variety –
after all we’re cooking over fire here. But, it was still easily chewable,
despite its leanness, and of all the meats lent itself to pairing with the
sauces (since it was rather neutral in taste).
On Friday and Saturdays you can order the chancho ($34) a dish feature four
different parts from a suckling pig: pulled pork, belly, tenderloin and
chicharrón. Now Magazine writes about the three day process of making the dish
– brining it with an aromatic mixture for two days before cooking over the
wood-burning fire for an entire third day.
I was a little disappointed that the skin wasn’t left on to
get the juicy meat, thin fat layer and crisp skin combination I love so much
about pork. Rather, the skin was removed of its fat and fried, served as a
chicharrón or pork rind. At first it seemed a tad bland having eaten it right
after a chimichurri laden piece of skirt steak, but after a swig of water and
retrying it, I found the succulent meat to be quite flavourful – the taste of
pork shone through (but not in a gross gamey way). For me, the highlight was
the slice of pork belly slice having retained a thin layer of chewy skin and
the fat rendered but still evident in the meat.
A mound of intensely crispy and salty potato strings ($6)
arrives with it – very hot but could have been drained a bit more to reduce the
oiliness. But, these were addictive, I couldn’t stop snacking on just one more
before the dish finally got taken away.
The smoked collards ($6) could be a meal in itself with the
creamy sauce, smoked pork pieces and chick peas. With such heavy meats, the
side was too decadent as I’d much rather have something plain and light; perhaps
the green salad would have been a better option.
Do yourself a favour and save room for the panqueques ($7). Filled with a sweet and
salty dulce de leche, the crêpes are
rolled and lightly brûléed on top to give it a touch of crunch. The
non-sweetened chantilly cream added creaminess without adding another layer of sugariness
to the already flavourful dessert. I wonder if Branca would let me return for
just a helping of this dessert.
Service is attentive and friendly, although following suggested
order sizes (one starter, main and side per person) would leave tables with too
much food - two starters, three mains and two sides was more than enough for
our table of three. At Branca, ingredients
are left to its own devices. Some diners will appreciate this, allowing them to
enjoy the true taste of the protein. Others may find dishes uninteresting, but
I guess that’s when all those sauces will save the day. Regardless, bring a
carnivore to Branca … I’m sure they’ll thank you as they leave dinner in a
blissful meat-filled dream.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1727 Dundas Street West
Address: 1727 Dundas 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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