While the weather’s nice, taking advantage of patio dining is one of my top priorities. Located in the Delta Toronto Hotel is the SOCO Kitchen and Bar. And the best part, is that with their sizeable patio, scoring a table on a weeknight is generally not too difficult.
The menu curated by Chef Daniel Craig changes slightly with
the seasons – some of the summer options in this post have already morphed to
incorporate heartier fall sides. But, it’s great to see that their hand-cut
bison tartare ($16) is still available. The meat is cut into fine pieces but
not overly pulverized and is tasty with peppery spices, a creamy egg yolk
emulsion and pickled onions.
Softer pieces of lighted grilled pita accompany the tartare
in lieu of crispy crostini, which works with the dish. However, with the decent
portion of bison, a couple additional pieces of pita would definitely help.
Off of their daily specials the skewers of lamb speducci ($8; normally $12) were calling
our names. The meat is moist and has a lovely greasy saltiness. A splash of
lemon and vinegary chimichurri helps to cut through the fattiness while
enhancing the flavour.
With a lovely crust, the roasted sea bass ($27) was cooked
well, retaining the moisture from the leaner fish. Being such a neutral fish,
it could have used a tad more seasoning, especially since the lightly curried
lentils with vegetables and yoghurt was relatively bland as well.
Weak flavours is definitely not a description for the flammekueche pizza ($15) and might have
added to why I felt the roasted sea bass was rather dull. Topped with large
chunks of house-smoked bacon, piney rosemary, crème fraiche and caramelized
onions there were so many tastes in each bite.
Don’t skip out on dessert – you’d be doing yourself a
disservice to not try Chef Engin Tiryaki's creations. The peanut butter cream
puffs ($8) are outstanding: choux pastry filled with a luscious not overly
sweet peanut butter laced cream. On the side there’s a scoop of banana honey
ice cream and drizzles of whisky caramel and raspberry coulis.
Evan, our server for the evening, was a delight
with friendly service, great jokes and insightful suggestions. Moreover, SOCO
Kitchen is centrally located to Toronto’s attractions with the Air Canada and
Roger Centres within walking distance. Whether it’s for a bite before a game or
just to enjoy the last sunny evenings of the year, SOCO may have the kitchen
for you.
Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 75 Lower Simcoe Street
Address: 75 Lower Simcoe Street
Website: http://www.socokitchenandbar.ca/
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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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