Union Social Eatery is a new casual dining restaurant in the
Yonge and Sheppard area. Their comfort food heavy menu is reasonably priced
with no dish over $20. The crispy buffalo chicken tacos are a steal at $9.98
for three; they’re also packed with flavour from cheddar and Monterey Jack
cheeses, a gorgonzola ranch sauce and salsa.
After eating here at lunch and dinner, I found the
atmosphere similar to the Jack Astor’s down the street and the food quality
slightly higher. Perhaps they were experiencing issues in the kitchen during
opening month, but my first lunch visit was a tad slow to meet a corporate crowd’s
dining needs.
Since my husband and I had the day off, we weren’t in a
rush; but three tables in our vicinity were asking about the status of their
dishes. The meal took about one and half hours, which is not outrageous but
could be improved for a table of two. My advice: develop a lunch menu incorporating
easy to execute dishes to help speed up lunch service.
My husband had the grilled fish tacos ($11.98), which weren’t
as substantial as the buffalo chicken version - the small fish pieces became
lost in the napa slaw. But, the kick from the wasabi sauce was a nice change
against the typical chipotle mayo.
The U.F.O. burger ($11.96) appeared to be a popular lunch
choice. The freshly made beef patty could be cooked less to allow it to be
juicier. Nonetheless, it was a decent size and there was an abundance of
fixings topping the burger.
I chose to upgrade the Yukon fries to the truffle option ($3
supplement) and sadly found the truffle aroma and taste non-existent. If they
were marketed as parmesan and rosemary infused fries, I would have been pleased
as there was no shortage of any of these ingredients, but to have the truffle
taste missing was a disappointment.
On a return visit with friends, we ordered the appetizer
version of the parmesan truffle fries ($7.94) and it was a touch better – this time
I could at least get a whiff of the white truffle oil, albeit the taste was
still covered from the strong grana padano cheese and herbs.
In my opinion, just go with the plain fries, in both
experiences I found the truffle ones to be too oily and glutinous feeling. The
plain variety that accompanied the Steam Whistle fish and chips ($15.44) were
good enough for me. Even though Union Social isn’t an English pub, the fish was
pretty good – a large piece of haddock with a crispy airy batter. A house made
sweet gherkin tartare sauce and a buttermilk coleslaw rounded out the dish.
For those who like coconut shrimp, the banana coconut
crusted chicken ($16.91) would be the perfect main. The chicken breast was
relatively moist and had a distinct sweet coconut crust. I wasn’t fond of the tamarind,
mango and brown butter sauce and found the poor quality rice lackluster. However,
in fairness, this generally isn’t a dish I’d order; we did so on the recommendation
of our server. One friend, who does like sweet coconut dishes, found the
chicken enjoyable.
While the weather is still beautiful, visit Union Social to
sit on their rooftop patio. It’s one of the best features of the restaurant and
they have incorporated plenty of awnings and umbrellas so you’re not roasting.
Even their cocktails are reasonably priced; the original
mojito ($6.81) was refreshing and incorporates generous amounts of muddled mint
leaves. If you enjoy beer, their weekend specials should entice: $15 pitchers
on Fridays and $5 Sleeman & Steam Whistle pints on Saturday and Sundays.
Overall, Union Social’s food is decent and it’s great, that
their prices, will not break the bank.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4899 Yonge Street
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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!
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