As a romantic tribute, Ricarda’s, a new Mediterranean bakery and restaurant located at the corner of Richmond and Peter that covers cuisine from Morocco to Syria, is named after the owner’s wife. The restaurant is located on the ground floor at 134 Peter St. in the QRC West building.
Ricarda’s is a three-year project that started in London, England where general manager David Whissel met the owner to research a concept that they wanted to bring to Toronto. That concept never made it, but a new idea was born.
“I grew up in a big family,” says Whissel who has four siblings. “My mother was always and the kitchen and people would just drop in.”
The kitchen was the focal point in his household and he wanted to recreate that idea in a restaurant.
Each section of the restaurant is meant to provide a different experience. The cocktail lounge to mirror a living room; the restaurant tables to be like the family room and the tasting tables section, an open kitchen where groups of eight or more can experience a three-, five- or seven-course dinner with up-close-and-personal access to the chef. Wine pairings are available for the five- and seven-course menus.
The space has a little bit of retro meets modern; old world meets new world feel. Floor to ceiling windows, marble countertops, leather banquettes and brass make the room an inviting place to escape the summer heat.
While a bakery wasn’t originally in the cards for Ricarda’s, having discovered the location was once a Weston Bakery, they couldn’t help but include a bit of history in the finished restaurant. it’s open every day to serve muffins, bread and other sweet treats from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. They also have a house-blend coffee by Smile Tiger, a roaster out of Kitchener-Waterloo.
At the heart of its bakery operation is Sarah Tsai, a chef turned pastry chef whose style is “rustic but sophisticated; balanced but not too sweet.” In keeping with the overall philosophy of local, seasonal ingredients where possible, her creations include a Summer Corn Panna Cotta with Ontario Blueberry Compote and Meringue ($8) and a Spanish Santiago Cake with Ontario Peach Compote and Saffron-Ginger-Vanilla Ice Cream ($8).
Bar Manager Joey Hicks, a sometimes professional wine collector and broker found and embraced his love of cocktails. His cocktails are “fresh but classic” and he likes his martinis “not too dirty, but not too clean.” A cold glass and a little froth is his idea of a perfect martini ($9.50, 2 oz). The only question left is: are they made with gin or vodka? It is interesting to note that Greek wines make it onto the liquid offerings at Ricarda’s; a wine region that doesn’t normally get a dedicated nod.
With such a giant space, executive chef Samir Girgis commands a brigade of some 40+ staff. Having worked in Mediterranean restaurants all his life, most notably with Pino Pasteraro at Vancouver’s Cioppino’s, the chef’s pride and joy are the flatbreads ($17-$21). Girgis made the dough starter himself.
Those who are ultra picky eaters will rejoice in the “create your own” flatbread, pasta and salad sections of the menu. Girgis wanted his menu to be “in a way casual and approachable” with “a lot of things for everyone.” Indeed the menu does offer a lot by way of options.
A wraparound atrium patio will open soon with a total of 97 seats around the perimeter of the restaurant. Attico, an adjoining martini bar in the atrium at 134 Peter also opened shortly after the main restaurant and serves Spanish tapas and food coming out of Ricarda’s kitchen, albeit the menu will be entirely different.