The boys from Barque, the ne plus ultra of Toronto BBQ joints, have opened a spinoff (who doesn’t spin off these days) called Barque Butcher Bar, a few doors down from Barque on Roncy. Prepared food shop by day, hipster bar ’n’ snacky resto by night, BBB is as delectable as Barque although far less accessible.
The menu is eensy and the few choices are mostly high fat low veg, a carnivore’s delight and not so kid-friendly. So I like it. For a lifelong unrepentant carnivore, what’s not to like about sweet cold-smoked venison tartare topped with a flurry of grated fresh horseradish and a piquant leaf of a mystery herb called hearts on fire? Like animal fat? It comes with a half-cooked lightly pickled egg, sweet oozing yolk slightly vinegared for contrast.
This is pretty sophisticated food, with decor to match. We love the tables, made of wildly different kinds of wood laminated together and lacquered to a high gloss. Fab art nouveau light fixtures hang over the long bar, which is often also decorated with pretty people. It’s a large generous room, the smoker is out back, and what can we say: Yes, this is the west end, epicentre of Toronto hipsters.
Wild boar terrine is studded with pistachio nuts and wrapped in bacon? Terrine is not as simple as it sounds. Terrines are gastronomic minefields that can in the wrong hands turn out dry and/or bland. This terrine is superb: It showcases the depth and mastery of the Barque partners David Neinstein and Jonathan Persofsky. As does the Fujian spring noodle salad, a balanced triumph of Thai basil, rice vinegar and black sesame seeds on al dente egg noodles.
Tuscan pork confit is the classic pig meat simmered in oil for ooze and sweetness. A small pile of it sits on toast. Almost erotic! The only time they put a foot badly wrong is on jerk fried Cornish hen. This one is bad: The breading is badly greasy as if perhaps it was fried in oil that wasn’t hot enough; and the jerk spicing is overwhelmingly clove-tasting. Needs better balance.
The sole non-meat protein they do is two little chunks of black cod on crispy rice cake. The fish is moist and fat, the topping clever: lime foam and baby coriander seedlings.
For dessert they’re renovating ye olde ice cream sandwich: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between oatmeal cookies. But there was a bit of a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip here: We want vanilla ice cream so rich it coats the tongue. This one doesn’t. Not even close. And not to be picky, but it’s best to make the sandwich to order, so the cookies don’t get too cold. These ones are and hence hard. I want my oatmeal cookies soft. Don’t you?
Barque Butcher Bar, 287 Roncesvalles Ave., $30 Dinner for two