The Gabardine

I sometime have work lunches to attend. Being in the downtown core, there are some great choices, but how do you choose good food and an acceptable environment without the astronomical cost? Each factor will be weighed by those you lunch with, so if you are the one choosing, you had better have a few go-to choices in your back pocket.

I was debating my selections when I had less than a day to book reservations when I spoke to a colleague whom I'd recently dined with and clearly has a good handle on the food scene here in the city. When I told her my dilemma she made three suggestions, one of which I had already been to with my lunch companion, and one I would use as a backup. The third, Gabardine is on Bay Street immediately south of Richmond.

I had walked by many times but never opened the door. I’m not the only one who has walked past on several occasions, so had my colleague. It is one of those places which has the pleasant store front of a warm and friendly bistro, yet you pass it when you’re on your way to some other place. People who are looking for a place to eat are generally not going to be the ones walking by. That being said, they do not take reservations. This makes it tricky for a work lunch, which is probably what they want to avoid. My solution? Get there hella early and snag a table before my companion arrives. I got there at 11.40am and believe it or not I got the second last table there. It was packed. It was noisy. It was more noisy than most other restaurants, and being seated close together in such a small space, it intensified the bustle so typical of Toronto. It was in direct contrast to the implied calm laid back feel of the décor. But was it worth it?

My companion arrived and we ordered. We were offered a pretentious carafe of sparkling water, though I can’t pin the word the waiter used when he asked if we would like any. Neither of us knew what he was saying, and instead of coming off as worldly, he really came off as douchy, but we let it slide with a chuckle, racking it up to us just not hearing what he really said.

Rabbit Rillettes

We shared the Rabbit Rillettes to start since my companion had never eaten rabbit before. It was good, but it was so processed he couldn’t really get the distinct flavor, which is a shame, because for a first taste you really want it to be memorable. It was served with toasted baguette rounds, apple butter and sour cherry. All in all, good, but not unique. As my friend said, “you could have substituted any other meat in there and it would have been the same dish,” and unfortunately, I had to agree.

Seafood Chowder

Shrimp Po Boy

I ordered the Chowder and after seeing our nieghbour-table receive their dishes (and us openly gawking along with them), he ordered the Shrimp Po Boy. My only complaint about my Chowder were the saltines it was garnished with. If I wanted saltines I’d go to the grocery store. If you’re going to serve with a crunchy carb, give me some of that baguette you toasted up for the rillettes, at least that requires more finesse than opening a box. My colleague’s po boy, on the other hand, was outstanding. Shrimp piled up to your eyeballs. And he said the shrimp was perfectly cooked. They used some of the apple butter in the sandwich, so it wasn’t overly heavy on the savory side, it was nicely balanced in flavour. As loud as it was, we were still able to carry on an enjoyable and productive conversation while we enjoyed our meals. The staff was attentive to our needs and never rushed us though they had customers waiting for a table.

It’s nice to have a place like this around. Some reviews call it ‘gastro-pub’, and the term really doesn’t seem to apply. This isn’t a pub that serves higher end food, it is firstly a restaurant that has designed its menu with some dressed-up pub offerings in mind, yet also offering other more bistro style dishes. Beer is secondary in its focus, offering few artisanal beers and a modest wine selection. When I was there I didn’t see one person with an alcoholic drink, but then again, I wasn’t there for dinner service. There were no beers on the menu that I would have wanted to drink even if I was off the clock. However, upon leaving, I noted the bottle of Hendricks on the top shelf, so that in the least earns them some redeeming alcohol points. After pointing out the difference between gin classes to my colleague he must think I’m a lush, but in my opinion, if you drink rarely, you better make those drinks count.

If I had to put my finger on what Gabardine is, I would say it carryies the right amount of attitude to draw the higher end working lunch crowd by playing themselves down with ‘everyday’ appeal, but executing on the more exacting standards of their dining expectations and offering standards they know the crowd will like. That is, it’s like giving a chicken the duck makeover and offering it up as an everyday lunch at weekend lunch prices. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. That seems to be the standard in this great city. What’s important is whether or not I would return. For work? Definitely. I want to try that po boy sometime.

The Gabardine

372 Bay Street

Toronto, ON M5H 2W9

(647) 352-3211