The daily Square Peg lunch box (Image: Andrew Brudz)
Since opening last October, Fabarnak, the cheerfully decorated eatery inside the 519 Church Street Community Centre, has raised the standards of cooking for the neighbourhood’s restaurants (all profits from the operation benefit the 519). Chef Eric Wood’s inventive menu, featuring homemade daily quiches, soups and sandwiches, focuses on sustainable ingredients, and the Square Peg lunch ($9), a sort of high-end lunch tray served in a bento box, offers a sample of the evening’s dinner menu (a preview is usually posted on the restaurant’s Twitter feed). When we visited, it included a hearty rabbit liver ragoût with caramelized onions served on crostini; tender baby zucchini and tomatoes with melted P’tit Basque sheep’s milk cheese; a single roasted fingerling potato with a cool dollop of truffle butter and mascarpone; and a slice of a simple white cake covered in tart lemon curd, with fresh strawberries and blackberries on top. With Pride Week kicking off this weekend, it’s an added reason head to the Village before the crowds descend.
The cost: $15, including tax, tip and an iced tea ($2.25).
The time: 45 minutes.
Fabarnak, 519 Church St., 416-355-6781, the519.org/programsservices/fabarnakrestaurantandcatering.
I eat at Fabarnak at least once a week for lunch. It has, I’m afraid, become something of an addiction. The food is always terrific and unique AND served in reasonable-sized portions (satisfying without being oppressive). Hint: Always have the soup. Eric’s daily soups are adventures in layering of flavours. This has become the new favorite eatery of everyone I have invited to join me for lunch.
June 23, 2011 at 4:34 pm | by James