Opening
Coca
A wunderkind chef brings true tapas to the masses By Chris Nuttall-Smith
Tapas dance: truffled aïoli and house-cured pork belly bedevil quail's eggs; serrano ham, mahon-stuffed peppers and white anchovies make the plate
Image credit: Felis Wedgwood
It opened late this fall with a minimum of pre-launch buzz—just whispers of a second restaurant for Nathan Isberg, the talented young chef behind Czehoski. Yet within a week, the deliciously inspired, affordable Spanish place called Coca was the hottest new room in town. Expect sheer Isbergian elegance upstairs—quail stuffed with pork belly and figs; ras al hanout–cured foie gras—and an extensive selection of authentic tapas below. And though the menu is eminently accessible, Isberg is still getting his “jollies,” as he puts it. Witness the following item, tucked onto the menu amid the (truly brilliant) venison sausage and house-cured olives: “Overcome your fear of eating horse with a small taste of tenderloin.”
Coca, 783 Queen St. W., 416-703-0783.
TEST Originally published February 2007
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