L'ouvrier Kitchen Bar

With new restaurants popping up every few weeks and the old favourites still on top, Dundas Street West between Bathurst and Ossington is the buzziest block in Toronto.  There's Enoteca Sociale, Campangolo, Black Hoof, not to mention coming soon is a restaurant from Susur Lee and his sons, plus Jamie Kennedy's recent take over of the food shop Provenance.  Just west of Bathurst there's another welcome addition - L'ouvrier.    

Order the charcuterie to start.  It comes with chicken liver pate and smoked ham hock croquettes that are stuffed to the max with juicy meat.  The daily fish tartar was tuna, which came with avocado and chips.  The squash 'love letter' ravioli with pumpkin seeds is a perfect fall dish as is the rich duck confit sitting on pan-fried gnocchi. The scallops, cooked perfectly, work better as a sharing dish.  Dessert was an apple and olive oil cake iced with a maple syrup cream cheese spread.  It's impressive for a brand new restaurant to get it right, right away.  Friendly staff, very cool design and the food will only get better.