Estiatorio Malena
120 Avenue Road | 416 964 0606 | malena120.com
Friends of restaurant reviewers know that theirs is a relationship of exchange. In exchange for being wined and dined at fine (and not so fine) restaurants, they forfeit the right to eat their dinner unshared, and that prior to lifting a fork, they must wait patiently for me to snap a picture of it.
Being a lawyer, I should have known to reduce that bargain to writing; at Malena, one of my two dining companions reneged immediately, refusing to share and completely forgetting to wait for the obligatory picture. Yes, the food here is just that good.
Malena is located in the well-heeled Ave and Dav area, in a century-old townhouse that is redone in a cozy yet refined farmhouse style. Chef Alex Bruveris follows the farm-to-table theme in his food, using simple ingredients to build complex dishes. The food is billed as being a “fresh interpretation of Ionian coastal cuisine,” which purports to be “the regional foods and flavours of Greece and Southern Italy, heavily influenced by ingredients drawn from the bodies of water that surround these regions.” This all sounds a bit dear, particularly since they actually source the fish worldwide. Regardless, whatever it is, and however Bruveris is preparing it, it is exceptional.
We start with appetizers: the daily soup — a thick, roasted cauliflower with smoky pecorino cheese and house-cured bacon ($12) — and the daily grilled mezes, an antipasti board with lamb sausage, halloumi cheese and grilled spring vegetables and served with housemade tzatziki and bomba, an Italian hot sauce (small $14; large $24). The mezes are good, but nothing particularly stands out. The lamb sausage could be exceptional with its delicate, balanced flavours, but it is defeated by too much salt.
While we are eating, the wait staff is hustling food upstairs — there’s a private room that accommodates 40 guests, and it too is cozy and nicely laid out (those of you tasked with planning the office holiday party take note). Moving on to the mains, I opt for the Sicilian caponata ravioli with eggplant, tomato, green olives, capers, currents and sunflower seeds ($24). The flavours are complex and distinct, and the pasta itself is perfect. One of my dining companions tries the grilled beef shortribs ($26) — good, but a difficult dish to elevate to extraordinary.
My other dining companion tries the daily gnocchi special. Gnocchi is a dodgy pasta; done well, it’s mouthfuls of light, airy flavour-pillows. Done poorly, you might as well be eating tiny soccer balls of wallpaper paste. Sous chef Becky Ross nails it — this is some of the finest gnocchi I’ve had. Today’s gnocchi is made with moliterno, a sheep’s milk cheese injected with black truffles, and it’s served with lightly sautéed cinnamon cap and hen of the woods mushrooms and finished with grated moliterno, some honey, and raw celery hearts and leaves dressed with sherry vinegar. The robust earthiness of the truffles and mushrooms is kept in check by the floral character of the honey and balanced by the acidity of the vinegar. All three of us would come back again for this dish.
Desserts are pistachio gelato and s’mores. Both are well done though neither is really a showcase dessert. The s’mores were elegantly plated and Ross’s pastry was light and perfect — though my companion, a s’mores purist, confessed to a preference for the traditional graham cracker.
The service is quick and perfectly timed throughout the meal. The ambiance is good; the lighting is forgiving and the noise level is reasonable, perfect for getting to know clients. The drawback to Malena is the lack of parking in the area; Malena sensibly offers valet parking for just this reason.
Judge Foodie’s verdict:
Highs: the pasta, the ambiance
Lows: the parking could be an issue for those not prepared to trust their wheels to a valet
Kirsten Thompson is a Toronto-based research lawyer and commercial litigator. Since her call to the bar in 2000, she estimates that her restaurant to courtroom ratio has been approximately 14:1. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas for a review? Email her.
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