The Gabardine
372 Bay Street | 647-352-3211 | thegabardine.com
The Gabardine is just over a year old now and I’m ashamed to say it’s taken me that long to walk through the door. I’ve been missing out not only on some fantastic food, but also on a restaurant that is an oasis from the financial district’s same old same old.
The Gabardine aims for an informal bistro feel, with white brick walls, high tin ceilings, framed vintage newspaper ads (for gabardine coats), filament light-bulbs, and kitschy dinner plates. The food reflects that same ambition, aiming for high quality fare without pretension. Executing that vision is chef Rodney Bowers (The Rosebud, The Citizen), hired by the owners to consult, with chef Graham Pratt the talent in the kitchen.
In short, this isn’t a place you’d bring clients; this is a place you go to get away from clients.
The lunch and dinner menus are identical, with an emphasis on hearty fare — a variety of sandwiches ranging from a tuna melt ($12) through to Philly cheese steak ($14), sirloin bacon cheeseburger ($17), pulled pork sandwich with spicy pickled cabbage ($14; $12 for the tofu option).
The standout on the menu is the mac and cheese ($14). This is comfort food at its finest, with creamy sauce, aged cheddar, and a loyal following — all four diners at the table next to me ordered one. Carnivores can add smoked ham for an extra $2. The risotto (price and type varies daily) also seemed to be a favourite judging from the traffic from the kitchen, but my butternut squash risotto was bland and slightly soggy.
The crowd is exactly the crowd you’d expect to seek out comfort food. The place is devoid of the hypermasculine alpha dogs, with a clientele skewed toward women (or maybe it appears that way because the rest of the financial district is skewed towards the hypermasculine alpha dogs). Quick eavesdropping on two neighbouring tables — the space is a little cramped; three tables where I would have put only two — suggests that this is a place you go to complain about the partner on the file.
It’s also a busy place, with servers whizzing around. The service is fast and efficient, particularly for the lunch crowd. Speaking of the lunch crowd, get here early — they don’t take lunch reservations. Those in the know send an advance scout to secure a table. Fortunately, they do take dinner reservations, and while the place slows down in the evening, it’s still full.
The Gabardine is popular with the after work crowd, and the bar features local microbrews and classic cocktails. Another note: the Gabardine is also open for breakfast.
Judge Foodie’s verdict:
Highs: A nice break from the financial district’s feel and it’s possible to pretend you’re in Paris; the food is comfort food; you can pick up a lot of competitive intelligence from the table beside you (see Lows, below)
Lows: Can be loud and crowded at peak times; your conversation will be shared with the next table (see Highs, above); the small space and open kitchen can leave your clothes smelling like the day’s entree.
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.