Bees, Bones and Desserts

When The Banker is cranky he starts to resemble a toddler who’s just been told that blankie can’t come on vacation this year. Lip goes out, eyes get stormy and outside of major intervention the next hour is going to be uncomfortable. This was the case this Friday evening; early afternoon patioing with the Banker Boys on the street in addition to a market that went turbulent, had him sobering, tired and slightly petulant by six. In this state the two of us plus Faithful Friend made out way over to The Harbord Room. Which meant that this meal, in fact any meal, was probably not going to please him.

I liked the Harbord Room for this situation because it’s cute, the patio is a backyard and not crowded. Again like dealing with a toddler them aim is to reduce stimulation to increase calmness. Coming in at 6pm the restaurant had just opened giving us the pick of the tables. They don’t take reservations for the patio and space goes fast – either come early or be prepared to wait. We were soon tucked into a lovely table, greeted by a pleasant server and things were looking up. The bread came quickly and the small but well thought out menu had options that appealed to the tree of us.

Then the bees came.

Wildlife is a fact of life when dining al fresco but either by some quirk of fate or styling products five bees made a routine of dive bombing The Banker for the duration of the meal, setting the tone resulting in a string of unhappiness from The Banker. The wine, a Malbec with strong chocolate notes , was pronounced undrinkable, his mains, lamb done three ways, declared to fatty and undercooked (totally unfair because one cut was the belly, by it’s very nature a fatty cut). It is a testament to the servers, who managed to relocate our group inside to hide from our aerial attackers, and the desserts, amazing, that by the end good humour had returned and peace reigned once more.

In the mean time my meal pleased me. To start I had the Applewood smoked cheddar on Fred’s walnut loaf. Not original (in my opinion there are superior smoked cheeses being make closer to home) and a little greasy but it delivered on taste and texture. A main of fresh parpadelle and braised rabbit surpassed expectations, with the grainy Kozlik’s mustard working with an anise scented broth while the braised meat was both tender and flavourful. My only issue would be the boning of the rabbit which was slightly incomplete. Ending up with a mouthful of rabbit ribs puts an uncomfortable halt to dinner conversation.

The desserts were where the meal shone and moods improved. The peach bread pudding was paired with an uber rich, very dark chocolate mousse that brought the more austere fruit dessert to a whole new level. The pot du crème was a marvel with chocolate, caramel and espresso it was neither too sweet nor bitter but lovely and mellow on the tongue and smooth and rich in the mouth. Clever the kitchen is to not add to fatigue the palate with any rich garnish but rather topping with a milk foam, providing a nice textural change.

In summation The Harbord room is a lovely little restaurant that can’t be blamed for cranky bankers or deranged insects. It however can take full credit for an interesting menu, accommodating service and sublime desserts.