Restaurants
O & B Canteen
O & B Canteen, located at King and John, right in the entertainment district's restaurant strip, is the latest venture from the ever-expanding Oliver & Bonacini company. The airy cafe, with its lovely wrap around patio offers something a little different from the usual tourist-friendly kitsch that this area's eateries are known for.
Occupying the new Bell Lightbox building's main floor (with O&B's higher end Luma opening soon upstairs), Canteen offers the appeal of a casual atmosphere and affordable menu, but with the hope of a certain caliber of food one might expect from anything with the O&B stamp.
With glass walls and soaring ceilings, this open space consists of a counter for quick 'grab and go' meals and a bakery, as well as plenty of booth and table seating, but the real draw is the tree-lined patio. Larger than most of the patios on this strip, many of which are merely a handful of tables almost directly on the sidewalk, Canteen's offers just enough privacy from the adjacent street while still allowing a view of this always-bustling neighbourhood.
The restaurant offers two menus, a breakfast menu served until 11:30am, and an all-day menu available for both lunch and dinner. Casual offerings range from salads and sandwiches to pizza, pasta and a handful of entrees.
We begin with the beet root salad ($7), a little bowl of red and white beets with hazelnuts and fresh tarragon. The nuts add a nice crunchy texture to the perfectly cooked beets, and the dressing is a light, simple vinaigrette that adds just enough zing without overpowering the beets themselves.
From a selection of pizzas we settle on the Giardiniera ($12). Described as a pizza with artichokes, caramelized onions and mushrooms, it arrives with a generous sprinkling of the aforementioned toppings as well as the pleasant addition of black olives and red peppers. The crust is very thin and crispy, and the fresh toppings are a tasty combination.
From the selection of pastas, the gnocchi ($14) with Ontario braised lamb, parmesan and rosemary immediately catches my eye. The light, fluffy dumplings arrive in a dish of flavourful, slow-braised lamb and melted parmesan. This well-made pasta dish is simple, but very satisfying, and quickly devoured by me and my dining companions.
Upon our server's recommendation and the knowledge that O&B know their chocolate, we finish the meal with the soma brownie ($7). There's nothing like a homemade brownie, and this one is just what we were hoping for. The warm brownie, still gooey in the centre, comes topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of rich chocolate sauce.
The entertainment district's restaurant strip, generally populated by tourists and theatre-goers, may not be an area that native Torontonians often frequent, but O&B Canteen might make it worthwhile to stop in rather than just pass through. An attractive space with simple but satisfying, quality food at very decent prices for the area make this place worth a visit, and its location in TIFF's new headquarters means that Canteen will likely be enjoying a packed house come festival time.
Photos by Taralyn Marshall
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Worth going if you are in the 'hood for the food.
I wouldn't call the patio tree-lined. It was more like little saplings forming somewhat of a hedge. The patio was almost unbearingly noisy due to idling trucks parked right outside and the nearby construction.
We had the misfortune of witnessing a construction worker walk by, bend over and loudly hork into the aforementioned hedge, much to the shock and dismay of diners at three adjacent tables. Degeulasse!
I tried the pizza you recommended in this review and was much disappointed. Toppings were far from generous: There were a couple of slices with no toppings other than a slathering of tomato sauce and a smattering of cheese.
The brownie, while tasty, wasn't warm at all and the ice cream had already begun to melt.
Overall, not very inspiring.
I will definitely go back and have it again, maybe to dine in :)
Definitely, a place where I will not go anymore.
It seems that today what is fashion it is eating in a noisy cold place with very little in your plate.
It seems that Oliver Bonacini chain is becoming a bad place to go. I had also a not so good experience at the Canoe recently.
The Mac 'n Cheese, instead of being a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dish, was pasta in a thin Gruyere sauce. The pasta was so under salted as to make it tasteless, except for the few morsels of smoked ham in it.
The Thai coleslaw was good but uninspired.
The Gateau Basque was wonderful albeit a more upscale version than usual, with it's more delicate texture.
Considering the quality AND the prices, not sure it's worth another visit!