Starting the evening off with a Labora Cola vermouth based cocktail and salty snacks, I was in Catalonian heaven! Olives wrapped with delicious anchovies on a chili pepper got me ready and raring for my tasty Spanish feast!

You aren’t in Spain until you have had a glass of Cava and honestly I am a huge fan of the fizz, which perfectly accompanied some more delightful snacks, including Zamburiñas – lightly poached bay scallops in a Galician sauce served with potato chips. My favourite of the tomato rubbed ‘Cristal’ bread; the fresh flavour of the tomatoes!

Spain is well known for its love of seafood and for me it was all about the fish at Labora (although rest assured, the opportunities for jamon are plentiful!). If you like some theatre with your food, order the grilled octopus, which comes sizzled at your table!

Labora blends the traditional and modern nicely when approaching its dishes, for example the calamari came in lobster roll style buns with aioli. According to the chef, these tasty tapas are a nod to classic Madrid snacks.

One of my favourite savoury dishes, I have to admit, was actually the grilled broccolini with almond romesco and manchego. Simple, wholesome and fan freaking delicioso!

We enjoyed some excellent regional wine pairings, my favourite of which was a red from Gran Canaria, a volacanic Spanish Island. It seems the grapes were grown in volcanic ash soil! Volcano wine – cool, right! 

 I am not usually a sweet over savoury gal, but the desserts were, incredibly, my favourite dishes of the evening! I was totally won over! Also, they came paired with an Olorosso Sherry; a true Spanish finish! The tarta de almendras, an almond olive oil cake with a thick chocolate ganache style inner layer, was both impossibly light and devilishly rich at the same time. The absolute victor of the evening, though, was the Crema Catalana! I was IN LOVE. Unfortunately, so was my dining partner. We dutifully shared the saffron and cinnamon crème brûlée style dish, each winning little spoonfuls from one another’s side of the plate! I would eat this all day every day if possible, please and thank you. 

Let me level with you. There is a place in this city that is offering an authentic slice of Spain, amid vibey surroundings. It is tasty, it is cool. It is cold out…so I will see you there, right?!

For more information and to book a table at Labora, visit their website.

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Nestled in by St Lawrence Market, the foodie Mecca of the city, Barsa Taberna brings big Spanish flavours to an intimate 19^th Century building. The stone walls were made to house Barsa, which brings to life the European wine cellar vibe of the architecture…but let’s not waste too much time talking about the décor when we have bigger fish to fry; the tantalizing new menu.

I sipped on a beautiful Pur Vida cocktail (vodka, cava, grapefruit and vanilla bean) as I mused over how to narrow down my menu choices. Eventually, my friend and I decided to start with three oysters each, served with a shishito mignonette. Yum. Next, we ordered a zesty white sangria to help us wash down our manchego churros (lol, joke, we didn’t need any “help” polishing those beauties off…they were delicious, we just wanted to swill something Spanish and celebratory!)

There are so many menu items you absolutely have to try here, one of my favourite being the Bistec Crudo, a raw top loin of beef served with bread, pickled shallots, fennel and capers. I am usually pescatarian, but watching my friend eat this broke me and I regret nothing. Nothing.

Other delights include the scallop ceviche, which paired perfectly with our cava based sangria. We toasted to the glory that was the Chile shrimp with a crisp glass of rosé cava, for a little something different. Of course our seafood quest was not over until we tried the clams, garlic, white bean and chili. Hurrah!

Because carbs are pretty much the greatest, we also split the patatas bravas (fun to say, fun to eat!). You can also order braised beef or a fried egg on top of this, but we already had a whole lot of flavour going on with our chosen spread.

Finally, we indulge in the genuinely life altering sweet churros (because you can never have too many churros, am I right?) this time they came with a selection of three dipping sauces, my favourite being the dulce de leche, which may well be one of the tastiest things I have ever put in my mouth.

Digesting it all with a Negroni and a satisfied grin, I was already beginning to plot my return to this absolute beaut of a Toronto restaurant. See you there!

The post New Menu at Market Street’s Barsa Taberna Restaurant appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Getting to know Toronto over the last two months, I have quickly learned that some of the best food in the city can be found around St Lawrence Market. Having now ventured to Barsa Taberna, a Spanish inspired eatery, you’ll be hard pressed to drag me away from Market Street. Like…ever.

The best evenings often happen after a kindly person hands you a glass of Cava, and this was certainly the case on Thursday evening as I ventured into the white washed stone inner belly of Barsa.

Other than to be plied with wonderful Spanish wine, I was visiting Barsa to check out their brand new menu. Created under the guidance of chef Chris McDonald, who is kind of Toronto food royalty, the spritely and extremely talented Guillermo Herbertson has developed the menu to bring a new Spanish dining experience. And what an experience…

We started the night by sampling a foie gras atop a bone marrow creation, served on a bed of decorative sea salt. Already it was clear that McDonald and Herbertson were pushing some boundaries and I liked it. Later we were treaty to a similarly wacky snail and rabbit paella, but not before sampling Jamón con Melón, sea bream ceviche and a life altering sample of the Vieiras con Chocos, a seared scallop with a “cuttlefish stew” and chorizo topping. Oh my god. Was this one of the best pieces of Spanish inspired food I have ever tasted? Possibly.

Other than the Vieiras con Chocos, some of my personal highlights of the evening included the Jamón con Melón which fused crispy serrano ham and a mouth-watering melon consommé, as well as the beautifully spicy ceviche with delectably fresh sea bream.

That was just the beginning… who knew that I could fall in love with a SALAD? Not me! But lo and behold, a kale, hazelnut and current creation stole my heart and the best part was I couldn’t even feel guilty about it. I was about one glass of wine away from demanding the waiter’s box up a portion of the salad for me to take home but luckily my dignity remained intact. Just.

Whilst I found the paella a bit disappointing (a teeny bit bland with slightly overcooked rabbit) I basked in the Mediterranean glory of a portion of grilled Sea Bass with piquillos peppers and house-pickled vegetables (“Robalo a la Parrilla”). Yuuum.

Dessert wine? Yes please. And what a treat it was! Glugging back a full bodied and sweet treat between mouthfuls of a autumnal spiced crème brûlée is just about my idea of heaven. Usually vanity would prevent me from finishing an entire dessert after around 7 prior courses, but my kale friend from earlier on was telling me it was okay…it was more than okay. It was glorious.

So, the Barsa Taberna new menu. Did I love it? You could say that.

Barsa Taberna Spanish restaurant is located at 26 Market St, Toronto, ON M5E 1M6. Visit their website for reservations and/or further details.

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