MARBL Restaurant just opened at 455 King Street West, on the south-west block of King and Spadina. The newly renovated space, previously occupied by Susur Lee’s Fring’s, brings a clean and modern aesthetic to the dark red brick establishment. The space is open and inviting, which means that this will absolutely be the spot to hit on a Friday in Toronto this winter. Torontonicity was invited to check out the new location, and sample their menu on their preview night held on November 29, 2018!
Executive Chef Ryan Morrison has put together a menu that is sure to keep the King West crowd coming back for more: braised lamb tagliatelle, veal and pork meatballs, smoked octopus, and an entire a la carte grill section. This doesn’t mean that the menu should be written off as simply a carnivores dream, as there are delicious and delicate flavoured dishes scattered throughout.
One example of this is the Beets: whipped goat cheese, frisee (also known as curly endive), and crushed pistachios, drizzled with pomegranate molasses. The salad not only presents beautifully, but the flavours are brought together with such harmony. The goat cheese isn’t overpowering, and plays perfectly with the pomegranate molasses to add rich sweet notes to the greens.
I have to admit that calling their burger option the Royale with Cheese makes me smile. If the line doesn’t ring a bell, it’s from a conversation between the two main characters in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. I will be visiting MARBL again just to place – it’s one of my favourite moments of dialogue in cinema history.
Another smaller plate worth noting is the Roasted Carrots made with a mild curry, and sprinkled with marcona almonds. They’re served with edibles flowers, which add a gorgeous colour combination to the dish making it visually quite striking. The curry is very soft, and delivers just the slightest rounded warm notes to the end of every bite.
It was a packed house on opening night as friends and family of the restaurant and kitchen team were there to show love and support before their opening to the public. Despite being packed with bodies, the space never felt like it was overflowing. The spacious interior allows for larger gathers, while still facilitating quieter conversations at the private tables located throughout.
On opening night, Chef Morrison had a carving station available for guests to sample some of the featured cuts offered at the restaurant. The lineup was very long, but people were kept coming back for more!
Guests on opening night were treated to a generous charcuterie and cheese board spread, that was accompanied by some delicious classic sides of olives and artichokes. Fennel and other greens were used as garnish, and brought out the earthy flavours in the meats. Definitely something to keep in mind during this festive entertaining season!
The steak tartare presents well, and is ideal if you’re attending with a group of coworkers or friends. A light shaving of parmigiano cheese overtop adds a light burst of rich saltiness to each bite.
MARBL’s opening was completely packed with supportive guests, and the space looks gorgeous, but their lower level isn’t complete yet. Mademoiselle, their highly anticipated champagne lounge, is scheduled to open later this month. With the second level drink-focused space, MARBL is bound to establish itself as the place to hit on the King West strip. If you’re considering a visit, make sure to get there early and well before the late evening cocktail crowd. Keep an eye out on Torontonicity in the near future for updates on the opening of Mademoiselle, and hopefully some NYE options from this new locale!
[…] places include Toronto restaurants that are hosting TIFF 2019 parties including, Sofia, Montecito, MARBL, Astor Lounge at the St. Regis, La Banane and Figo. You might also want to hunker down near the […]
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