Chantecler

Chantelcer is a newer restaurant in Parkdale. It is literally down the street from my place, and after hearing many good things, I have been eager to try it out. The restaurant is a small space, but has a very welcoming vibe. There is an open area for guests to watch the chefs do their thing. It was packed when I came the other night (always a good sign of a good restaurant). The menu is rather small, only about 10 things offered, but they do them right. Here's how my food experience went down:

Started with drinks. A bellwood brewery beer. 

Gin and grapefruit tonic. I loved every sip of this. I ordered a couple of these throughout the dinner.

Spicy Shrimp. This shrimp was cooked perfectly, and had a nice kick of spicy flavour. 

Beef Tartare. This came with a side of nori to use as a wrap for the tartare. This was quite delicious. There was a bold punch of wasabi in every bite. I didn't think I would love this as much as I did.

Calamari in a peanut and tamarind sauce. The calamari was perfectly tender and the sauce was SO flavourful. This is some of the most memorable calamari I have had.  

Lettuce Meal. This comes with slow braised beef, pork shoulder, pickled vegetables, korean sauces, rice and a variety of lettuce to use as wraps. 

This whole style was very Korean inspired. The meat was unreal. I apologize I didn't get a better snap of just the meat, but it was fall apart, melt in your mouth good. Everything put together in a lettuce wrap worked in perfect harmony. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Chantecler. The food was unique, drinks were on point (our server gave us some complimentary brandi shots at the end of our meal), the staff was friendly and the energy in the restaurant was great. I will definitely be back to try more from Chantecler's menu. You should check it out! 

Happy Eating!