How You gonna keep Teo down on the farm now that he’s seen Paree?
A young chef, Teo Paul, spent a decade in Paris, most of it cooking at an eclectic bar/grill SoMo and hanging out at his second home, Au Petit Fer à Cheval,a famous little café in the Marais, the old Jewish ghetto. Then he came back to Toronto to recreate it.
Good for him. Fer a Cheval –little horsehoe- boasts a horsehoe bar upfront of a tiny café is in the warmest of Parisian traditions – everyone is welcome and the food is simple but good – atleast that was my impression years ago.
When I first heard of Teo Paul he was writing a blog for Toronto Life. It was August 2008 and he was about to open Union on Ossington’s burgeoning gastro-strip, just a few steps north of the men’s detox centre. But fall drifted into winter as Paul struggled to keep ahead of reno and red tape. He was in the weeds by spring. Still, he soldiered on, a superb marketer.
Now the chickens or rather tout Toronto have come home to roost. Paul finally opened Union in July and Joel Rebuchon himself couldn’t have made a bigger splash. When I get there, the suits are texting, National Post scandalsleuth Shinan Govani is activating his blackberry three times before the wine arrives. LG3 owner Milton Nunes is here for a second taste. Not to mention the locals chowing down at the bar or the chef’s bar by the open kitchen.
Union has the Ossington look – laid back, a shoebox tucked inside an old brick shell, the little horseshoe bar in the window, about thirty seats and an open kitchen, earth colours, a farmyard mural on one wall, green and white leafy upholstery on the chairs. Very welcoming.
It also has the organic rhythm of the all day Paris café opening at 9 for the first slug of Pastis and coffee and croissants, an egg dish, and Paul’s own baguette, made with an apple starter. The daytime menu is handwritten, just what the chef’s decided to cook. When I drop by for lunch, I bypass steak frites for a pork and shrimp burger on a perfect ring of rosti potatoes, for once properly cooked, crisp on top, creamy within, and topped with a fried egg , a little dash of Asian sauce, Mirin vinegar, ginger, sugar $12. Such unapologetic simplicity seems very sophisticated. The glass of Gruner Veltliner Rudolph Rabi $8.50 is a mellow complement.
The dinner menu is printed, about ten standard dishes and also a soup du jour, plat du jour and fish of the day. Again, the emphasis is on informality. Eat how and what you like. Paul has the French respect for the egg as an A I ingredient and not just for breakfast. I can’t pass up the Truffle Fonduto $9, a shimmery poached egg slipped into a musty sauce, ground truffles and a mild cheese, and served with soldiers, the English nursery name for little logs of toast. Seared Rabbit Terrine $8 is mild and smooth with chive clotted cream and a spark of jalapeno salsa, while the Elk Sliders, mini burgers, are rare and juicy with an Asian glaze of mirin and galangal (a lemony ginger), bracketed by slices of sweet challah bread, spiked by a little pickle.
Three big sticky ribs on a long plate with crisp pork belly $17 are meaty finger food and the sauce isn’t too sweet. Roast chicken’s just come out of the oven, $55 for the whole thing, $18 for a quarter. Perfectly cooked, skin crackling, the meat tender, sweet barnyard smell of cooked fowl, and we have a dish of vegetables, the Swiss chard is particularly good, crunchy and a little bitter. The frites falter, they’re bronzed enough but soft. Desserts? The honey and lavender icecream is fragrant but the fruit crumble and bread pudding lack commitment, ie , Paul can’t have a sweet tooth.
No doubt about it, Paul has raised the bar for Ossington food. He’s an excellent cook with few pretensions. Exotica is perfectly controlled as an accent, otherwise the emphasis is on the basic ingredients.
Service is laid back, much more agreeable than the usual Ossington je ne sais quoi. But the noise! Paris cafes are noisy of course but Union adds the boom box beat. I understand. In Paris, the café has longtime habitués. In Toronto, music is the lure. Just hope it doesn’t deep six the food.
** 1/2 Union
72 Ossington Ave, 416-850-0093 No wheelchair access. Very noisy. Food for two plus tax:$100
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