At the corner of Bloor and Lansdowne is The Whippoorwill (Twitter: @WhippoorwillTO, Facebook: The Whippoorwill Restaurant & Tavern), a new brunch / happy hour / dinner / bar spot that took over Bloordale Pantry last November. Co-owners of the new rustic restaurant are friends Shawn Creamer (also owner of The Dakota) and chef Tyler Cunningham (formerly of Mildred's Temple Kitchen). In a span of ten days, the duo transformed the previous Pantry space into a homey, retro restaurant that has now attracted the attention of the Bloordale brunch crowd (brunch is available from Friday, Saturday and Sunday). My friend Karen, who lives in the neighbourhood, invited several of her friends, including moi, to The Whippoorwill for dinner recently. Why? Because Karen fell in love with the restaurant ever since it opened and really wanted more people to know about the fantastic food and cocktails there.
The red booths, red bar stools and the black and white checkered floors give the space a very cool, vintage vibe.
An old Detroit tire shop sign is now part of the bar at The Whippoorwill.
At the back is a painting of The Dale, the restaurant which occupied the space before Bloordale Pantry.
A round of delightful cocktails to start the night.
Chef Tyler Cunningham (@ChefCunningham) practically served us the entire dinner menu. Go big or go home, right?
BC SCALLOP CEVICHE
with passion fruit, preserved kumquat and spring radish
with passion fruit, preserved kumquat and spring radish
TZATZIKI SALAD
Cucumber, green peas, lima beans, pressed yogurt, mint and preserved lemon
TENDER SPRING GREENS
Strawberry, toasted marcona almond and sheep's milk feta
Roasted Asparagus
with garlic scape, pea purée and sunny hens egg
MERGUEZ LAMB SAUSAGE
with spicy chickpea salad
POTATO GNOCCHI
Roasted mushrooms, swiss cheese fondue sauce and young leek
ASIAN BBQ CHICKEN WINGS
with scallions
THAI FLANK SALAD
Lemongrass, herbs, chilies, crunchy things and peanuts (this is a veg version)
WHITE BASS PAN SEARED WHOLE
Heirloom cherry tomatoes and picholine olive
THE WHIPPOORWILL BURGER
Ground prime beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, russian dressing, on a buttered bun
KOREAN HOT STONE RICE
Roast chicken, kimchi, seasonal vegetables and gochujang (this is a veg version)
BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
with salted caramel
VANILLA CHEESE CAKE
Ameretti cookie crust, wild ginger syrup, cocoa nibs and marcona almonds
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB FUNNEL CAKE
It's not often that I like every single dish at a restaurant but The Whippoorwill is most definitely an exception. Everything that evening was executed beautifully with balanced, robust flavours - nothing was bland / tasteless. From fresh salads to more substantial dishes, chef Cunningham knows how to showcase every component on the plate at its best. The tzatziki salad with beautifully sliced cucumbers, fresh mint and crisp peas complemented the tangy yogurt and lemon perfectly. I also couldn't stop eating the mildly spicy Thai salad with assorted "crunchy things" (love that description!) The heartier dishes, such as the tender lamb sausages and the pillow-y potato gnocchi with earthy, roasted mushrooms were both excellent...it's comfort food taken to the next level. Beautiful plates worth mentioning are the roasted asparagus with its various shades of green topped with a perfectly fried egg, and the bright yellow, orange and red cherry tomatoes that piled on top of a delicately seared bass. Both so very, very pretty. Without the need for cutlery, the juicy Whippoorwill burger and the smoky Asian BBQ wings were fun to eat and delicious. The desserts were superb too. The sweet butterscotch with salted caramel in a jar was, well, everything you would ever want in a jar. Adorned with crunchy almonds and cocoa nibs, the gorgeous slice of smooth vanilla cheese cake had great texture as it was not too light nor heavy. Last, and definitely not least, the strawberry rhubarb funnel cake. My God. Who doesn't like funnel cakes? Yeah. No one. The funnel cake gave me a nostalgia trip you wouldn't believe!
