My first experience at Fable was lunch. I had an awesome Eggplant Parmesan sandwich with walnut pesto, pea shoots, pickled onion and raita sauce with a masala spiced soup. Months later, I was treated to a belated birthday brunch that was equally awesome. When I got an email about a work-related dinner at Fable, I was excited to round out the meal "trifecta. "
This was an awesome meal that allowed me to sample many of the "must haves" that friends and fellow food bloggers have raved about. For those who don't know about Fable, this is the restaurant of former Top Chef Canada finalist, Trevor Bird. This place focuses on sourcing local product and delivering great food and flavours in a fun, non-pretentious setting. The feel is rustic with barnyard accents like an epic-ly cool pitchfork lamp (I want one!), crates, and a chalkboard walk with art. The feel is laid back but with an elevated sense of energy and excitement from the open kitchen. Our server was a delight: knowledgable, attentive, friendly, and really enthusiastic about their food (so important!)
Appetizers:
Canned Tuna "The Best Canned Tuna" ($12): Albacore Tuna, fingerling potatoes marinated with lemon and sage, served with sea salt on the side and crostinis.
This is VIP tuna, right down to its Pinterest-worthy presentation in a mason jar. The fish is tender The is tender and moist and rich. Make sure you stir put some muscle into it and really give that jar a stir to mix up all of the elements evenly for the perfect ratio with every scoop. I loved the sea salt served on the side so each individual could use as much or non at all, depending on taste. I found it a great compliment and a way to cut through the richness of the canned goodness and enhance the brightness of the lemon.
Chickpea Fritter ($9): Pickled red onion, shoots, curry mayo and pea shoots.
Nicely spiced and a wonderful taste experience with the crunchy fritters and rich creamy curry mayo topping. For my taste, its a bit heavy handed on the curry mayo, but its a minor issue and I just scraped a wee bit off every bite. I loved the pea shoots with this dish. They really add a freshness and earthy element. Also adding an element of balance, was the wonderfully acidic and slightly sweet pickled red onion.
Spaghetti and Meat Balls ($11): Duck meat ball, tagliatelle, mushrooms.
This is a creative and fun dish that made us Ooh and Awww when it came to the table; a juicy duck meatball, filled with sauce, and topped with parmesan foam. The oozy, saucy, factor in this dish made it fun to eat.
Mains:
Squash Gnocchi ($19): Squash purée, pea shoots, apple gastrique, sage pesto
We all shared appetizers but enjoyed our own mains. This is a tasty menu and I had a tough time deciding which main to order. This was a great choice. I'm no gnocchi expert, and its not something I typically order but this was just freaking delicious. Like perfect little light, soft, airy past pillows with a smooth, pleasant bite.The gnocchi itself was wonderful but the rest of the plate sang with what appeared to be the best of seasonal goods from local farms. I just loved the wealth of fresh peas just bursting with flavour and rich earthy sauteed mushrooms. The plate had a hearty dollop of house made whipped, light, fluffy, ricotta cheese that added a nice salty richness to the other elements of the dish.
Halibut ($28): Mussel and corn chowder, parsley crust, chantrelles
Daily Special (forget price but around $25)- Roasted Pork on Squash)
We ordered a round of desserts after some strong recommendations from our server and other friendly staff members.
Peanut Butter and Jam ($10): Ganache, brown butter cake, concord grape jelly
Another really fun dish with a nostalgic twist playing with some of my favourite classic flavours. This is PB and J amped up to a crazy new level with chocolates and a vanilla pop rock-type topping that they've created.
Mascarpone Cheesecake ($9);
I believe they serve different twists on this cheesecake depending on the season and ingredient availability. Ours was served was end of summer berries and a light crispy vanilla graham wafer. Heavenly, simple, this was essentially a spin on classic cheesecake- serving a cheesecake mousse and wafer "accessories" rather than a base crust.
The Daily Sweet Bites ($10); Espresso Macarons
Again, I don't typically enjoy macarons, but these were really impressive and I liked them. I especially thought they nailed the bold espresso flavour in the center, balancing out the light, chocolatey, fluffy cloud exterior. Not too sweet and not too rich but big on sophisticated flavour.
Love this place!!! Lunch, Brunch, and now dinner- all wonderful experiences with delicious dishes.
