Before Portland Variety opened on the corner of King Street West and Portland, we thought it might turn out to be a more developed version of what Le Gourmand on Spadina has been doing for years. Part cafe, part European speciality food shop, but upon opening, first as a coffee shop at the front, and now as a restaurant, they’re doing something new in the Toronto dining scene.
The first morning-to-night cafe in Toronto of its kind, offering coffee and pastries all day at the front, which winds down into pintxos and cocktails in the evening – the perfect spot to have a pre-dinner nibble before heading back into their gorgeous dining room. Owner Milton Nunes even says he wants to have a small flower stall at the front eventually. The food is a little bit French and a little bit Spanish, but the atmosphere of Portland Variety takes its cues from Parisian boulangeries and the casual Spanish dining culture. Catering to the neighbourhood at every time of day, the concept of the space is refreshing and the decor sleek without feeling stuffy.
We had the opportunity to sit down for some shared plates earlier this week starting with some pintxos at the front including roasted eggplant with béchamel, serrano with tomato purée and pardon pepper, thin crunchy bread sticks, and generous wedges of manchego cheese, priced at $2 and $3 respectively per bite.
Shared plates of house made ricotta served warm with honey, hazelnuts, and pear, shrimp pil pil with chili garlic oil, flowed out while we sipped a Local 587 cocktail, their take on a French 75 served in a tall tubular glass with rosemary and seasonal fruit. Their grilled octopus rivals Bar Isabel, served in a manageable shared portion with iberico chorizo, smoked tomato, olive oil, and grilled lemon, which paired wonderfully with their classic Portland Daiquiri made with hibiscus infused Bacardi Superior.
Already thoroughly blown away at this point, we moved on to try their Sour Heart cocktail, a take on a bourbon sour made with Bulleit and rich apricot purée, garnished with a square of orange rind pinked at the edge with a heart cut out while dabbling at the impressive chilled seafood platter served in a copper bowl with brown butter that almost tasted of caramel corn.
We moved on to a smokey slow sipping cocktail called the Smoking Gun made with pecan-infusedtap 357 male rye whiskey, maple syrup, and bitters, as our table of six tackled the 22oz Canadian AAA Porcini Rubbed Blackened Rib Eye steak with caramelized and cassava frites.
After taking a breather with a glass of water, which the attentive wait staff always kept full, we prepared for dessert with a Peaches and Cream cocktail made with Bacardi 8, lemon and fresh peach puree topped orange pekoe foam and peach pearls. We completed the meal with a trio of desserts which included bite size vanilla bean cream filled beignets, dark chocolate praline mousse with nougatine and caramelized hazelnut, and a lemon grass granita with local cherries (from Chef Jo Cantrinos’ farm), with strawberry consomme. We finished the meal off with another cocktail, which we were too curious to pass on, the Tequila Bong, served in a glass water bong filled with smoke, and poured over ice table side.
We’re ready to go back and try the other half of the menu this summer, and we recommend you do so as well. We’re giving Portland Variety all tens across the board for food, cocktails, service, and atmosphere. Check out some photos of our dining experience below.
