Monday, February 27, 2012

Salt Wine Bar

Salt Wine Barlocated on 225 Ossington Avenue, has now become another great spot for me on the Ossington strip (along with my favourites like Pizzeria Libretto, Foxley, and Yours Truly for snacks). Whether for dinner, a second dinner (yes I do that) or late night munchies, Salt Wine Bar's tapas style menu is flexible for all of the above occasions. Not only do I go ga-ga over their pulled pork tacos, iberico benny, fluke ceviche and churros (just to name a few), I constantly crave Salt Wine Bar's amazing cocktails too (I crave their cocktails like how I crave my earl grey sour from TTS and that's intense peeps!) 


It is obvious that Salt Wine Bar embraces their social media =) Love that~


You will most likely find Jen (@whiskey_jameson) behind the bar at Salt.





What a beautiful space! I love how the bottles, the chandeliers and the wooden tables and chairs all tie together to give a modern and sophisticated look.



Jen is awesome...she's the ultimate drink slinger ^_^ Jen currently makes two of my favourite cocktails in the city: Bacon Caesar (yes that's right, two of the world's best things in one cocktail) & the Sicilian Sour. 


Bacon Caesar - Canadian Club, a touch of red wine and house made spicy, smoked tomato-bacon juice, bacon salt rim, celery, lemon and maple bacon garnish ($8)


Sicilian Sour (left) - Jameson’s, Averna, fresh lemon/lime juice, egg white, Fee Brothers Bitters, house made brandied cherry ($8)

El Mojito (right) - Soon to be on Salt's menu


Blood & Smoke Margarita - House made blood orange and cinnamon infused tequila, triple sec, clove syrup, fresh lemon/lime juice, scotch rinse, smoked salt rim, grated cinnamon


As usual, we ordered many dishes to share....

Quebec Foie gras terrine + pickled grapes, pecans and toasted baguette ($9) 


Fluke ceviche + jicama, red chili, cucumber, basil, coriander and mint ($13)


Iberico Bacon, poached egg, smoked tomato jam, and hollandaise ($11)




2 Baja Grouper tacos + gucamole, Jalapeno and cherry tomato ($12) 


2 Berkshire Pulled Pork tacos + guacamole and chipotle bbq sauce ($9)


Duck confit + potato puree, honey mushrooms and sherry duck broth ($13)


Seared pork belly + squash puree, green apple, and maple jus ($11)


Vanilla Bean Churros with Cinnamon Sugar and Dulce de Leche ($8) 



Passion Fruit Creme Brule ($8)


Mocha Cake with Caramel Ganache Brittle & Pistachio Ice Cream ($8)


Here's what I thought of the plates I had at Salt Wine Bar...

 My friends and I really liked the fluke ceviche. The fluke was so fresh and cool to the palette. Combined with the little bit of spiciness from the chili and the refreshing cucumber + basil + coriander + mint, the dish was really well balanced and very tasty.
 Make sure you have a pickled grape or a pecan in between bites of the foie gras; it gives a nice contrast in texture and flavour.
 I prefer the pulled pork taco over the fish taco because the pulled pork was really delicious with the chipotle bbq sauce. On the other hand, I thought the baja grouper could have been better seasoned.
♥ I tried the pork belly on two different occasions. The pork belly the first time was fatty (the way it should be), soft, and really moist. However, the second time I had it the pork belly was lean with hardly any fat.
 Passion fruit lovers will love the creme brulée! The custard was a bit thin for my taste though.
♥ There is no question in my mind that my favourite dessert at Salt Wine Bar is the churros =D

There are still several things I still want to try at Salt Wine Bar, such as their smoked oxtail, nova scotia lobster risotto, seared digby sea scallops, and itsumo tuna tartare...next time for sure!!!

Salt on Urbanspoon