BLACKSHOP A TREAT IN CONTINENTAL FARE,
The hurly burliness of Hespeler Road doesn’t necessarily leap to mind as home to an anchor of local dining. In this sprawl of strip malls and low-rise buildings with eateries, retailers, and services, is Blackshop Restaurant. Since its beginnings on Ainslie Street in the early ’80s, as a family owned European bistro-style restaurant, it’s made a name for itself for good food and service.
Beyond the foyer, with its coat of arms-like metalwork of a horse’s head under an unfurled scroll, the main dining space is part New World steak house and part Old World café. Dark brown wood tables and banquettes and red upholstered chairs balance light walls. Guests can peek into private dining rooms through doorways in a board-and-batten wall, or turn around to steal glimpses of the bar through the shared wall’s windows. An intimate dining area is carved out near the fireplace, and a patio is available, when weather permits.
Cranberry Spritzer ($3.50) and St-Germain Martini ($11) in hand, we scanned Blackshop’s dinner menu. The bistro doesn’t hang its hat on trendy ingredients or modish techniques. Its strength is classic foods from cuisines that skip across Europe: pâté, mussels marinara, schnitzel, stroganoff; the outlier is a Thai-inspired chicken dish. Apart from some salads and starters, vegetarians can choose from two mains, one of which is pasta. Gluten-free eaters are advised to ask for available options.
A few flutters aside, service was fine. From start to finish, our server took care of her tables single-handedly. While there were times she seemed harried — particularly when asked questions related to my companion’s dietary restrictions — she was efficient and read signals well.
Being curious — and ravenous — sorts, we started with the Fried Calamari ($14) and the Assorted Appetizer ($24). A generous tumble of battered and lightly seasoned bronzed calamari came with a well-balanced rémoulade. For those of us who prefer something sharp with fried food, a wedge of lemon would have been preferable to a decorative slice.
The assorted appetizer offered mini-portions of dauphine potato croquettes, chicken liver pâté, bruschetta, and grilled shrimp. Pommes dauphine — potato croquettes mixed with choux paste and Grand Trunk cheese — were savoury softness enveloped in golden crispness, garnished with dilled crème fraîche and bacon. Plump mounds of smooth, rich pâté came with dollops of sharp grain mustard and sweet onion marmalade and thin slices of shatteringly crisp garlic crostini.
Parmesan-dusted savoury tomato concasse topped more toasts. Lemony, succulent tail-on tiger shrimp finished the platter.
My friend added Grilled Tiger Shrimp ($13) to her Gnocchi Provençale ($21). A bowl of soft, pillowlike potato dumplings, intertwined with chopped tomatoes, justwilted spinach, and asparagus slices arrived. The subtle white wine beurre blanc played well with the accompanying flavours.
We immediately noticed
fleshy white meat heaving from the coral-coloured lobster tail when my Paella ($45) arrived. It sat on pale yellow rice punctuated with green peas, pink chorizo, and the occasional strip of tomato; mussels, scallops, and shrimp garnished the perimeter of the scallop-shaped bowl. The saffron lent little colour and flavour; sofrito (tomatoes, onion, and garlic) isn’t always used in paella, but if it was, it wasn’t noticeable to us. Instead of separate grains, the rice clung together; what should have been its contrast, the socarrat — the caramelized, crispy bottom crust of rice that forms when the pan is left to its own devices (or quickly blasted with heat) — was absent. All-in-all, the dish was closer to risotto than paella.
“Lusciously silky” was the phrase for the day’s Cheesecake
(banana bread, $9) and Crème Brûlée ($8). Forks and spoons glided effortlessly through the banana breadstudded slice and vanilla bean-speckled custard. The cheesecake sat in a rich caramel puddle. There was more than a small joy in cracking the brûlée’s amber top.
What Blackshop does well, it does very well. Even with the night’s wobbles, it’s clear there’s a skilled kitchen creating continental dishes and a comfortable setting. It’s easy to see why it’s a favourite.
Assessing food, atmosphere, service and prices. Dining Out restaurant reviews are based on anonymous visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Jasmine Mangalaseril can be reached on Twitter at cardamomaddict.