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Tapas prove great things come in small packages
TAPAS BARS and cafés are ubiquitous in Spain. Whether it’s fried squid or devilled eggs, small servings of such comestibles have historically been used to fuel the populace between lunch and dinner, a meal often not served until well into the evening.
Tapas of all sizes and shapes are a growing trend in Canada, too, where dining out has become noticeably less formal and more social.
Based on the positive feedback from the local community, these three forward-thinking restaurants are among those making tapas work on this side of the Atlantic as well. floors, two bright Vespas and church pews once used on the set of the widely popular Little Mosque on the Prairie television show.
“At our old location, we had to turn away business because we didn’t have the needed seating capacity,” says Montys co-owner Brent Sills, who named the restaurant after his son. “We think that people are really responding to the unique dining experience we offer without having to travel to larger cities like Toronto.”
Customers who select the tapas tasting menu are provided with six to eight plates of food ranging from breads made in-house to mushroom risotto to smoked Arctic char with red pepper aioli. The savoury part of the evening always finishes with a pizza, which the chefs adorn with any number of power pairings, such as prosciutto, apple and arugula pesto.
Diners are encouraged to leave room for dessert, which can include cheesecake, cocktail-inspired brûlées or imaginative ice creams such as roasted butternut squash and brown butter.
“Our tapas menu reflects how we like to eat, which is serving what is awesome today, sharing food family-style and taking part in great conversation,” says co-owner and wine sommelier Michael Anderson. He promises that nobody leaves hungry. Sills and Anderson say the average table time is two hours. >>