Union Chicken something to crow about
Union Chicken (out of 4)
Address: Sherway Gardens, 25 The West Mall, 647-341-1900, unionchicken.com Chef: Michael Angeloni
Hours: Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations: No Wheelchair access: Yes Price: Dinner for two with beer, tax and tip: $65 Now that Canadians will soon be able to buy McDonald’s Big Mac sauce in supermarkets, I’m gunning for another restaurant condiment to hit store shelves.
That would be Union Chicken’s spiced butter, one of the best things on sliced bread since, well. Except Union serves the red rosettes — spiked with lime zest, smoked paprika and cayenne — with flaky cheese biscuits ($4) instead.
Butter is just part of the deliciousness at the new Sherway Gardens restaurant. Organic birds from Yorkshire Valley Farms, creative sides and cheery service help Union Chicken control the flock of Toronto’s new generation of upmarket rotisseries.
The vibe Union Chicken roosts on the perimeter of the Etobicoke shopping mall, accessible only from the parking lot.
Inside, it resembles a high-end country kitchen clad in wood, copper and tile. The food comes in cast-iron casseroles, honky-tonk music plays and a few rooster statues tie into the theme.
Owners Yannick Bigourdan and Adam Teolis (the Carbon Bar), among others, hatched the plan to open in a high-traffic suburban location. It seems to be working. Even without mall access or reservations, Union is busy. You may have to join a wait list to be texted while presumably shopping.
The chicken Chickens rotate hypnotically on the open gas grill, skewered by what look like Elektra’s sai weapons.
Each bird weighs about a kilo. They are fully steamed before moving to the rotisserie for 25 minutes or so.
The skin tastes of lemon zest and sea salt, with firm white meat and dark meat that’s rich and slippery. Way better than churrasqueira or Swiss Chalet chickens but short of Café Boulud’s juiciness.
“People will pay a little bit more for quality,” says chef/co-owner Michael Angeloni (ex-Grand Electric) of the $28 whole birds.
Details count The food is tasteful and detailed, down to the black sesame seeds garnishing a takeout container of coleslaw ($6, or part of a $48 takeout meal for four).
Thick fries ($6) are scattered with fried rosemary leaves. Baked beans ($8) are laced with nubbins of smoked back bacon.
Then there’s the fried chicken ($16), Union’s other genius. Each buttermilk-marinated piece emerges from the fryer brown and bristling, looking for all the world like it’s encrusted in bran flakes. (It’s flour only.) Under all that crunch is a juicy thigh.
With a pint ($6.95), it sure beats the mall food court.
Cutie pie For dessert, the so-called sugar “crack” pie ($8) is nothing like the ultra-sugary Momofuku Milk Bar dessert of the same name.
This version is a silky lemon buttermilk pie of restrained sweetness, cleverly balanced by tart frozen raspberries and whipped sour cream.
Turns out it’s not the butter that diners are clamouring for. It’s the piri-piri sauce, $8 for a 350-mL bottle.
“A lot of people take it home. But we wouldn’t go into a grocery store with one item right now,” Angeloni says.
Meanwhile, a second Union Chicken location is planned for Union Station in December. apataki@thestar.ca, @amypataki