Introducing: Hoof Raw Bar, the new seafood addition to the Hoof family

By Renée Suen | May 23, 2012

By Renée Suen | 05/23/2012

The sign that greets passersby on Dundas West was designed by David Glantz (Image: Renée Suen)

For many Toronto food lovers, Hoof Raw Bar, the latest eatery in Jen Agg’s burgeoning Dundas West mini-empire, came out of left field when it opened a couple weeks back. But Agg tells us that she’d long wanted to open a space to serve oysters, and had been throwing around the idea for a seafood-focused restaurant since last September. She and her husband began the DIY construction work on the former Ferreira photography studio in November, but didn’t get down to the heavy lifting until January of this year—all while Agg was running the neighbouring Black Hoof and Cocktail Bar.

The room’s layout is a mirror image of the Hoof’s, complete with a quartz-topped bar running through the heart of the long restaurant, tiny open kitchen and tables filling the back room. What is different is the colour scheme: clean whites and natural wood, with splashes of grey and seafoam. The white-tiled walls are decorated with long mirrors and chalkboards, and punctuated with exposed bricks. A mish-mash of low- and high-end pieces fill the room: pressed plywood tables, tall metal bar stools, bare seafoam-coloured chairs, custom shelving and banquette seating by Stroudfoot Design and an antique library ladder salvaged from Smash.

Keeping in line with the other Hoof establishments, Raw Bar doesn’t take reservations. It’s open Tuesdays to Saturdays, complementing the Black Hoof, which is open Thursday to Monday. Chef Jonathan Pong, who previously cooked alongside Brandon Olsen at the Hoof next door, has put together a menu that’s divided into three sections: raw/cold; snacks/bar; and cooked plates. Most of the plates are sharing-friendly, such as the shrimp and toast ($16) or raw scallops ($13)—both simply dressed but full of contrasting textures. The cured fish board ($22) is a riff off of the Hoof’s charcuterie board, and features cured mackerel, albacore tuna, black cod, branzino and scallops that have been cured in the Hoof’s own chorizo spice mix. Half-portions are also available, which encourages grazing and solo dining.

Complementing the food is a thoughtful drink menu featuring seafood friendly white (white burgundy, Assyrtiko) and red wines (Gamay, Beaujolais), many available by the glass. Agg, ever the cocktail maven, has also elected to feature four tomato-based drinks, including a reprise of the popular Hoof Café Caesar made with marmite and pink peppercorn vodka—yes, vodka, a spirit that Agg has railed against in the past and doesn’t serve at Cocktail Bar. Despite not loving the stuff, Agg admits it does work well with seafood. “In a seafood bar, it makes perfect sense to me,” she admits. “Here, we would happily serve a vodka martini, because it works.”

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The shared industrial sinks outside the private stalls upstairs

Raw scallops ($13): thin-sliced raw scallops served with diced granny smith apples and crunchy fried potato

Shrimp and toast ($16): sautéed white shrimp and homemade sourdough croutons served with diced jicama, sous vide egg yolk and black sesame

Cured fish board ($22): Cured mackerel, albacore tuna, black cod, branzino and scallops that have been cured in the Hoof’s own chorizo spice mix, served with pickled cipollini onions. All the fish on this board are from Hooked

The tiny open kitchen headed by Jonathan Pong

Chef Jonathan Pong preparing the cured fish board

Cozier seating is found in the long room’s rear section, along with the staircase leading to the washrooms

The table at the front of the restaurant, for larger parties

The spirits, including infused vodka, sit on shelving made by StroudFoot Design, which was built around a library ladder Agg found at Smash

The quartz-topped bar wraps around to the kitchen and was built by Agg’s husband

Hoof Raw Bar’s menu is split into three sections: raw/cold; snacks/bar; cooked plates

Hoof Raw Bar’s logo was designed by the same artist—David Glantz (Archive Tattoo)—as The Black Hoof’s. The tattoo artist used to have a studio right above the Hoof

Hoof Raw Bar, 926 Dundas St. W., 647-346-9356, theblackhoof.com, @theblackhoof

3 thoughts on “Introducing: Hoof Raw Bar, the new seafood addition to the Hoof family”

eric, says:

May 24, 2012 at 1:32 am

vodka, yum!
Chris says:

May 29, 2012 at 2:18 pm

It drives me nuts to see things like “Gamay Beaujolais” in print. Of course Beaujolais is made from Gamay but there is no such wine as “Gamay Beaujolais”. Errors like this always make me question the integrity of the reviewer. It reminds of the Quizno’s commercial in which Don Cherry says a particular sub “comes with au jus sauce”.
Grammar master says:

May 31, 2012 at 3:15 pm

Chris, there is a comma after Gamay indicating a difference of offerings and obviously referring to the Canadian version.

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Introducing: Hoof Raw Bar, the new seafood addition to the Hoof family

3 thoughts on “Introducing: Hoof Raw Bar, the new seafood addition to the Hoof family”

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