Introducing: Richmond Station, the new downtown restaurant from Top Chef Canada champ Carl Heinrich
Ryan Donovan (head butcher, bookkeeper and partner), Julia Ayearst (front-of-house manager) and Carl Heinrich (executive chef and partner) (Image: Renée Suen)
Carl Heinrich and Ryan Donovan announced their departure from Marben to start a “new project” back in February, well before the former took first place in season two of Top Chef Canada (or rather, well before the season aired). Last week, the two first-time restaurateurs opened the doors of their new Richmond Station to the public, and Heinrich’s fans finally got to see how the young chef spent all that prize money.
The restaurant has a subway theme inside and out, with white subway tiles lining the walls and enlarged black and white prints taken from city archives hanging above them. Jeff Forrest (Stacklab) worked with Heinrich and Donovan to design the 85-seat space, which is divided between a narrow entrance tavern with two-person tables and a long bar table, and an upstairs dining room at the back, with larger tables and banquettes. There’s also a pantry that doubles as a semi-private dining room for parties of eight to 12, and a chef’s table with a view right into the kitchen, where Heinrich plans to serve tasting menus. The only remnant of the space’s former life as Yulla (a Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant) is the distinct round window at the entrance and the dark wooden flooring. To add personality to the clean, cool space, the duo has added various antique knickknacks, like mismatched coat hooks at the entrance and a set of four lamps hanging over the bar restored from an old rural schoolhouse (they also scooped up several items from Bistro 990’s closing auction).
Heinrich, who’s the executive chef, tells us the menu is full of “good, honest cooking” that’s in line with the fare both were recognized for at Marben. Yes, that does include a rib-stuffed burger ($21), but also other staples like hand-chopped beef tartare with fried egg and hickory sticks ($14), roasted beet salad ($14) and lightly smoked Kolapore Springs rainbow trout served on a salad with soybean hummus and antipasto ($14). Although Richmond Station has an in-house butcher (Donovan), Heinrich is keen to note he doesn’t want the place pigeonholed as a meat-focused, farm-to-table restaurant. “Our focus is on buying the best ingredients we can. We make charcuterie because we buy the animals whole; we make mortadella because it’s a great way to use up wild boar fat, or salami because it uses up beef trimmings.” The restaurant is currently open for dinner Monday to Saturday, but Donovan tells us he hopes it’ll become a place for people stop by for a beer after work, too. And starting in November, they’ll be launching a lunch service.
170863 Butternut squash cake ($9): mildly sweet sponge cake topped with a large quenelle of mascarpone, drizzled with caramelized honey and pumpkin seeds (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation24-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation24.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation24.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation24/ oct12richmondstation24 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170862 Station s’mores ($9): cranberry, graham cracker, hazelnuts and a scoop of toasted marshmallow (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation23-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation23.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation23.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation23/ oct12richmondstation23 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170861 Red Angus beef (special): squash, smoked brisket, flatiron steak and root vegetables (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation22-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation22.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation22.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation22/ oct12richmondstation22 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170860 Crispy Euro bass ($24): a thin layer of pan-roasted toast shields a moist filet of bass over roasted sunchokes, grape tomato confit, sunflower petals, herbs and beurre blanc (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation21-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation21.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation21.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation21/ oct12richmondstation21 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170859 Kohlrabi ravioli (special $23): collard greens, portobello mushroom and parsnip crisps (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation20-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation20.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation20.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation20/ oct12richmondstation20 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170858 Beef tartare ($13): hand-chopped and seasoned Dingo Farms beef tartare with green beans, hickory sticks and a sunny-side-up egg (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation19-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation19.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation19.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation19/ oct12richmondstation19 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170857 Rainbow trout salad ($14): lightly smoked Kolapore Springs trout fillet with sautéed kale, soybean hummus and antipasto (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation18-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation18.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation18.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation18/ oct12richmondstation18 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170856 Roasted beets ($12): sweet roasted New Farm beets dressed with maple vinaigrette, whipped goat’s cheese, arugula, pickled shallots and candied hazelnuts (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation17-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation17.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation17.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation17/ oct12richmondstation17 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170855 Sampler platter: New Brunswick oysters with house-made sauce, lemon and horseradish ($3.50 apiece); tempura crab legs on iceberg lettuce with cocktail sauce (lobster on the current menu) and polenta fries with spicy aïoli (tasting portion is shown; regularly $8) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation16-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation16.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation16.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation16/ oct12richmondstation16 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170854 A customized water bottle (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation15.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation15/ oct12richmondstation15 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170853 The view into the kitchen from the chef’s table (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation14.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation14/ oct12richmondstation14 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170852 Heinrich behind the pass and inspecting the hot line (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation13.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation13/ oct12richmondstation13 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170851 Donovan shows us the mortadella he has just made from a boar’s head that was broken down moments earlier (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation12.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation12/ oct12richmondstation12 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170850 The cold room, where Donovan breaks down the whole animals the restaurant receives. West Side Beef, a side business by Donovan and Heinrich, also operates out of this space (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation11.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation11/ oct12richmondstation11 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170849 The pantry was built because the restaurant didn’t have any storage space, but it doubles as a semi-private dining room for parties of eight to 12 (the French doors were another Bistro 990 find) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation10.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation10/ oct12richmondstation10 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170848 The chef’s table was constructed by punching a hole in the wall into the kitchen and lining it with a marble counter; Heinrich will serve tasting menus to diners seated here (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation09.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation09/ oct12richmondstation09 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170847 The main dining room is on the second floor (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation08.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation08/ oct12richmondstation08 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170846 Looking out toward the front entrance from the second-storey dining room (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation07.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation07/ oct12richmondstation07 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170845 The plush bar stools surrounding Richmond Station’s long bar are auction finds from Bistro 990 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation06/ oct12richmondstation06 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170844 Black and white prints of subway construction enlarged from city archives (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation05.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation05/ oct12richmondstation05 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170843 The lamps hanging above the long bar are original Ontario schoolhouse lamps that have been restored for use. The lights were found when The New Farm’s Brent Preston and Gillian Flies bought and converted an old rural schoolhouse to house farm hens (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation04.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation04/ oct12richmondstation04 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170842 A marble trolley picked up from the Bistro 990 closing auction serves as Richmond Station’s charming antique hostess stand. Behind, mismatched antique coat hooks serve as a makeshift coat check; the Richmond Station and West Side Beef T-shirts on the shelf are for sale (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation03.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation03/ oct12richmondstation03 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170841 A pair of standing bar tables at the entrance act as a holding area and a casual space for drop-in customers (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation02.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation02/ oct12richmondstation02 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170839 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation01.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation01/ oct12richmondstation01 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
170838 Ryan Donovan (head butcher, bookkeeper and partner), Julia Ayearst (front-of-house manager) and Carl Heinrich (executive chef and partner) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Richmond Station https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation_intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation_intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/oct12RichmondStation_intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-richmond-station/slide/oct12richmondstation_intro/ oct12richmondstation_intro 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
Richmond Station, 1 Richmond St. W., 647-748-1444, richmondstation.ca, @richmondstn
If I see one more Roasted Beet Salad, on one more menu I am going to snap. I was doing that 10 years ago.ZZZZZZ
Larousse Gastromique gives a recipe for roasted beetroot in vinaigrette in the 1938 edition, so you doing it 10 years ago means little.
Roasted beet salads are a classic dish in virtually every European cuisine, so get over it.
It’s “Gastronomique”. Just sayin’…
Hey wine guy, you try looking at beet salads for thirty years,it has become the “new” Caesar salad.
Nice atmosphere, pleasant staff, and reasonable food (although it’s nothing to write home about). One thing I noticed was the Chef was rarely seen doing any actual work, rather just standing around & talking; A stark contrast to his partners. Definitely worth a visit but I won’t be returning.
3/5
I ate there Friday last (02 Nov). The food was very nice and reasonably priced. Service was excellent. I think the wine list is somewhat overpriced and the kitchen needs to adjust to an open environment.
Next time I’ll ask for the Chef’s table.
We just dropped by for a late night drink and bite – wow what a wonderful experience! Fantastic food, atmosphere, and excellent friendly service. We can’t wait to go back.
My friend/colleague and I have just returned from this place.
The hostess graciously moved us to another table when I realized I was going to freeze everytime the door was opened…brrrrr.
I must say, the food is excellent. We lunch dined on: potato/leek soup (both), beef jus w/frites & jus for dipping (she) and venison chili (me). These were on the lunch special menu and we enjoyed them thoroughly. My portion size was a little bit on the small side, especially if I compare to her sandwich portion but it was delicious. The side salad was simple and fresh. I like that they placed 3 jalapeno slices to the side in case I wanted to spice things up. She, too, had hot mustard to the side for her beef sandwich.Service was fairly decent, we didn’t have to wait too long. I did notice that our server, however, didn’t take much time to speak with us as he did with other patrons but he was still friendly, courteous and professional. A “thank you ladies” on our way out would have been appreciated but it was still a good dining experience.
Wanted to have dessert which was included in the special for an extra $5. However, it would have been nice to have been asked by our server if we wanted dessert/coffee/tea but that didn’t happen so I just asked for the bill.
We used to dine there before when it was an Asian restaurant and they’ve made good use of the space but seating is a little tight when it gets busy.
I definitely recommend this place.