Weekly Lunch Pick: a pretty beet salad and a pair of seared scallops at O&B Canteen
Finding decent fuel between movies and celebrity gawking can be difficult during TIFF, but one advantage of the festival’s move to King West is the Bell Lightbox’s pair of restaurants. O&B Canteen in particular offers a selection that’s hearty enough to make it to the next screening but light enough to keep you from falling asleep once you’re there (it’s also one of the area’s best lunches in the off-season). The pretty beet root salad ($7) features ruby-red chunks of sweet beets lightly dressed in a mild rice-wine vinaigrette with cracked hazelnuts, delicate tarragon leaves and edible flower petals. A duo of plump seared sea scallops ($13) sits over a loose bed of sautéed curried cauliflower, capers and plump sultanas. The crisp-tender aromatic mix contrasts with the smoother, almost creamy bivalves beautifully.
The cost: $39 including tax, tip and a 6 oz. glass of viognier from Niagara’s Peninsula Ridge ($9).
The time: 43 minutes.
O&B Canteen, 330 King St. W., 647-288-4710, oliverbonacini.com.
