What’s on the menu at Alobar Yorkville, a new restaurant and cocktail bar from the team behind Alo
By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
| September 11, 2018
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Name: Alobar Yorkville
Contact: 57A-162 Cumberland St., 416-961-1222, alobaryorkville.com, @alobaryorkville Neighbourhood: Yorkville
Previously: Crème Brasserie and Brasserie Zola
Owner: Patrick Kriss (Alo, Bar Alo, Aloette)
Chefs: Executive chef Patrick Kriss, chef de cuisine Matthew Betsch (Alo, Aloette), sous chef Rebekah Bruce (Alo), pastry chef Kevin Jeung (Alo)
The food
The à la carte menu features crudos, seasonal sides and classic pasta, fish and meat dishes, like pork chops prepared on a Spanish-made and charcoal-powered Josper oven and grill. And yes, Alo’s signature Parker House rolls are here, too, along with their usual show-stopping desserts. Kriss explains that Alobar was what the team had hoped to achieve with the bar at the original Alo, but that space was too small to accomplish their objective. “We took the idea of the bar and expanded it into Alobar with the same ambition: delicious sharable plates, great ingredients and a fun environment.”
Complimentary pull-apart Parker House rolls are served with whipped roasted garlic butter.
A take on the flavours of Mexican street corn, these blistered shishito peppers are topped with cotija cheese, garlic aioli, Tajín spice and lime. $10.
The Wedge Salad tops a thick slice of iceberg lettuce with toasted quinoa, radish slices, a shower of Fourme d’Ambert, chives, bacon and tomato. $18.
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A charred tomato dish features San Marzano tomatoes that have been dehydrated, charred and topped with pesto, sourdough croutons, pine nuts, basil and balsamic. $12.
For the tuna tartare, a layer of big-eye tuna seasoned with shio koji is topped with truffle purée, Australian black truffle and chanterelles. $24.
Cured hamachi is topped with diced zucchini, manchego and chorizo, then blanketed in slices of Iberico ham. $24.
Nova Scotia Lobster in XO sauce with ginger, orange and coriander. $24.
Pacific cod is finished with smoked vadouvan (French masala curry spice) butter and pickled chanterelles, broccolini florets and sorrel. $46.
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A 24-ounce USDA ribeye is grilled on the Josper charcoal oven with cremini mushrooms and finished with jus. It’s served with a house-made hot sauce and aerated béarnaise. $70.
The Basque-style cheesecake has a darker caramelized sugar crust and a creamy semi-set center. It’s served with house-made strawberry jam. $14.
The stunning mille-feuille sandwiches vanilla Chantilly with raspberry Chantilly or bees’ wax pastry cream between sheets of caramelized puff pastry. Hidden in the middle of the bottom layer is a frozen raspberry parfait, while a raspberry compote hides within the top layer. $14.
The drinks
Elegant cocktails by Pat Groves (Aloette) and a wine list curated by Christopher Sealy (Alo, Aloette, George, Midfield Wine Bar) that includes classic and benchmark producers, available by the glass or bottle.
The Glass Onion is made with Tanqueray gin, Cocchi Americano, Kümmel and celery. $16.
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The Pop Gun is a riff on the whisky sour and is made with Bulleit bourbon, a cordial made from toasted blue corn, fresh citrus, egg white and a misting of mescal. $15.
Bartender Pat Groves makes the Pop Gun.
The wine case at Alobar features the restaurant’s vast collection of reds. Here, Sealy is making pre-shift cappuccinos for the team.
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The space
The group’s third outpost is tucked in a courtyard between Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue. Billing itself as a neighbourhood spot, the sleek, banquet-filled open room was designed to have three distinct pockets: a bar for walk-in patrons, a dining room with large banquettes and a relaxed lounge in the front.
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