What’s on the menu at Shook, a new vegetarian restaurant from the team behind Byblos and Patria
Name: Shook
Contact: 77 Portland St., 647-484-7476, shookkitchen.com, @shookkitchen
Neighbourhood: King West
Owner: Hanif Harji (Byblos, Patria, Weslodge)
Chef: Ben Heaton (Byblos, Patria, Weslodge)
Accessibility: Fully accessible entrance and washroom
The food
Iconink’s Hanif Harji wants you to know he’s not claiming to serve authentic Israeli food at Shook. “Israeli food is driven by the terroir, so this is more Israeli-inspired as we’re focused on using local ingredients,” says Harji. They just pickled 500 pounds of ramps, and are in the process of pickling almost the same volume of green strawberries. “Luckily, this type of cuisine uses a lot of pickled and fermented ingredients, so we can get produce at its peak and use it year-round.”
The drinks
The wine card is divided into “classics” (the heavy hitting European wine regions of France, Spain and Italy), “newcomers” (North- and South-American wines), and “originals,” wines from Israel, Turkey and Lebanon. They’re also carrying some intriguing sparklings, like a pet nat sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. House cocktails look to the Middle East for inspiration: rosewater, pomegranate and sesame are some of the familiar flavours layered into the potent potions.
The space
“We used sand, water and sky as the inspiration,” says Harji about the 78-seat room decorated by interior design firm Model Ctzn. The market-inspired entrance is full of Instagrammy tchotchkes like pretty potted plants, dried bouquets, spice blends, shirts tie-dyed with food scraps, cookbooks and house-pickled veggies, all of which are for sale. Harji wanted the space to be warm and inviting, like being in someone’s kitchen. To achieve this, the kitchen is entirely open and the flickering fires can be seen from the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A street-side patio is in the works.
Chef: Ben Heaton (Byblos, Patria, Weslodge)
Accessibility: Fully accessible entrance and washroom
The food
Iconink's Hanif Harji wants you to know he’s not claiming to serve authentic Israeli food at Shook. “Israeli food is driven by the terroir, so this is more Israeli-inspired as we’re focused on using local ingredients,” says Harji. They just pickled 500 pounds of ramps, and are in the process of pickling almost the same volume of green strawberries. “Luckily, this type of cuisine uses a lot of pickled and fermented ingredients, so we can get produce at its peak and use it year-round.”
[caption id="attachment_492633" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The house-made labneh is topped with dried mint, honey, sumac and olive oil. $10.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492648" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The hummus comes topped with crispy chickpeas, pickled chilies, sumac and red onions. $14.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492629" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] There are seven different dips on the menu, all served with house-made pita. This is the whipped feta, which comes with charred cherry tomatoes, urfa chili, fried oregano and fresh basil. $12.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492647" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] These truffle honey-anointed mushroom kibbeh come served with pickled mushrooms in a puddle of labneh. $15.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492630" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] For the fig salad, baby gem lettuce, goat cheese and walnuts are dressed in an orange blossom-saffron vinaigrette. $16.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492644" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] Tahdig is cooked in a well-oiled pan so that the rice on the top (which at one point was on the bottom of the pan) gets crispy. Turmeric gives the rice a golden hue. $26.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492643" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] The spring vegetable tagine is full of saffron chickpeas, zucchini, potatoes, apricots, kale and hawaij spices. $24.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492621" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] Chef Ben Heaton.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492650" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] There’s no gas hook-up here. Everything is cooked over one of two fires. They were dehydrating grapes during our visit.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492631" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] And this is the brick oven where the pitas are made to order.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492622" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] Some steamy, freshly baked pita.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492636" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The rose-and-cardamom pastille layers phyllo pastry with sumac-flavoured strawberry compote, mint and almonds. $9.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492624" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The warm chocolate cake is topped with chocolate mousse and thin date cookies. A smattering of sesame seeds finish the dessert. $9.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492623" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] A grab-and-go counter serves coffees and other baked goods. Pictured here is the Beets ‘n’ Roses latte made with rosewater, beetroot, cardamom and vanilla ($4.50) and the chocolate babka ($6).[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492649" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] Iconink's Hanif Harji.[/caption]
The drinks
The wine card is divided into “classics” (the heavy hitting European wine regions of France, Spain and Italy), “newcomers” (North- and South-American wines), and “originals,” wines from Israel, Turkey and Lebanon. They're also carrying some intriguing sparklings, like a pet nat sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. House cocktails look to the Middle East for inspiration: rosewater, pomegranate and sesame are some of the familiar flavours layered into the potent potions.
[caption id="attachment_492645" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] The Yofi Tofi blends white rum with matcha, sesame, pineapple, lime and orange blossom water. $16.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492641" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] The Royal Beach is Shook’s take on an Aperol Spritz. It blends Aperol with white port and Heist sour ale. $14.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_492635" align="aligncenter" width="3648"] The Par Par 75, Shook's take on a French 75, gets its colour from butterfly pea flower. The boozy ingredients are prosecco and gin. $12.[/caption]
The space
“We used sand, water and sky as the inspiration,” says Harji about the 78-seat room decorated by interior design firm Model Ctzn. The market-inspired entrance is full of Instagrammy tchotchkes like pretty potted plants, dried bouquets, spice blends, shirts tie-dyed with food scraps, cookbooks and house-pickled veggies, all of which are for sale. Harji wanted the space to be warm and inviting, like being in someone’s kitchen. To achieve this, the kitchen is entirely open and the flickering fires can be seen from the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A street-side patio is in the works.
){kind=link}