With Love and Skepticism: My Hawthorne Review

Hawthorne

Thursday night's food adventure was at Hawthorne (60 Richmond St E), a Canadian restaurant that had been touted as a must-try last Winterlicious. I have been dying to eat at Hawthorne ever since February and was thus more than happy that D and I made dinner reservations there last Thursday via Bookenda.

Nordic Pale Ale and Gin Fizz

Arriving at 5:35pm, we were Hawthorne's first diners that evening and were seated at a booth with a nice view of Richmond St. We took our time poring over the menu–a blackboard fastened to the east wall of the restaurant–and decided on the Creole Fried Pork Belly and the Piri-Piri chicken. As we waited for the mains, we drank some choice libations in the form of Gin Fizz for my sister and Kissmeyer for myself, a Nordic pale ale that was just as expensive as my main. Nevertheless, the latter compensated in size, and I was sufficiently drunk by dinner's end.

Creole Fried Pork Belly

Piri-Piri Chicken

Dinner arrived shortly after we had gotten our drinks. The Creole Fried Pork Belly looked and tasted exactly as I had imagined it would: it was crispy, it was salty, and it was sweet. I was tempted to scarf down everything, but, keeping Spain and my future health in mind, I diligently focused on the meat alone.

The Piri-Piri chicken was equally beautiful: it was colourful and well-plated. That being said, I must report that it was severely undercooked. The meat was pink and the bone, which was visible due to the cut of the chicken, was bright red. We asked our server about it, and he replied that it was cooked through due to the techniques they use at the kitchen. Later that same evening, I heard two fellow diners complain about the same thing, return their plate, and receive another plate of undercooked chicken. :( I am a little surprised to see this happen and experience it first-hand at a renowned restaurant, but it appears to be a standard at Hawthorne: even my colleague, who had recommended the restaurant to me in February, experienced the same thing... Sigh. I really don't know what to say at this point.
 

Lemon Crème Brûlée

Espresso Bread Pudding

Our spirits were slightly revived by dessert. We ordered the two desserts that were available that night–the lemon crème brûlée and the espresso bread pudding–and they were delicious. The lemon crème brûlée was particularly on point: it had a perfectly torched surface and a rich lemon crème base. As for the bread pudding, I heard that it was divine. Unfortunately, I could not taste it myself due to my year-long coffee ban (96 days and counting!).

Overall, Hawthorne was good. I am hesitating to give it my own "Good Eats" label because it fell short on the Piri-Piri Chicken. Otherwise, it would certainly rank high on my list of Toronto eats for taste, drink, and atmosphere. That being said, I will undoubtedly give it another go in the future, but I will indubitably stay clear of the chicken dish(es) (as should you!).