Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but within easy reach, Blackfriars is a little gem in a residential neighbourhood just to the northwest of downtown. There is ample parking beside the restaurant if you venture there by car. You can’t miss the bright pink facade with the purple awning. The decor is quirky but the food is divine. We made a reservation, but being there on a Tuesday evening, there was lots of room for walk-ins.
I like the fact that there are different sizes of dishes which enabled us to sample more items on the menu. The menu is on the chalkboard wall and changes regularly, though there are some staples, such as, the house savory Stilton and port cheesecake that we both had for starters ($13.95 each). That night it was prepared a little differently than usual with some fennel stuffed chicken instead of Tuscan prosciutto and melon ribbons. I think it was my favourite dish and something I would definitely have again.
For our main courses we both chose small plates as we wanted to try the savory cheesecake and have dessert as well. I had the blackened beef tenderloin tip taco on corn tortilla with sliced avocado, shredded vegetables, black beans, cilantro and Pico de Gallo ($17.50). I didn’t even try to eat it with my hands and went straight to my knife and fork. My friend had the shrimp and Swiss chard spanakopita with tzatziki topped with garlic & white wine seared black tiger shrimp & feta ($17.00). Both were delicious.
For dessert my friend tried the fruit strudel with ice cream and I tried the chocolate cake. I must admit, the promised intense hit of chocolate was not there but the cake was still nice. With a glass of wine and a coffee, my meal came to a very respectable $57 or about £34.
“Blackfriars Bistro”:http://www.blackfriarsbistro.com
