Smoked Duck Carpaccio

Known for a menu that weighs heavily towards seafood, Sabor Restaurant wasn’t necessarily ideal for my friend’s birthday dinner. With an allergy to most shellfish, it could have been a disaster waiting to happen. However, they do offer a number of small plates, vegetarian dishes and a variety of other meat oriented entrees.

After she previewed several menus from a narrowed selection of eateries, my friend decided that Sabor was the one where we’d celebrate. The available dishes outside of the seafood realm were enough to convince her. Not so secretly, I was ecstatic that she picked Sabor. It’d been more than a year since I’d eaten there. I knew that the restaurant had rebranded and rejigged their menu, so I was excited to finally go back.

Arriving for our reservation on a Thursday evening, we were seated promptly by the far wall at a table for two. My friend was able to have full view of the space, which does have a slightly rustic European vibe to it. The pianist was also within sight, and while we dined we were treated to the lovely sound of live music.

Our server was very personable and, upon hearing of my friend’s allergy, he thoughtfully suggested other items for us. He was also willing to answer any questions we had.

We took a few minutes to choose what would actually end up in our bellies. Carefully, we selected an assortment that would satisfy our appetite while covering our bases – fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and grains. What we ended up with was the liver pate, smoked duck carpaccio, lamb gnocchi and grilled eggplant.

Liver Pate

The liver pate was a last second add-on. It isn’t something I would usually order, but our server said it was good and I was intrigued because it was made from a blend of chicken and smoked duck. A pot of the pate arrived at our table with a few large pieces of crostini. The pate, served cold, was dense, smooth and full-flavoured. The portion size was decent, too, for a six dollar starter. Any remaining pate was spread on fresh slices of bread.

Smoked Duck Carpaccio with bread and butter

Carpaccio, as mentioned in my previous review of Normand’s Bistro, is one of my favourite dishes. Trying smoked duck prepared in the same fashion as beef or bison was something to check off. Surprisingly, no matter the type of red meat offered, carpaccio is served with truffle oil and arugula 99 per cent of the time. I have nothing against that though. It’s a classic combination for a reason. The smoked duck was thinly sliced, which helped up the tenderness of the meat even more. I didn’t even have a problem with the thick border of duck fat on each slice; it pretty much melted away. A mustard vinaigrette provided an extra flavour profile.

Once we polished off our appetizers, we nursed our drinks as we waited for our mains to come. I will say that the service became a lot slower at this point. More of the tables had been filled, and our server had his hands full. But, he really did grab our entrees as soon as the kitchen finished making them. It just took the chefs a while to get to them, I guess.

On a time crunch, as we had tickets to an event that evening, we ended up having to rush through our last two plates.

Grilled Eggplant

Making sure we got some servings of fruits and vegetables, we ordered the grilled eggplant. Long slices of the purple fruit were folded over like taco shells that held a mix of tomato, goat cheese and basil. Each one was then topped with pine nuts, and salad with balsamic was served on the side. The synthesis of textures was nice and the dish was light. The piquancy of the generous dollop of goat cheese was the highlight.

Lamb Gnocchi

Dinner was completed by the hearty lamb gnocchi, cooked in a vegetable and tomato ragu. The balls of potato pasta were plump and the lamb was prepared well (I wish there was a bit more meat though). As for the ragu, it was generously seasoned and included plenty of veggies.

Had we more time, we would definitely have tried a dessert or two. Unfortunately, we had to quickly pay our bill and dash over to our next venue. I was more disappointed about that because it meant no birthday dessert for my friend. On the plus side, our lack of time for a sweet ending simply means we’ll have to revisit Sabor at a later date.

Despite the leisurely pace of service, the pleasant staff seemed to be educated on the menu, and willing to give recommendations. Every dish we sampled was delicious and expertly crafted, too. If I’m to be convinced to return, that’s one of the most important things for me. Therefore, I expect I’ll be back on an evening when I know I have nowhere else to be.

For a more in-depth look at this establishment, visit The Local Good to read my profile of Sabor Restaurant.