the carbon bar

the night ended with a bang with the innovative desserts — the small but memorable carbon chocolate bar with bourbon caramel ($3), and various ice cream flavours like coconut, goat's milk & wild honey, or lychee & kombucha.   the dining experience overall offers a bit of everything here. themenuis part-barbecue, part-latin.

this week i went to the carbon bar.  twice.  so, that tells you something, right?  met a friend on monday night before heading over to massey hall for spandau ballet (random or what?).  we had a couple of glasses of wine at the bar while we waited for our table..  super nice bartender and it's $5 a glass before 6!  i just love the interior so much.  the highest ceilings around and modern cool styling.  makes you feel like you are in a different city.  which can sometimes be a good thing.

our super friendly waitress pointed out that on mondays, the old fashioneds are $9.  digging the drinking friendly environment big time!  we ordered a couple and they were delicious and went well with our app.  bbq dusted crackling.  yum.  the sweet chili vinegar dip is what made the dish.  we've all had pork rinds, right?  well this was an upscale version.  portion was smaller than i had hoped but it was good.

overall, themenuhas an upscale american bbq sort of vibe.  my friend ordered the bbq rib mac & cheese which was super decadent because it had both fontina and aged cheddar in it.  imagine that cheesy, gooey goodness?  sooooo rich and then add the bbq rib mixed in there.  yowza.  i had the conchinita en pibil tacos.  pulled pork.  i googled it.  soft tortillas that you assemble yourself and they were good.  i've had better pulled pork.  by far.  i'll give them a 3 outta 5.

we had to get trucking but wanted a little something sweet before we blew outta there so we both had the carbon chocolate bar.  perfect.  2 bites and a whole buncha flavours going on.  chocolate, pecan, caramel.  really really good.  so good in fact that i suggested carbon bar to another friend i was meeting for dinner on wednesday.  and we both had one and loved it again.  i would have ordered another if it didn't seem ludicrous.  

earlier that night we both ordered the volstead which is a super refreshing drink combining gin, amaro, cucumber, agave and orange bitters.  unfortunately the waiter told us that they are taking it off themenu(but you can still order it on the "secret menu" and i would if i were you) because sometimes you have to "kill your babies" to make room for new ones.  we decided to split the mac and cheese because i realized that you really should split it even though i hate sharing because i'm the eldest child of three.  it's just too rich for one person.  we also split the roasted cauliflower.  meh.  bigger portion please.  it's just cauliflower and quinoa for pete's sake.  gimme more.

i'm giving the carbon bar a 4 because i love the atmosphere so much that it makes up for the dishes that were only so so.  and that freakin chocolate bar knocks it out of the park. i'll be back for drinks for sure!  beautiful bar and great drink selection!

earlier this week, i had the chance to check out the carbon bar to take part in their lobster burger promotion. this was my first visit to the carbon bar, and i was in awe of its space. the look was of a vintage yet updated rock-and-roll discotheque diner with high ceiling and an open kitchen. overall, it was a lively atmosphere with a large cocktail bar situated in the middle of the dining space.

currently, the carbon bar has an ongoing promotion where you can get a nova scotia lobster burger for only $20 with the purchase of an alexander keith's beverage. hurry in soon, as the promotion is only available until the end of september. i had the pleasure of trying the special deal earlier this week, and thoroughly enjoyed devouring the burger. the alexander keith's nova scotia burger was a sky-high burger with pit smoked bacon truffles hollandaise, beef steak tomato, dill pickle, and old bay mayo. the burger itself was quite a mouthful, and filled with large lobster chunks for the lobster lover. the bacon truffles hollandaise added a nice balance to the overall flavor, and the strip of bacon provided a good crunch. lastly, the burger contained a surprisingly large amount of meat and coated with a lightly fried patty.

the carbon bar has always been on my endless list of restaurants in toronto to eat at least once. since we were there for dinner, we decided to splurge and got a bunch of other dishes on themenuas well. first and foremost, we got our meat fix by ordering two portions of the pit master platter (minimum 2 people) ($30 per person). note that you need at least two people to order this platter, and it was more than enough for the four of us. the southern-us inspired platter was plentiful with pork ribs, beef brisket, buttermilk fried chicken, coleslaw, pickles, fries & chipotle mayo.

i went there for winterlicious menu.

great service as usual. themenudidnt have that much of variety but still great!

they always have good food and services, and they have not disappointed me this time!!

their apple crisp was a delicious dessert! yum yum.

i can never say one about bad thing about this restaurant.

tip to restaurants: when you proclaim amenuto be an “experience”, be confident you’ll be able to provide the entire package. it’s not a “tasting menu”, where food is king; you’re now promising diners something more that extends beyond the stomach. which is exactly why the carbon bar needs to rethink if they’re able to execute on the “experience menu”, unless you want a frustrating start and ending to be what diners remember.

when a group of friends and i went for the carbon bar experiencemenu($49 per person having dropped the fish course), we were expecting tons of food, served family style, which would leave us in a meat coma.

what we didn’t expect was having to wait over half an hour for

this review of the carbon bar is based on my "happy" hour experience when beers and bar snacks were all going for $5. so is this review bias? i guess kind of....

bbq dusted crackling ($5) with sweet chili vinegar

k.f.c. ($5) korean fried cauliflower

goose island ipa ($5)

and complimentary snack

only offers at the bar area and served thursday through saturday (11pm - 2am)

i love the bar area as it feels spacious and if you don't want to sit on a bar stools, there are small table for 2/4 on the side. service was fast and efficient.

i haven't try any bbq items on themenuwhich the restaurant is famous for. i guess there will be a next time....

we definitely enjoyed the cottage experiencemenuwhen we returned to the carbon bar on queen street east in toronto for the cottage life (where every day is the weekend) to enjoy "the cottage experience menu" which was $59.00 per person and was designed and created by chef hidde zomer who has been the executive chef at the carbon bar toronto for over two years. we chose to drink beer and enjoyed a 16 oz. rolling rock premium extra pale lager draught and a labatt 50 ale (710 ml.). we ate smoked salmon on saltines; mesquite tortilla chips and with guacamole and smoked oyster sauce; oysters and condiments; heirloom tomato and& herbed cottage cheese; wild shrimp salad, watermelon and feta. the main part of the dinner was a massive platter called the cottage bbq platter consisting of st. louis cut ribs, jalapeno/cheddar sausage, cumbrae farm sliders and buttermilk chicken. this was accompanied with corn on the cob and tcb slaw. dessert was campfire s'mores and a large slice of niagara peach pie with ice cream. the food was tasty and the service exemplary. the décor pays homage to the building's history which included a walt disney studio, a discotheque and the city television studio during the baby blue movie era.

wow! simply wow. high end casual bar meets southern style bbq meets seafood joint. where else do you find fresh lobster on the samemenuas fried chicken? and speaking of fried chicken, these ones are addictive. i'm not talking about the typical 11 herbs and spices, my auntie from luisiana makes good chicken addictive. i'm talking about rob ford loves crack addictive.

as a huge consumer of eventing bbq in toronto, hands down best brisket in town, just the right cuts to balance fat/meat content on every bit. moist and delicious. ribs are pretty awesome too but i've been a dozen times and it's a bit of a gamble sometimes. the fried chicken however: bring on the contenders. nothing like it this side of mason-dixon line.

the seafood is great, but it's not why we keep coming back. it's all about the bbq. the sides never disappoint, but they keep changing themenutoo fast to gauge consistency. no complaints here but they make you love an item only for it to disappear the next time. yes, they are that good. i'm going to start a one man campaign to bring back the "hot mess".

well done carbon team!

went her for dinner and apps this past weekend and it was an enjoyable time. there was a wait being a saturday but we got a nice booth that was comfortable and welcoming. i think what we all liked best was the ambience and decor. the high ceilings and mirrors are definitely a nice touch.

food: we tried a few different dishes more on the appetizer side so i will have to come back to review their mains. some interesting finds with the crispy chicken skin - found this a little too greasy and underwhelming, the shisito peppers with the eggplant dip was good, with the gamble of one in every 20 peppers being hot. we also tried the tuna tartare salad that was refreshing and had a generous helping of tuna as well as a side of 'hot mess' which was great. the brisket in the 'hot mess' was definitely a highlight which is why i think their other mains would be good.

service: very friendly and attentive with great knowledge of themenuwhich is always a plus.

off themenutip: portions are small more towards the tapas sides but the ambience is great for a few dishes and some drinks.

serving up southern-inspired fare, the carbon bar is brought to you by the nota bene team – yannick bigourdan, david lee and franco prevedello.

the restaurant, located at queen and church, occupies a gorgeous space with sky-high ceilings that span two stories. the space features a bar area near the front of the restaurant and a dining room with dark red booths and modern spherical lighting that hangs from the ceilings.

it had been a long week for all of us so drinks were a must:

the alibi – tequila, chartreuse, lemon, buckthorn guajillo chili syrup ($16). while i enjoyed it, i was expecting a bit more heat from the chili syrup but i guess it’s not a very spicy chili pepper.

the deal closer – tequila, campari, cardamom grapefruit bitters & ginger beer ($14). mike said it sounded better on paper and wished that the ingredients were more pronounced – without knowing what was in it, he would never have guessed there was ginger beer, campari or cardamom grapefruit bitters.

the heart of gold – bourbon, port, martini bianco, chartreuse & orange bitters ($14). i didn’t have any of this one but our friend ordered a second one so it must’ve been good.

carbon bar’s foodmenuconsists of several sections – “first up” (appetizers including indulgent high-calorie items as well as lighter options such as sea scallops and hamachi tartare), “from the wood fire pit”, “the plates” (non-bbq items) and “fixins” (sides).

we started off with two orders of the crisp chicken skins – with sweet chili vinegar ($6 per order). since there were five of us, our server recommended getting two orders. when it first arrived, we inquired about our second order but it turns out, one order only comes with two chicken skins. they were incredibly thin, crispy and definitely tasty but i found the price a little too steep for the portion size.

with all the meat-heavy dishes that were coming our way, we wanted something on the lighter side and chose the raw salad – avocado, pear, radish, shaved coconut, corn nuts, coriander & lime vinaigrette ($12). the plate was beautiful with a wonderful combination of colours and shapes.

i loved the crispy and crunchy elements in the dish but wished there was more of the creamy avocado for some contrast. the dressing was quite tart so i’d only recommend ordering this if you’re a fan of sour flavours.

the kitchen brought out some complimentary split pea fritters – with pico de gallo. they made for a great bar snack but the thing that stood out the most for me was the side of delicious pico de gallo.

another complimentary item we received was the cheese croquettes – with apple-chipotle sauce. these deep-fried nuggets of gooey cheese were well-fried with a crisp exterior which wasn’t too greasy. just be careful when biting into them as they’re served piping hot!

you can’t come to the carbon bar without ordering something from the wood fire pit. since we wanted to try as many items as possible, we ordered the pit master platter – ribs, beef brisket, jalapeno sausage & pulled pork ($29 per person; minimum of two people). the platter was for two people. like the chicken skins, i was a little shocked at the portion size…it’s not a lot of food for almost $60!

anyway, if i had to choose, my favourite component was the brisket which had a nice fattiness to it. but was it some of the best i’ve ever had? no. the pulled pork was served dry with sauce on the side for dipping. it was decent by nothing particularly memorable. as for the ribs, they definitely weren’t fall-off-the-bone tender (which i typically prefer) and i found them a touch too salty. like the pulled pork, the ribs were served with the sauce on the side which i found a little too tangy for my liking.

we noticed that the goat ribs ($18) are only available on fridays and since we were dining on a friday, we couldn’t pass them up. the dish came with several ribs as well as a small tenderloin. the ribs themselves were quite small and didn’t have a ton of meat on the bones. nevertheless, the goat was incredible – tender and wonderfully fatty. i liked the fact that it wasn’t covered in any sauce as it allowed the flavour of the meat to shine (they had a gamey flavour which reminded me of lamb). this was definitely my favourite dish of the evening.

in addition to the wood pit items, we ordered the tcb burger – pork cheek, havarti, pickles, mustard & fries ($19). the juicy patty was cooked perfectly and the combination of it with the havarti cheese made it one solid burger. the bun was also quite nice as it held up well against the juicy patty.

a non-meat entrée we ordered was the blackened sea bass – yucca, chili lime, coriander & tomatillo chutney ($22). i only had a small bite of this and didn’t find it to be anything special but the rest of the table seemed to enjoy it more than i did.

as far as fixins go, we ordered the “hot mess” – sweet potato, cheese curds, crema, pickled jalapeno & chopped brisket ($11). c’mon, with ingredients like this, it couldn’t possibly be bad. the hot mess was essentially a loaded baked potato but with sweet potato instead. it was a pretty darn good (but heavy) side.

to end off the meal, we ordered a few desserts to share. the first dessert we shared was the carbon chocolate bar – bitter chocolate, pecan ganache, bourbon caramel ($3 each). as advertised on the menu, these little bites were “just a taste” and a nice way to finish off the meal if you’re stuffed but still want to end off with something sweet.

up next was the pumpkin pie ice cream – rice pudding, barberries, wild blueberries, candied sunflower and pumpkin seeds, spiked eggnog ($9). the ice cream had a very intense pumpkin flavour and while the rice pudding wasn’t mind-blowing, i enjoyed the bits of candied sunflower that were sprinkled over it.

the last dessert we tried was the banana toffee cream pie ($16 for two people). the pie consisted of chunks of bananas and a generous amount of cream sitting on top of a nice pie crust. even though we didn’t detect any toffee, the table still enjoyed this dish.

so, there were some memorable dishes but there were also some misses for me. i also found the prices to be on the high side, especially for the portion sizes. overall, it was a good meal but not amazing.

at a glance:

• southern-inspired fare/bbq brought to you by the nota bene team

• gorgeous space located on queen east (at church)

• open for dinner (until late) mondays to saturdays; closed sundays

• prices are on the high side, especially for the portion sizes

• loved the goat ribs which are only available on fridays

ratings (out of 5):

• food: 3.5 stars

• service: 3 stars

• atmosphere: 4 stars

we always have room for more "friends" in our life—especially when it comes to delicious, easy-on-the-budget snacks that can be eaten while enjoying live music and djs. available thursday to saturday from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m., the resto's late-nightmenuboasts seven items to satisfy those midnight munchies, from spicy (shishito peppers—watch out! -

the carbon bar is spacious and has great food. i was impressed with the pit master platter. it has brisket, ribs, chicken and much more. try the "hot mess" dish.. very unique dish that contains sweet potato, cheese curds and brisket. i like going on mondays for the #gbdmondays special menu. they also have a new late nightmenuwith food items for $5 after 11pm.

see abbeyskitchen.com

i often get asked for restaurant recommendation for a good sexy date night or fun spots for a small group that offer awesome food but won’t break the bank. it’s a tall order, but one of my go-to’s suggestions is the almost year-old bbq joint, carbon bar.
 
located at 99 queen st. east, the carbon bar’s executive chef david lee recently launched the new late-nightmenuon october 8th- a unique offering of delectable dishes with surprisingly affordable prices! and when i say it’s affordable, i really mean it- all of the dishes are just $5 each.
 

since it’s always nice to have something to drink with your bbq fare, guests can get in on carbon’s signature drinks from their always evolving the menu. and if you need another reason to work your way through the entire menu, there’s also live music every thursday and friday night!
 
now that you’ve read all this, i am sure you’re excited to scroll down to what kind of delicious drinks and eats await – so let’s get into it!
carbon bar julep (2 oz)
lapsang infused woodford reserve bourbon, lime, mint, simple syrup
 
refreshing and agreeable, it wasn’t at all too strong and yet had the perfect hint of sour. i can definitely see myself drinking this on a late night.
the black mamba margarita (3oz)
charcoal infused tromba tequila, st. germain, bowmore, lime, sea salt rim
 
i may copy this idea for halloween- though i might leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals…
 
it may look chaotic, but the carbon bar folks got things under control! with the salty rim getting some solid caramelization from the torch, and the smoky tequila coming through, this was a beautifully balanced drink.
kick ass fried rice
beef brisket, steamed egg, sweet chili soy
 
fantastic fried rice- exactly the kind of comfort food you feel like eating late at night.
k.f.p
korean fried pork ribs
 
these ribs were blessedly tender, perfectly spiced and fell right off the bone – you will definitely eat the meat clean off! it may be a wee bit messy for date night, but man, it’s so good, you won’t care.

popcorn chicken
with kimchi mayo
 
tender chicken, crispy skin with a fantastic level of seasoning. i particularly loved the pungent kimchi mayo with each bite. yum.
shishito peppers
with pit-fired eggplant dip
 
a russian roulette of flavour! why? well, because these tasty peppers have one spicy black sheep in every stack! that makes for some pretty fun time with friends, and perfect with a refreshing bourbon based carbon bar julep – especially for the unlucky one.
veal tongue sub
dill pickle, pickled cabbage and french’s mustard
 
in the mood for a sandwich but looking for that special something? try this veal tongue sub. wow, talk about flavour. the tender meat counterbalanced the crunchy slaw and the pillowy fresh bread. hey subway, now this is how you do a sub.

crispy sticky tofu
chinese bbq sauce, ginger, green onion
 
for those non-meat eaters- or simply those who love amazingly fried tofu, you’ve got to try this dish. crispy on the outside, fluffy within and coated in an addictively sticky sweet glaze. love it.

 
as with my previous carbon bar adventures, the late nightmenuexperience was truly phenomenal and a steal at just $5 each! this is perfect for all you who love delectable eats, impeccable service and affordable addictive snacks!
 
if it isn’t already, i am positive that the carbon will become one of your staple spots for great food and drink at a great price.

 
the carbon bar’s late-nightmenulaunched officially on october 16th, and will be exclusively available thursday to saturday, served from 11pm to the wee hours of 2 a.m. in the morning. for more information on the carbon bar, visit their website and be sure to bring your friends!

contribution by ak tasters: savannah onofrey & sharifa campbell

awesome! love the design and openness of this place. have been twice in a month and my meals gave been ace! pulled pork, beef brisket, tcb slaw, split pea dippers, raw salad and the pork cheek or belly starter. service has been great, i believe it's great value. not a hugemenubut that's not a bad thing. excellent selection of scotch!! definitely worth a visit.

left hungry. the carbon bar is a gorgeous room, service was 4/5. there is not a great selection on themenuand if you order the sea bass you will leave hungry. the size is more like an appetizer. the flavors are great, along with some of my friends meat dishes - i needed to try as i was done my meal very quickly!

would not return.