Not one to keep my mouth shut when a good thing comes along (unless it's a designer sample sale and we're the same size), I've decided to tell you just how much I enjoyed my meal at Lawrence Friday night. I had been once before in February, shortly after it had opened, and I was thoroughly impressed. To make sure it wasn't just the novelty talking and Lawrence is indeed the real deal, and cuz I was craving some luxurious comfort food, I returned.
One of my favourite dishes EVER is fried soft shell crab. When it's done right, like at Milos, it's perfection, but unfortunately for me it often comes out tasting overly chewy, bland, or worse – soapy (strange, but true). At Lawrence, the fried soft shell crab was paired with radish and aioli ($15), a combination that sounded somewhat odd, but was everything but. The crunchiness of the radish played up the crunchiness of the scrumptious crab, while the zesty aioli added the exclamation point. The heirloom tomato, bread, and freshly marinated anchovy salad ($12) was equally memorable. I always say (yes, I quote myself), that there's nothing better than a good tomato, and nothing worse than a bad tomato, and this salad was a case of GREAT tomato.
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| Soft shell crab with radish and aioli |
As my main I had a sirloin steak with turnips, dandelions and parsley ($28). Perfectly cooked, the meat was top notch. The turnips were a nice touch, and I liked how the parsley was served as a puree atop the steak. I did not, however, care for the tough dandelions – not worth the chewing effort. My friend also praised her roast striped bass accompanied by bass, leeks, carrots and smoked sausage ($25). Her comment about Lawrence providing a much needed breath of fresh air to the salmon tartar/beet and goat cheese salad laden Montreal restaurant scene, was also spot on. And that's not having tried the grilled ox tongue (FYI the menu changes daily and is posted on Twitter)! For dessert, we opted for the strawberry and rhubarb shortcake ($7), that definitely goes down as one of the best I've ever devoured.
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| Sirloin steak with turnips, parsley and dandelions |
Last, but not least, I have to applaud Lawrence for nailing the gourmet food in a laid-back, unpretentious environment combo with such aplomb. Reminded me of another great restaurant, Tuck Shop. And kudos to the staff for treating me, and my equally young looking friend just as well as the more “adult” looking table beside ours. Can't wait to try their brunch!
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| Strawberry and rhubarb shortcake. Don't you love the homey plates? |
Yummmmmm, let's go back! And not only was all that bang on, but they're generous with their wine, offering me the option of a half-glass when it wasn't even mentioned on the wine list.
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