Dining
From Scratch – Modern Rustic Cuisine with Local, Seasonal, Superb Ingredients
Garlic’s could be the prototype for the ethical modern Ontario restaurant. It celebrates culinary regionalism and the uniqueness and idiosyncratic characteristics of the terroir. The restaurant understands that culinary regionalism and the local food movement are not trends, but a transformation in the collective mindset of communities across Ontario.
Regional foods and recipes are a significant part of what makes one locale unique from another, and restaurants like Garlic’s create distinctive and memorable food and drink experiences which build enthusiasm and foster community and culinary tourism.
The State of the Culinary Tourism Industry Readiness Index, ICTA cites Ontario as one of three world-wide leaders in culinary tourism among the nine countries surveyed. The province is characterized as a “hotspot” based on the level of culinary tourism activity in community, education, development and promotion.
Garlic’s offers some of the most patriotic farm-to-table cuisine in Ontario’s Southwest. The cooking has a contemporary edge, rustic, and made from scratch with inspiration from local and signature ingredients and seasonal products.
Owner Edo Pehilj appreciates that the smart money is on chefs and restaurants that express their ethics on the menu, Garlic’s leads by example and with plenty of style and culinary vision. The cooking repertoire of Chef Joshua Fevens and Chef Chad Steward is influenced by a strong commitment to a steadfast culinary philosophy that advances the economic, ecological and social values of our local culinary and agricultural communities.
Pehilj also recognizes the value of professional, hospitable and informed service. Leading the team of service professionals is Guest Relations Manager, Emma Pratt. Pratt is knowledgeable, detail-oriented and gracious.
Garlic’s menu progress and change monthly to reflect high-quality seasonal availability and a network of farmers and culinary artisans that supply impeccable local ingredients. Menus are a collaborative exercise. Pehilj, Fevens, Stewart and Pratt understand that provenance and direct farmer relationships have become instrumental to the restaurant’s success.
Main dishes have included: pan-roasted Willow Grove Pork Loin with sweet and sour glaze, herb roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed baby broccoli and garlic confit; Renecker Farm’s Elk Loin with creamy white bean and bacon cassoulet, green beans and tomato relish; Metzger’s free-range, dry-aged Angus Top Sirloin; braised Ontario Lamb Shank with truffled northern white bean and house-smoked bacon stew, veal stock, roasted mushrooms, and tomato relish; and Everspring Farm’s Muscovy Duck Breast with toasted quinoa, maple roasted vegetables, green beans and cranberry chutney.
The restaurant’s cooking repertoire keeps evolving and the presentation is both stylish and artful. Garlic’s commitment to supporting local and sustainable food and agriculture has been instrumental in helping to raise the bar for intelligent and ethical dining in London.
Open Sunday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Serving an à la carte Sunday Brunch 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
481 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 3E4
Telephone: 519-432-4092
Email: dine@garlicsoflondon.com
Website: www.garlicsoflondon.com
Diners Journal - Bryan Lavery
Notes on Eating, Drinking, Cooking and Culinary Events in London, Ontario.
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