Literally a 5 minute walk from the Eaton Centre, Hawthorne is the sole restaurant on Richmond E among all the new condos being erected. It is the sister restaurant of Fabarnak on Church and, similarly, is run by a community kitchen staff.
Our meal started with the Smoked Salmon Cakes. Their portion was rather on the skimpy side, but the flavour profile was spot on. The cakes were coated in crispy Panko and were creamy and rich on the inside. The sauce Gribiche that accompanied it was speckled with chopped capers and had the perfect acidic zing.
I had the ribs as my main, and unfortunately they were tough. While some pieces fell off the bone, they were still leathery. No matter how much I chewed, I felt like there was an opportunity for it to get stuck in my throat :| The accompanying sides were very bland. No seasoning at all.
We got the fries as a side and they were pretty rock on. I really enjoyed the malt vinegar aioli that they provided for dipping.
Overall an okay experience.