It was my first time at Ruby Watchco and I was pretty excited about heading into this Lynn Crawford establishment with an interesting family-style dining concept. The restaurant only offers a set prix fixe menu and each day the offerings are different and unique.
The staff were super friendly at the front of house with little antlers on their heads and feeling the holiday spirit. Lynn Crawford was making sure things were running smoothly at the pass.
The decor inside is contemporary and it emits an intimate but familial atmosphere with the not-too-dim lighting and tables with a cushiony booth against the wall.
Our menu for the night was:
a. a starter of Ruby Watchco caesar salad that was really fresh. It had this really tangy caesar dressing along with the crispy bacon, crunchy croutons,
b. the entree was a really long braised (24hr) pork belly with two whole deep-fried soft-boiled eggs sitting in a thick and creamy crab meat hollandaise sauce. The meal was surrounded with 3 sides: oven-roasted squash, mashed sweet potatoes, and some other roasted veggies.
It was a meal that was fit for a winter night provided by the combined weight of the pork belly, soft-boiled egg, and the creamy hollandaise sauce. The soft-boiled egged was lightly deep-fried and coated in a crunchy tempura like coating while the hollandaise sauce was filled with crab meat. Absolutely liberal and generous use of the crab meat. Yum.
Only hiccup with the meal was that the pork belly was braised with the thick skin on top. When we tried to cut it with the knife, the skin doesn't cut easily but the weight of the cutting kinda smushed the rest of the pork belly and it just kinda went splat into the plate.
c. the entree was followed by a nice cheese plate and was full of savoury goodness. It was complemented by some jams and other things.
d. the dessert was a really delicious and rich slice of bread pudding. We each got our own plate and it was a great cap off to a fantastic meal for the night.
I would come back here again but would definitely visit their website to see if the menu du jour peeks for interest and appetite.