| rev:text
| - *2-1/2 stars*
Valdez joins the list of Top Chef Canada alumni such as Trista Sheen and Carl Heinrich to open up a bricks and mortar location to showcase the stuff that TV is made of. The former Origin chef de cuisine debuted at many popup events under the brand Bushwick serving up refreshing ceviches prior to opening up shop in the trendy neighbourhood of King West.
The restaurant entrance is furnished with coffee bean burlap sacks and cigar-rolling station and opens up into a long space, with the open kitchen serving as the focal point. The bar shelving features pointed arches that look as if they've been pulled from a church with booth seats and tables extending towards the back.
Service can be a hit-and-miss but errs towards the side of slow. Lunch service, which should be quick and speedy turns into an hour and a half long endeavour, whereby diners select from a grid of Valdez favourites - 3 for $15 or 4 for $19. At first glance there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or rhythm to the menu especially since desserts share the same column as the soup of the day, but then again sweets aren't for everyone. Our server tells us that the "bento box" concept is soon being swapped out for a regular menu which should help hasten service.
The loud music makes it hard to not hurl comments across the table without sounding like an angry person; and it is only after 3 attempts at getting the staff to turn it down that we return to civilization.
The Ceviche Sampler was a no-brainer given that Gonzalez won the 86'd Ceviche Smackdown; though not for sharing unless you're willing to swap spit with your fellow dinner compadres. While light and refreshing, the flavors were rather muted and nothing particularly stood out.
The Chorizo del Jefe, is tender but too grainy for my liking though the mini arepitas are chewy and delicious.
The saving grace is definitely in their flavor-chalked bowl of Chaufa, a dish inspired by the Chinese population of Peru featuring duck confit, edamame, duck egg and Tobiko. I could definitely have 2-3 helpings of this dynamite bowl.
Finish off your meal with another rice-ful in the form of Tres Leche Pudding, in essence a rice pudding with coconut, whole milk, mango and caramelized banana - it is divine.
There aren't many Latin American choices in the King West locale; so if that's what you're craving then Valdez will answer the call. But I think I'd rather walk a bit further to Kensington Market for my fix.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)