Soco Kitchen and Bar is a small restaurant with a sports bar feel on the ground floor of the Delta hotel in the Toronto financial district. I've been here a few times now, half for business lunches and half on my own. I've always found it easy to get a table for one or a group of four. For larger groups, it's best to call ahead to reserve.
My first visit was a team lunch the past summer. I had a black cod dish that I thought would be similar to what you'd get at a Japanese restaurant. It was not. I was also disappointed with the flavor.
Recently, I decided to give Soco another try because it was freezing outside and I didn't want food court food. I was interested in pasta, so I ordered the duck bolognese. It was fantastic, and I ordered it again on repeat visits. You can taste that the pappardelle pasta is freshly made. The ground duck is savory and delicious. I couldn't tell that it was duck. It includes a scoop of cold ricotta, which goes so well with the pasta. Getting a taste of ricotta, pasta, and ground duck in every bite is pure heaven.
On one of my last visits, I also ordered the mushroom soup. It had a very earthy flavor to it. At the bottom was a sliver of portobello mushroom and two quarters of a button or cremini mushroom. The soup is garnished with freshly ground black peppercorns. I enjoyed it.