After establishing themselves in Kensington Market, Fresco’s Fish and Chips has opened a second location in St. Clair West. At their new location, classic fish and chips with their delicious coleslaw and tartar sauce, are still on the menu but the owners are also adapting to the different neighbourhood with new ideas. One of these being the introduction of a brunch menu, which I was invited to check out by Yuki @pekopekolife.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Speaking to Fresco’s owner, the main difference he’s noticed about operating in Kensington Market vs St. Clair West is the clientele of tourists vs. regulars. In Kensington, many of the daily customers were stopping by for one-time visits while Fresco’s on St. Clair has quickly picked up a following of regulars. This allows the menu to be more creative and dynamic, in addition to the classic fish and chip offerings, which brings us to Fresco’s new weekend Brunch menu.

The brunch menu offers traditional brunch dishes with a seafood twist. At the menu tasting, I got to dig into every plate, including dessert!

Spicy Shrimp Burger – Fresh toasted bun with a patty made up of plump, tender shrimp, cooked to a crisp exterior. I really enjoyed the chipotle mayo and the seasoning of the burger. The kale salad was lightly dressed and the greens used super tender. .
Maple Bacon Breakfast Poutine – Going into the meal, I had best intentions not to gorge on fries but this poutine ruined me. So good, I just couldn’t stop my fork from going back for more. The crispy fries were topped with a sunny side egg, gravy, chunks of thick cut bacon and cheese curds. For just one person, the small ($8.95) would be plenty and the large ($13.45) perfect for sharing.
Soft Shell Crab Sandwich – This item wasn’t on the menu yet but can be ordered from the kitchen. Deep fried soft shell crab on a ciabatta bun.
Devilled Eggs – Simple, classic dish with smoked salmon, rye crackers and salmon roe.
Halibut Eggs Benedict – After taking bites of everything, this was the plate I chose to order for myself. My recent experiences in Toronto with hollandaise sauce have been disappointing, but Fresco’s turned it all around. Consistency, colour and flavour were all perfect. With the poached eggs, I would have preferred mine to be runnier. In between the egg and english muffin was a slab of grilled halibut that seemed out of place. The white fish didn’t stand out or add much flavour. Perhaps a different kind of fish or the halibut cooked in a different method (deep fried? flaked? some kind of patty?) would work better.

For people with a sweet tooth, there’s the Chocolate Banana French Toast. A thick cut piece of bread, dipped, fried and drizzled with chocolate sauce, served with fresh bananas and strawberries.

During brunch, classic caesars, garnished with a deep fried shrimp, and champagne glasses of mimosa are also available. The owners are working hard to grow and adapt Fresco’s to their new neighbourhood, while drawing on their established strengths to serve up great food.

For years, I’ve heard raving reviews about The Stockyards’ fried chicken from both friends and The Internet. With a location in St. Clair W, only 18 seats and notoriously long lines, I took my time to plan a visit. The Fiance and I stopped by with a fried on a Saturday, around 7pm while on-route to a show downtown. Ahead of us inline was a group for 5 and two sets of couples. We were on a tight schedule and could only afford a 20 minute wait. Luckily, 20 minutes was all we needed.

Atmosphere: The wooden counter seats were tight. Half of them faced the wall, while the other offered a great view to the open kitchen. It’s hard not to be hungry in line when the smell of fried chicken permeated the air. The Stockyards was definitely a sit, eat some delicious food and get out type of restaurant, I wouldn’t recommend dining in with groups larger than 3. Reservations are not accepted but take-out is available.

Service: While disorderly, service was very friendly. With two people managing the seating queue, there was a mix-ups about who was being seated next but it was rectified. Also, The Stockyards did allow people to wait elsewhere and come back to check on their status. At first, we were seated facing the wall, but 3 stools at the counter cleared up and our server moved us to the more spacious seats. Food arrived hot from the fryer after less than a 5 minute wait.

Food: For the three of us, we split two orders of the Stockyards Fried Chicken Dinner. Each basket came with 4 pieces of buttermilk marinated fried chicken, coleslaw, fries and hot sauce. Let’s start with the chicken. Each pieces had a crispy, salty, fatty, delicious fried skin while being moist and juicy on the inside. Really great seasoning of the batter. I would’ve been happy with just how perfect the chicken was but the fries were also amazing. As in, I hogged the whole plate of them amazing. The fries were thin, and crispy but soft, just how I like them. I also had a good time with the hot sauce that was almost like tabasco but sweeter and thicker.

It’s easy to see why The Stockyards wins the title of “Best Fried Chicken in Toronto” on every published list (BlogTo, Toronto Life). Each piece of chicken undergoes 48 hours of prep and the effort pays of producing tender, juicy chicken, packaged in a crispy skin. Next visit, I really need to resist their siren call and try the Butter Burger or some BBQ specialties.