County General

Cinnamon ketchup

Foodie friends are the best because you get to try new things together and break the dishes apart without fear of judgment (yes, this is actually when the words, "these flavours meld perfectly because of the cumin" actually make sense).

Tonight, lil' bro C and I went to County General (a.k.a Splendido's little sibling) on Queen Street West. Small, unassuming, but incredibly busy, Country General serves up some amazing fare. The menu is inspired by Asian and Southwest flavours, but with familiar comfort foods. C's been quite a few times (they knew him by name at the door!), so we ordered what he recommended.  And MAN, OH, MAN was it good.

Roasted bone marrow

We started off with a series of appetizers: roasted bone marrow, fries (because they were out of sausage poutine), jerk coleslaw and trio of steamed pork buns. (To be fair, the portions were REALLY, REALLY, SMALL).

The jerk coleslaw was good - I think I tasted a hint of curry and other familiar spices - but slightly warm. Great texture and flavours though. Must remember to add coriander and carrots to my own coleslaw.

And fries...how could you go wrong with fries? They were fresh cut, amazingly crispy, but the best part of it all? The homemade ketchup - flavoured with - you'll never guess - cinnamon. I NEVER would've thought cinnamon and ketchup would mix, but it does - and beautifully too.

The roasted bone marrow came with some toasted cheese bread - the marrow had strong, comforting beefy flavours, but it definitely needed the bread to cut through the fat.

Pork buns from heaven

But my favourite appetizer of all? The steamed pork buns. When I first saw it on the menu, I assumed it was similar to Chinese pork buns...but not at all. The buns are actually topped with different things: avocado chutney, kim chi and green apple slaw (I got to try the first two). But no matter the topping, the unifying theme was the pork belly that sat on each bun - which, but the way, were amazingly soft...but back to the pork belly. All I can say is: O.M.G. Never have I had such amazing pork belly. Perfect flavour, soft texture and amazing smoky flavour. I could've sat and ate another plate all by myself.

But there were still main dishes to be had. C ordered "The Verga", a sandwich served on pan fried sourdough bread, topped with scamorza affumicata, grilled poached pear, rosemary and house smoked bacon. All I can say is: mmmmmm. The poached pear balanced the cheese, and the salt from the smoked bacon balanced the sweetness of the pear. Had I not had a belly full of appetizers, I would have appreciated this dish more. As things stood, I was already full by the time our mains came.

Buttermilk chicken sandwich

I ordered the fried chicken thigh sandwich, which consists of buttermilk chicken, avocado chutney, coriander and green onion served on a milk bun. The bun was heaven and the avocado chutney brought a freshness to what otherwise would've been a very heavy dish (as things stood, I could only eat half of dinner...C stepped up and finished the rest).

But still...what an incredible dinner of comfort food. And through it all, I had nursed a drink called the "Intemperate Lass": Jim Beam, Martini Bianco, Campari Fielding Sparkling Riesling topped with a slice of orange zest. Very good, if a little on the strong side.

Food is amazing, but I also had good company, both of which when combined, made for good times and a truly remarkable dinner.

Restaurant rating: Definitely worth an extra hour or two at the gym.