Every workday I ride by the Farmhouse Tavern. This past year, I’ve watched it being built by the Junk Raiders crew, then open, with lots of people out on the terrace in warm weather. Late Saturday I rode by on the way home from Icycle, and I saw some employees out taking a smoke break around closing time (nominal bike content). We had a sitter booked in for Sunday, and so we decided to finally check it out for dinner. There was a special called F*ck Mondays, and there was next to no information on their website so we didn’t quite know what to expect, although reviews have been generally positive. This is the first time that I have ever texted a restaurant for reservations. I got an immediate response, so we were on.
Their facebook page said that F*ck Mondays seated at five, so we booked for 5, not knowing if this was going to be some sort of hipster Blue Plate special. We find out that Sundays there is a roster of hourly specials starting at five, and all they had on offer was oysters (I am allergic to shellfish) or the ploughman’s platter. The full menu started at 6. We were given the option of running an errand and coming back later, so we came back at 6.
I’ll echo many other online reviews in saying that this place is an interesting combination of casual decor, and very high quality food hiding behind innocuous names scrawled on a chalkboard menu. We shared a “fancy salad”, which was mainly root vegetables (I assume this is seasonal variation?). Our two entrees were “fish dish” and “flying pig”. Both were outstanding in terms of the combination of taste and texture. Finally, we had two desserts, one of which had a radish granita component, and the other called “New York” which had salted caramel icecream with croutons. We were grateful to our server who suggested that we have the grenache before the other; this way the delicate flavours of the first were not overwhelmed by the rich sweetness of the second.
A very memorable meal. Not inexpensive at over $100 plus tip for our salad, two entrees and two desserts, along with 2 glasses of wine and 1.5 beers. Nevertheless, it is very easy to drop well over $100 on a meal for two in this town, only to end up with something that is very middle of the road at best. We’ll definitely be back, for an occasional special meal, and we want to check out the menu when it gets warmer.
The owner, Darcy, was happy to show us around the whole place. We were seated in the front room, right by the bar, which was fine, if a little loud at times. There is a bit more peace on the farmhouse side, which feels a bit more like a restaurant rather than a tavern. There is also a back room that can be booked for private parties. It is also being used right now for a tasting menu event on Wednesdays called Hunt Camp.
All in all, a great addition to the Junction Triangle neighbourhood. If you are interested in a unique casual fine dining experience, it is very highly recommended.
