Furlough

Gorgeous room! warm and cosy. Perfect to impress a date
Excellent cocktails if a tad pricey.
Loved watching chefs in action. I had the steak frites and it was spot on. Lobster toast was divine although smallish portion.
I’d go back

Good good! The Brussels were unbelievable and the cocktail flight was fantastic. Good selection of wines and the atmosphere is great. Definitely go for the cod croquettes as an appetizers too!

Great place to grab a cocktail with friends. Food was good too. We got the beet salad and steak tartare to start. Beet salad was great but the tartare was average. Main course was steak frites (delicious, asked for medium rare but was medium), pappardelle fresca (spicy olive based but delicious as well) and the pan seared trout (good). Their drinks are all gin or vodka based. Had the Moscow mule amd abiayion which were both delicious. Would def repeat.

Finally some respite after the closing of Deluxe. Admittedly I’ve been here several times in the last few months. Twice in the last week. So yeah I’m liking it.
The cocktails are definitely an art form here. Makes sense since, as I understand, it’s Frankie Solarik’s restaurant or he’s one of the partners.
Excellent modern bistro fare. I’ve ordered about half the items on the menu by now, incl wine and cocktails and there just was not a bad choice. Tartare, lobster toast, the pork chop, pasta, wine, oysters, whiskey sour, martinis, … all good. Minor weak spot on the menu is probably the desserts.
Good very friendly service from real (nice) people. Décor is sort of 19^th century bistro recreation. dark and warm, familiar and comfortable, nothing gratuitous.

Before I start my review of my experience at Furlough let me just say…
DAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM­MMMMM!
(insert rapid above head finger snapping here)
This place was the bomb, no questions asked whatsoever. Our group ventured over last Friday night for a casual dinner mixed with sophisticated cocktails and we were not disappointed. In fact I would go as far as to say the drinks were almost TOO sophisticated as the cocktail menu resembled a collection of short stories rather than a list, so I skim-​read and went with the namesake cocktail, which was made with Backwoods infused bourbon base, patchouli syrup, cacao bitter and sweet vermouth, stirred over ice and strained into a coupe glass, garnished with a flamed atomized essence of cigar. As you can imagine it basically a leather-​bound book shy of sounding like Ron Burgundy in a glass. For my tastes it was TOO creative, too much going on and not my flavour, but a bigger cocktail nerd than I would likely dig this.
Following the Furlough, I ended up ordering a slew of Old Fashioneds and those, well those were about as enjoyable as glasses of baby laughter and rainbows — amazing. I was in three deep before I realized I was likely racking up a hell of an alcohol tab, and a solid buzz.
Needless to say, food was essential and the menu looks to please each of your tastebuds individually. To start my friend and I decided to go halfsies on two appetizers; steak tartar and the lobster toast. The steak tartar was unbelievable, great seasoning, perfect little egg on top and a great portion size for a starter and not bad for sharing. On the other hand while the lobster toast was delicious and left me wanting more, I gotta say it was little more than an amuse bouche, definitely not a sharable appetizer, and for the price — come on guy, those two microscopic pieces of toast, lobster and sauce are a little off. Don’t let the pretty pictures fool you.
It then came time to order mains and both the server and one of our group advocated for their burger. If you regularly read my reviews, it doesn’t take much to twist my arm when it comes to a burger, sometimes just saying «oh look they have A burger» is enough”. So the fact that the server said it was very popular and my one friend said she’d heard amazing things…
⁴⁄₅ of us ordered the burger without hesitation.
Soooo glad we did this. The burger, cooked just below medium so it is literally dripping with juices down your fingers. Simply served with 5yr cheddar and sautéed onions on a fresh bun, it is perfect just the way it is, nothing else needed. I saw my one friend the next night for drinks and we both mentioned that we’d been thinking about that burger all day since, a good sign but also not good as it means i’ll only be able to hold off so long before I become fully addicted and become a lunch/​dinner regular here…
Only half a star off for a slightly over-​complicated cocktail and half a star off for the teeny tiny lobster toast but other than that a flawless victory for Furlough.
Eatcrest Out

4.5÷5
The service was outstanding– far better than my diabacle at Barchef (re: being asked to wait in neg 20 C weather for my table of 4 when the restaurant was empty). The server and hostess were unfailingly polite and had a great sense of humour!
The food was good, my boyfriend loved it– very classic cuisine with seafood, meat and veggies. It was simple fare cooked well and served with elegance. The décor was quite nice– it kind of reminded me of an old age version of Marben.
I didn’t give the resturant 5 stars only because I felt the price was alittle steep for what they offered. Our bill, with the 20% tip, came to $ 211. That being said, the furlough bar dessert bar, at an easy $ 9.00, was one of the best desserts I’ve had in years. It’s a place to take people who like wholesome and good food, an old age ambiance, but have a higher budget.

Saw this new restaurant open up in the neighborhood and decided to stop by on a Friday night. The cocktail menu is quite good and tasty. I ordered the mussels which were so plump and delicious. Also, had the pork chops which were flavorful and very well cooked. I will be back.

Parisian fare in the heart of Toronto!
I was craving for foie gras and to reminisce of our Paris trip, I decided to come here on a Friday evening.
Needless to say, the foie gras app was an expensive but delicious one biter. And for $ 14, i wouldn’t order it again .
For mains I had the squid ink scallop risotto and my boyfriend had the coq au vin. I frowned as — who orders chicken in a fancy restaurant? But it was cooked perfectly! It was a great dish, the mushrooms and onions were as well, he wished there was bread to soak up all the ‘vin’ juice.
The squid ink sauce was spot on, as was the scallop and the shaved fennel. Great combination. However the risotto was not easy to digest, as the Chinese would say, ‘The rice has bones’.
I then asked for the risotto to be made again as I prefer it more fluffy and less ‘al dente’. There was no questions asked and in roughly 15 minute, it was made fresh for me for my liking.
All in all i would go back again but maybe on a more special occasion as the price range is higher than a casual evening meal.

My friends and I were looking for the next restaurant to visit in our Food Adventures of Toronto and found this hidden gem on Queen St. We quickly booked our reservation, and it was the best decision we made.
This small restaurant seats about 50 people, it has an old 50s feels when you sit down. It has a great open concept kitchen, so you can see the kitchen as you’re eating your meal! We were fortunately enough to arrive early and sit by the kitchen. The chef came out while we were making our decisions on dishes and made just some mind blowing recommendations that I suggest everyone get if it’s still available.
Beet Salad
Cox au Vin
Braised beef Cheeks
Toffee Pudding Cake with a Bone Marrow Caramel Sauce (I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ONE ENOUGH!!)

They need to iron out a few wrinkles.
Their food tastes great.
They have some amazing cocktails.
They are very expensive
But i went once and between two people managed to share for lunch, the french onion soup and the coq au vin was a perfect amount, large plates… And for the prices of the dishes i thought this was reasonable.
So i go back next time in search to get a full dinner, i have lobster on toast… Thats literally two bite size pieces of toast… Honestly it wasnt even half a slice of bread. With a paste of lobster on… Disappointed!
The frisee salad was a regular size and tasty, nothing special though.
The beef cheek was delicious, very tender… was little on the small side but hey… But i got one small parsnip cut into three pieces with it and a 2 small sunchokes with it… Very disappointed.
It seems like one dish is huge and the others are tiny, there is no consistency in their portion sizes… I left hungary… Should have paid even more, for some sides too.

Excellent food and excellent service !
I recommend their cocktails and the mushroom risotto !

I have been to Furlough several times and each time I have noticed the warm atmosphere and comfortable décor — it’s a place you want to be in. Pair that with an inventive cocktail list that also has the classics and an approachable wine menu and the experience will start out on the right note.
Everything I have tried on the menu has been great, although my personal favourites are the beef tartar, duck confit and squid ink risotto.
Finally, they make amazing coffee, I’d recommend a cappuccino to end the evening.

Charming little spot to stop in for a drink or two. Key phrase being a drink or two because if you have 3 you’ll have spent $ 50.
Drinks are top notch and décor is beautiful. I had their signature drink, the furlough, which had rye infused with backwoods. It was delicious. There are dozens more to try.
Menu looks pretty decent, but also pricey. I don’t think I spotted a main under $ 25. I guess the barchef reputation allows for that. My buddy had the tartar and it was average. A good spot to start the night or bring a date.

Cool little spot for a romantic date?
Drinks are nicely crafted but on the expensive side $ 14 +
Service is attentive and friendly.
One thing I noticed they could improve on is their playlist.
I did not try their food but I’m definitely curious.

I recently attended Furlough on a Friday night. We originally had a reservation at 9pm but ended up being about an hour early. They were great about it and asked us if we wanted to sit at the bar while they prepared a table for us. We had the pleasure of meeting the head bar-​tender which made us some fantastic drinks. The atmosphere was great and the staff were extremely friendly. Our table was ready but we were so comfortable at the bar we decided to stay there. We ordered the Lobster on bread, Foie Gras as appetizers and then the Squid ink Risotto with Scallops and the Halibut for our mains. The Bartender created some «freestyle» Cocktails to pair with our meals which ended up being amazingly paired. We also had the Sticky toffee puding with Bone marrow which sounds very strange but was quite delicious. We were told about their first ever brunch the next day and we decided to attend.
The bruch was absolutely phenominal. We ordered Lobster Eggs Benedict and the Croque Madam.
Overall I was quite pleased with the entire experience. I would highly reccomend this place for either dinner or you just want to enjoy some well concocted cocktails. Don’t miss their brunch though!
We especially liked the Asperol Froth cocktail and next time I go I will have the Furlough cocktail as I saw it being prepared a few times and it looked amazing.

Ambiance is nice, sort of 1920s bar vibe. I ordered a cocktail before dinner, the Hemingway Daiquiri $ 14. Overpriced but decently strong at 2 oz (I think).
I had the duck confit as my main: flakey skin but dry and flavourless meat. Underwhelming cabbage side.
My partner ordered the foie gras appetizer, which came with huge slices of bread and a really really tiny – almost invisible – piece of foie gras. For dinner he had the clam pasta, which was bland and soggy.
Also, we waited about an hour before even getting the appetizer.
Friendly and warm service, though the place is a little too dimly lit.

Finally a gorgeous, cozy Bellwoods spot with great food and drinks! I’ve lived in the neighbourhood for years and always felt an easy, comfortable place with tasty food was missing in the Queen & Shaw/​Strachan hood. I’ve been to Furlough several times since they opened and have always left really happy. The room is gorgeous, like a smaller, sexier Le Select. Lighting is perfect, a great spot to unwind on a Sunday night for dinner or Friday night dinner and cocktails with friends. The menu is the perfect size, split into smaller and larger plates. My absolute fav of the smaller is the Lobster on Toast — perfectly poached pieces of lobster amidst a delicious sauce on soft bread. For larger I have many favorites… the Squid Ink Risotto is to die for, and consistently amazing, (a favorite among my friends), the duck confit is fantastic, perfectly paired with a pomegranate cabbage and I’m a sucker for Steak Frites. I saw recently that their doing Sunday Supper so I can’t wait to see what that is.
They have a new chef who seems super talented and I’m sure to see some new exciting items on the menu soon.
Drinks are, of course incredible, with the BarChef brains behind the operation. Wine list is well thought out and reasonable! I’m so sick of paying $ 16 for cocktails and $ 14 for a glass of ok wine.
This city is so tough on new restaurants so hats off to Furlough for hitting the mark in more ways then one. I’ll continue to support and spread the good word!

Very nice atmosphere. We liked the food and the service was great. We’ll come back here.

The drinks here were very good! I especially liked the furlough. This place is still so new so I’m looking forward to things to come as they figure everything out. It seems like they a creative and willing to experiment a little bit so I’m sure in a few months this place will be absolute perfection. Great atmosphere.
The food looked really good so we will totally be back to give that a try as well.
The bartenders were also very willing to create something off menu which is always fun.

From the moment we walked in, the entire experience was delightful. Wonderful drinks, outstanding staff, delicious food.