Chantecler — Restaurant in Toronto

I didn't actually even get the chance to dine here. I attempted to cancel a reservation but couldn't get through. I was then charged a cancellation fee, which I understand. I called in the next day and said, "I'm actually hoping to come for dinner this evening, I couldn't change my reservation, is there any chance you can refund the cancellation fee, and I'll rebook for this evening?" I ended up getting berated by whomever I was speaking to. It was clearly an owner or manager who I was speaking with. Then he hung up on me. So I called back and another manager/owner answered, who tried for a moment to gaslight me by saying, "well I'm sure the other manager explained to you that the cancellation fee was valid." To which I responded, "he actually really didn't, he just raised his voice at me, how difficult it is to overstaff a restaurant based on reservations & then have empty tables." I even acknowledged I know the fee is auto-generated when you miss a reservation, I was just asking if that could be refunded so I could then come and spend that money as a diner. I know Chantecler's re-opening was highly anticipated & I very much doubt they have trouble getting guests in the door. The second manager I spoke to even said, "we'll fill the seats, it's not a problem." As well, I was asking for a refund on a cancellation fee to go spend quadruple as a diner in your restaurant, which you essentially denied. That is totally your choice, as a private business you can chose who you serve & who you don't. My experience with Chantecler is that if that's how you treat a fellow industry worker, your food could be God's gift to cuisine and I still will not give my earned money to anyone/business that spoke to a guest over the phone like they did to me. This happened months ago when they re-opened, I didn't want to leave this poor review right as they were starting up again. Although, I still have not dined at Chantecler, I have heard from hospitality friends it is not like it used to be, and that surprise surprise staff can be pretentious. Which with management like I experienced, makes a lot of sense to me. The second manager I chatted with, did end up saying he was going to refund my cancellation fee & also consider lowering the fee moving forward. I told him, I really don't want the refund, I won't be dining there. He still insisted on refunding, which I really feel like he only did to save face at that point as that would've been an awful review for a business coming back. As well, I was actually attempting to dine there to give them a full food review, like mentioned, I will never eat there or recommend anyone to do so. The interaction left a sour taste in my mouth, I am not angry or annoyed by the cancellation fee, just more appalled by the reaction I got. I would’ve accepted the response that it is a valid fee & to rebook a new reso, but instead I was berated as to why missing a reservation means they overstaffed unnecessarily, which again as being in the industry I understand is really frustrating for a business owner, I couldn’t change that my friend fell ill. There's much better french cuisine throughout the city that doesn't give you a minor anxiety attack to make just for a reservation...

Okay, so I’ve eaten a lot of food in my life, and I’ve always felt French food is overblown. Chantecler corrected me of this notion. We just had one of the most profoundly delicious culinary experiences of our lives, and we’ve eaten all over the world, this city, and in all sorts of places big and small.

The dishes were incredible—every one was a knock out of the park—there were no misses. We started with oysters and scallop crudo which set the stage wonderfully for the journey to come. We then had the steak tartare and heirloom tomatoes small plates at our server Stephen’s suggestion. Great call. The steak tartare with egg yolk and buttered toast was incredible, but somehow, (somehow!) overshadowed by the heirloom tomatoes, which were complex and rich, yet fresh and tart. The toasted sourdough croutons reminded me of sweet buttery desi desserts from my childhood, while the tartness of the tomato carried the cream and basil oil. That’s not even it yet. Next was the first of our large plates—the Chantecler chicken. This chicken was so flavourful it was almost like eating red meat. We were lucky to pair the food with an incredible Côtes du Rhône Beaumont red at Stephen’s recommendation. On the side we had the charred greens which were an incredible accompaniment. At this point, we were already completely satisfied with dinner and feeling just astounded that was still another large plate to come. The final course was the beef short rib bourguignon large plate which was fall of the bone perfectly cooked and just so richly delightful. Stephen recommended we pair it with the brioche to soak up the sauce, which was again the right call, the brioche was the most beautiful fluffy carb served with a soft serve scoop of creamery butter. At this point, we ready to fall into a coma of pure satisfaction. Dessert was a lovely crème brûlée with an orange extract lending it that extra complexity and richness that we had already come to expect from the food here.

Now this is a very long review that I’ve written strictly for my own enjoyment so that I can relive that meal again, so that should tell you everything you need to know about how incredible the food here is. 10/10 would eat again and cannot wait.

Ps. A couple of amuse bouche, with two small plates and two large plates and a side was more than a lot...

After the 2019 burndown, Chantecler is re-established now in April 2023. Welcome back!

This place is located at the corner of the street with nice windows across the entire front and sides. Small little place but the dim lit resto provided an intimate and cozy ambience. Perfect for a date night!

There are high stools along the bar area with small tables along the windows.

There are a good variety of cocktails options, but we opted for my craft beer and she opted for her red wine options.

The food menu basically breaks down into "small plates" and "large plates". We decided to order a few dishes of small plates as we luv to try many dishes.

1. Potato & Caviar
2. Seared Foie Gras
3. Beef Tartare
4. Trout Crudo

PS - We also appreciate the fact that our server knew we wanted to order 4 small plates to share but preferred the dishes to come out in a reasonable pace and not everything comes out at once, especially with its small table. The server suggested to bring us 2 items for 1 round, then she will paced the timing of the order to bring out 2 more small plates in the 2nd round, so we appreciate the gesture & flexibility.

Then, we ordered a half duck confit (large plate) to share and a side dish of sautéed chard & butter beans. We appreciated the chef prepared some sliced of duck breast meat and leaving a big duck leg so we can try different parts of the duck. Ideally, we would prefer the duck meat to be a little bit less cooked and less dry as we prefer more raw and juicy meat but overall, luv the crispy outer layer. We weren't a fan of the butter beans as it looks mushy, soggy and not much aroma or flavour.

Overall, we enjoyed the wonderful service and hospitality here at Chatecler. We would definitely be back! MUST ORDER would be the potato & caviar and sear foie gras. So delightful!

Best of luck to Jacob and his team for the re-establishment of...