The Rebel House (Toronto), 7/10

As I mentioned previously, I hadn't really planned anything food-wise for our trip to Toronto, but it is quite interesting how quickly you can pick up on 'local' dishes. I had noticed a dish called 'poutine' was on a number of menus and also being sold at the food carts in Toronto, so when I picked up a copy of a free Toronto magazine that included an article on a gastropub that had one of the best examples in town, it seemed like a suitable choice for Friday lunch. Add to that, the gastropub apparently had a great outdoor space, ideal for the now sunny weather, and it was only about 200 numbers away from our location on Yonge Street, it seemed like a good idea.

I've since learnt a couple of things. Firstly, Poutine is actually a Quebecois dish, so not particularly local and Yonge Street is the longest street in the world. Literally. It was in the Guiness Book of Records and stretches an incredible 1896km. So even though we were at about number 800 and our destination was 1068, it still took quite some time to get there.

Luckily, when we arrived, the pub was really cool. It wasn't very big, with perhaps seating for 20 inside and around 30 outside, but it was pretty full with a buzzy atmosphere. We snagged a seat in the courtyard, which was lovely and shady in the warm weather. The drinks menu comprised quite a few unusual beers and the Waupoos County cider - hard to go past, really, with a name like that. The cider was light, tart and very refreshing.

Only two days into the holiday and I was already starting to crave fresh food, so ordered the appetiser size spinach and apple salad with cajun chicken. Kyle chose the meatloaf sandwich and we shared a serving of the famous poutine. Poutine is essentially chips with gravy and fresh cheese curds. This example came with homemade kettle-style chips, homemade gravy, fresh cheddar curds and mozzarella cheese.

For an appetiser size, my salad was massive, but unfortunately quite bland. The colour of the cheese in Canada is a really quite disturbing yellow colour and the salad was covered in this. There was also supposed to be a creamy maple dressing, but it didn't really have a lot of flavour. The almonds provided a nice crunch and the pieces of apple were pleasantly crisp, but were cut too small to offer much flavour. Even the cajun chicken was somehow a little bland.

Kyle's meatloaf sandwich, however, was very good. The meatloaf was moist and flavoursome and the toasted French bread was a good vehicle for the meat. The only downside was the accompanying salad, which was served undressed.

And then there was the poutine. I'm not sure about this dish. To me, it looks like a heart attack on a plate! And that disturbing yellow cheese made another appearance. I'm told the best examples are in Quebec, so maybe benefit of the doubt?

Unfortunately, the food we ate at The Rebel House was a little disappointing, which is a shame because the pub was cool, the service was lovely and it was such beautiful warm weather, so I really wanted to love everything. Maybe we just chose badly . . .

Food: 6/10
Drinks: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 9/10
Overall: 7/10

The Rebel House
1068 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
MW4 2L4