Malena 416.964.0606 www.malena120.ca Tues to Sat 6pm – close
From the moment I walked in I fell in love with this restaurant. Bottles of wine and copper kitchen pans hug the walls listening to the melodious hum of whispered conversations. This is the perfect place for first dates, or an overdue staff dinner situated inside a gorgeous second floor private dining room. Friendly servers caters to your every whim.
To start a Malena Beet Caesar – black pepper vodka, beet, Clamato, Sriracha, house celery salt – two of my favorite things work so well together. Fritto Misto del Giorno is angelically light calamari dusted with a fine layer of seasoned flour, and the salted cod fritters – mini morsels of fish delight.
Next an Enomatic Merlot ‘Campo del Viotto’, Scarbolo, ’08 Friuli Venezia Giulia, from Italy has the perfect balance rich fruits and tannins. The grilled beef short ribs are not what you would expect – in the best way possible – rich and velvety, truly a carnivores delight. sitting alongside lightly seared cauliflower and pickled shallots. Lastly the grilled half chicken ‘Al Mattone’ does not disappoint, charred crispy skin on the outside and tender on the inside, incredible flavour.
I had a perfect dinner, the prices were right, the food was excellent. And half price wines on Tuesdays isn’t half bad either.
