Kultura Social Dining: An Artful Orchestration by Chef & Management

There’s something deliciously alluring in finding yourself in a sexy resto-lounge peopled with young, beautiful patrons; where the ambience wraps you in its seductive glow and makes you feel ever so lucky to exist at this very spot in this very moment. At Kultura Social Dining the enchantment is never, ever popped …. at least, not until you finish your incredible meal served by gorgeous and attentive wait staff and walk out the door into the cold, wintry Toronto streets.

Late on Friday night, it’s the Reluctant Chef, the Sybarite and myself. We manage to get a table after 10 o’clock and feel lucky to do so, as the dining room is full. We are thrilled that the kitchen is open until 11:30pm. It is nigh impossible to get a decent dinner in Toronto after 10pm, which means that for years, we’ve gone home hungry after the theatre or have had to gulp something down before 8pm – how uncivilized.

It’s pretty gutsy to open a three-floor space on King East, but it’s hard to get a reservation during prime dinner hour so we know they’re doing well. This is clearly a marriage of the right concept at the right time in the right place. The space is striking yet welcoming. The sculptural pieces that I recognize from local design store Commute Home (lighting, tables and light boxes) give the space a trendy feel. The chairs are of the comfy leather club variety, which means everyone gets an armrest. I love that my chair has a silk pillow, which makes it even more comfortable.

A charming and attentive waiter tends to us as if we’re his only table that night. The Sybarite’s taste buds are not quite sure what they want in a cocktail -- no, she's not fussy -- I think her palate has been assaulted by the syrupy drinks we had at the theatre. At Kultura they aim to please, so our waiter has a drink made up for her. This kind of service is the type the Sybarite can get used to! She pronounces her made-to-order cocktail fabulous and everyone is happy.

We’re even happier when we survey the menu. The tapas approach has not gone over well in Toronto; we are some of the many diners who have paid too much money to go home hungry. However, it’s the perfect thing for us tonight. We order about seven dishes plus desserts. First, the hot and sour broth; I would say it’s the one dish really not meant to be shared. It’s quite small and no extra spoons are brought. It’s very good, although not noteworthy. The orrechiette with mushrooms and Malivoire pear chutney is fabulous. It’s creamy, the mushrooms are meaty, the chutney is sweet but does not overwhelm and the aged cheddar goes superbly with it. A crowd-pleaser are the Caribbean shrimp, which are tender and sweet and served with “banana sambol”. It’s unusual and highly interesting to say the least. The chef has made his own version of sambol; it tastes fresh, not salty, and has more of a salsa consistency than a traditional sambol paste. We also have the lamb medallions; they are seared with a curry crust, garnished with little rounds of slivered grapes and served with a yoghurt verjus. Again, the chef’s inventiveness turns traditional food on its head. Who’s ever heard of a yoghurt verjus? But that’s just what it is and it is superb. Lemon risotto with jerk chicken is super-lemony and studded with coconut. All three of us love this combination. Lobster ravioli is nice, thin dough stuffed with lobster and peas and bathed in a lightly creamed tomato sauce. The Sybarite says she’s “not sure what’s going on” with the flavours and I admit that it’s a bit hard to taste the lobster, but I still think this dish is quite good. Our last tapas is black cod in a tomato and ginger broth topped with nori. It’s tender and amazing, and the fennel curry is an interesting “side”.

For dessert my chocoholic companions order the ganache squares with raspberry coulis and yogurt foam. They practically drool over it. I order the vanilla doughnut holes, served with two sauces: mango and chocolate-caramel. I can’t decide which sauce is better, but the doughnut holes are divine. The wine menu is short but well thought out and the waiter is good with making recommendations.

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Brunch is served on Sundays. The flavours are not complex like the dinner menu, but strong and delectable. Apparently the French toast is excellent, but we do not order it this time. I have truffled scrambled eggs with arugula, and a side of sliced tomatoes served with little spheres of goat cheese, some rolled in pepper and some in fresh herbs. The Reluctant Chef has his ultimate fave – the Monte Cristo sandwich. He pronounces it excellent. The presentation is so much more “professional” than the usual egg-dipped sandwich… crusts cut off and made with challah not French bread. The presentation extends to the sides and the drinks. The service is just as genial and attentive as the other night. We are suitably impressed and walk out of Kultura knowing we’ve found a new favourite.