Bar Raval – Toronto

When on vacation in Toronto a cocktail-friend recommended us to visit newly opened Bar Raval.

It comes canned

First a few words about the food. Bar Raval has a Spanish theme going and are proud to serve a lot of fish and shellfish. Most of it however comes canned. This might seem cheep at first, but anyone who’s been to Spain know that these precious cans often have alarms attached to them in stores, or are displayed behind glass doors. So what’s on offer at Bar Raval are in the end some quite exclusive food, and it’s a real treat trying them out. We tried different canned clams and they were beautifully served still in their cans, with the label proudly left on the serving plate.

Fortified wines

A lot of Bar Raval’s cocktails are based on sherry or vermouths. This means drinks are not overwhelmingly strong, and in the end you can try a few more without being drunk. A favorite to us was the “One Hour Photo” based on smoky mezcal. Added to this was some sherry and aromatic cucumber. As we were seated outside this nice summer evening the freshness of the cucumber made this a perfect patio cocktail.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Bar Raval makes it to the next edition of www.worlds50bestbars.com, it was that good!