Although I moved downtown almost 1 year ago, I still find that I rarely venture out of the downtown core. I just don't have any reason to. But when I started seeing pictures on Instagram and hearing about how delicious food is at Ufficio, I decided to make it out to the west end of Toronto to taste it for myself.
Ufficio is a spot in Little Portugal that serves some of the most delicious dishes you'll find in a beautiful setting. Serving Italian inspired cuisine, Ufficio uses only the freshest of ingredients for all their dishes on their pescatarian menu. They also have delicious cocktails, and might I mention that the interior design of this place is on pointttt.
Their kitchen is headed by chef Frank Venditti, an individual who is dedicated to perfecting the menu at Ufficio. He has previously worked at Bar Buca and Jamie's Italian, so he knows his stuff! I have been told that brunch will be back in the new year, and I can't wait to see what Frank does with that menu. But for now, I was treated to a delicious dinner that I will tell you all about.
Starting off with a couple appetizers, it was pretty hard to decide what we wanted since everything sounded delish. Good thing Krystle knew what to order! We had the following dishes:
• Pesce Spada - swordfish crudo with slices of chili, pine nuts, rosemary, and mint
• Ontario Burrata - whipped burrata with creme fraiche, farro pickled beets, and herbs
• Gamberi Fritti - squid ink battered lightly fried BC striped prawns with spicy aioli
• Insalata di Francesco - shaved brussel sprouts, dried black currants, ricotta salata and bottarga
I must first mention the burrata. OKAY, that was probably one of the best burrata dishes I've had to date. It was so creamy and it's safe to say that we cleeeeaned that plate. The crudo was so good when you ate all the ingredients together in one bite. The textures from the chili and the pine nuts went well with the slices of swordfish, even if it was a little salty. The brussel sprout salad was another win. I'm actually not a huge fan of brussel sprouts because I find them too bitter, but I've also never had it shaved like this before. It wasn't bitter, and the dressing and cheese made it so good! The squid ink prawns were another one of my favourites. With the spicy aioli, I couldn't stop eating them.
While we were eating our appetizers and chatting, I almost forgot that we had more food coming. Thank goodness the staff didn't forget! We decided to go with the following dishes as our mains:
• Lake Huron White Fish - seared white fish with celeriac/cauliflower puree with romanesco, honey mushrooms, and white turnip
• Tortelli - leek filled tortelli with a lobster butter sauce, finished with Nova Scotia lobster
• Market Vegetables
The white fish was seared to perfection. Again, eating all the ingredients in this plate at once was the way to do it. The celeric puree, cauliflower, mushroom, and a couple flakes of the fish - mmm mmm good. Although I loved this fish dish, I have to give it up to the tortelli. This was my favourite dish of the night for obvious reasons. Each piece of tortelli was coated with a lobster butter sauce. The sauce was just SO good that I would have licked the plate if I was at home and not in public. As Krystle is on a strict diet, I am lucky to say that I got to eat this entire dish of tortelli myself. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way hehe.
Starting off with a couple appetizers, it was pretty hard to decide what we wanted since everything sounded delish. Good thing Krystle knew what to order! We had the following dishes:
• Pesce Spada - swordfish crudo with slices of chili, pine nuts, rosemary, and mint
• Ontario Burrata - whipped burrata with creme fraiche, farro pickled beets, and herbs
• Gamberi Fritti - squid ink battered lightly fried BC striped prawns with spicy aioli
• Insalata di Francesco - shaved brussel sprouts, dried black currants, ricotta salata and bottarga
I must first mention the burrata. OKAY, that was probably one of the best burrata dishes I've had to date. It was so creamy and it's safe to say that we cleeeeaned that plate. The crudo was so good when you ate all the ingredients together in one bite. The textures from the chili and the pine nuts went well with the slices of swordfish, even if it was a little salty. The brussel sprout salad was another win. I'm actually not a huge fan of brussel sprouts because I find them too bitter, but I've also never had it shaved like this before. It wasn't bitter, and the dressing and cheese made it so good! The squid ink prawns were another one of my favourites. With the spicy aioli, I couldn't stop eating them.
While we were eating our appetizers and chatting, I almost forgot that we had more food coming. Thank goodness the staff didn't forget! We decided to go with the following dishes as our mains:
• Lake Huron White Fish - seared white fish with celeriac/cauliflower puree with romanesco, honey mushrooms, and white turnip
• Tortelli - leek filled tortelli with a lobster butter sauce, finished with Nova Scotia lobster
• Market Vegetables
The white fish was seared to perfection. Again, eating all the ingredients in this plate at once was the way to do it. The celeric puree, cauliflower, mushroom, and a couple flakes of the fish - mmm mmm good. Although I loved this fish dish, I have to give it up to the tortelli. This was my favourite dish of the night for obvious reasons. Each piece of tortelli was coated with a lobster butter sauce. The sauce was just SO good that I would have licked the plate if I was at home and not in public. As Krystle is on a strict diet, I am lucky to say that I got to eat this entire dish of tortelli myself. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way hehe.
From the cocktails (oh wow, I totally forgot to mention which cocktails I had!) to the food to the staff, this was one of my fave meals by far. But back to the cocktails - I had the Pera (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, amaro lucano, poached pear and fresh lemon) and the Clementina Sour (Lot no. 40, clementine reduction, egg white, and fresh lemon). Both were fab, and paired really well with the white fish and lobster tortelli.
Thanks Ufficio for having me in! You have officially joined my list of my fave spots in the city to eat.
