Nutkin lives down the street from Brimmer and Heeltap, so we decided to give it a try. We went on a Thursday night, 7:30 and the small space was packed to the brim, so we waited by the door with drinks in hand. It was an hour fifteen minute wait for a table to open up, but we managed to snag seats at the bar, so ended up waiting about 30 minutes for four spots at the bar. Our bartender Jeff was phenomenal – attentive and well versed in drinks and dishes alike.
buns stuffed with squash and topped with walnuts and honey – a tasty snack to pique our appetites. The buns have a firm crust that isn’t crispy with a good chew on the inside. Preparation of these buns changes often, so try them every time you go.
steak tartare – the japnese rice crackers are the perfect texture, crisp and airy with a hint of sweetness to contrast the steak. Our bartender was even nice enough to bring me an extra cracker when I was whining about being a texture eater and needing the balance of a toast-like substance – he knew what I needed and understood. 🙂 It is very oniony and well flavored.
coconut curry scallops – I’ve never had scallops in curry; they are delicious with a hint of ginger and lime and somehow the curry didn’t overwhelm the seafood. It’s also a sweeter curry, probably due to the coconut. They did an amazing job cooking the scallops, firm and soft.
pork shoulder – the large portion of this dish needs to be shared; the pork is tender, flavorful, with a hint of sweetness from the glaze. There’s also kim chi on this dish – I only had a bite of this dish, so can’t speak to how that flavor mixed with the pork.
rabbit crepinette – a whole leg of rabbit is a rarity, especially one as tender and juicey as this one.
octopus soup – one of their specialities; definitly worth a try with a stong dashi flavor, but they managed to still keep the octopus from overcooking, pretty amazing in a soup.
chocolate mousse – delicate and chocolatey as ever with an earl grey crumble. delicious!
hot cocoa – don’t judge me for ordering this for dessert. It had a nice hint of cinnamon and a rich milk flavor with a healthy dose of chocolate. If I had to compare, this hot cocoa is much better than Loulays.
The food is inventive, fun, flavorful. Share the dishes. This is fine dining is a casual, convivial environment, so it is going to be a little pricey, but worth it. Hmm, what to try next time though? Their menu is short though constantly changing with the day’s freshest ingrediant, and they do have a family meal (the meal that the staff has) that they put on the menu after 10pm.
SUMMARY
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: curry scallops, pork shoulder, hot cocoa
Footnotes: it is noisey and bustling, count on waiting for a table as they don’t accept reservations for parties under 6, strong asian influences on bistro fare, closed on Tuesdays
