Capitalizing on the popularity of its Sunday and Monday night lettuce wrap dinners, Chantecler (1320 Queen St. W., at Brock) will offer the meal six days a week (it’s closed Tuesdays) as of Jan. 9. Chef and co-owner Jonathan Poon says the restaurant will no longer offer an à la carte menu.
The lettuce meal, as it’s called, is a spread of braised beef, smoked pork shoulder, rice, pickles, and whole lot of lettuce leaves to wrap it all in. The whole thing costs $21 per person. “It’s been so successful and it has taken off tremendously since we started doing it in June,” says Poon.
In addition to the lettuce wraps, Poon will add a daily prix-fixe menu beginning in February. “I felt restricted in the à la carte format because there are certain expectations you have to meet when making an appetizer or a main,” he says. “This will give me more freedom to take the food to another level.” Up to six courses will be offered for $40 to $70 depending on the cost of ingredients. The idea is that diners can drop by for casual wraps or opt for a more refined tasting experience.
“We’ll take limited reservations for the set menu and see how the response is,” Poon says. “By offering both menus we’re not isolating one group of clientele…. If you don’t make big moves you don’t make big gains. We’re all young guys and we have to take a chance when we can.”—Karon Liu
