The Gorbals

I'm playing catch-up on this post, as I had dinner at this restaurant a couple of weeks ago. This is one of the first of many local eateries opened up by a Top Chef contestant, in this case, Ilan Hall. The restaurant is named for a neighbourhood in Scotland where the chef's father grew up. The food is a meat-centric melange of various cuisines, including the famed bacon wrapped matzo ball. The restaurant is located in an old hotel (recently renovated into lofts) in a still slightly seedy part of downtown that has become fashionable and popular during Downtown Art Walks. The food is primarily small plates organized by animal (literally), and the flavours are all interesting. We enjoyed the baby back ribs and the grilled octopus, which was cut into french fry shapes and had a great chew. Their burger comes dressed with onion done 6 ways (I lost track of what the different ways were). For dessert, I recommend the sticky toffee pudding, which is the best I've had among local offerings (this appears to be a popular dessert right now).