An Italian-accented waiter in a leather apron pulls up to a table of well-heeled tourists. The four-top’s conversation pauses as the group stares in awe at a gleaming branzino. With surgical precision, the server filets the silver fish. When finished, he presents the table with a plate pretty enough to be a painting: rose-hued flesh pebbles perched on a Prosecco pond. “I guess that [the whole fish crudo] could be a perfect dish to enjoy on a desert island, and probably readily available, too,” says executive chef Rob Gentile, also chef director of The King Street Food Company, when pressed to pick a favourite dish from Buca Osteria & Bar Yorkville’s menu.
Buca’s menu is constantly evolving, informed by what’s in season. Rob is a keen forager, who frequently ventures into the wilds of Ontario to pick esoteric vegetables that make their way onto the menu for brief cameos (supply is, obviously, limited). For Rob, it’s the menu’s permanent state of flux that makes it to hard for him settle on a favourite dish. “When we are developing our menus we always look for the best, fresh ingredients and sometimes when you find that perfect ingredient you don’t have to do much to it,” says Rob, referring to the sashimi-style fish dish that has patrons oohing and ahhing.
