Farmer’s Apprentice

Farmer's Apprentice on UrbanspoonMy friend sent me a link on Star.com. At second place was this restaurant called Farmer’s Apprentice. She wanted to check it out, so we went for lunch on Saturday. Their menu changes daily (which makes me think of how much paper they throw away compared to conventional menus) and are well known for cooking up their recipe using local ingredients.

I arrived to find a lineup and as I looked at the list of names on the waiting list, I was unsure whether we wanted to wait 30-40 minutes. However, since other parties had more than 2 persons, we got lucky and got our tables fairly quickly out on the patio at a tiny table for 2. They really put every inch of the space in and outside of the restaurant to use.

idearabbit-farmersapprentice idearabbit-farmersapprentice2 idearabbit-farmersapprentice3It was a nice cloudless day, but it was still chilly. I was glad that there was a blanket for my legs, but by the end, my butt was frozen cold. Note to self; do not eat outside if it’s not summer…lol. But that is only for me – I’m ALWAYS cold.

Since we couldn’t really decide on what to get, we decided to get 2 different dishes and share. We got the Smoke Sablefish $17 with wheatberries, braised greens, hazelnuts, yogurt, and 2 soft boiled eggs. The other one was the Oat Porter Bratwurst $15 with lentil ragout, fire roasted peppers, romanesco and 2 poached eggs.

idearabbit-farmersapprentice4Oat Porter Bratwurst $15 idearabbit-farmersapprentice5Smoke Sablefish $17

The portions were small, but still filling. The bratwurst was soft and juicy with a touch of herbs for flavour. Loved the poached eggs. My friend liked the lentil ragout, as did I, especially with the sauce.
The sablefish was a small portion but it was light and fresh. Presentation for both plates were alright.
My friend knows well about my blog, and we both discussed at the end of our meal on the carrot ratings. We both came to the conclusion that it is a bit over-rated. The food was good for sure, but we weren’t blown away for a second position restaurant.

It’s just my preference, but I’m not a fan of eating outside, lining up, being in a crowded restaurant or a noisy atmosphere. Service was a bit slow at times, but with a busy restaurant like that, I guess it’s understandable. But they were friendly.

idearabbit-farmersapprentice6As we left, we saw all the ingredients outside sitting in the sun. I hope it’s not like that during summer time.

As I checked their website for more info, they did list where they got their ingredients, but it wasn’t that obvious. From a marketing point of view, this should be more prominent and should be the USP (unique selling point) of this restaurant. After seeing how they were a lot more conscious of their sources, it did change my mind, especially after seeing a documentary on animal slaughterhouses and how animals are tortured, it did get me thinking of finding places that were focused on organics and humane raising of animals. But Farmer’s Apprentice should push this idea more.

Will we be back? Perhaps.

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot