Church Aperitivo Bar is a Queen West gem to be sure. From it’s converted space – the name should give you direction as to its former incarnation – to the beautiful cocktails, its 5-7pm aperitivo hours (order a drink, get an app) to its hang-here-for-hours atmosphere, Church has cultivated an experience not oft found in the city.
And, as a natural evolution to this creativity found at its core, Church Aperitivo Bar recently launched Italian Sashimi. Sounds…intriguing, non? Turns out, Italian Sashimi has become a popular dish States-side, and Church might just bring that love north of the border.
Church’s take is kind of a cross between sashimi and crudo. Crudo means raw in Italian, and this dish differs from sashimi in that there’s more of a focus on ingredients adding balance and profiles to the raw fish. For instance, at Church, you’ll find Italian Spigola topped with chives and sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil, or Icelandic Arctic Char sliced expertly thin but veiled in roasted and chopped hazelnuts and pistachios. The technique with which the fish is presented is Japanese in knife-work, but Italian in alterations.
We were invited to sample the new menu at Church Aperitivo Bar but a couple weeks ago, and from the Italian Sashimi onward through the subsequent eight dishes, were taken on an East meets West, North meets South Italian journey. Here, you can dine on Gnocco Fritto (beautiful dough pouches you then stuff with prosciutto di Parmi and Stracchino cheese drizzled with truffle oil) and Polenta Fries (served with a house-made spicy tomato sauce and a mixture of fontina, gorgonzola, and truffle oil) before slicing into a sesame-crusted Yellowfin Tuna or grilled New Zealand lamb chops.
Chef Fabio Sacca has done a commendable job curating a menu of intriguing offerings at Church Aperitivo Bar. Many of the dishes are rarely found, and some – like the Gnocco and Polenta Fries – are sublime in flavour and simplicity.
Church Aperitivo Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5pm.
