I heard that on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Man of Kent pub on Ossington, South of Dundas, does a two for one ( Same or mix and match) on pie and mash, and fish and chips. We’re a bit homesick for London so we went this week.
It’s dark in there! The tables are stereotypical Toronto pub mahogany and I couldn’t make it where they were, but then my eyesight isn’t stellar these days. We found a table.
Service from start to finish was awesome - friendly, sincere, interested and best of all responsive and unintrusive.
The food: Fish was very nice (haddock) with a light crispy batter, chips weren’t very hot but nicely cooked. There’s were mushy peas - I think fresh rather than dried, which we liked better. There was a good tartare sauce and it was properly served with malt vinegar and salt on the side. I’d seen pictures of the pie and they arrived looking just like that. A bed of creamy mash and ample gravy, the pie (beef and ale) perched on top and, oddly, a pile of mushy peas on top of the pie. The pie was a minced beef. I found it a bit bland but OK. Potatoes and gravy - my favourite comfort food so yum. I scraped off the peas (too weird) but ate some of it. It’s pea puree not mushy peas really.
We decided on a half pint of London Pride, quintessential London choice, and had the sticky toffee pudding. This has a good taste and lots of sauce (yay) but no discernable dates and I’m pretty sure microwaved since the edges were slightly tough.
All in all a fun meal and we left satisfied if not bowled over.
I’ll say one other thing. Toronto British pubs aren’t like British pubs in Britain. Maybe they’re like pubs used to be decades ago. Too bad really because this stereotypical old style is so dark and somewhat depressing and don’t feel like the local friendly spot but they are what they are so that’s that. MOK mostly delivered on what they serve so I suppose that’s what counts. Oh and Toronto is such a rock city. The music, hmmm Could use maybe some Britpop, Northern Soul, something something…
Man of Kent is owned by a man from Kent, Lawrence Bill, who had been an rugby player here in Toronto. It is the closest I have found to an English pub in Toronto. It doesn’t smell of wee, but it doesn’t open until 2 pm on a Saturday, and it started as a place to drink, the food came later. I barely drink, so my friend and I ordered our food to go.
Adam Squires, the chef, is also British. He is from Bournemouth.
The Oxley has a nicer atmosphere for a long visit, and better lighting, but the food at the Man of Kent is much better. It attracts a mostly under 45 hipster crowd that drinks on the weekend, and people to there to drink and watch sports!
If you’d like a laugh and don’t take offence at salty language, you should watch Lee Mack’s Kent joke on the Graham Norton show (youtube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmbpagijVkk
Can’t help it but it’s the first thing I think of when someone is from Kent.
Sheldon Creek Dairy (Loretto, Ontario) sells clotted cream and a 45% cream that is almost double. If you can’t find the British products, you may be able to get ahold of these.
I had the roast at house on p a long time ago. It was decent. The best one I had in Toronto also long ago was at the duke something pub on prince Arthur, no longer serving. Shame.
Could use maybe some Britpop, Northern Soul, something something…
