Tonight, many of Chef Charlotte Langley’s friends and family will be wishing her well at a private going-away party at Babylon Nightclub (317 Bank Street). Babylon is a fitting venue as it is in the same neighbourhood as the Whalesbone Oyster House (430 Bank Street), the restaurant whose kitchen Chef Langley took over from Steve Wall in December 2008.
The Whalesbone Oyster House, owned and operated by Josh Bishop, opened in June 2005 and has seen three turnovers in its chef position during its almost seven years in business. Chef Wall now leads the kitchen at Luxe Bistro (47 York Street), he having competed in Gold Medal Plates Ottawa, exactly a week ago.
I have been primarily exposed to Chef Langley’s cuisine at the Whalesbone Oyster House. We met her during last year’s coverage of Ottawa’s Gold Medal Plates competing chefs, our profiling the talented chef who has a fondness for Sailor Jerry’s rum and smooth vodka. She graciously invited us into her dining room, sat at the communal table, and chatted with us about many things food. This includes her stint with Vancouver chef Rob Clarke at “C” Restaurant (1600 Howe Street)
Chef Langley will move to Toronto to work with Chef Brad Long (alumnus of the Food Network’s Restaurant Makeover), taking over his new restaurant Cafe Belong (550 Bayview Avenue) at the Evergreen Brickworks. Chef Long’s previous Toronto restaurant venture My Place – A Canadian Pub (2448 Bloor Street) closed this year after two years in business.
Loyal readers will remember chefs Long and Langley were paired together at Michael Blackie’s inaugural Canadian Celebrity Chefs Event at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin Street) last January 2010.
The little coverage I’ve seen of Cafe Belong to date includes a short writeup from Now Toronto‘s Steven Davey, recommending the “Sweet and Sticky Pork [Belly] with Apples” ($21). It will be interesting to see what Chef Langley does with Belong’s menu.
Wanting to have a last meal with her, we made reservations for dinner during Chef Langley’s last Friday service at the Whalesbone Oyster House.
We were served multifaceted sustainable seafood dishes that have become the Whalesbone Oyster House’s signature: fish lovingly prepared with local ingredients; rustic platings silently betraying elegant food.
Lobster Roll Appetizer – $19
[with “Chips and Slaw”]
Pan seared walleye – $30
[with smoked mushroom pot pie, kale, enoki mushrooms, and squash]
Arctic char – $32
[with prosciutto, polenta, radishes, thyme, brussel sprouts, and white veal jus]
Delinquent diners, the last time we visited the Whalesbone Oyster House for dinner was Valentine’s Day weekend 2011. Please note, couples who blog about food are very choosy about where they go for a quiet dinner to themselves, sans camera or notepad. We chose well that evening.
It was also a visit to Whalesbone under Chef Langely that resulted in one of foodiePrints’ rare text-only writeups. That evening, I mistook her for her former sous, Jenna Durling. That post would also turn out to be one of our most popular to date.
A year after my first visit, Chef Langley laughed as she told me it will be a while before she makes it into Maclean’s Magazine again. The surprisingly soft spoken but fun-loving chef was photographed in her characteristic kitchen attire at the 2010 Gold Medal Plates competition. Personally, I think it is testament to a chef’s skill that he or she can cook in a professional kitchen in jeans cut offs without injury.
But, as some of Ottawa’s food editors have hinted, Toronto may have no idea what trouble it is getting into with Chef Langley’s arrival on the food scene. At the moment I can’t picture her cooking outside of the rich eclectic decor of the Whalesbone Oyster House.
I am, however, thinking of visiting Toronto this coming Valentine’s Day weekend.
Good luck Chef!
Aside: Charlotte, if you miss the Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster and Fish Supply, visit Hooked (888 Queen Street E.) in Leslieville, a couple doors down from Ruby Eats (742 Queen Street E.). It will be very familiar!
Particulars:
The Whalesbone Oyster House
430 Bank Street
(613) 231-8569
