The County General

Update: Closed

After months of failed plans (see Swan and Lou Dawg's), I finally made it to the County General and I didn't have to wait 2 hours to get a table! Hurray!

 

The Fall Dinner Menu

Trio of Steamed Pork Buns $12

kimchi, avocado, cucumber and oyster

All the buns were two slices of pork belly with assorted condiments in a house-made bun. From left to right:

1) Cucumber and oyster sauce pork bun: similar concept to the Momofuku pork buns except the bun was lighter and a little gummier than Momofuku's.

2) Kimchi pork bun:  I really liked this - it was different and tasty. The kimchi was done really well as it wasn't too spicy and overwhelming and the pork meat was tender and juicy.

3) Avocado, cilantro and red onion slaw pork bun: interesting take - it had a fresh crispness to it from the slaw and cilantro, but I thought the other buns were done better.

Yellow bottle was the homemade hot sauce (I avoided that one)

Beef Cheek Au Poivre $16

Cumbreas Farm Beef Cheek, Heirloom Carrots & Brussels, Shallot & Green Peppercorn Sauce

6 oz County Burger $14

Milk Bun, Mustard, Mayonnaise & Pickle 

I thought the burger was a little raw for medium and the meal looked a little tiny for $14

"For 2" - Roasted Yorkshire Pork Rack $48

Caramelized Apple & Onion, Boudin Noir n' Crackling Salted Caramel

Left to right: Pork ribs, Blood sausage, crackling (i.e. pig skin), cuts of pork meat and pork belly 

All on top of a bed of onions and caramelized apples with caramel sauce

Blood sausage: it had a grainy texture and tasted like a cinnamon flavoured sausage. It was really good, but it was difficult to finish an entire sausage as it got a little metallic at the end. 

Crackling: crispy fried pig skin...it has the texture of shrimp crackers (I wasn't a fan)

Pork meat: Delicious! Cooked to perfection! I especially loved the pork belly cuts because they were super juicy and tender and with the caramel sauce...it was heavenly. 

The only thing I didn't like about some of the pork cuts was the fatty pieces with the skin on them - the skin was super hard to chew through and not appetizing at all. I was expecting something similar to Chinese crispy roast pork belly (siu yuk) and I was really disappointed because I couldn't eat the skin.  

Apples and onions: Soooo good! The soft mushy apple in caramel sauce was like the perfect complement (and dessert portion) of the pork rack. 

I felt like I was eating a deconstructed pig roast (without the pig head) and the whole time I was thinking that this is a meal like what they would eat in the TV series Game of Thrones (but the gourmet version set in the 21st Century Toronto). 

Overall: Great meal at the County General! The restaurant is homey and cozy. The portion sizes are a little tiny considering what you pay for, but the food is good. I didn't get to try their famous fried chicken - so I think I'll definitely be back!

Website: http://thecountygeneral.ca/