Chantecler on Bloor Street West serves French technique-driven comfort food using Canadian ingredients and is the well-known restaurant's second location.

The original location, based in Parkdale, had opened in 2012 but sadly shuttered after it suffered a 3-alarm fire in 2019.

In the interim the business' owner, Jacob Wharton-Shukster had owned and operated Chantecler Boucherie, a butcher shop next to the restaurant, as well as Le Phenix, a pop-up restaurant across the street.

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Now in its new home on Bloorcourt, Wharton-Shukster returns with co-owner Stephen Prickett in a grander operation and a sprawling patio, calling upon head chef Diego Reyes to run the kitchen. 

Serving French technique-driven comfort food using Canadian ingredients, the menu sees crowd-favourites return such as the hand-cut Steak Tartare, but then introduces new table must-haves like the Brioche a Tete – a proud golden specimen with a deeply buttery and supple crumb that's slicked with a rosemary-honey glaze and ethereal whipped butter.

There's even a remnant of Wharton-Shukster's Le Phenix that comes in the form of a Half or Whole Duck that's served with its legs prepared confit, while the breasts are deliciously dry-aged, then served, sliced on a pool of thyme jus.

You'd be remiss to forego ordering the Roast and Ballotine of Chantecler Chicken. This is, after all, the heritage breed of chicken that the restaurant is named after.

The duo preparation features a juicy pan-roasted breast and leg that's shielded by snappy crisped skin, while the thigh has been transformed with mushroom duxelles into the most flavourful and tender sausage-like ballotine that's cooked with Madeira.