Furlough

This pleasant, long & rather narrow room has an open kitchen in the back and a front wall of windows that look onto Queen Street West. The heavy wooden, marble-topped bar occupies a large area by the entrance before giving over to the seating area of two rows of high-top tables & chairs, with low tables and bench seating along the left wall. A small, covered and enclosed patio beyond the kitchen completes the picture.

Furlough is the second bar/restaurant by Frankie Solarik and Brent Vanderveen of Barchef, and it can really be seen as a younger sibling of the elder bar, since they use many of the same house-made syrups and bitters that form the taste profile of Barchef. The cocktail menu is divided between 15 Classic Cocktails and 15 Contemporary Cocktails, but where it really shines is in the Contemporary ones. As with Barchef, it helps if you allow yourself to enter into their taste world, as most of the cocktails might seem slightly sweet otherwise. Recent favourites include: the Old World (bourbon, Green Chartreuse, Fernet Branca, & patchouli syrup) and Top of The Standard (scotch, maraschino liqueur, Green Chartreuse, honey-lavender syrup, & chamomile bitters).

The food menu is modestly-sized, but well-executed; the staff are young, friendly and efficient. On a recent visit, the tomato salad was lovely and the burger juicy and filling.