Besides outdoor or dine-in services, Marben continues to extend their pantry to the general public as an additional grocery service.
While Marben has seats inside, there’s ample space on its relaxed, street-facing patio.
Known for serving seasonal and sustainable farm-fresh comfort food, Marben’s dine-in menu features Chef Chris Locke’s light, locally-sourced cuisine that includes new items like a vegan burger made of tempeh and quinoa among favourites like their signature John’s burger. There are also snacks and small bites including popcorn chicken in a hot honey glaze, fried cauliflower and east coast oysters; more substantial numbers like the ploughman’s board brims with house charcuterie, local cheeses and supporting condiments of chutney, mustard, pickled vegetables and sourdough toast.
At brunch diners can find everything from French toast with candied pistachios to a smoked trout crumpet and for those of heartier appetites, a traditional English fry up with a pair of sunny side-up eggs, Berkshire bacon, hash, cremini mushrooms, baked beans, roasted tomato, sourdough toast and whiskey marmalade.
Enjoy the meal al fresco on the downtown stalwart’s 30-seat Wellington-facing patio, that can be paired with a glass of the restaurant’s sustainably-sourced organic and biodynamic wines or a pint of draft beer.
A selection of farm-fresh dishes by Chef Chris Locke.
The popcorn chicken is tossed in a hot honey glaze.
Grilled cucumber is dressed with thin slices of kohlrabi, smoked chilli paste, lemon yoghurt and toasted sesame.
Dairy-free red fife gnocchi is christened with a host of seasonal add-ins including confit chicken, tuscan kale, mixed mushrooms (chanterelles and confit shitake) and finished with black garlic, nettle chimichurri, cured egg and fresh oregano.
The smoked trout salad is not only dairy- and gluten-free but also a vibrant and flavourful dish featuring grilled asparagus, new potato, green nectarine olives, New Farm greens, an oyster garum marinated egg that’s dressed with an elderflower vinaigrette.
AT HOME
Earlier this year the restaurant offered Marben at Home, a take-away program that featured shepherd’s pie using Black Angus beef and Wooley’s lamb, battered line-caught Fogo Island cod fish and chips, pasture-raised fried chicken or a roast Black Angus beef dinner with all the fixins’ (pictured here).
While the restaurant offered Marben at Home, a take-away program during the early days of the pandemic with four family meals, they continue with other initiatives that let their guests continue the experience outside the restaurant. Their online market consists of a variety of grocery boxes that brings their quality farm-sourced and artisan-made goods such as Sheldon Creek Dairy or Beverly Creek meats to your kitchen table. Choose from pantry staples including Branston pickles and cold pressed canola oil to the restaurant’s fresh baked sourdough and beef fat brioche buns to prepared cocktails (for two). Available with 24-hours’ notice consider placing an order before visiting the downtown stalwart to extend the experience home.
Or for same-day spur of the moment preassembled packages, check out the picnic kit that’s filled with snackable treats such as sourdough crostinis, maple glazed ham, hummus with confit garlic, local cheeses and pepperettes, while the cottage box is stocked with grill-ready garlic miso and chorizo sausages, Bershire bacon, wheel of buffalo brie, sourdough bread and more.
Dine-in or take-out, Marben offers their customers multiple options.
488 Wellington St W, 416-979-1990
