Restaurant Review: FLOCK Rotisserie + Greens

FLOCK ROTISSERIE + GREENS

330 Adelaide Street West ~ eatflock.com Instagram: @eatflock ~ Twitter: @eatflock Co-Diner: Tim Golem

When I saw Flock's sandwich listed at #23 on Toronto Life's Toronto’s 25 Best Sandwiches Right Now 2019, I had to have it. With six locations around the city, there are plenty of options for you to get your Flock fix. However, some of them aren't open on the weekend, so make sure to check that. In fact, most of the restaurants are very "fast casual" type of setups where you would stop in for lunch or take your food to-go. Their location on Harbord Street is their one "full service" restaurant where you can sit down with an extensive menu. So what's the deal with Flock? They specialize in rotisserie chicken (raised hormone and antibiotic-free, free run and halal. Super juicy and cooked perfectly on site every day) and delicious, nutrient packed salads. Seems like a good, healthy combo. Entering their Entertainment District location on a Saturday evening, the space had an industrial feeling to it with a lot of concrete and glass. The floor is open and specious, certainly to accommodate the lunchtime lineups. Pendant lighting is bright and colourful and there are a few stool-seated counters around the circumference of the room. Of course the main thing that I noticed upon entering was the rotisserie, rotating rows of golden-brown birds. The system is quite straight forward; place your order at the front (most of their locations are cashless and accept debit or credit only), take a seat and wait for your food. You can specify that you will be eating in and therefore be served your food on real plates. As a huge fan of rotisserie chicken, my natural instinct would be to order their rotisserie chicken meal - plain and simple. I'd love to return to try it! But I was visiting to try something very specific, the Pulled Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich ($13.00 for the meal). I also grabbed a Good Drink Mango Tea to drink, which is always delicious.

Toasted Ace Bakery bun, avocado spread, crisp romaine, horseradish/beet/apple slaw & crispy onion.

If you order your sandwich as a meal, you also get a choice of any side, and your meal is served with coleslaw. There are six sides to choose from, each one sounding fresher and healthier than the last. I gravitated toward the Kale Caesar Slaw (shredded kale, cauliflower, red cabbage & brussels sprouts, roasted red peppers, crispy onions, crispy jalapeños, lemon wedge & house made caesar dressing with fresh grated Parmigiano). I considered that this would mean that both of my sides would be a "slaw" and I didn't care. Our food was delivered to our table by a friendly staff member after a short wait. I wanted to chomp into the sandwich right away! The first thing that I noticed was the ultra-buttery bun, super soft and warm. This is the kind of bun perfection that every sandwich dreams of. But of course the chicken was the star of the show, tender and fresh. My sando seemed to be mostly comprised of white meat (I normally lean dark) and I didn't mind one bit because the meat was so flavourful and delicious. (Not dry at all.) Packed high with chicken, I can see why this sandwich is a little bit famous. I also really enjoyed the other toppings a lot; an avocado component is always welcome on anything that I eat and the bright pink slaw was striking and punchy. Flock is taking the familiar and standard concept of a chicken sandwich and is managing to make it something unique and exciting. I loved every bite! My side of kale caesar slaw was also very good. I enjoyed all of the super fresh vegetables and the great balance of acidity with a little bit of heat. The textures were expertly combined as well, incorporating lots of crunchy elements. It's really nice to have interesting options as a side, instead of just the typical fries. The included coleslaw was nice too, vinegary and crisp. I decided to grab a dessert, the Brownie Square ($4.00).

Dark chocolate fudge brownie.

You can pick this up at the counter wrapped in plastic wrap, so it certainly isn't anything fancy. But it did taste super chocolatey and gooey-dense. You really can't go wrong with a chocolate-packed treat like this. I'm a fan of everything that Flock is up to. I love their focus on the rotisserie and I respect their efforts to offer delicious and healthy options. I'm really looking forward to trying their full service restaurant and finding out what else they have to offer!