Madrina Bar y Tapas – 2 Trinity St, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Country: Spain
Seating: Indoor and large outdoor patio
Must-try dish: Bone-marrow beef tartar
The high: We felt like we were somewhere exotic, at least a little bit. 
The low: The paella was flavourless. 

Mandrea Bike felt like “packing their bags and going to Barcelona because this city’s a drag.” The Counting Crows song Holiday in Spain inspired the evening’s dining region because quite frankly, it’s been a long time since these wandering spirits could fly away to somewhere new. The outdoor patio surrounded by the Distillery District’s historic buildings did give the impression of being in a European city, and that helped the feelings of restlessness caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions. 

Madrina’s is all about small plates, they come out as they’re ready so it feels like there’s constantly something to pick at on the table. Three smaller dishes were immediately ordered, with a glass of Tempranillo while the menu was perused in more detail. 

• Marinated Cordal Olives: Cumin with olives? Love! 
• Iberco Ham Croquetas: All meat but somehow creamy. Ten per person could have been consumed without a blink. 
• Manchego: Once you have this sheep’s cheese, you never go back. 

The second wave of dishes were a little heftier, and in the shuffle, Mandrea Bike fell in love with Madrina’s Steak Tartar – it’s beautiful. Needless to say, watch out Côte de Boeuf, there’s some competition in town! 

• Steak Tartar on a Roasted Marrow Bone: This was a work of art, and it tasted just as good. Served in an actual bone with bone marrow under the steak, which is topped with manchego mouse. If tartar makes your mouth water, take a read of our tartar crawl in Toronto’s west end. 
• Grilled Octopus: Not your typical Spanish style of seasoning with curry and chickpea hummus, but a winner nevertheless. 
• Whole Fried Seabass: This was recommended by our server, and wasn’t really what was expected but still looked awesome and tasted great. **But on the pricier side of the menu. 
• Paella of Red Shrimps: Served in a small canoe-shaped bowl with a massive shrimp on top. This was the least impressive dish and lacked taste. It felt like just eating plain rice. 
• Patatas Bravas: A twist on the traditional recipe, with a sriracha and wasabi sauce atop the potatoes. This is a staple and took the place of the desert. 

Mandrea Bike wants to take advantage of the remaining patio dinners before the cold front asserts itself across Toronto for the winter months. This is a charming spot to check out for date night or with friends because of the stunning buildings in the courtyard, the feeling of sitting under the stars with the fairy lights and the tasty food. It’s got a trendier vibe than the usual Eat the World TO haunts, but don’t count it out for a night to make you feel like you’re on holiday in a majestic Spanish city. 

TIP: Mandrea Bike only became aware after ordering, but there’s an incredible deal for two or more dinners to share 11 plates for $59 each. This is a steal! We were a bit upset that we only found out about this deal at the end of the meal and we would have definitely taken advantage of it if we had known in advance.

Things are getting tight again for restaurants in city, we urge you to support the small businesses serving the people of Toronto foods from near and far. They make up such an important part of this special place. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)