KB’s Whitby may be called a bistro, but it is much more.
Consisting of two dining rooms, the front one puts KB’s into classic bistro style. Smaller, cosier, more comfortable than its larger dining room located behind the front. I dined in the front on this occasion.
Owner/chef Kevin Brown has a culinary history dating back to his earlier fine dining bistro, “Burbs” in Pickering, now closed. The Burbs was a smaller establishment and likely once locals discovered the fine fare there, the patronage grow to more than could be managed by its current size.
KB Whitby is huge: cozy in the front end smaller dining room, much larger, capable of hosting very large groups in the back dining room.
In either case, the fare Chef Kevin’s bistro prepares is very acceptable.
Oysters, as per market availability, are accompanied by freshly grated horse radish and mignonette sauce. The oysters available at this dining were small but tasty. The horseradish, nippy but not overpowering. The mignonette sauce was too acidic for my taste, thus overpowering the delicacy of the undersized oysters. A little sugar to the sauce would be in order.
My main was an appetizer, fried calamari. I wanted to taste more than ‘eat.’ Hence, I was having appetizers rather than a main.
My dining partners had crab cakes and peach vegetarian pasta.
The crab cakes again were a satisfactory dish, though from my view, a little overdone as their crispy-looking exterior was too dark in colour, suggesting too long in the frying pan or deep fryer.
The vegetarian past passed the taste test with higher colours. Fettucini pasta with peach bits and mushrooms. The empty plate indicates the dining companion enjoyed the dish.
The service by solo lunchtime staff person, Jamie, was attentive, efficient and personable. When queried about dishes or the Chef’s background, Jamie was factual and well-informed.
The very large lunch crowd suggests that Whitby locals are very happy with the quality of the food at KB’s.
