Eatdrink #43 September/October 2013
The LOCAL food and drink magazine serving London, Stratford and Southwestern Ontario since 2007
The LOCAL food and drink magazine serving London, Stratford and Southwestern Ontario since 2007
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12 www.eatdrink.ca<br />
№ 43 | <strong>September</strong>/<strong>October</strong> <strong>2013</strong><br />
restaurants<br />
Meet Your Chicken!<br />
At The Only On King in London<br />
By bryan lavery<br />
In its sixth year The Only<br />
On King, with its fully<br />
realized farm-to-table<br />
philosophy, devoted<br />
acknowledgement of the local<br />
terroir, and support of local<br />
farmers and producers, remains<br />
an outstanding archetype of<br />
the virtuous up-to-the-minute<br />
Ontario restaurant. The kitchen,<br />
led by Paul Harding, is a selfproclaimed<br />
labour of love.<br />
When Harding is not chained to the stove, he<br />
continues to find new ways to integrate the<br />
locavore ethic into all aspects of The Only.<br />
Former business partner and dynamic<br />
co-chef Jason Schubert left the restaurant<br />
over a year ago to work at Sanagan’s Meat<br />
Locker (an old-fashioned butcher shop,<br />
specializing in meats from small local<br />
farmers who ethically raise their animals)<br />
in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington<br />
Market. Recently, Schubert announced<br />
via twitter that he has started a new trade,<br />
working for “a kick-ass old school masonry<br />
restoration company.”<br />
Schubert may have left many fans in his<br />
wake but under Harding’s proprietorship<br />
the restaurant continues to perform at the<br />
top of its game. That is in part due to The<br />
Only’s trusty and knowledgeable long-time<br />
manager Scott Sloan.<br />
The Only’s Chef Paul Harding<br />
Dealing successfully with the difficulties<br />
and disciplines of local food procurement,<br />
and executing an ever-changing daily menu<br />
with a deep appreciation of the seasonal<br />
palate has been evidence of the kitchen’s<br />
dedication. The cooking repertoire emphasizes<br />
the rich traditions of classic French and<br />
Italian cuisines and the aesthetics of modern<br />
British cuisine. Located in a historic building<br />
and former dairy on King Street in the<br />
London downtown dining district, the restaurant<br />
has a welcoming character with just<br />
that right amount of off-the-cuff insouciance<br />
that often comes with success. The conversational<br />
hum can be loud when the restaurant<br />
is hopping — which is most nights.<br />
The Only was voted number six of<br />
Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2008 by<br />
enRoute magazine. It has lived up to its early
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