The Tin Fiddler

The Tin Fiddler calls itself a cocktail bar, and the drinks list earns the billing — but the kitchen behind it cooks like it has something to prove. A downtown Sarnia establishment built on cocktails and mocktails could get away with truffle fries and a burger and call the food a courtesy. Instead the menu runs from house-cut Chips & Dip to miso-marinated sablefish, and the gap between those two ends is the whole argument. The plates here were never meant to be an afterthought to the glass.

The range shows up fast on the menu. Fancy Fries arrive under garlic, rosemary, thyme, truffle salt, and aioli; Hot Chicken & Pickles pairs crispy buttermilk chicken with hot honey and parmesan aioli; the Poke Tuna Stack layers ahi with orange, avocado, nori, and tortilla chips. Then the kitchen pushes further than bar food usually goes — Miso Sablefish over bok choy and fingerling potatoes, Honey Soy Salmon with pickled edamame and jasmine rice, an Ahi Tuna Crunch Bowl built on sesame-crusted tuna and crispy noodles. There are tacos and sushi rolls too, a Crab Rangoon Roll among them, a Schezwan Beef Bowl with peanuts and chilli glaze, and a Steak Sandwich of shaved marinated ribeye and smoked cheddar on ciabatta — and still the Fiddler Burger on its chuck-and-brisket patty for anyone who wants the simple thing done well. The board reads wide on purpose.