Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine

Niagara-on-the-lake is a little piece of paradise just a little under an hour away from Buffalo, NY. This peninsula and the surrounding region is home to some of the best landscapes and wineries that Ontario has to offer. Where there is fine wine, fine dining is never far away.

Treadwell is a farm-to-table restaurant that focuses on creating delicious dishes - each featuring a small number of select, local ingredients. They are located near Queen St and Victoria St, along a busy stretch of road in the Niagara-on-the-lake Old Town. At the time of writing, they are ranked #3 on TripAdvisor amongst restaurants in the area, preceded only by two very popular gelato shops.

Tucked away in an alley, away from the main street.

Note the water bowls for visiting doggies.

“Organic Ocean” Albacore Tuna with Yuzu Glazed Pork Belly and “Kimchi” ($18)
Crispy seaweed, soy mayonnaise

Oh yessss, pork belly. And tuna.

We started our lunchtime munch with a duo of sesame-crusted, seared tuna, and deep fried pork belly. From the get-go, it was clear that there were some Asian influences on this dish: the fried seaweed, a bed of "Kimchi". The portions were not particularly generous but each chunky slice of tuna was satisfyingly tender and coated with a healthy serving of black and white sesame seeds. The pork belly was melt-in-your-mouth delicious but was unfortunately deep-fried, giving it an unwelcome, abrasive texture. I also found the pork belly a bit too salty - perhaps it was intentionally seasoned to pair with the tuna? Crispy seaweed was a nice touch, serving mainly as garnish. Treadwell's take on "Kimchi" had a nice kick and may be best described as "spicy pickles".


Dark Ale Braised “Cumbrae Farms” Beef Cheeks Ribs ($22)
Horseradish Crushed Fingerling Potatoes, Buttered Summer Vegetables, “Marc’s” Wild Mushroom Jus

They didn't have beef cheeks. Got some ribs instead.

The braised beef ribs were simply mouth-watering in appearance. While it would have been interesting to try the beef cheeks instead, Treadwell had run out of beef cheeks the day we visited. The portions, again, appeared to be a bit on the small side but it made up for its lack of quantity in quality. These fall-off-the-bone ribs were plenty tender after braising and the beef had a melt-in-your-mouth quality, not unlike the pork belly before it.

East Coast Lobster “Club” on Duck Fat Fried Bread ($22)
"Monforte" Goat's Cheese, smoked bacon, simple salad

Deceivingly simple.

"Crunchy" is the first word that comes to mind when describing this dish. The duck fat fried bread was so incredibly crisp, I think I scraped my palate as a result of eating the sandwich. There was an ample amount of lobster in the sandwich and the simple vinaigrette salad provided a nice balance to the flavours. I'm personally not a fan of goat cheese so I asked to have it on the side.

Overall, we had a wonderful lunch at Treadwell. The waitstaff were very friendly and cheerful and the food was simply amazing. This restaurant offers some of the best bang-for-buck in the region by serving up quality dishes at fair prices.