Rush Hour Restaurant is a charming casual dining spot located on Dufferin Street, just north of Dupont. Just as charming is owner and operator Fernando Silva’s commute to work — his family lives in the upper floor of the building housing the restaurant.
The restaurant’s interior is beautiful and elegantly designed; the wines displayed on a bare red brick wall are sure to draw your eye. There’s room for 32 diners in this cozy space and when the patio is open in summer that capacity doubles.
Rush Hour’s main specialty among its diverse menu is fish, including such catches as grouper, tuna, Chilean sea bass, salmon and more. In fact, other fish like swordfish or shark also become available from time to time.
“Some fish comes twice a week from Portugal, and some is local,” Fernando explains.
National pride runs deep at this restaurant as not just some of Rush Hour’s fish, but also their olive oil, salt and rice are imported from Portugal. Similarly, their bread is made in local Portuguese bakeries.
“Most of the wines are Portuguese, with some French and Italian wines,” says Fernando, “but number one is Portuguese wines.”
Homemade desserts like tiramisu and passion fruit mousse round out this already rich and enticing menu.
Our chef's selection of a range of
international soups made fresh
daily
Caldo Verde
a traditional potato, onion
Portuguese soup with sweet chorizo
and cabbage
Carrot and Ginger soup made fresh daily
Grilled calamari
lightly tossed with olive oil,
garlic, roasted red peppers, capers, olives,
sundry tomatoes, fresh herbs and topped
with a balsamic reduction
Spicy grilled chorizo
over a peach, shallot
compote and finished with sauté onion and
peppers
Pernod shrimp pan seared then sauté in a light pernod cream sauce
House salad
in a crispy bowl with mixed
greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and finished
with a blueberry vinaigrette
Caesar
whole crisp leaves of romaine
wrapped in a crouton with our homemade
Ceaser dressing and topped with sundry
tomatoes and pancetta crisps
Shrimp and Mango salad
mixed greens
tossed with fresh mango and a sesame
vinaigrette, and garnished with mango fried
black tiger shrimp
Steamed mussels
in a garlic white wine
sauce and finished with chorizo
Fresh oysters
served with lemon
and house hot sauce on a bed of ice
All Pasta's are fresh and risotto is
carnarolli product from northern Italy
Fettuccini Alfredo
in a creamy parmesan
sauce served with sauté chicken or shrimp
Penne a la vodka
sauté Italian bacon and
crunchy green peas in a rose sauce with a
splash of Russian vodka
Tender plump gnocchi
with sauté chicken
and sweet pepper in a gorgonzola cream sauce
Traditional mushroom risotto
with forest
mushrooms, fresh parmesan, topped with a white truffle oil
Seafood penne
with a Mélange of mixed
seafood in a creamy mascarpone sauce
Seafood risotto
sauté mixed seafood with
saffron finished with parmesan
Grilled Grouper
a fresh fillet with house
potato's, seasonal vegetables finished with
a white wine saffron reduction
Grilled Salmon
a fillet marinated in a soya
orange reduction accompanied with house
potato's sauté vegetables
Whole sea bass
butterfly and grilled served
with a mixed herb and butter sauce, with
house potato's, vegetables
Chilean Sea bass
pan seared until crispy
and topped with a caper dill sauce, house
potato's and seasonal vegetables
Big chili prawns
Shrimp grilled with sweet
pimento and butter served with house
potato's and mixed vegetables
Sesame Seed Seared Ahi Tuna with wasabi
aioli and orange soy glaze house potato's
and seasonal vegetables
All Steaks are wet aged in house for 21 days
Chicken Parmigianino
sauté in our homemade tomato sauce topped with mozzarella and served
with house potato's and mixed vegetables
Picanha steak
our Brazilian cut grilled and accompanied with black beans, greens, French fries, white rice and farofa
Chicken Marsala
stuffed with pancetta, baked brie and sauté with mushrooms, demi-glaze and served
with mixed vegetables, house potato
Bife a Portuguesa
tender strip loin sauté with demi-glaze topped with fried egg and served with French fries
Fillet Mignon
grilled and topped with a gorgonzola cream sauce served with house potato and seasonal vegetables
Australian rack of lamb
served with a mushroom risotto and garnished with a sweet mint sauce
Truffle N.Y. Strip
3 oz, grilled to perfection and topped with a black truffle sea salt, accompanied with
our house fries and mixed vegetables
Chicken fingers
served with French fries
or a pasta of the day, however they like it
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It was our first time at the restaurant. We went there because one friend went there before and loved it. Me and my wife decided to try 2 brazilian dishes they do as specials: Picanha - a brazilian steak - and feijoada - black beans stew with diverse pork meat. I never tried something like that before! The picanha was very soft. The feijoada tasting very good because of the smoked pork meat. Both plates came with something called "farova" - I think it's the way they spell it. It's a manioc flour with meat and veggies. Very different! Our friend ate F. Mignon and he liked it.. I tried the sauce, very good. Next time I'll try the gnocchi with the same sauce.
You know, I was so embarassed when I took my date there for dinner on Friday night. The Chorizo was so over grilled (burnt), my date had a caesar salad that had rotten pieces of romain and was so over drenched with tastless dressing and stale tasting croutons she couldn't even eat it. I ordered the ribs as a main, hoping that they would be as tastey as the last time I had them, only to be dissappointed again, the barbeque sauce was not even close in flavour and again the meat was so overcooked and burnt on the outside. It was like shards of wood. My companion had the snapper, and somehow I doubt that it was really even snapper. It was sooooo salty she had to refill her water twice. who ever was in the kitchen really has to go back to school. When I jokingly inquired as to the status of the chefs credentials, I was told that the original chef that they had before was no longer with them, too bad. Not the same by a long shot. I'm sorry but i won't be returning to Rush Hour any time soon.
I don't know what happened to this little establishment. This was our third time there. The first two times the food really was amazing, however when we visited the other day it was like they got rid of their chef or something. Calamari was like rubber and very salty, Ribs were dry and the sauce did not taste nearly like they did the last two times. My husband had the steak and the gorganzola sauce was like paste, he ordered the meat medium rare and it came well done and the vegetables were so over done we couldn't/didn't finsih them. We were VERY disappointed, since Iwe were entertaining guests from out of town, and they are true foodies. When we told our server it was like we had insulted her. The wine prices are good, selection has a little work needed. Atmosphere is a little rustic, cheap chairs very uncomfortable. Had trouble finding the place signage is very poor, Washrooms are clean. Parking is limited. Needless to say they need to revamp the kitchen and get and get it back together again. Maybe it was the Chefs day off, still no excuse.
the Praws are huge! It was nice to try the Carne Alentejana that they prepare. Delicious portuguese traditional food! The restaurant is brand new, nice decoration... the service was perfect! the owners came to my table, offered a delicious shrimp spread... the Sea Bass is a big dish... good price... the tiramissu was good too...
Benn there over six times and cant get enough of the food its amazing. The service is very good. The owner is very friendly. Its a nice little, cozy place to eat and enjoy a night wth either friends or family
The food was delicious and atmosphere was delightful. Rush Hour really understands the art of dining. At no point were we rushed to make any choices or leave. In fact, despite the fact that it was getting later and my friend and I were the only ones remaining in the restaurant it seemed that they were encouraging us to continue to stay even though it was evident that we wouldn't be ordering any more food or drinks. Our server topped up our wine even though we had already finished our bottle and he brought us sweet Chestnuts. The food was delicious and the portions were very generous. This restaurant has a modern look but a community feel. I look forward to going back often.
Good food, fair price. It's nice to see a restaurant with a open kitchen and the chef working. The Grouper was really good, next time I'll try the Snaper.
What a cute little spot to enjoy a great meal, finally in our neighbourhood! The ambiance, the service, the food, the value...all great. What was nice is that it didn't cater too much to only portuguese flair, but also had italian undertones.
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